GM

Volt Suspension Raises More Questions About EV Prospects

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GM’s recent decision to suspend production of its Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid may either be the latest indication that America isn’t ready for electric vehicles, or a distraction along the road to growing public acceptance of a new kind of automobile.

Partisans on both sides of the EV debate are adamant in their interpretation of the latest hiatus in output of the vehicle that is vilified by some as too expensive and impractical to ever be more than a plaything of well-heeled tree-huggers, while being praised by others as an early but hopeful step toward a post-gasoline transportation economy. Keep reading →

Published September 5, 2012 at 1:45 PM

The Electric Race from Extraordinary to Ordinary

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How a quest for a ten-fold improvement in batteries promises to make electric vehicles deliver on their remarkable potential.

The din that accompanied the birth of modern electric vehicles has quieted, despite a steady parade of new models and the ascent of gas prices to worrisome highs. The relative quiet is good news though, a sign that electric vehicles (EVs) are entering a critical period when the technology must evolve from exotic to everyday. Keep reading →

Published May 4, 2012 at 11:50 AM

Volt Fires Won’t Hurt Electric Vehicle Demand: Experts

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You might fear for the future of any car whose battery sparked, smoldered, or burst into flames during government safety tests.

That’s what happened to the Chevy Volt, a plug-in electric/gasoline hybrid touted as GM’s leading response to popular demand for cars that consume less gasoline and emit fewer greenhouse gases than the automaker’s thirstier conventional models. Keep reading →

Published December 28, 2011 at 1:00 PM