General Motors Corp. hopes to begin producing an all-electric car by 2010 that uses technology unveiled in January in its Chevrolet Volt concept car. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz gives the project a 90% chance of actually happening. But he joins other OEMs in cautioning that success and timing will hinge upon the development of low-cost lithium-ion batteries.
The Volt runs on electricity stored in batteries that could be recharged by an onboard engine-generator, fuel cell or by being plugged into the nation’s power grid.
Source: AutoBeat 3/07/07

A123Systems, a start-up in Watertown, Mass., says it has created a powerful, safe, long-lived battery. If the cell fulfills the ambitions of its maker, that softer sound will be the future of automobiles. read the article in the NY Times .

District directors Friday awarded contracts to Quantum Technologies Inc. of Irvine and Hymotion of Toronto, Canada, to prepare a plug-in test fleet.

Quantum, which also develops hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and hydrogen storage systems, received $2 million to buy and convert 20 of Ford Motor Co.'s Escape gasoline-electric hybrid SUVs. The Escapes will use batteries from Advanced Lithium Power Inc., a Vancouver, Canada, company in which Quantum is a 20% stakeholder. see article

The big hybrid buzz from this year's Detroit Auto Show was the Chevy Volt, a series hybrid concept from General Motors. The Volt concept promises all-electric, gas-free driving for 40 miles, extended driving range up to 600 mile, and use of a so-called "eflex" system to allow a full range of fuel sources, including gasoline, hydrogen, and biofuels. The Volt would put much greater emphasis on the electric part of the gas-electric combination than today's hybrid offerings.

The Chevy Volt concept announcement, like GM's recent announcement about producing a plug-in hybrid version of the Saturn Vue Green Line, is earning praise from environmentalists and advocates of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. But some, such as Walter McManus of the University of Michigan, see subterfuge.

I ran into Bob Lutz, GM’s product guru, and asked him about the key questions regarding the Volt. “I think we can get the batteries relatively soon that will demonstrate the proof of concept to where we can put people in the car and demonstrate it to the press and make it do all the things we say it's going to do,” said Lutz.

Likelihood of delivering the Volt: "Let me put it this way, we would not be doing this, if we weren't confident that it could be done." -read full article at HybridCars.com