Thaindian News

By Ranjan Bhaduri
Dec 21, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Chevy Volt, the much touted GM car with a green footprint is in news again. The latest news is that the iconic U.S. car maker is using oil-soaked plastic booms derived from the Gulf of Mexico after recycling them in the car. Estimates say that close to 100000 pounds of booms are scattered across Louisiana and Alabama coastal region spanning a region of 100 miles.

GM has hired a number of companies to recycle and convert the waste in components for deflecting air surrounding Volt’s radiator. Heritage Environmental gathered the booms and a company named Mobile Fluid Recovery separated water and oil. The oil soaked booms would otherwise have been used in filling lands or burnt. GM’s waste-reduction program manager John Bradburn said that the company did not want the material used in resisting the infamous oil spill spell further trouble for the environment. He added that it was important to ‘identify a beneficial reuse of this material given our experience.’ The oil soaked booms lying across the Gulf coast are enough for being used in the first year for the manufacturing of the Chevy Volt. The Volt can cover 35 miles on its electric battery and after that a gasoline-powered generator is pressed into service to provide electricity to the motor. The Volt played a crucial role in the comeback of GM after a rocky phase in the history of the iconic U.S. car maker.

The Chevy Volt has won rave reviews from the car veterans and environmentalists alike. It is the first mainstream hybrid car made by a U.S. car manufacturer.