GM exec: 100, 200 miles on a charge may soon

By TOM KRISHER associated press
DETROIT--A small battery companies from General Motors supports breakthrough technology working on, that could be an electric car 100 or even 200 km with a charge in the next two to four years makes GM CEO said on Thursday.

When an employee meeting, CEO Dan Akerson, said that the company, Newark, California systems, a major breakthrough in the amount of energy has been formed based Envia, a lithium-ion battery can hold. GM is sure that the battery 100 miles may take a car within a few years, he said. Maybe with a little luck, he said double.

"I think we have better than a 50-50 chance,"Akerson said,"to develop a car that goes 200 miles when paying," he said. "That would be a game-changer."

Current electric car from General Motors, Chevrolet Volt, is about 35 miles on a charge and has a small gas engine that makes the car go to keep generated. Only a few competitors have electric car with a range of more than 100 km. Tesla Motors model S can go up to 300 miles, but it has a much larger battery and costs more than twice as much as a volt. Nissan leaf and Ford both electric cars can claim with temperature range of about 100 miles, but this focus, area and speed vary.

Envia said earlier this year that its next generation of rechargeable lithium-ion cell hit a record-high energy density. The company said that the new battery slash could the price of electric vehicles, cut through the battery costs in half.

GM Ventures LLC, the automakers of investing arm, $7 million in January 2011, Envia provided.

The GM meeting, which was broadcast employees on a conference call lasted about an hour. A participant allows a reporter from the associated press to listen.

"These small companies come from the nothing, and they surprise you," Akerson said in response to a question about GM strategy on gas-electric hybrid vehicles.

Akerson said the company is looking at hybrids, all-electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and gas-powered vehicles and development of more efficient oil powered engines.

"We can put all our chips on a bet," he said. "We have to look at them all."

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