GM Preps for the Debut of the Plug-in Car by Wooing Electric Companies

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

---

In order to usher in the Chevy Volt, due out in 2010, General Motors is partnering with 30 utility companies across 40 states to ensure that the infrastructure to support the new model will exist. This is great news for the Toyota RAV4 drivers who have been driving electric cars for the last decade.

Of course, this new brand of plug-in cars, will still rely on fuel in addition to electricity unlike their predecessors. The hope, of course, is that gasoline use will only be on an “as-needed” basis, helping cut dependence on the pump.

GM will roll out the Chevrolet Volt and Saturn Vue as plug-in hybrids while competitors, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co., are working on versions of plug-in vehicles but have not yet released timing and specs.

LIke all changes in technology for the automobile, the plug-in’s success will depend on cooperation from other industries, including the utility companies and battery manufacturers since they will need a supply source. Austin Energy, a city-owned utility that serves the Texas capital, has decided to offer a $1,000 incentive to people who buy plug-in cars according to a Wall Street Journal article.

GM is hoping that other companies will follow suit and offer incentives, to help boost sales for the struggling car manufacturer.

Read More About Transportation:

• The Sustainable, Rechargeable Electric Car
• Natural Gas Can Power Vehicles
• Toyota’s New Hybrid Traveling Twice as Far