General Motors has gone from a weak link in the American auto industry to global player within the last year. The recent announcement by GM that it would repay the federal government’s bailout investment five years ahead of schedule had auto industry experts pleasantly surprised. GM’s next step based on recent news is to make headway into the Chinese auto market through partnerships with SAIC and Tsinghua University. The automaker presented a trio of green vehicle concepts at Auto China 2010 last week along with its planned studies of electrification in Chinese cities.
The most notable GM concept at Auto China 2010 was the Volt MPV5. Based on the Chevy Volt, the Volt MPV5 is powered by a 16kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 1.4-liter gas-powered generator. General Motors notes that the Volt MPV5 can travel up to 32 miles per charge on all-electric power, which would be sufficient for the average Chinese worker’s commute. The Volt’s gas-powered generator extends the overall range to 300 miles by using small amounts of gasoline to generate electricity. Given the Chevy Volt’s rise from concept to production model, it seems likely that GM will follow through on the Volt MPV5 sooner rather than later.
General Motors also highlighted the Converj and XTS concepts at Auto China 2010. The Converj uses the same system as the Volt and Volt MPV5 and can travel up to 37 miles on battery power. The XTS is a plug-in concept featuring a 3.6-liter direct injection engine and a plug-in hybrid system. This concept is designed to please traditionalists with its 350 horsepower engine while also catering to drivers interested in plug-in battery charging.
In order to facilitate the Volt and other plug-ins and EVs, General Motors is working with public and private players in China to create a charging infrastructure. The automaker opened the China Automotive Energy Research Center in Beijing recently to study improvements in plug-in and electric vehicles. The GM China Science Lab opened in November 2009 is looking into improvements in battery chemistries as well as reliable methods for recharging batteries. Given the company’s recent streak of good news, it seems like the Volt MPV5 and other concepts are closer to reality than they seemed only a year ago.
