GM to Manufacture a Plug in Hybrid

Good news--althogh GM changes its direction like the wind. I'll believe it when I see it. Good post, although I'm certain we're years off, and by then, I'd bet everyone else will have caught up to Tesla's battery storage capacity. I suppose this answers the question: what if I go on a road trip? Good luck GM.

I've been hearing rumblings for a while about a plug-in hybrid from GM.

Saab is owned by GM now. Recently Saab developed a plug-in hybrid concept car. As they were preparing to show it at the auto shows, word came down from GM management to glue the recharging port shut, and erase all mention of plug-in capability from their press releases. Why would GM want to hide the fact that one of their subsidiaries invented a plug-in hybrid?

One speculation I've heard is that GM didn't want little Saab stealing their thunder, as they have a much bigger announcement planned for plug-in hybrids -- possibly at the 2007 New York Auto Show.

Link to the Saab story: http://www.trollhattansaab.net/archives/saab_hybrid/

When Stockey first posted that Bloomberg link, I didn't go and read it like I should have. I assumed it was just another rehash of the GM PHEV rumor that had been making the rounds for a while, but it actually goes into more detail about what GM are doing. I got a clue today when AutoblogGreen picked up the story:

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/1...ategy-to-focus-on-plug-in-hybrids-with-i-car/

It's a significant turnaround in strategy for GM, and might easily goad Toyota to accelerate their own PHEV development. That in turn could give EV efforts at other companies (Tesla, Commuter Cars, Mitsubishi, etc.) more credibility.

Things are starting to look up in the EV and PHEV field; it looks like the next few years could be pretty exciting.