The GM EV-1 was a battery pack, plug in, without any on board gasoline/ethanol internal combustion engine.
The Toyota Prius was an EV that was a parallel hybrid, whereas the on board liquid fuel internal combustion engine served as both for electrical generation AND direct propulsion, with its "parallel" system of engine, transmission and differential mechanically connected to the drive wheels.
So was the Fisker Karma.
And so was the GM Volt.
Parallel Hybrids have way more components than necessary.
Far simpler are serial hybrids. These can be purely electrical propulsion, with the liquid fueled engine soley for electrical generation (as well as heat), avoiding the extra parts of a parallel ICE.
Hybrids make perfect sense given the matters relating to energy storage and conversion. Gasoline derived from petroleum, as well as Ethanol, are efficient. Fuel tanks of gasoline mixed with ethanol are considerably safer than enormous battery packs. We have an established huge infrastructure in marketing and selling liquid motor vehicle fuels. And we can now have the choice instead for simple hybrid EVs, with tremendously reduced batter dependence, as well as considerably reduced size on-board liquid fueled ICE designed for electrical generation rather than larger for direct propulsion.
Regardless of any sloganeering over being pro-choice, the car manufacturers are overwhelmingly promoting non hybrid EVs, with their infinitely greater dependence upon batteries.
First was Tesla. A pure EV, initially seen as the competition to the Fisker Kharma.
The Karma had difficulties, most spectacularly a lot of them erupting in fire with the brief flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy. Though hybrids, they still had on board battery packs for about a 30 mile range.
We have seen new fabrications for converting traditional ICE automobiles into EVs, with the ICE swapped out for an electric motor to drive the existing drivetrain, and powered by a battery in the trunk.
GM has selected to abandon hybrids as part of the idea of eliminating ICEs, with their new ULTIUM platform, with its enormous floor pan battery (great for resistance to roll overs), situated between front and rear electric motors respectively driving the front and rear wheels.
This is despite:
costs of mining for the minerals needed for EV battery production
infinitely greater difficult of extinguishing battery fires.
and the sheer dependency upon a plug.
Hybrids eventually added a plug in capability for charging its relatively small 30 or so mile range battery. We all know those who seek out some plug in place, in order to avoid or minimize the use of the onboard ICE. And it is such a type of thinking that has been used to push non hybrids, eliminating the on-board ICE generator, in exchange for the enormous floor-pan battery packs.
But how does this serve to reduce the CO2 load upon the planet's atmosphere?
Making EVs NON hybrid means infinitely larger battery packs in each and every vehicle.
Why the refusal of small ICE hybrids with their considerable advantages.
Eliminate batteries except for a 12 or 24 bolt battery with a hot swappable twin.
Utilize existing liquid fuel infrastructure.
Establish a plug in capability for such ICE hybrids to provide electrical power to residences as during an emergency.
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