Plug-in GM Hybrid from 1969

GM revealed the Chevy Volt this past week at the Detroit auto show, a plug-in hybrid using lithium-ion batteries. But execs point out that in order to produce the Volt, they need some advancements in battery technology.

Today, I saw an article over at Jalopnik which pointed to a page on finkbuilt about a hybrid car built by GM back in 1969. After looking at the article itself (from Popular Science), I noted a few things.

First, it's a plug-in!

"In case your batteries run down, the car is equipped with an on-board charger that can be connected to an external 115-Volt AC source."

Second, it's a full hybrid, capable of running on electric power alone, if only to 10 mph (something GM seems to have forgotten how to do with their mild hybrids). Also, the battery pack uses six 12-volt batteries, which helped this "Pinto-Vega-looking XP-883 hybrid-drive commuter car" go from 0-40 in 12 seconds.

Unfortunately, the XP-883 had a top speed of only 60 mph.