[A/S] GM Helps Florida and Death Valley National Park in California

["Richard Dorsten" <richarddorsten@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

DETROIT - The ability of General Motors' hybrid pickups to function 
as mobile power-generating stations is being put to humanitarian use 
in disaster relief efforts in Florida and in Death Valley National 
Park in California. 

Thirty-five Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid pickups are in 
Florida or are en route to the state to assist the American Red 
Cross and other agencies who are aiding communities hit hardest by 
Hurricanes Bonnie and Charley. GM is also in the process of sending 
an additional two Silverado and Sierra hybrid pickups, two HUMMER H2 
SUVs and two Chevrolet Silverado Z71 4x4s to help clean up Death 
Valley National Park, which is closed indefinitely because of heavy 
flooding in the Mojave Desert that washed away stretches of road. 

"We welcome the opportunity to provide help to these communities 
that have been hit hard by disastrous weather," said Brian McVeigh, 
general manager of GM Fleet and Commercial Operations. "With many 
areas still without power, the on-board generator capabilities of 
our hybrid pickups can help speed up the recovery efforts and help 
residents get back to normal lives." 

Each hybrid pickup is equipped with four 120-volt/20-amp electrical 
auxiliary power outlets, with two outlets located under the rear 
seat of the cab and two more in the pickup bed. The auxiliary 
outlets provide the ability to run power tools and appliances 
directly from the vehicle, while driving or when parked. Along with 
this generating capability, the vehicles' hauling capacities make 
the trucks well-suited for the cleanup efforts in the affected 
areas. 

In Florida, the hybrids are being delivered to GM dealerships that 
will serve as pickup points for the American Red Cross and other 
agencies. The dealerships are Cox Chevrolet, Bradenton; Red Hoagland 
Pontiac-GMC, Bradenton; Dixie Buick-GMC, Fort Myers; and Bill Branch 
Chevrolet, Fort Myers. GM is providing personnel to provide 
instruction on the use of the hybrids and their OnStar safety and 
communications services. 

Sending the hybrids to Florida is part of a larger effort by GM and 
the General Motors Foundation to aid the victims of the current 
hurricane season. The GM Foundation initially donated $100,000 in 
cash and three HUMMER H2 SUVs to help the Red Cross meet the 
immediate needs of those hardest hit by the hurricanes. The GM 
Foundation also pledged to match up to $100,000 in GM employee 
contributions to the American Red Cross for the relief of hurricane 
victims. 

The hybrids' on-board generator capabilities also were put to the 
test earlier this summer when a Silverado was used to power an 
80,000-square-foot Chevrolet display during a power outage at the 
NASCAR Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis. The Silverado hybrid pickup 
was used for nearly two hours to power the various audio systems 
being used in the Chevy American Revolution display to entertain 
thousands of race fans. 

Instead of a conventional starter motor and alternator, the 
Silverado and Sierra hybrid pickups use a compact 14-kw electric 
induction motor or starter generator that provides fast, quiet 
starting power and allows automatic engine stops/starts to conserve 
fuel. Fuel economy is improved as much as 10 percent over standard 
gasoline engine counterparts. 

The hybrid option is offered on two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive 
extended cab models. GM's Fleet and Commercial Operations first made 
the hybrid option available to commercial customers in the 2004 
model year. They are available in limited quantities to retail 
customers in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Nevada and 
Florida for the 2005 model year.