Bill Reinert, a national technology manager at Toyota, says he and many of his colleagues believe the Chevy Volt, along with similar plug-in electric hybrid cars, will all fail.

The Volt is designed to run purely on electricity from onboard batteries for up to 40 miles. A small internal combustion engine will then drive a generator to resupply the batteries, supposedly extending the vehicle's range to 360 miles.

These gas/electric vehicles have been heralded by many as the immediate future of driving. But Reinert isn't optimistic, at least not yet. The batteries, he says, are just too expensive. (EV World):

[Reinert] told me there's a "death watch" taking place within Toyota on the Telsa Whitestar, Fisker Karma and... here it comes... Chevy Volt. He -- and apparently his colleagues -- don't think any of them will be built in any significant numbers. The batteries are just too costly.

GM is staking its future on the Volt. If the car fails, GM won't need that government bailout it craves. It will need a shovel.

See Also:

General Motors (GM): We Deserve A Bailout, Too (GM, F)

General Motors (GM): Chevy Volt Almost Ready For Testing (GM, TM, NSANY)

General Motors (GM) Volt: Late, Overpriced, Money-Losing, and Dreamy...But Beloved (GM)