Looks like there was a good reason that Chevrolet dropped the “More car than electric” tagline for its Chevy Volt. That anti-EV phrase was always short-sighted, and the reason why was announced this morning in Detroit. General Motors has revealed that in addition to selling its global Chevy Spark mini car in the U.S. next year, an all-electric version called the Spark EV will be joining it in 2013.
That GM is working on an all-electric Spark is no surprise; a version of the vehicle (also known as the Beat) was shown in India earlier this year and GM CEO Dan Akerson said at the Detroit Auto Show this past January that his company was working on an all-electric vehicle to be sold in the U.S. A Spark EV also fit the rumors that GM’s new electric car would be small and designed for urban areas, particularly in California, where it would be used to meet the upcoming ZEV mandate changes.
Official details released by GM this morning back this up. According to the automaker, the Spark EV will use nanophosphate lithium-ion battery packs from A123 Systems and be sold in “limited quantities in select U.S. and global markets starting in 2013, including California.” More specific details about power, range and overall performance will be released at a later date.
autoblog
