GM Unveils Electric `Volt’

Celebrating its 100th birthday, General Motors yesterday presented its plug-in electric vehicle, the Volt, saying the new car symbolized a decisive turn away from the gas-guzzling SUV’s that until recently generated large profits for the automaker. The Volt can only run 40 miles on a lithium-ion battery, after which it must switch to gasoline power, but GM officials touted it as the first of many car models that will run on electricity or alternative energy sources. Expected to go on sale in 2010 for $30,000 to $50,000, the Volt will cost two cents a mile to operate, compared with 12 cents a mile for gasoline engines. The lithium-ion battery can be recharged by plugging it into a standard household electrical outlet. Earlier versions of lithium-ion batteries tended to overheat, but GM says it has developed a new battery that does not have that problem. GM and other U.S. automakers have lagged far behind the Japanese in developing fuel-efficient cars, and higher gas prices and an economic downturn have led to an 18 percent drop in GM’s car sales in the first eight months of this year.