General Motors is hoping to gain an advantage over its competitors’ hybrid car offerings with the Chevy Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle. The Volt promises to be so fuel efficient, GM says, that it will let some drivers almost completely stop visiting gas stations.
Since cars started puttering around on America’s streets early in the 20th century, there have been several attempts to replace gasoline-powered internal combustion engines with all-electric motors and batteries. These attempts failed, in no small part because it was difficult to recharge the vehicles when they ventured outside their local range. In recent years the solution has been hybrid vehicles that recharge their batteries on board, thanks to a generator connected to a gasoline-powered internal combustion engine. Although this is more fuel efficient than a pure internal combustion vehicle, all the energy these hybrids use to move the vehicle ultimately comes from gasoline.
The Chevy Volt’s ...
