General Motors Co., the maker of the Chevrolet Volt gasoline-electric car, will hire 1,000 engineers in Michigan to help expand the automakers’ lineup of electric- drive vehicles. The hiring will increase GM’s workforce of electric-vehicle engineers by 50 percent to about 3,000, said Rob Peterson, a spokesman for the Detroit-based company. GM, which plans to sell 10,000 Volts next year and 45,000 in 2012, is hosting a media event today to mark the start of production of the $41,000 car.
The Volt, begun under former Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner, is the centerpiece of GM’s effort to position the company as innovative and environmentally friendly. Dan Akerson, who took over as CEO in September, has said he wants GM to be “at the forefront” of electric-car development.
“GM is going to lead the industry in the adoption of various vehicle-electrification technologies,” Akerson said today in a statement. “We want to give our customers energy choices other than petroleum and to make the automobile part of the solution when it comes to the environment.”
The Volt can drive for 35 miles solely on electric power and an additional 340 miles on the gasoline engine, GM said today in a statement.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated the Volt’s energy use as the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon in electric-only mode and 60 mpg in gasoline-electric driving, GM said. In gasoline-only mode, when the battery is drained, the car would get 37 mpg, GM said.
GM fell 23 cents to $33.57 at 10:13 a.m. today in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have gained 1.7 percent from their $33 sale price in an initial public offering earlier this month.
