No electricity, no go. That’s the bottom line for the Chevrolet Volt.
On Monday, several publications, including Edmunds.com and Popular Mechanics, said that the Volt uses its gasoline engine in a way that was similar to most hybrids, ultimately questioning whether the car was really just an advanced hybrid instead of an electric.
But the furor over whether the Volt is “really” electric amounts to debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
If you buy a Volt extended-range electric car when it hits dealerships next month, you’ll run on a battery for the first 40 miles of your daily drive. A 1.4-liter, gasoline-powered generator will produce more electricity for longer drives, for a total cruising range of around 350 miles.
Claims that the engine actually drives the wheels—making it little different from a hybrid—or that the engine boosts the battery for high-speed driving, simply aren’t true, vehicle line executive Doug Parks said Monday.
| 
|