Despite General Motors’ looming troubles, development of the Chevrolet Volt rolls on, and 80 new prototypes will be built and tested starting this summer.

GM has been testing versions of the Volt for about a year, and now it’s about to move beyond the “mule,” or more basic stage of prototypes. The car remains on track to arrive in the market in November 2010.

The new test cars will look like the Volt and have its interior--in contrast to current prototypes that use the body of another Chevy compact sedan, the Cruze.

GM is so optimistic about the technology, it’s working on the second-generation of the car’s propulsion system, called Voltec. It has asked the federal government for an additional $2.6 billion in loans to build hybrids, which would expand the Volt program. Previously, the company announced plans for an Opel version, called the Ampera, and revealed a Cadillac concept, the Converj, at the Detroit auto show.

Still, the Detroit automaker faces challenges with the Volt, including charging the batteries once the car arrives on the market. Most notably, there are few public places for consumers to power up electric cars, and GM says incentives such as free parking and free charging could smooth the adjustment period for consumers.

“We need to accelerate the adaptation rate,” said Tony Posawatz, the Volt’s vehicle line director.

The car is expected to have a range of 40 miles on electricity--or the distance of most commutes--and then a generator kicks in to extend travel distance up to an additional several hundred miles. It also will have technologies such as low-rolling resistance tires and a sound system that uses less energy to further the Volt’s green credentials.

“It’s quite conceivable that 70 to 80 percent of people will use no gasoline at all,” Posawatz said.

Ironically, therein lies a problem, as there is little infrastructure currently set up to charge electric cars in dense urban areas or at workplaces. Solutions include utility companies stepping in to support public charging, governments offering it as a service, or startups launching to capitalize on a new industry.

“It’s very expensive, and it’s very complicated,” said Mark Duvall, electric transportation director for the Electric Power Research Institute.

Though the infrastructure could pose challenges, experts say the grid can more than handle the additional burden of charging electric cars. The Volt uses roughly the same amount of electricity as three plasma-screen televisions over the course of a year, according to estimates.