GM's Britta Gross promotes both sides of the hydrogen, EV fence

Monday, August 31, 2009

GM's Britta Gross promotes both sides of the hydrogen, EV fence

Posted by SharK at 10:23 AM

2011 Chevy Volt - Click above for high-res gallery

We've heard Britta Gross, GM's manager of Hydrogen and Electrical Infrastructure Development, speak on various occasions about the Volt and other advanced technology projects, so we're familiar with some of what she has to say. We wanted to point out two items from her recent interview with the
Orlando Sentinel, though, since they pretty much define GM's green messaging today.

First, on the Volt as a "halo car" to change people's perception of GM (something the company is going to need if it keeps doing stuff like this), Gross said:

No program alone can change a company, but what [the Volt] does is draw your eyes to a company that is really, really working hard to capture leadership again. It will make people take a fresh look at General Motors and make them realize that this is a great car company, that can do an awful lot of great things. That kind of symbol, representing a major change in a company, is a really big deal.

Second, on GM's continuation of hydrogen vehicle research, she said:

We have a very aggressive development program for the fuel cell. [...] The only way we can reach a lot of the targets we have set as a society - for, as an example, greenhouse gas emissions - is to have a very broad approach to bringing in alternative fuel programs. And hydrogen gets you certain performance benefits that you don't get from other alternative fuels. The advantages are too big to discard. We can't just assume batteries are going to solve all our problems.

There you have it: GM green efforts in a nutshell.

Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt