I didn't read GM's claims, but I'm not sure I see the problem with that.
That is basically what the electric Wrangler was. The only difference is that Chrysler told us that up front.
EDIT: Unless of course, they said that was the way it's set up and then it turns out it isn't.
Let me clear this up - for you and that other guy. The whole "BIG DEAL" about the Volt is that the engine was NOT supposed to drive the car in any way, shape or form. It was supposed to be like an on-board generator running at peak efficiency. According to the link the the original post, which is the latest news about the car, GM has been lying the entire time and the engine kicks in to physically power the wheels at 70+ mph. The engine also will physically drive the wheels when the battery charge gets low. This means that the car is pretty much just a fancier prius-style hybrid.
What I want to know, is why the hell were they lying to us? Was it to ensure they got a bailout? Did they think we would not notice?
I've been saying for YEARS that the way to make a hybrid is simple, have a very small diesel designed to run at a specific rpm for peak efficiency, and it runs pretty much the entire time the car is on, and is nothing more than a generator that can throttle down to idle when the batteries are up and you are sitting in traffic. The wheels would be completely powered by an electric motor. We have ALL the technology to do this, and it bypasses the whole battery problem we are currently facing. Yeah, it's still reliant on fossil fuels, but it's a hell of a jump forward. The Volt was supposed to be that car, just running on gasoline. Apparently it isn't. GM flat out lied, AGAIN.
I'm hoping the Jalopnik article is fake though, and there is hints that it is. If it is fake, then I take this post back.