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DETROIT, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- The race to find the next generation power train for U.S. vehicles is at least in part a grunge match, a former General Motors executive said. Bob Lutz, GM's former chief product strategist who retired this year, said the accolades heaped on Toyota's gas-electric Prius after GM discontinued its EV1 electric car in 1999, was at least disquieting.
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"I was getting sick of it," he said.
GM stopped production of the EV1 after three years due to high costs of batteries and slow sales, as drivers feared not getting back home before the electricity was depleted, The Detroit News reported Monday.
On Tuesday, GM is scheduled to begin production of its next foray into alternative power train systems. The Volt with a small engine that kicks in when needed to recharge the battery, is GM's bet on a high-mileage car that can "be used anywhere, anytime," said Tony Pasowatz, GM's vehicle line director.
The gasoline-powered recharging system eliminates the fear that a driver will not make it to the next recharging station. The Environmental Protection Agency said the Volt is capable of going 379 miles per fill-up, including the first 35 miles it can run before the gas engine starts.
"We're in this 'let a thousand flowers bloom' mode with advanced technology said former White House automotive industry liaison Stave Rattner, referring to the variety of hybrids and hybrid plug-in cars in development.
After that, it's up to the market place to decide what new cars make it or fail. GM lost $1 billion on the EV1, a car history could judge as ahead of its time, rather than as a poorly made vehicle.
