Thursday, March 22, 2012

GM starts testing electric Chevrolet Spark


General Motors is literally changing its stripes with its battery-electric powered Chevrolet Spark. The automaker is testing battery-electric versions of its Chevrolet Spark compact and is suggesting that production versions may have a single-charge range of more than 100 miles.

GM posted on Tuesday on its The Future Is Electric blog that engineers are testing a handful of electric-powered sparks. The post includes photographs the zebra-stripe-painted Spark EVs and implies that the testing is being done in Southern California and that the car has a single-charge range of about 106 miles. A video about the test is available after the jump.

As part of its centennial celebration, the automaker unveiled details about the battery-electric Spark last October, saying it would be sold in "limited quantities" starting next year. GM said the electric motor would put out 114 horsepower, or about a third more than the 83 horsepower put out by the 1.2-liter four-cylinder gas engine in the conventional Spark. That model is set to debut in the U.S. this summer.

Last December, Australia's Go Auto reported that GM may develop a plug-in hybrid-electric version of the Chevrolet Cruze.



Source: Autoblog Green

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