General Motors has confirmed it will build its forthcoming Chevrolet Volt at its Hamtramck plant in Detroit.
Production of prototype vehicles is expected to start in the spring, with full production beginning later in 2010.
GM will build the Volt on Hamtramck’s existing production line while other components, including its lithium ion batteries, will be built at other GM sites in the US.
Jon Lauckner, GM vice president of global product planning, said, “The Detroit-Hamtramck plant is expected to be the first facility in the US owned by a major auto maker to produce an electric car.
“With GM at the lead, electric vehicle development is creating entire new industries. This includes battery developers, builders of home and commercial charging stations, and power control and electric motor suppliers.”
European-spec Volts, badged as Vauxhall/Opel Amperas, will initially be built at Hamtramck, before production moves to a European site.
New Opel CEO said yesterday that Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant is one of the leading contenders for Ampera production.
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Re: GM to build Volt in Detroit
You're partly right, it isn't a completely electic vehicle. But the Volt/Ampera can be plugged in and charged at home, so that the petrol engine will very rarely be needed. It's also more suitable for longer journeys as the petrol engine can extend the range (unlike a completely electric vehicle)
I'm quite excited by this car more than any other because it's the stepping stone to eradicating the need for fossil fuel power. To me it's not about climate change but not relying on buying oil from unstable nations and becoming self-sufficient.
I read somewhere that eventually the Volt will get a hydrogen fuel cell once that technology matures enough.
Re: GM to build Volt in Detroit
The Volt is NOT an electric car, and GM execs should stop trying to sell it as one - and start by telling us how much CO2 its PETROL engine will emit. Just because the PETROL engine doesn't power the wheels directly, does not mean the Volt would be a 0 emission vehicle (even after the production process is over).