General Motors has given its program managers carte blanche to draw on the necessary resources and manpower to put the Chevrolet Volt, the company's gasoline-electric vehicle, on American roadways by 2010.

At an event for reporters on April 4, Volt global vehicle line executive Frank Weber said, "The Volt is the number one priority project we have at GM. There are no resource shortfalls. Whatever it takes, we will do. We are working with incredible speed."

The target date for the Volt to appear in dealer showrooms is November 2010, at which time engineers should have accomplished the program's goal of giving the vehicle a range of 40 miles on electric power only.

GM vice chairman Bob Lutz has made it clear to the Volt development team that there is no need to slow the program down asking for approval for needed resources or manpower, but rather to trust their instincts and to forge ahead to get the car out to the driving public.

Testing on the Volt's batteries has been conducted to simulate 10 years of use at 150,000 miles. The main emphasis is on keeping the batteries cool and operational. The vehicle's gasoline and electric engines are now mated in a powertrain that looks like that in any conventional front-wheel drive sedan.

In appearance, the futuristic Volt of early concept models is now closer in design to the popular Chevrolet Malibu. The company's goal is to be able to build the Volt on production lines now turning out regular versions of cars built on the company's Delta platform.