The executive will leave GM on March 5, after being a part of the small purpose-created team for over three years. GM’s director of global battery systems engineering, Ronn Jamieson, will take Gray’s responsibilities until a permanent replacement will be found. Gray started working for GM as a high school student in 1980. In the following decade, she focused on formal software testing procedures.
The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle which will use a lithium-ion battery pack produced at GM’s Brownstown Township, Mich. plant. The car promises to offer an electric-only range of 40 miles for each battery charge. According to GM CEO Ed Whitacre, the vehicle might be priced under $30,000, in order to be available to a wide range of customers. Recent rumors indicate that an all-electric version of the Volt might be in the works.
The car is expected to go on sale in November 2010 as a 2011 model on the US market. Europe will receive a redesigned version of the car in 2011, in the form of the Opel Ampera (Vauxhall will also produce the car). The Ampera will be present at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show. The car will arrive to Geneva after a special “eco demo” drive: It will be driven from Opel’s headquarters in Russelsheim, Germany to the show’s floor in Switzerland.
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