The Cars.com blog says that the electric (well, hybrid, really) Volt will no longer include a 12-gallon gas tank to supplement the 40-mile-range battery. The new gas tank will be smaller: The original idea was to give the vehicle an extra 600-mile driving range once the lithium-ion battery pack ran out of its initial charge. The tank has been shrunk to hold fewer than 12 gallons. GM won't say exactly how many gallons it will now hold, other than a source saying, "We're working on that." ... The target now is to travel 360 miles after the initial charge wears off rather than 600. GM says because most cars travel 40 miles or less each day, there was really no need to have a 12-gallon fuel tank -- and the added weight -- to extend the range by 600 miles. If the average person drives 40 miles or less each day, and the battery can provide a 40-mile-range, then why not just dump the gas tank (and engine) altogether, make the battery slightly bigger (say, 50 mile capacity), and sell the Volt as purely an electric vehicle? ...
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The Cars.com blog says that the electric (well, hybrid, really) Volt will no longer include a 12-gallon gas tank to supplement the 40-mile-range battery. The new gas tank will be smaller: The original idea was to give the vehicle an extra 600-mile driving range once the lithium-ion battery pack ran out of its initial charge. The tank has been shrunk to hold fewer than 12 gallons. GM won't say exactly how many gallons it will now hold, other than a source saying, "We're working on that." ... The target now is to travel 360 miles after the initial charge wears off rather than 600. GM says because most cars travel 40 miles or less each day, there was really no need to have a 12-gallon fuel tank -- and the added weight -- to extend the range by 600 miles. If the average person drives 40 miles or less each day, and the battery can provide a 40-mile-range, then why not just dump the gas tank (and engine) altogether, make the battery slightly bigger (say, 50 mile capacity), and sell the Volt as purely an electric vehicle? ...