Chevrolet Unveils All-Electric ‘Volt’

The electric car that everyone’s been waiting for was finally unveiled yesterday, and only looking slightly more conservative than original concepts had appeared. The Chevrolet Volt is one of the first electric cars to run without (almost) any help from fuel – it still uses its internal combustion engine to charge the battery – but along with the help of brake regeneration energy to keep its battery charging whenever it can.  According to Chevy, the car can be charged with a standard household plug, and will be able to drive up to 40 miles on a single charge, and although the Volt is expected to run a bit above $30,000 GM says its not looking to make a profit in the first generation. But on the bright side, if lithium-ion batteries develop at the expected rate for Chevy, the Volt will be on the market by 2010. Photo credit: Left Lane News