An interesting concept General Motors came to by creating 2011 Chevrolet Volt. The model has not gone on sale yet, but you can read all kind of interesting news and gossips about it.

It is going to be an electric car, but there is something that makes it different from the EV’s made by other manufacturers. GM calls 2011 Chevrolet Volt Extended-Range Electric Vehicle and insists it is not a usual hybrid. The concept has both gas-powered engine and an electric motor with lithium cells, but “the combustion engine never directly powers the wheels but instead generates power to motivate an electric motor which in turn motivates the car”.

The charge of the electric cells is enough to go up to 40 miles, so Volt will be good for those who do not travel much. You can recharge the battery by plugging the car into a usual 120-volt household current for 8 hours. If you have an access to 240v plug, the charge will be complete in only three hours.

The auto manufacturer gives 10-year warranty on the battery, which is good for those who doubt Chevy Volt will last long.

To prevent overheating and to make the batteries last longer, GM programmed the car in the way the lithium cells will never be charged to more than 80% and won’t get uncharged lower than 30% of their power.