But it makes a powerful case for turbine-powered range extenders.
Depending on whether an optional gasoline-powered range extender is included, the BMWi3 could fall into either category.
Another will offer 100km of battery-powered range, but will also have a petrol generator to extend it.
And, as in a hybrid electric car with a petrol-powered range extender, there is an internal-combustion option.
Still, the Volt will consume gas on trips longer than its 40-mile battery-powered range, so it must carry some guide to consumption on its window sticker.
What makes it tick: A 111-horsepower electric motor is combined with a lithium-ion battery, with a battery-powered range of about 80 miles.
Its 80- to 100-mile range, using a 22-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, can be extended by 12 percent in Eco Pro+ mode, and range can be further extended, to about 180 miles, with an optional 650-cc gasoline-powered range extender.
Its range is 80 to 100 miles, depending on driving style, and an optional gasoline-powered range extender — a 650-cubic-centimeter 2-cylinder BMW motorcycle engine that includes a two-gallon gasoline tank mounted in the front of the car — adds another 100 miles or so to that, Mr. Walter said.
As a birthday present, discerning kids can ask for the miniature gas-powered Range Rover, with leather upholstery, a 5hp engine and AM-FM radio a steal at $18,500.
First, the deal will bolster both Samsung and Google's patent positions against patent infringement allegations and subsequent litigation from competitors, and specifically Apple, which has been involved in acrimonious, multinational patent battles worth billions of dollars against Samsung for years now, over Samsung's Android-powered range of Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
When the Volt's battery runs low, a gas powered range-extending engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank.
