Read your very interesting article about

the Volt, Tom (August 2008). The Volt is nothing new. I am 79 years-old and I remember that Opel built a similar vehicle in the fifties (in Europe) but it did not catch on. I also remember seeing a prototype of an electric car with a small diesel-driven generator in the trunk in the GM building at EPCOT. But maybe this time it will take off.

Only one thing is not clear to me. You mention that, “When the battery empties after 40 miles the Volt switches to its gasoline engine which will run the generator to recharge the battery.” Are you sure? As far as I remember the Opel gasoline engine kicked in automatically whenever the battery needed charging when you were driving and kept running after you parked the car. The engine did not have enough power to keep driving at highway speed after the battery had discharged but you could keep going at about 30 mph. I believe that, when the generator is always running, the range will be a lot more than 40 miles and probably unlimited when stopping and going in city traffic.

The small gasoline (or diesel) engine in those electric cars run at full power and never idle which makes them so fuel efficient.

Arie de Keyzer, Komoka, Ont.