As General Motors announced Texas availability of the nation’s first plug-in Chevrolet Volts, Oncor affirmed its commitment to make electric car ownership a smart transportation choice.

“From our installation of more than a million Smart Metershelping customers curb their electricity usage, to construction of 850 miles of new transmission lines delivering renewable wind power, Oncor leads utilities in making Texas the best place in America to drive plug-in cars,” said Bob Shapard, Oncor’s Chief Executive Officer.

Oncor announced Thursday it will add Chevy Volts to its fleet beginning in the first quarter of 2011 – to be powered by a charging station at Oncor’s new headquarters in downtown Dallas.

“Electric cars are best recharged at night, when the supply of clean wind energy is most abundant,” Shapard said. “Furthermore, by 2012 more than 3 million homes and businesses in Oncor’s service area can use information from their new Smart Meters to plug in vehicles when greenhouse gas emissions

and the cost of electricity are lowest.”

In addition to maximizing the benefits of plug-in electric vehicles, Oncor is committed to helping Texans save through new technology and infrastructure.

“For 7 million people, information from new Smart Meters is expected to help them reduce their usage five to ten percent,” Shapard said. “Additionally, as Oncor completes the biggest part of new transmission lines delivering wind power from Competitive Renewable Energy Zones to the rest of the state, our environment and our economy will be healthier.”