BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP (MI) –
General Motors has made its first mass-produced electric car battery as it gears up to sell the new Chevrolet Volt to the general public later this year.
The lithium-ion battery was made Thursday at GM's Brownstown Battery Pack Assembly Plant that will produce the batteries for the automaker's Volt assembly line in Detroit. Regular production at both facilities is expected to begin in the fourth quarter.
GM Chairman and interim CEO Ed Whitacre Jr. had told reporters Wednesday that GM will send out some Volt models before November, when they are scheduled to hit showrooms. He said the company might sell a few early, and it could send some to consumers before November.
GM has plans to test about 100 of the vehicles with utility companies before the showroom debut.