General Motors to test battery-powered models of its Cruze in South Korea

General Motors to test electric Cruze in S. Korea

NEW YORK — General Motors says it will launch a test fleet of electric cars in South Korea as it continues to develop battery-powered models of its Chevrolet Cruze.

The automaker will begin the project at the end of October. It is working with LG Electronics on the project.

The Cruze EV demo fleet will be GM’s first compact sedan electric vehicles to hit the road and will be powered by batteries from LG Chemical and propulsion systems from LG Electronics.

The demo fleet in South Korea will consist of Chevrolet Cruzes and GM Daewoo Lacetti Premieres. GM currently markets the vehicle under the local brand in South Korea. The project is aimed at providing data on customer acceptance and battery range.

GM says there’s no plan to sell an electric Cruze in the U.S.

By testing an all-electric Cruze that has no gas engine, it’s clear that GM is developing a fully electric compact.

“There’s no plan to put an electric Cruze in the U.S. market,” spokesman Rob Peterson said. “As battery technology matures and that (charging) infrastructure increases as well, battery-electric vehicles could hold a great deal of potential.”

GM executives have said repeatedly that the power system from the rechargeable electric Chevrolet Volt will be used in more models.

The Volt can go about 40 miles on battery power, and after that, a small gas engine kicks in to generate power for the car.