An enthusiastic supporter of General Motors Corporation's attempt to produce an electric car has released a list of more than 33,000 prospective buyers. The list, compiled by neurologist Lyle Dennis, contains the names of 33,411 people who would like to buy the all-electric Chevrolet Volt when it is released in 2010. The car is most popular with U.S. citizens in the states of California, Texas, Florida and Michigan, but it also includes potential buyers from 46 other countries. The prospective buyers, who signed up on a website created by Dennis, said on average that they would be willing to pay $31,261 for the car. That is much less than the $40,000 GM has estimated the car will cost, though its final production cost is unknown as the company races to complete the car in time for its 2010 launch. The company has said it doesn't expect to make money on the first-generation of the Volt, but its race to produce the car is part of GM's long-term strategy to move away from increasingly unpopular fuel-inefficient vehicles. GM is designing the Volt to run for 40 miles on a lithium-ion battery pack that can be recharged. The car will also be able to capture energy from braking. GM is racing Toyota Motor Corporation to bring the first mass-market, plug-in car to the marketplace.
