Holden to sell electric car from 2012

Holden managing director, Mark Reuss, announced the Volt’s arrival this week and says the car will be badged as a Holden. It is also likely to be sold in New Zealand.

Reuss’s announcement was one of several relating to ethanol, diesel and other petrol-alternative vehicles Holden plans to introduce.

Holden showed the Volt at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October.

The Volt, which goes on sale in America in 2010, uses electricity to move the wheels at all times and speeds.

When operating solely on its battery, it can drive up to 64 kilometres without petrol or producing exhaust emissions.

Once the battery’s energy is depleted, a small petrol engine generates electricity to power the vehicle for hundreds of additional kilometres.

Chevrolet says that compared to a similar sized petrol car, a Volt will save up to 1892 litres of fuel a year.

That’s based on research that shows 75 percent of US commuters travel an average of less than 64 kilometres a day.

And it says that charging the vehicle at night through a standard power outlet will use less electricity annually than an average household refrigerator and freezer.

Reuss says the technology used in the Volt is “potentially the most exciting addition to GM’s range of alternative fuels.”