GM begins work on 'the next Volt'

General Motors may still be 10 months away from putting its Volt electric car (pictured) on sale in North America, but it has already started working on the next one.

And we can expect to see similar technology adapted to larger and more luxurious vehicles.

The Volt is unlike any other electric or hybrid car before it because it uses a small petrol engine to recharge a battery pack while the wheels are driven purely by an electric motor.

Electric-only cars have limited driving range between power points and hybrid cars -- until now -- have had only modest petrol-free driving ability.

But the Volt turns that convention on its head by giving customers two cars in one: an electric vehicle for city commuting (up to 64km between recharges) while the petrol generator gives the vehicle a long distance cruising range of about 500km.

The first GM vehicle likely to adapt the Volt's technology will be the Cadillac Converj, shown in concept form at last year's Detroit motor show.

It now seems certain for production given that the Converj is a twin under the skin to the Volt and would enable GM to charge a premium once equipped with Cadillac features and styling.

"The Converj is a great opportunity for us," said the vice chairman of General Motors, Bob Lutz. "I think you will see this vehicle come to market pretty soon. All the architecture is there and with the Cadillac brand that will give us a unique opportunity in the luxury segment."

Meanwhile the head of GM's energy and environment policy, Mike Robinson, said that the Volt technology developed by GM would be extended across a broader range of vehicles.

"We want to get Volt right first, but of course there are opportunities to expand this concept to other bodystyles, larger family cars and so on. There's no reason why not."

In a briefing to global media at the Warren Tech Centre in Michigan earlier this week, where journalists got to drive the Volt and visit the battery laboratory that GM opened recently, the vehicle line director of the Volt, Andrew Farah, admitted GM was already working on the next one.

"Right now all our focus is on this car and getting it right," Farah said. "But once November rolls around we're straight onto the next phase of this vehicle."

Engineers have already hinted there are many gains to be made given that the technology has moved so far in such a short space of time.

To save costs the Volt was based on the same underpinnings as the Chevrolet/Holden Cruze small sedan.

But if the Volt had a unique platform that was designed for it from the ground up, engineers believe they could get even longer petrol-free driving range and more cabin space.

In the meantime, GM is in the process of building its final prototype vehicles ahead of the production of showroom-saleable vehicles in October for a November launch.

No right-hand-drive test cars have been built yet, but work on the Australian version of the Volt would commence in early 2011 for a 2012 launch.

Price is yet to be confirmed but the Volt is expected to cost in excess of $US40,000 in North America and $60,000 in Australia. By comparison a Toyota Prius costs between $40,000 and $55,000 depending on the model but has a petrol-free driving range of just 2km.

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