GM to test hybrid bus market

General Motors announced plans to build and test market its first hybrid bus in China. The project, in cooperation with its Chinese partner Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp, is designed to test the commercial viability for cleaner, more fuel efficient vehicles, the company said. The project will begin with the construction of one bus which will be road tested in Shanghai. "We will see if there is opportunity for volume … if there is an interest in this technology from the government," said GM's vice president of Environment & Energy, Elizabeth Lowery. Hybrid vehicles draw their power from two energy sources – typically a gas or diesel engine working alongside an electric motor.