General Motors is pushing ahead with the development of its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid/fuel cell vehicle and is going outside of the U.S. for a battery partner. GM has been criticized for "greenwashing" by hyping a prototype zero emission vehicle while continuing to lag behind Japanese competitors in fuel efficiency. But from the looks of it, GM appears serious about the Volt.

Although GM previously working with U.S. battery companies and the federally-funded USABC (US Advanced Battery Consortium), GM choose Compact Power, Inc, the American subsidiary of Korean battery manufacturer LG Chem, and German company Continental Automotive Systems to develop lithium ion batteries for the Volt. The two companies were picked ahead of 11 other companies.

GM is working with USABC and development teams from companies 123 Systems/Cobasys and Johnson Controls/Saft for batteries for its plug-in Saturn Vue Green Line, so it is a bit of a surprise for the company to shift partners for lithium ion batteries for a different model.

So far the companies involved in the USABC have lagged behind Japanese and Korean battery companies in providing technology to hybrid vehicles as most hybrids on the road today use batteries built outside the U.S.