I want this to be my next car but I dont know when its due in Australia. About 1012 opps sorry Ron thats 2012 ! to be optimistic. It will be released in the USA within 2 years. Some pictures have been leaked and i think the car looks great. ( and the guy looks suitable dodgey)
Also
And more here http://www.hybridcars.com/carmakers/production-chevrolet-volt-photos-leaked-24951.html
The Chevy Volt isnt a pure electric car but a Series Hybrid: See the Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle_drivetrain#Series_Hybrid
Heres and exerpt from the wiki: Series Hybrid
Structure of a series hybrid vehicle. The gray square represents a differential gear.
Series or serial hybrid have also been referred to as a Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV); however, range extension can be accomplished with either series or parallel hybrid layouts.
Series hybrid vehicles are much more similar in design to a battery electric vehicle than an internal combustion vehicle or parallel hybrid. In a series hybrid system, the combustion engine drives an electric generator instead of directly driving the wheels. The generator both charges a battery and powers an electric motor that moves the vehicle. When large amounts of power are required, the motor draws electricity from both the batteries and the generator. A transmission may not be needed at all and if it is present it can be far less complex, as electric motors are efficient over a wide speed range. Some vehicle designs have separate electric motors for each wheel. Series hybrids can be also be fitted with a supercapacitor or a flywheel to store regenerative braking energy, which can improve efficiency by minimizing the losses in the battery. The vehicle conceptually resembles aelectromotive locomotive with the addition of a battery.
An advantage of a series hybrid is the lack of a mechanical link between the combustion engine and the wheels…
So basically its far superior to the Prius and new Honda Insight as it doesnt use a petrol motor to drive the wheels directly. Just as a way of extending the range of the batteries when they get low after 50+km of just battery driving. The wheels are only driven directly by electricity. Not by mechanical power from the petrol engine.
As most people drive less than 60km at day on average you could potentially use no fuel over several months until you embark on a decent trip. I love htis car and the idea behind it. Lets hope other manufactures step away from this first generation Prius technology and embrace this technology.
Theres talk that a eurpean version is being built from this platform and drivetrain but will use a small turbo diesel back up motor. That would be fantastic. Imagine the range a small disiel range extending motor would deliver….