GM sheds a little more light on next-gen Volts and next-gen battery packs

Being locked in a car with General Motors representatives for the better part of a day gave us plenty of time to talk about... well, just about everything. On the list of topics was discussions about what's next for the company in the Volt space. Back then they said there'd be more of the things coming, and now they're giving a little more information, confirming that a hatchback and crossover SUV will be similarly electrified sometime within the next three years. A little further down the road GM will roll out its next-generation battery technology, currently under development at Argonne National Laboratories. These mixed-metal oxide batteries add nickel and cobalt to the battery cathode mix, while the cells themselves remain lithium-ion. This is said to double capacity of any given battery, meaning the Volt could go just as far with half the weight. Or, you know, twice as far with the same weight. Isn't math fun?

Update: Well, Autoweek is saying it's going to be a minivan, not a crossover -- though honestly there's not much difference there.