So when he tells us he knows something about the new GM Volt Electric Car, well, I’m inclined to listen.

Apparently, despite the car’s pretty exterior and claims of green-ness, the Volt is “hype and deception.”

Phil says, “In a nutshell, the claims of substantial fuel savings and fewer greenhouse emissions are bogus.”  He kindly sent us a press release about it — you can read the whole story after the jump (or, read more warnings and car news on his website at lemonaidcars.com).

GM’s Volt Electric-Car: Hype and Deception, says Lemon-Aid Author

Lemon-Aid New Cars, Trucks, Vans and SUVs author Phil Edmonston says GM’s just-launched 2011 electric-car, the Volt, is an expensive, high-tech toy that neither has the range nor the fuel savings hyped  by General Motors.

“After emerging from bankruptcy, GM is using the Volt as its ‘halo’ car to showcase the automaker’s high-tech prowess and commitment to fuel economy and a cleaner environment. Yet, there is mounting evidence that the vehicle serves no environmental or economic purpose and that the U.S. $5 billion subsidy given to Detroit automakers to develop electric cars was a colossal waste of money.

J. D. Power and Associates has just released a damning 72-page report that confirms what many other independent analysts have found: electric cars cost too much; they require a huge federal subsidy ($7,500) to bring the Volt’s price down to $33,500; other conventional small cars are just as fuel frugal; and the Volt’s range without a recharge may be half of what GM promises (http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/news/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2010213).

The Power study also targets the high cost of battery pack replacements that can vary between $5,000 and $15,000 for a hybrid or plug-in and that “the disposal of depleted batteries presents yet another environmental challenge.

“Furthermore, electric-cars and hybrids use rare earth elements that are processed almost exclusively by China in highly toxic plants, thereby shifting our dependence from relatively benign Middle East oil to a greater dependency upon China’s lethal monopoly.

In a nutshell, the claims of substantial fuel savings and fewer greenhouse emissions are bogus—just as bogus as the previous tax-payer rip-off from billion-dollar subsidies used to promote corn-based ethanol fuel,” says the Lemon-Aid author. In fact in 2009, the U. S. based National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council concluded: “Subsidies in the tens to hundreds of billions of dollars…will be needed if plug-ins are to achieve rapid penetration of the U. S. automotive market.”

And, even if the money could be found, the Council warns that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles won’t significantly impact oil consumption or carbon emissions before 2030. Though percentages for the U.S. are expected to be higher – around 14% – the better piece of electric-car market will belong to non-plug-in hybrids like the Prius and Ford Fusion Hybrid. The Power report also predicts that a mere 1% to 2% of new car sales in 2020 will be in the form of full-electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids.

Other independent researchers who have echoed this conclusion are Deloitte Touche, Boston Consulting Group, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, professor Harry Lee at Harvard’s Belter Center for Science and International Affairs, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Energy Initiative.

When federal Finance Minister Flaherty refused to bail out Canada’s financial institutions earlier this year, he did the right thing. Now, it’s Detroit’s turn to learn that Canadian taxpayers cannot be bullied into squandering millions for a temporary cash “fix”, when the industry needs fixing, says Edmonston.

“Detroit makes bad cars that nobody wants, with Chrysler and GM heading the list. Detroit also makes expensive marketing goofs like GM selling the same car through three divisions (Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade), Chrysler, Ford, and GM backing away from leasing, instead of making realistic residual values, and all three manufacturers forcing dealers to order poor sellers if they want some ‘hot’ models. Neither does Detroit have any realistic business plan to make money, and instead, trots out the following myths to beg for handouts:”

Automakers are losing billions because of “legacy costs” of retirement pay and health care for workers in Detroit. Not true. Other countries’ workers have pensions, too, although those pensions are more highly socialized than in the United States. But the cost of labor in a car or truck is barely more than a tenth of the price of an average vehicle (The average labor costs of a car or truck are slightly above $2,000, and an average car or truck costs about $24,000).

Detroit makes the best cars in the world. Wrong. Check the frequency of repair stats in any Lemon-Aid, Consumer Reports or J. D. Power survey. American models are shown to lack quality, performance, and styling. Can you tell the difference between a 2008 Impala and a Malibu? A Cobalt and a Caliber? Detroit needs sexy, reliable cars. All three automakers should hire the quality-control people from Honda, Hyundai and Kia (Toyota quality has slipped of late) and have them supervise the plants around Detroit and Oshawa, just the way the Japanese hired W. Edwards Deming to teach them American quality control after World War II.

Detroit’s bailout won’t cost us anything. Are you kidding? The $25 billion “bridge loan” given last month is estimated to cost American taxpayers about $8 billion. Also add on to that the billions that won’t be spent on infrastructure repairs that could create many more jobs and a greener environment. Canada wasted hundreds of millions of dollars bailing out GM’s Boisbriand, Quebec factory, and the factory is still there—boarded up, lost among the weeds.

The truth is like many of the airlines that successfully reorganized and merged while in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Detroit needs ‘tough love’ in order to throw off the yoke of its inbred, short-sighted, arrogant, corporate welfare bums that are asking Washington for another $25 billion on top of the $25 billion they were give last month. The same companies are just now toting up how big of a handout they will ask from Ottawa.

Instead of a bailout, the Detroit 3 need a buyout. Preferably, by the federal government which could buy the companies in bankruptcy for 10 cents on the dollar, and renegotiate worker salaries and benefits and supplier contracts. It would be nice to see the three automakers organized into one lean, green, and aggressive automaker with (why not?) Lee Iacocca, David Suzuki, or Bob White at the wheel (for a $1 a year, maybe $2). They may even be able to call it…AMERICAN MOTORS…That name is free now.

Sadly, this is not likely to happen because of Republican moderates who will cast their lot with Democrats for a bailout. A House win is a sure thing, but the Senate will be tight. Expect McCain and Lieberman to vote for the bailout and watch how many ‘earmarks’ will be thrown in to make the Kool-Aid sweeter.

“In Canada, we should continue a watchful approach, and keep our purses shut.”

Phil Edmonston, author and car curmudgeon, has written more than 130 Lemon-Aid bestsellers. Phil’s latest book Lemon Aid Used Cars and Trucks 2009-10, which for the first time covers all used vehicles in one volume, is available this February.