Lutz says electric cars very much alive at General Motors

After getting some bad press earlier this summer following the release of the film "Who Killed the Electric Car?", it looks like General Motors is going to take another stab at electric cars. This time the approach is very different from the star of that film, the EV1. According to an Automotive News interview with Bob Lutz, the work that GM has doing on fuel cell vehicles will contribute to a new series hybrid vehicle. Where most current hybrids are primarily powered by the internal combustion engines, this new vehicle will run primarily off the batteries. A gas or diesel engine would mainly be used as a backup and to charge the battery. Alternatively, a smaller fuel cell could be used to charge the battery.

It now appears that GM's focus, at least in the near term, is on primarily battery powered vehicles that have onboard charging systems for extended range. Lutz expects significant advances in battery technology in the next few years, which hopefully will include non-exploding lithium-ion batteries. More details are expected at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show, including whether this new vehicle will able to be plugged in.

[Source: AutoWeek]