Ouch...but who are these guys? Somebody is making or made Volt batteries. How does this company fit in?
LG Chem, a Korean company who bought Compact Power (who developed the Volt battery Tech)) is currently making the batteries Cells in Korean. They will eventually make them in Holland Mich, which is what the story is about. So far I've not seen any real discussion of why LG prefers to keep making them in Korea, With respect to the Volt, they are just a part supplier. But the volt is a political punching bag where people want to make it look bad. The article is a smeer piece.
I suspect it is because of the existing supply chain they have in/near Korea. Toyota doesn't seem to be interested in manufacturing batteries for their hybrids in the US either.
No smeer piece, you don't realize it an election year. Yep The Volt is a political punching bag, That is something that should change after the elections are over. DBCassidy
I am not sure I would characterize it as a smear. The word Volt was used twice, one of those in the title. There was really no discussion of the Volt at all.
...believe the smear is on Obama admin for throwing money at these green causes...a criticism which has some merit...but my spouse says if it was repubs they'd give the money to <insert favorite repub pork> instead...but we don't want to end up in Freds House of Politics...
If the government really subsidize each cell LG Chem manufactures, does it explain why Volt battery pack is priced under $3k? On top of that, there is $7,500 tax credit to the purchaser. That doesn't seem right.
We are talking about the same government that subsidizes education and other things to stimulate the future state of our country.
We don't know why the price is 3K.. but is unlikey related to the location of the factory. LG Chem is still making the batteries in Korea (why people in the plant here are idle).. so the grant for the plant here does not seem to be a factor. LG Chem received a grant to building a battery factory in the US.. A123 also got money in a similar way. These were direct investment in manufactures.. (Ford got one two. though not for batteries). The AEV tax credit is for the purchaser of the vehicles (effectively allowing a higher vehicle price) and does not require the stuff to be built in the US. Two very different investments, supporting different elements of the supply chain.
I agree, the word Volt was only used twice and not in a negative way. So, where is the "smear"? DBCassidy
