Why hesitate on electric and hybrid vehicles?

January 14, 2007
Regarding "Return trip for electric vehicles," Jan. 7: General Motors is to be praised for accepting that the most efficient plug-in is the serial plug-in hybrid, whose only use for the engine is to generate power for the drive electric motor. But GM is holding its Chevrolet Volt hostage until as late as 2012, attributing the wait to the development of new batteries. The first EV1 was released, and worked fine, with normal Panasonic lead-acid batteries, achieving a real-world oil-free range of 80 to 110 miles. GM could use lead-acid for the Volt, which needs only 20 to 40 miles of oil-free range before the internal-combustion engine comes on to charge the battery or run the car directly. GM also is ignoring the nickel-metal-hydride batteries still in use on the 2002 Toyota RAV4-EV, which yield oil-free range of 100 to 200 miles and last longer than the vehicle. Doug Korthof Seal Beach http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-letters14.2jan14,1,431162.story?coll=la-headlines-business&ctrack=1&cset=true