The five-week shutdown of the Volt production line is a good thing for plug-in vehicles because it will help align production with demand and keep GM's revenue on the vehicles higher and fund ongoing vehicle development.

What’s the biggest fear held by electric carmakers and advocates? That an isolated incident of an individual EV mysteriously catching fire would tarnish the image of all electric cars and put the brakes on the emerging market for battery-powered cars.  Unfortunately, those fears are starting to become too real―and GM's handling of the issue has only exacerbated the problem.

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson announced last week that a redesign of the T-shaped lithium ion battery pack that powers the Chevrolet Volt is under consideration to address issues raised after the NHTSA opened a formal investigation into safety-related issues involving the Volt's potential to catch fire after a side-impact crash. The automaker also said that it will buy back Volts from any owner concerned that the vehicle is a fire risk

General Motors might give its best-selling compact sedan, the Chevrolet Cruze, the plug-in hybrid treatment soon. According to Jim Federico, a plug-in hybrid Cruze wouldn’t make the Chevy Volt redundant because the Cruze will feature a more conventional hybrid powertrain, rather than the Volt's extended-range system.

The Volt isn't a vertically integrated GM package--components big and small come from at least 60 suppliers. Here's a look at some of them.

Now that Toyota’s Prius Plug-in Hybrid has been officially announced, we can begin the comparisons with the other plug-in electric vehicle with an extended driving range, the Chevrolet Volt.  The underlying question is which is more important to consumers: electric driving range, or total vehicle fuel efficiency?

Chevy will be hosting an open webchat tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. EDT (11:30 a.m. PDT) about plug-in vehicles. Participating in the chat will be Britta Gross, director of EV infrastructure for General Motors, and PluginCars.com's own Jim Motavalli, whose upcoming book "High Voltage: The Fast Track to Plug In the Auto Industry" comes out November 8.

Via Motors, an electric vehicle conversion company, announced on Monday that legendary car guy Bob Lutz has become a director on its board. Naming a high-profile auto exec like Lutz could help Via achieve its goals: to begin filling fleet orders for its range-extended Chevy Silverado-based pickups later this year and to start offering converted EVs to individuals in 2013. But Chelsea Sexton—a long-time electric advocate and a contributor to this site—tweeted in response to this week’s news: “Bob Lutz director to another EV Co. But when does he start driving the tech he champions?”

The intersection of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and the smart grid has prompted many partnerships, but none may create more impact than General Motors and General Electric getting together. Each company is evolving the communications platform in its relative domains to enable interaction with the other, which could provide a vital link between vehicles and grid equipment.

On August 6, the founder of MyChevroletVolt.com will host plug-in drivers of all stripes, media, and anyone else who's interested in electric drive, at the first ever Bay Area EV Meet-up in Palo Alto, California.