GM and Powermat took the CES platform to announce a major partnership. Starting with several GM 2012 vehicles, Powermat’s inductive charging pads will be integrated directly into the vehicles, allowing for a quick and seamless charging solution. The auto maker is investing $5 million into Powermat to accelerate the development cycle.

The exact details aren’t addressed in the press release so it’s not exactly clear how or where the Powermat will work. Hopefully somewhere in this massive CES 2011 mess, we can find a demo or an executive to shed a bit more light on the plans. Most of the deets should be worked out. The first car to get this charging solution will be the 2012 Chevy Volt later this year.

Eventually though, it will roll out to GM’s other brands including Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. It seems to work the same way as the current Powermat products with the press release mentioning that most consumer devices will work with the system. Stay tuned to your local CrunchGear station for the latest from CES where we *might* be able to dig up more details about this novel deal.

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — General Motors and Powermat, a pioneer in wireless charging technology, announced a commercial agreement today that will eliminate the need for charging cords for personal electronic devices in many future Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac products beginning mid-2012.
GM Ventures, the company’s venture capital subsidiary, will invest $5 million in Powermat to accelerate the technology’s development and support efforts to grow Powermat’s business globally.
Powermat’s technology allows electronic devices – smart phones, MP3 players and gaming devices – to be charged safely and efficiently, according to Powermat CEO Ran Poliakine.
The Chevrolet Volt, conceived as a reinvention of the automobile that would help reduce America’s dependence on oil, while providing the assurance of an extended driving range, will be one of the first GM vehicles to offer this technology. The technology is expected to revolutionize how electronic devices are charged in a car.
“Imagine a mat or shelf where you could put your iPhone, your Droid or other personal device and charge it automatically while you commute to work, run errands or as you’re driving on a family vacation,” said Micky Bly, GM’s lead electronics executive, including infotainment, hybrids and battery electric vehicles.
“The Chevy Volt will be one of the first applications, but we intend to expand it across our vehicle portfolio,” Bly said.
Powermat, a private firm, was founded in 2007 and offers wireless charging products for the home in a number of retail stores, including Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart.
Poliakine is excited to start with the Chevrolet Volt, which has swept major Car of the Year awards to date.
“GM is among the rarest of giants in today’s business climate: a forward-thinking innovator with the courage and good sense to care about the well-being of the consumer and the well-being of our planet,” Poliakine said.
Jon Lauckner, who helped create the Volt concept and now is President of GM Ventures, has been dreaming about a technology like Powermat for years.
“We first developed the Volt concept car in 2006,” Lauckner said. “The intent was to revolutionize every aspect of the car, not just the propulsion system. We had something like this in mind even then, and we think it will have widespread appeal.”