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Bringing the Volt to the Market, One City at a Time
The Chevrolet Volt is General Motors' electric car project the first of what the automaker hopes will be several vehicles sharing what is now called the Voltec platform. Powered by a lithium-ion battery that will go 40 miles on a single charge, the Volt will also be equipped with a 1.4L I4 engine which will help to extend its range.
Volt models will most likely be powered at owner's homes, but they'll also need access to public repowering ports, much like a gas station fuel pump, to keep their cars running when they are out of range or taking a trip. To that end, General Motors has announced that it is working with a number of partners to lend a hand including several major cities.
"Collaborating with communities such as San Francisco and metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C. - where there's already an interest in plug-in vehicles - is another important step toward raising customer awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of vehicles such as the Volt," said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet.
GM has announced that it is looking for stakeholders which would be governments, businesses and civic groups to help make it easier for Volt owners to power up. These groups may include:
- State, city and county governments
- Electric utilities
- Regulators/public utility commissions
- Permitting and code officials
- Clean Cities coalitions
- Local employers
- Universities
- Early electric vehicle adopters
"Cities have an indispensable role in making plug-in vehicles successful," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Here in San Francisco, we are acting now to make sure the charging infrastructure will be available to support these vehicles as soon as they are ready for sale, and we are working with other cities in the region to make the Bay Area a thriving market for electric transportation."
GM plans to manufacture the Volt's battery packs in the United States and is currently building a plant in Michigan to assemble them. LG Chem, a Korean battery giant, will supply the cells for the Volt.
Several recent positive developments in this regard include:
- Last October, the federal government approved a $7,500 tax incentive for consumers of plug-in electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt.
- In November, the California cities of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland announced a plan for plug-in vehicle infrastructure, incentives and enablers.
- A new Michigan law expedites the development of advanced battery manufacturing and research capabilities in the state.
GM is also helping to pave the way to plug-in commercialization on several other fronts, including:
Working with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and a coalition of more than 40 utilities to solve challenges and accelerate the commercialization of plug-in electric vehicles.
Playing a lead role in helping to create Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standards for the vehicle charging interface.
"We know plenty of work still remains, both within and outside of GM," said Peper. "But today's and other recent announcements underscore the comprehensive work being done to bring the Chevrolet Volt and other electrically driven vehicles to market - and they also highlight why we are so optimistic about the ultimate success of the Volt."
GM expects that the first Volts will be available for sale in November 2010. A tentative price tag of $40,000 has been set for the model.
Source: General Motors
About the Author
Matthew C. Keegan is a freelance writer who resides in North Carolina. Matt is a contributing writer for Andy's Auto Sport an aftermarket supplier of quality parts including Chevrolet Astro wheels and Chevrolet Beretta wheels.
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