AutoblogGreen

Wow, this could really change the game... more so even than Tesla building 10000 WhiteStars/year, possibly more so than GM building 60000 Volts/year.

If people start thinking of small city EVs more like consumer electronics, then the idea of plugging them in at night, or only using them for 1-2 hours at a time might be much more palatable.

I'm not sure how I feel about it for what it might do to America's economy (probably similar to what Wal-mart has done to America's economy for every other product it sells), but it could really break open the dam for EVs.

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Where are most Walmart's located? My guess is they may set-up EV only stores.

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Walmart is most likely talking with BYD.

Detroit 2008: BYD exposes the F6-DM plug-in hybrid
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/01/15/detroit-2008-byd-exposes-the-f6-dm-plug-in-hybrid/

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GoodCheer, Wal-Mart is not killing our economy, it's the privately owned Federal Reserve's debasing of our currency and Congress's out of control military and entitlement spending that's killing the US. This is EXACTLY how the Soviet Union collapsed and we're next!

Buy pure gold coins and keep them in your home.

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I agree Tim, there are surely a lot of factors both micro- and macro-economic. Deficit spending is probably one of the worst offenders (though fine in moderation, we've long since left moderation behind).

Though I'm hardly an economist, I can't help but think there is a parallel between the mortgage crisis where so many individuals have over-extended themselves trying to live beyond their means and the federal government that has been borrowing so much money that the world is loosing faith in our ability to repay. As the dollar drops in value of course it only gets harder to repay that debt (disproportionately owed to China).

Perhaps I should have said something like "socio-economic fabric" rather than "economy" as the primary victim of Wal-Mart.

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Didn't Sam's Club offer to sell the Smart EV from Hybrid Technologies? Why would we not expect the EV to come from them?

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GoodCheer- I would boil it down to "social fabric" because no one company had done more to destroy the small town style interaction between shop keepers and customers and the social interaction of shopping. No one RETAILER has done more to shift our gross manufacturing capabilities overseas.

Wal-Mart almost single handedly killed small town America poisoned all the purity that was protected there. Of course liberal Hollywood & the music industry's corrupting people's minds had a huge hand in this destruction too.

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Dave
Sam's club is Wal~Mart.
It seems to me that Wal~Mart will just act as the dealer for EVs. Like they do for say Sony TVs.

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iIF WAL MART DOESN'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT'S RAPIDLY DETERORIATING IMMAGE WITH THE MIDDLE AND LOWER MIDDLE CLASS CLIENTELE WHO DO 75% OF THEIR SHOPING THERE, IT IS NOT GOING TO MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE WHAT THEY SELL BECASUE LIKE kmART THEY TOO WILL GO IN THE TANK. ALL THE SIGNS ARE THERE PEOPLE

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Wal-Mart is absolutely disgusting. The only successful one around here is in the middle of the "hood" and they ripped down a wetland (after spending years in court on this) to build a stupid Wal-Mart NEXT to a Meijer's that has been built on a treeless and basically plain old lot, and nobody even GOES to that new Wal-Mart, the Meijer's is STILL packed day after day. Same with the one they built up a bit north right across the street from another Meijer's (albeit in an old abandoned lot). It's failing. Miserably.

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There's only one green Chinamart cares about and it has nothing to do with the earth. Yes lets just keep shiping in crap from all over the world and then when nothing is made here period no body will have a job and they won't be able to even shop at Chinamart for their cheap crapy products.

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BAAAAA, that place is no more than the Anti Christ. Vote for me

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Another set of misguided information about Wal-Mart. I work at the Home Office, we do not have stores that are failing. Our Stores are $100 Million locations; which make us around a $400 Billion company in sales this year. Thanks for the concern; but Wal-Mart is good for the economy, stretches the consumer's dollar; and hasn't run out the competition in small town America. In fact, if your store was successful before Wal-Mart it should be successful after Wal-Mart. And actually, a lot of small business shop at the Sam's Clubs to gain product to stock their shelves; so it works out. It's good to have an opinion about things, especially what you are concerned about; but be accurate with the facts. If you want to know what it's like to shop or work at Wal-Mart, ask one of our 1.4 Million domestic Associates, and 900k international ones; they'll speak to you.

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We do not need more cars in the U.S.A., What we need is a better communiter system, Trains that connect with cities around the U.S.A.

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It doesn't matter how often we complain about our Wal*Mart dislikes...people will still buy where they want and it's not always about the best price but the best service! http://www.autolicenseplatesandframes.com

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Sears- 1952- Took a small car and marketed it. It was a re-badged Kaiser Henry J called the Allstate.
Sears was the #1 retailer at that time.

It failed.

Deja Vu

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Maybe WAL-MART should get into the mortuary business. They're real good at burying American factories, why not Americans? WAL-MORT?

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At the risk of sounding stupid....your article failed to identify what "EV's" and "PHEV's" are. You need to remember that some of us are over 25 years old, and have LIVES that extend beyond the computer and texting each other in abbreviated form, so we don't necessarily keep up with the latest jargon or lingo. I was able to figure it out shortly, but it just aggravated me the way you just assumed we all knew what the heck you were yapping about....

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WHAT BOTHERS ME MOST IS ALL THE ILLEGALS THAT SHOP AT WAL-MART. AND THEY EVEN PLAY MEXICAN MUSIC AS BACKGROUND FOR THE NON ENGLISH SPEEKING SHOPPERS!
THE PARKING LOTS ARE FILTHY WITH DEBRI ALMOST AS BAD AS OUR BOARDERS WITH MEXICO. EMPTIED ASHTRAYS, MCDONALD WRAPPERS, COKE CONTAINERS, JUST TRASHED. AND HUNDREDS OF ILLEGALS STANDING ABOUT. MOST SIGNS IN ENGLISH AND HISPANIC. LIKE THE MENS ROOM IS DUPLICATED IN SPANISH AS WELL AS WET FLOOR. IF THEY CAN'T READ (MENS) OR (WET) THEN THEY CAN WET THEIR PANTS AND FALL ON THIER BUTS AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. ALMOST LIKE SHOPPING IN MEXICO. CITY!!!!! YOU HARDLY FEEL SAFE. SORRY, I'LL SHOP ELSWHERE. PRESS 1 FOR ENGLISH BS. BANK OF AMERICA YOU ARE JUST AS BAD.

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Although I'm just a woman and nobody thinks we know what we're talking about, here goes...I'm retired(I'm 60) and live on a very small fixed income.I was very active in my Union (AFSCME), I hate the outsoursing that has ruined our American Economy. Automakers have had the knowledge to make a fuel effiencent car for many, many years. I feel that oil comapanies have been involved in preventing them( a secret handshake) so to speak. The government spending and Big business needs for more and more profits are out of control..How much is too much profit? Cars have become an extention of ourselves and our ego, I admit I'm guilty too. It's not just transportation anymore,it's status. Because my income has been so reduced I've had to change my way of thinking. I lost my house like thousands of others. I had a 04 T-bird and 06 F150 Ford truck (Harley Edition)Believe, me Both we sweet rides..But reality set in this year. I had to get rid of both and it killed me...If the automakers and oil companies, would change their need for so much profit without government forcing them to we might be in a better place today..Their is no more middle class, we are all hurting and need somewhere to buy (needs)for our family. Although my heart is with the Unions, my pocketbook is (where do it shop that gives me the most for my money) I still need to buy gas for my 93 foreign klunker(35mpg)Walmart and Winco help me over the hurdles...I get 1300@mo and cannot work due to dissabilities.I applied for SSD jul 07 still no word..Most of us fall through the cracks in the system. I believe in America and what it stands, someday soon I hope we can all turn things around, but unfortunately Now, it seems we are all between a rock and a hard place.

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