In an interview with Prabhakar Patil, the Chief Executive of Compact Power, the battery maker claims that his company is on track to providing lithium-ion batteries to power GM’s upcoming Volt plug-in vehicle.
Despite the financial troubles of the U.S. automaker, Patil says that he has not noticed any loss of commitment, claiming that “From GM’s side, it’s their highest priority program.” Compact Power is a subsidiary of LG Chem, Ltd., a South Korean battery supplier.
This statement, coming from a close supplier with supposed knowledge of GM’s future goals, provides insight that perhaps the automaker’s credibility, or even its future, is resting on the Volt. Upper management will be pouring its resources and advertising dollars (courtesy of emergency government funds) into the car, which is scheduled to go into production at the end of 2010.
It is unclear how much success the P.U.M.A will bring GM. However, don’t be surprised to hear of further electric vehicle announcements based on the design of the Volt.
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