[youtube t_8uF8QKfeI]
The Chevy Volt is a plug in hybrid electric vehicle concept that was first unveiled at the North American Auto Show in January 2007. It was soon announced that the concept would make it to production by about 2010 and GM have just released some footage of the car under development (see video above). GM prefer to call the car a electric vehicle with a range extender as the car will be powered by the electric motor and only use the onboard petrol engine to charge the batteries when needed, normally you could do this from a standard power point at home. The Volt will mark GM’s return to electric vehicle production since the demise of the ill fated EV1, in contrast the Volt’s improvements ove the EV1 include the ability to seat 4 people, longer range thanks to improved battery technology with the ability to recharge them on the road via the petrol motor and cost. The EV1 was so expensive to produce they were only available on a lease plan while the Volt is expected to be sold for less than $40k.