An Electric Vehicle that includes a generator

I hosted a bit of a discussion the other day on electric vehicles. That focused on the Tesla Roadster. Today we hear from GM and its plans to get back into the electric vehicle game.

GM to unveil Volt electric concept car - Detroit Auto Show 2007 - MSNBC.com This is NOT a hybrid. The 1 liter internal combustion engine has no connection to the drive train. It runs a generator that charges the batteries.

Given the current technology, this lets the Volt get about 50 miles per gallon, and has a range of about 600 miles on its 12 gallon tank.

If you are just driving around town - to and from work say - you can charge it overnight. You get 40 miles per charge with the Volt.

As designed, it will accelerate from 0 to 60 in about 8.5 seconds. Battery technology is still an issue, and given what Tesla has done, I don't see why the acceleration curve is so low. Still, it is a step in the right direction.

Don't expect to see it much before 2010. [Hat tip to Varifrank]