DETROIT: U.S. carmaker General Motors Corp. is planning a battery-powered car called Volt and intends to target it at mass markets.
Saying that the car is still at a conceptual state, the world's largest carmaker revealed the vehicle will have a plug-in battery capable of powering it for 40 miles. It will also have a power generator capable of producing energy to run the car when the battery is at a low.
General Motors' vice chairman for product development Bob Lutz said at the North American International Auto Show the Volt draws from the company's previous experience in launching an electric vehicle, the EV1 in 1996.
He said the EV1 was the benchmark in battery technology and was a tremendous achievement. The Chevrolet Volt that is being planned now is a new type of electric vehicle, he said, adding it addressed the range problem and has room for passengers and their stuff.
Volt will draw power exclusively from a next-generation battery pack recharged by a small onboard engine. It is designed to run for 40 miles on pure electric power. For this distance, the vehicle will not require any fuel and this can lead to annual savings of 500 gallons of gasoline, the company said.
Besides, it will be driven entirely by electric power, unlike the hybrids, which derive power by twinning battery power and a combustion engine. The combustion engine in Volt is meant only as a supplement to keep its batteries charged.
GM also said it will build the concept of plug-in which will mean charging the battery through a standard electric outlet. The batteries will be the new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold a charge longer than the nickel metal hydride batteries now used widely in automobiles.
General Motors' rival Ford too revealed a plug-in car at the auto show. It showcased its Airstream concept, which is designed for long family journeys, with a futuristic interior and running on battery power, generated by a hybrid fuel cell, or topped up from the mains.
General Motors had been under pressure ever since it shelved its EV-1 program in 2003, after making some 1,100 vehicles. The decision led to a documentary titled "Who Killed the Electric Car?" in November, which suggested the company conspired with oil companies to kill the project to protect their profitability.
