Penn State Research Gets Charged Up with Newly Donated Volt

September 26, 2011 2:30 pm ET

On Sept. 22, Chevrolet handed the keys to an all-new 2011 Chevrolet Volt over to Penn State University’s Center for Sustainability to support the center’s ongoing research of new transportation technology. Chevrolet also donated $30,000 to install a solar-electric carport at the nine-acre Sustainability Experience Center.

The donation was announced by GM North America President Mark Reuss as part of GM’s partnership with Penn State (dating back to 1970) and its dedication to education and research initiatives in science and engineering. The new carport and Volt will allow researchers to collect and track data that will help to prove the efficiency of solar-generated electricity for daily commuters.

“The Volt will enable us to experiment with the best ways to charge and manage electric vehicles and reduced monthly energy costs for business fleets and for homeowners,” explained David Riley, executive director of the Center for Sustainability.

The Volt donated to Penn State is one of only two Volts that Chevrolet donated to institutions of higher education, and the only vehicle donated for the purpose of sustainable energy research.

“Putting the Chevrolet Volt into the hands of students and researchers who can provide their own insights on how this technology will change consumers is important,” said Reuss. “We need programs like the one at Penn State University to inspire students to become engineers and scientists”

Greg Slusher stands before the newly-donated Volt with David Wormley, the Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of the College of Engineering and David Riley, director of Penn State's Center for Sustainability