Jan. 7, 2007: Forbes—Who Revived the Electric Car?
Summary: "General Motors, which developed and later killed an electric car in the 1990s, has pulled electric-drive technology out of cryogenic storage, at least for the moment.
The company is unveiling a new electric car, called the Chevrolet Volt, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Sunday. It has only one drawback–the battery to run the car hasn’t been invented yet. Still, if GM can figure out how to produce the vehicle, it would be an ingenious next step in the slow evolution of vehicles from ones powered by gasoline to those powered by electricity."
Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Be among the first to see the only one of its kind in captivity: the mythical, the magical plug-in hybrid from GM. Admission is only the price of a ticket to the Detroit auto show.
Still at least three years from production and showroom availability, the Volt concept looks extremely promising. As conceived, it could go up to 40 miles on electricity alone (a 6.5-hour charge to the lithium-ion batteries), or 640 miles using the range-extending, gasoline-powered generator.
As consumers, we should be sure to let GM know we approve of the concept and hope to be able to drive one off the lot someday soon.