"Volt Site Says 10,000 on "Waiting List" for GM's Plug-In" Green Car Advisor

Volt Site Says 10,000 on "Waiting List" for GM's Plug-In

GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz Introduces Volt Concept at '07 Detroit Auto Show.

A Web site for fans of the much-hyped Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid that GM hopes to have in production by the end of 2010, says it has now collected the names of more than 10,000 people who want to buy one of the cars.

In an item posted on its site Saturday, GM-Volt.com said it is logging more than 100,000 "visitors" a month and has a "waiting list" that has surpassed the 10,000 mark.

The site was started by New York physician Lyle Dennis within days after GM introduced the Volt as a concept car in January 2007 at the Detroit auto show.

The Volt, in case you've been in hibernation for the past 13 months or so, is a so-called series hybrid (GM's marketing mavens say it's not hybrid at all, but an "extended range electric vehicle") capable of 40 miles of all-electric range on a battery pack charged at home from the commercial power grid.

Or longer trips, additional travel would be provided via a gasoline-fueled engine that would function as an onboard generator to provide power to the electric motor and for recharging the batteries.

GM has been aggressive in maintaining that it can have the Volt in production by the end of 2010 if ongoing battery development that it is funding progresses well. The Volt depends on lightweight, powerful lithium-ion batteries (or some other as yet unidentified battery chemistry) to hit the performance criteria set by GM.

But the automaker has not completed the testing required to certify the heat-prone batteries as safe and reliable enough for long-term automotive use.