GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., said Sunday that it has developed the country's first compact-sized electric vehicle with a maximum speed of 165 kilometers per hour.
The prototype vehicle based on the company's Lacetti Premier has been tested to travel 160 kilometers after a single charge, which the carmaker claims is the best performance figure reached by a locally made electric vehicle.
It said the critical high-performance battery and inverters were made by LG Chem Ltd. and LG Electronics Co., respectively, while 50 other South Korean companies took part in the development process.
The company said that it plans to carry out additional tests and gauge the response of consumers. It said actual use of the vehicle on Seoul's roads will be carried out until October.
GM Daewoo said that the battery unit has an output of 31 kilowatt hours, with output reaching 150 kilowatts. The vehicle can go from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 8.2 seconds.
The company added that its engineers have made the battery very small so the entire power source can fit under the hood and not take up cargo space in the trunk as with existing electric vehicles.
Development of the new vehicle took one year. GM Daewoo hopes to use the new model to lead the local electric vehicle market, which is gaining greater importance as South Korea tries to cut back on the use of fossil fuels cited for causing global warming. (PNA/Yonhap)
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