GM Teams with LG for New Generation of Electric Cars

The Volt was a hit with car show goers.

As automakers experiment with cars that utilize alternative technologies to fossil fuels to power our cars, electric vehicles (EVs) are slowly beginning to become viable choices for some Americans, with options that include the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt. We say “some Americans” because the limited range most electric cars offer. Of the two cars above, we’re bigger fans of the Volt, just because it offers the ability to fall back on gasoline once you’ve exhausted the range of the batteries.

And while Americans do have options, they’re very limited. General Motors is looking to expand electric car options with a new partnership they’ve announced with Korean electronics giant LG Corporation, although none of the cars from this joint venture are likely to find their way stateside – they’ll probably find their way into Asian markets, at least initially. GM has yet to specify what sorts of EVs they’ll be making in conjunction with LG, nor where they’ll be sold.

There’s a reason automakers are going so slowly in offering EVs. No one knows how large the market will eventually be for electric vehicles, let alone how large it is now. And for GM, keeping the company in good steed is probably more important than trying to lead the way, although the task at hand calls for GM to do both.

General Motors Vice Chairman Steven Girsky told the Wall Street Journal “we don’t know how big this market is going to be. This is a way to go at it in an efficient way that doesn’t risk the company.”

To be fair, this isn’t the first partnership between the two giants. LG already provides the batteries for the Chevrolet Volt. So they already have a comfortable relationship. We’re also convinced GM is right to go slowly, as Americans have as of late propelled the sales of big-engined muscle cars past hybrids that combine fuel and electric technologies.