General Motors Corp., vilified by environmentalists for killing the electric car, is hoping to bring one back.
But the new electric won't be an emissions-free vehicle, unlike the initial GM electric, the EV1.
The new car, to be unveiled as a prototype early next year, would use an onboard internal-combustion engine as a generator to produce electricity to extend the range of the vehicle's rechargeable batteries.
The idea was greeted enthusiastically by Chris Paine, director of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" The recent documentary took GM to task for creating and then abandoning the first production electric vehicle since the early 1900s.
"Bring it on," he said, noting that he has never doubted GM's ability to produce an environmentally friendly electric vehicle but has criticized its commitment to marketing one.
"I hope this one can get from concept to showrooms," Paine said.
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