GM: DIET OR GREENWASHING?

To whom much is given, much is expected. When they start selling that plug-in hybrid they say they’re going to bring to market, THEN they’ll really be part of the solution.

GM Says It Cut Energy Use by 25 Percent Over the Past 5 Years
December 14, 2006 (AP via Yahoo Finance)
- General Motors Corp. said Thursday it reduced energy use by 25 percent and added solar and landfill gas as energy sources at its North American facilities over the past five years.

- GM said it has cut its energy use in the region from 94 trillion BTUs in 2002, to a projected 72.5 trillion BTUs by the end of 2006…the automaker's distribution center in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., uses a lining of solar panels in its roof to help keep costs down and reduce its environmental impact…

Maybe they’re feeling the heat of the competition like this (sent by Forbes Bagatelle-Black):

Largest Electric Car Plant Under Construction in N. China
People’s Daily Online (December ,2006)
- A factory capable of producing 20,000 electric powered vehicles a year is now under construction in the northern port city of Tianjin.

- The plant will produce cars powered by battery, hybrid power and fuel cells…covers an area of 16.5 acres…a production base, a research and development center and a testing center.
- The Tianjin Qingyuan Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd. (QYEV) will invest 165 million yuan (21 million U.S. dollars)…expected to be completed at the end of 2007.
- The QYEV exported 112 battery-powered minibuses to the United States in 2005…more than 500 to the United States in 2006…annual exports will reach 5,000 electric cars to the U.S and another 5,000 to European and Asian markets within three to five years.

Forbes adds: I wonder if they will be building toys for rich Americans, or real vehicles for the population of China. From the article, it looks like they will build a mixture of both.