GM first made the EV in the late 1990s, and then scrapped each and every one of them. The Detroit brand’s next eco move came with the Chevrolet Volt range-extender hybrid, about which they appeared to have doubts after its release, due to less than satisfactory sales numbers (it still managed to outsell the all-electric Nissan Leaf last year, though).
It seems that GM officials can’t quite make up their mind as to what they want to do and what technologies they want to pursue in the future – former GM boss, Bob Lutz, recently said that the creation of the Volt was a mistake, and that the fuel-saving tech it came with would have served a much better purpose powering an SUV first, not a small car.
Now, though, GM CEO Dan Akerson was recently quoted by Bloomberg as saying: “There will be breakthroughs in battery technology, they’re on the horizon. We’re actually developing a car today which is really anathema to the way the auto industry works: We’re running a dual play on the technology to see which one will succeed.”
He is apparently talking about the development of two distinct EVs, one capable of a one-charge range of 100 miles (160 km), while the other would be able to double that figure.
The statement was made during a presentation at the CERAWeek energy conference, where Akerson detailed GM’s electrification plans further. While not giving any further details on the two projects, the top-ranking GM official also talked about cutting the curb weight of their vehicles, explaining that a 10% drop in weight is directly proportional to a 6.5% improvement in fuel consumption. He also said that for future models, they plan to reduce weight by up to 15%.
He also called for support from the US president, Barrack Obama, for the creation of a specialized commission, which would have to come up with a 30-year energy policy, which would give all forms of alternative energy an equal shot at being widely-adopted.
By Andrei Nedelea
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