Chevrolet Volt
A plug-in concept from GM. The buzzword here is E-Flex power. Basically in the Volt's case E-Flex means that the gasoline engine only exists to keep the batteries charged: kicking in at 30% and turning off at 80% charge. The goal is to offer fully electric drive for up to 40 miles. After which the engine would have to start up and charge the batteries. The example is given where a commute would be 60 miles. The first 40 are electric and the last 20 have the engine charging the batteries. With a 50MPG motor doing the charging the equivalent MPG for the 60 mile trip would be 150MPG (not counting the energy used to charge the batteries at the beginning of the trip). Another bonus would be the fact that the Volt would not need any special home based charger. The car would literally plug into a standard 15AMP circuit.
All of this whiz bang stuff relies on lithium-ion batteries that have yet to be perfected for automotive use. But just like Whitney Houston, GM believes that "Lithium-ion batteries are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way."
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