[Texgreen] GM electric car may never be built

[Roger Baker]

Its a battery problem now and always has been. -- Roger

<http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarselectrica.htm>

Electric cars peaked about 1912 with a range of about 18 miles.

"Later in 1916, Woods invented a hybrid car that had both an internal  
combustion engine and an electric motor."


                     
**************************************************************

<http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070323/ 
AUTO01/703230356/1148>

GM tries to unplug Volt hype

Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News

General Motors Corp. seized the world's attention in January when it  
unveiled plans to build the Chevy Volt -- a plug-in hybrid car touted  
not so much as a mode of transportation but as part of a solution to  
the nation's energy crisis.

The Volt grabbed headlines, lit up online chat boards and dominated  
the buzz at the auto show in Detroit.

There's just one problem: The Volt may never get built.

Production depends on advances in battery technology that could be  
years away. The uncertainty led to intense debate within GM over  
whether it was wise to show the Volt in Detroit. And now that the  
world's waiting for GM to deliver what could be the biggest  
environmental breakthrough so far this century, company officials are  
actively trying to temper expectations.

The enormity of GM's challenge was evident last week when it called  
journalists to a backgrounder to explain the technological hurdles  
facing the Volt project -- and reiterate that it can't guarantee the  
futuristic car will ever hit the road...