San Jose, CALIF – General Motors announced today that it will collaborate with the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) – more than 30 of the top electric utilities in the United States and Canada -- to accelerate the introduction of plug-in electric vehicles.

While most automotive manufacturers have shifted production to focus on smaller vehicles, nearly 70 percent of consumers say they want manufacturers to invest more in existing and emerging power train technologies, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Alternative Power train Study(SM) released today.

US hybrid car sales for May 2008 totaled 35,372 units. This figure is 24.9% lower than the May 2007 figure of 47,096 units. These lower figures indicate that manufacturers are unable (or unwilling?) to keep up with the obvious demand for hybrids as consumers strive to deal with rising fuel costs.