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Nearly three years ago at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, we revealed what will soon become the first mass-produced electric vehicle designed, developed and manufactured by a U.S. automaker on U.S. soil - the Chevrolet Volt. When the Volt was revealed many considered it to be nothing more than vaporware. However, today it's obvious that the Volt is not only very real, but that it has become an economic multiplier for the state of Michigan, the country and the electric vehicle industry.

After the Volt's debut in January 2007, six plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles were announced by other automakers later that year, followed by 19 introductions in 2008 and five more this year.

With GM at the lead, electric vehicle development is creating entire new industries. This includes battery developers, builders of home and commercial charging stations, and power control and electric motor suppliers. Needless to say, investments in the electric-vehicle ecosystem are creating new jobs, and strengthening Michigan's and America's long-term competitiveness.

This morning, we announced that we have invested $336 million in the Detroit/Hamtramck assembly, where we will manufacture the Chevrolet Volt. This is GM's first EV facility since the EV1 thirteen years ago. By 2011, we will be producing tens of thousands of Chevy Volts in that building -- making this the first facility in the U. S. owned by a major automaker to produce an electric car.

The investment in Detroit-Hamtramck is in addition to GM's $364 million of investment in seven other GM facilities including:

• $37 million in Bay City, Mich. to produce cam shafts and connecting rods for the Volt's engine generator. You know, that generator will allow the Volt to travel more than 300 miles in addition to the initial 40-mile, all electric range when the Volt won't use any gasoline or produce any tailpipe emissions.

• $23 million in our Flint, Mich. Tool and Die facility to build the dies to stamp metal parts for the Volt.

• $202 million at our Flint Engine South plant -- this is where we'll build the 1.4-liter engine generator that provides Volt an extended-range capability of more than 300 miles.

• $1.7 million at the Flint Metal Center, in presses to stamp parts.

• $30 million in the Weld Tool Center, in Grand Blanc, Mich., to produce the robotic weld tool cells that were installed at our Detroit/Hamtramck plant.

• $27 million in the Alternative Energy Center at the GM Tech Center in Warren, home of our new, state-of-the-art battery lab, where we test and refine the Volt battery pack.

• $43 million in Brownstown Township, Mich., to open the world's first OEM-owned, high-volume, lithium-ion battery pack plant. We expect battery-pack production to begin there early next month.

So, if you total all of that up, GM's Volt-related investment now stands at $700 million. This doesn't include the investments made by the many partners and suppliers who will support Volt production and the necessary infrastructure - organizations like Magna, LG Chem, Compact Power, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and DTE Energy.

The race to build a mass-produced electric vehicle - a race that has its roots with the EV1, but began in full with the reveal of the Volt - has been one of the most exciting developments the auto industry has ever seen. Detroit/Hamtramck is the finish line for the race and one we will cross this time next year as Volt begins arriving in dealerships.

-Doug Parks, Global Electric Vehicle Development Executive

Audio of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm discussing the importance of GM's Volt investments in Michigan

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