If it uses a gasoline engine, isn’t it a hybrid, like the Toyota Prius, not an electric vehicle? And why so much for such a small car, then?
Yes, it is a plug-in hybrid. It differs from the conventional hybrid because the gas motor only drives a generator and the generator drives the electric motor rather than have either the gas motor or the electric motor drive the wheels.
Why so much? Massive development costs on a car with (probably) very limited market appeal, and this gets you a car with acceptable range but only marginal performance.
The comparable Tesla model would the the Model S sedan which is projected to start at $50K (vs. $40K for the Volt), not considering federal tax incentives, which would apply to both.
But the performance of the Tesla sedan is much, much better than the Volt and its styling puts the Volt to shame.
The $100K Tesla roadster has exceptional performance, but minimal practicality. It’s an expensive richboy toy.
Either approach is interesting, but as it stands, I couldn’t see buying either.