GM volts electric car plans
2007-06-11 15:16
Chevrolet Volt
General Motors, the top US car maker, said it will speed up development of electrically driven vehicles as part of a program to reduce gasoline usage.
Rick Wagoner, chairman and chief executive, said the company was moving forward on several fronts to develop alternative-fuel vehicles.
"Energy diversity means that we'll continue to improve the
efficiency of the internal combustion engine, as we have for decades... but importantly, we're also dramatically intensifying our efforts to displace traditional petroleum-based fuels...by building a lot more vehicles that run on alternatives, such as E-85 ethanol," he said at the annual GM shareholders meeting in Wilmington, Delaware.
"We're...significantly expanding and accelerating our
commitment to electrically driven vehicles, like the Chevy Volt concept car we introduced in Detroit in January," he said, referring to the annual Detroit auto show.
Wagoner announced GM had awarded two contracts to companies that will help speed up development of the Volt.
The contracts to design and test lithium-ion batteries went to Michigan-based Compact Power Inc. and to Continental Automotive Systems.
"Given the huge potential that the Volt and its E-flex system offers to lower oil consumption, lower oil imports and reduce carbon gas emissions, this is for sure a top priority program for GM," he said.
The Volt packs a battery-powered electric motor that can run the car for up to 64km on a single charge.
A gasoline-powered, one-liter, three-cylinder engine can
generate electricity to replenish the battery, giving the car a range of up to 1030km's, according to GM.