General Motors Corp. (GM) has announced the opening of a new design studio which will be a dedicated space for their next generation of electric vehicles. The studio contains clay and vinyl models of Volt, which was unveiled earlier this year.

The American automaker describes the Volt on their website as ‘radically different than any on the road today.’ The car has been touted as being able to travel 40 miles without using a single drop of petrol and is a symbol that GM is determined to move towards alternative-fuel vehicles.

They say it’s going to be powered by an electric motor run from lithium-ion batteries. In fact, the company is presently testing lithium-ion technology, in experimental packs for safety as production deadlines are based on finding a suitable, tested battery pack.

Additionally, a small gasoline motor or a hydrogen fuel cell would be used to charge the batteries, when they get depleted after the 40 mile range.

Industry analysts believe that the Volt is central to GM’s green campaign, their first-ever electric plug-in car and also vital to the future of the company’s future itself as rivals Toyota have already ridden successfully on the back of their investment in environmentally friendly, hybrid cars.

GM has said that mass production of the Chevy Volt is planned for 2010.

Further reading: Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Market 2005-2015.