GM has already killed off one electric car - the EV1 was a product tragically ahead of its time - but the company is now committed to building an improved version:
The new car, to be unveiled as a prototype early next year, would use an onboard internal-combustion engine as a generator to produce electricity to extend the range of the vehicle's rechargeable batteries.The idea was greeted enthusiastically by Chris Paine, director of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" The recent documentary took GM to task for creating and then abandoning the first production electric vehicle since the early 1900s.
"Bring it on," he said, noting that he has never doubted GM's ability to produce an environmentally friendly electric vehicle but has criticized its commitment to marketing one.
"I hope this one can get from concept to showrooms," Paine said.
Some environmental activists also seemed intrigued by the idea, noting that though it is not a "pure" electric vehicle like the battery-powered EV1, a generator-driven hybrid electric car would still consume far less fuel than a vehicle that relied on a larger, thirstier gasoline or diesel engine for propulsion.
Is Detroit finally getting serious about improving its environmental track record?
PS. GM also just announced that they are developing a new Hummer truck, which is exactly what the world needs right now.
Comments (15)
GM is committed to building a prototype, and showing it off at auto shows. As expressed in that article, there is no stated commitment to selling a production model - yet.
It will be interesting to see the prototype. If the engine is used solely for electrical generation, that opens the path to changing the basic geometry of the vehicle. For example, in some of GM's futuristic concept schemes, the central engine and transmission are replaced with electric motors at each wheel. Nothing this radical has appeared in commercially-available hybrids yet.
Posted by: Mustafa Mond, FCD | November 9, 2006 4:37 PM