GM shows Chevy plug-in concept (CNNMoney.com)

DETROIT (CNNMoney.com) -- General Motors will unveil a plug-in hybird vehicle Sunday that, the company says, offers a preview of a high-mileage vehicle platform that GM could use in future vehicles.

The Chevrolet Volt, which is driven by electricity alone, uses a small three-cylinder gasoline engine only to recharge its batteries. The batteries can also be charged by plugging into an ordinary electrical outlet.

Gallery: Chevrolet Volt

Starting with a full charge, the car could theoretically operate for about 40 miles at suburban street speeds without needing to burn any gasoline at all.

It would take about 6.5 hours to fully charge the Volt's batteries from an outlet. The vehicle could, however, be driven without a full charge but would need to rely on its gasoline engine sooner.

Unlike other hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, the Volt's gasoline engine would never power the car's wheels. Instead, it would recharge the car's batteries if needed while the car would continue to run on electric power alone.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/AUTOS/01/07/detroit_chevrolet_volt_concept/index.html