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Buehler Motor, Inc. to Provide Auxiliary Water Pumps for Chevrolet Volt and Some GM Hybrid Vehicles


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DETROIT, October 20, 2008: Convergence 2008 - Booth #119 -- Buehler Motor, Inc., a leading international provider of mechatronic drive and pump solutions with a specialty in the automotive industry, has announced it has finalized contracts with General Motors to provide customized auxiliary water pumps for the Chevrolet Volt Extended-Range Electric Vehicle and some GM hybrid vehicles.

The Chevrolet Volt being developed by General Motors delivers up to 40 miles of gasoline- and emissions-free electric driving, with the extended-range capability of hundreds of additional miles. Drawing upon GM's experience inaugurating the modern electric vehicle market with the launch of the EV1 in 1996, the Volt uses a gas engine generator to create additional electricity to extend its range hundreds of miles until the vehicle can be plugged in and battery-charged.

The much-anticipated production version of the Volt was unveiled last month, with production expected to begin in late 2010.

Under terms of the contracts, Buehler Motor will provide custom 12W and 50W auxiliary water pumps for the Volt and GM hybrid vehicles. Other details were not released. The two companies have been working together in a technology partnership since mid-2007 to customize the water pump technology necessary to circulate coolant through the Volt's subsystems.

"We're honored that GM engineers involved Buehler Motor in the process more than a year ago to create customized water pump solutions for the Volt," explained Bob Riedford, Buehler Motor, Inc., president and general manager. "This collaboration is a testimony to GM's long-term vision and to the auto industry's continued confidence in Buehler Motor to provide solutions to extreme engineering challenges."

"The Volt is symbolic of GM's strong commitment to the future ... just the kind of technology innovation that our industry needs to respond to today's and tomorrow's energy and environmental challenges," explained Andrew Farah, Volt Vehicle Chief Engineer. "Buehler Motor possesses this same technological resourcefulness -- and the ability to creatively solve the engineering challenges inherent in development of the next generation of cleaner, more energy-efficient vehicles."

Buehler Motor, Inc., and its parent, Buehler Motor GmbH, have been providing automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers with customized mechatronic drive technology since 1969. A partial past and present client list includes Audi, BMW, Continental, GM, Hella, Johnson Controls, Lear, Magna, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens and Volkswagen.