• March 29, 2010

Chevrolet and Con Edison have inked a deal around development and demonstration of electric vehicles in New York City.

The program launch is timed with this week's New York Auto Show, where Chevrolet will demonstrate its Volt electric car, which goes on sale this year in California, Michigan and Washington, D.C., with other markets to follow.

The company says it is partnering with utility providers in each lead market and the Electric Power Research Institute on development and demonstration programs to promote electric vehicles to consumers and jumpstart vehicle-charging infrastructure programs.

Chevrolet will deliver some 100 volts to 10 utilities across the U.S. -- including New York's Con Edison -- as part of the extended demonstration program. The overall program includes 500 charging stations that will be installed for residential, business and public use. They will be used to learn more about the installation process, vehicle charging and to gauge customer feedback.

Chevrolet also said it is launching an OnStar smartphone app for Droid by Motorola, Apple iPhone and BlackBerry Storm that will give Volt owners remote access and control of OnStar features and vehicle function.

The app will let drivers do things like check and set charging parameters, set interior temperature using electricity, and check range.--Karl Greenberg