GM is betting their company on the Chevy Volt. It’s a plug-in electric hybrid supposedly due in 2010. But reports are it will be late and the battery, which they are inventing as they design the car, remains a huge problem. It doesn’t exist yet and if and when it does, will probably be extremely expensive.

Engineers at Toyota have all plug-in hybrids, including the Volt, on “death watch” because the batteries will be too costly. They also think that trying to get people to charge EVs at night won’t work. So massive amounts of new solar power will be needed.

One also wonders if GM will survive in its current form until 2010, much less beyond.

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Credit where credit is due. GM is feverishly working on a next generation hybrid,the Chevy Volt, which could make existing hybrids obsolete. The Volt would use a gas engine to supplement the electric engine, the opposite of what current hybrids do, and would use microscopic amounts of gas most of the time. It will go 40 miles on a charge using no gasoline with no emissions and has a range of 640 miles when using gasoline.

However, they haven’t developed the battery for it yet, so they are having to create the the car and invent a new battery at the same time. Not good.

GM is most definitely pedal to the metal on this, and is deliberately developing the car in full view of the media and not with their usual secrecy. This is commendable. So far, the battery has been problematic. Let’s hope GM gets the Volt out on schedule in 2010 and gives Toyota some competition again. The more plug-in hybrids, the better.

The Atlantic has a long, worth-reading article on the Volt.

GM official Chevy Volt site.

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