GM confirms Volt is an electric car, not hybrid

By Anil Das | October 13, 2010 4:23 AM EDT

US carmaker General Motors Co. confirmed its soon-to-be launched low emission Chevrolet Volt is a proper electric car, refuting speculation that it is a hybrid car.


General Motors Toyota Automobile portals and various media organizations such as Edmunds.com, Motor Trend, Weird and Popular Mechanics have said Volt uses its gasoline engine to power an electric which helps turn the wheels during heavy acceleration, similar to how hybrid vehicles run.

However, GM said in its website that the car is an extended-range electric vehicle and not a hybrid like Toyota Motor Corp's Prius.

"The Chevrolet Volt is not a hybrid. It is a one-of-a-kind, all-electrically driven vehicle designed and engineered to operate in all climates," the company said in a statement.

In the wake of the debate generated over Volt, carmakers are now facing a new marketing challenge who have been trying to hard sell the concept of green technology and also lure customers into buying the car. General Motors and Nissan Motor Co. have both made claims about the fuel economy of their new electric car models and the driving range that not all consumers may attain as performance of these vehicles varies and depends on individual driving habits.

Chevrolet Volt electric car will cost $41,000 when it goes on sale in the US in November. It runs 40 miles on battery and its range can be extended up to 300 miles when the 1.4 liter gasoline engine generator kicks in.

GM's VERSION:

Automobile portals such as Popular Mechanics and Edmunds said they consider the Volt a plug-in hybrid, and not an electric vehicle that GM has touted for years. The Edmunds review of the car had the headline: "GM Lied: Chevy Volt is not a true EV."

Motor Trend, a leading automobile portal writes: "Voltec is remarkably similar to the drivetrain you'll find in a Toyota Prius or other hybrid. Like a hybrid, Voltec uses a single planetary gearset, an internal combustion engine and two electric motor/generators."

On the other hand, Nick Richards, a GM spokesman said the Volt always runs on electricity and has no mechanical link from the gasoline engine to the wheels.

"The car's four-cylinder gasoline engine powers a secondary electric motor, which turns the wheels," Tony Posawatz, the Volt's vehicle line director, was quoted as saying in an interview. "The car's gas engine doesn't directly power the wheels," he said.

This controversy comes in the wake of automaker's plans to start selling Volt and launch its initial public offering, an event some speculate will occur in November. The IPO will allow the U.S. government to begin offloading the 61 percent stake it had acquired.