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GM Mobilizes for the Alternative Fuels

FOR RELEASE: May 11, 2001

GM Mobilizes for the Alternative Fuels

Revolution at 2001 Clean Cities Conference

PHILADELPHIA – Demonstrating its commitment to joining “the Alternative Fuels Revolution,” General Motors has brought a host of its Alternative Fuel Vehicles to the 2001 National Clean Cities Conference and Exposition here May 13-16, 2001.

The conference’s theme is “Join the Alternative Fuels Revolution,” and GM is doing just that, exhibiting vehicles powered by ethanol (E85), propane (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG), and even pure electricity—the EV1, the world’s first production electric vehicle.

GM will have the largest exhibit at the conference site, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and will be displaying some of its 2002 Alternative Fuel Vehicle portfolio, which will include:

  • Chevrolet S-10 Flexible Fuel E85-powered compact pickup
  • Chevrolet Tahoe Flexible Fuel E85-powered full-size SUV
  • GMC Sierra CNG-powered full-size pickup
  • GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express Bi-Fuel CNG-powered passenger vans
  • Propane-powered Chevy medium-duty truck

On Monday, May 14, GM’s Sharon C. Dudley-Parham, assistant brand manager for Alternative Fuel Vehicles, will present and participate in a panel discussion entitled “The Right Fit for Light Duty Alternative Fuel Vehicles: Product Roll-Out” at 3:00 p.m.

Items on the agenda for discussion include production schedules and availability, ordering windows, delivery schedules, pricing, incentives, marketing and promotions.

Also as part of its commitment to the Clean Cities Conference, GM is bringing its Environmental Science Club Advisor, TV personality Bill Nye, to ScienceFest, a celebration of alternative transportation innovations for Philadelphia-area schoolchildren. Nye, “the Science Guy,” is known to children around the country as someone who knows how to make science fun and will address ScienceFest on Tuesday morning, May 15. ScienceFest will also feature several EPA workshops and a variety of hands–on entertainment and education on making clean transportation choices.

GM’s presence at the Clean Cities Conference demonstrates its commitment to the Alternative Fuel Vehicle market. GM’s goal is to provide customers a portfolio of AFVs with superior quality and performance levels that meet all customer requirements and expectations. Clean Cities is a program sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy that is designed to encourage the use of Alternative Fuel Vehicles and support infrastructure throughout the nation. Unlike traditional command-and-control regulatory programs, the Clean Cities program takes a unique, voluntary approach to Alternative Fuel Vehicle development, working with coalitions of local stakeholders to help develop the Alternative Fuel Vehicle industry and integrate this development into larger planning processes.

The Clean Cities program currently consists of nearly 80 coalitions, with 4400 stakeholders in 39 states reaching from Maine to Hawaii—this is not just a California issue, nor a Northeast issue. Its scope is national. Participants will come to the Clean Cities Conference from across the country to see the latest trends in Alternative Fuel Vehicles, to learn about their marketing and technology potential and to discuss how better to influence both policymakers and the public about the viability and necessity of such vehicles and the technology that drives them.

For more information about the Clean Cities program or the conference itself, visit www.ccities.doe.gov.

General Motors , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, designs, builds and markets cars and trucks worldwide. In 2000, GM earned $5 billion on sales of $183.3 billion. It employs about 372,000 people globally. GM also operates one of the largest and most successful financial services companies, GMAC, which offers automotive, mortgage and business financing and insurance services to customers worldwide. GM is investing aggressively in digital technology and e-business within its global automotive operations and through such initiatives as e-GM, GM BuyPower, OnStar and its Hughes Electronics Corp. subsidiary. More information on General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.