Aug 2 2010
Owing to strong interest shown by the public in the General Motors Chevrolet Volt, which is an electric car, General Motors plans to increase U.S. manufacturing output of its vehicle by 50%, to 45,000 units from 30,000 units in 2012.
This announcement was made soon after President Obama paid a visit to the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, wherein the Volt is currently being manufactured for sale.
Completely powered by electricity, the Volt provides an overall driving range of around 340 miles. For the initial 40 miles, the vehicle is driven by gas and a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. Once the battery runs low, the Volt’s gas-fired engine operates the vehicle to drive another 300 miles.
As part of over $700 million General Motors has invested in eight facilities of Michigan to support the production of Volt since 2008, an investment of $336 was made on the Detroit-Hamtramck facility for the production of the electric vehicle. This comprises a battery systems laboratory spanning 33,000 square feet in Warren; supporting stamping and engine operations located in Grand Blanc, Bay City; a battery assembly plant in Brownstown Township; as well as three facilities in Flint.
Source: http://www.gm.com/