Chevy Volt 2010 debut on track, GM CEO says

The launch of the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid is on schedule to be road ready by 2010, General Motors Corp. chief executive Richard Wagoner said Thursday in a San Francisco speech that focused on the greening of the company's fleet.

Wagoner said GM engineers have made considerable progress in battery development for the Volt, which will be powered by a lithium-ion battery and an auxiliary engine.

The company also announced Thursday plans to invest in a project that seeks to convert non-grain plants into fuel.

But Wagoner noted the company's main focus for the future is on electric vehicles, which he maintains are the best long-term approach for dealing with energy and environmental concerns.

Global warming demands a solution that can "significantly shift the fleet of vehicles to different fuels or different propulsion technologies fairly rapidly," he said after the event.