Technically speaking, the car would be a hybrid. But unlike current models such as Toyota’s Prius, it would be propelled entirely by its electric motor, rather than alternating between electric and gas motors. This “series” hybrid design (as opposed to “parallel” technology) would give the Volt a range of about 960 kilometres if you were to drive on one battery charge and a single filling of its 45-litre gas tank. But since its batteries could be recharged between trips, the need to draw on its gasoline generator would be greatly reduced. Over the course of its life, the car would average about 60 kilometres a litre, depending on the length of trips between plug-in battery recharges - a level that would leave today’s gas-electric hybrids eating dust. Or, as Lutz put it at NAIAS, most Americans live within 30 kilometres of work; given the range of the Volt on its battery alone, “you might never burn a drop of gas.”
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