General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) has decided that electric vehicles may not be so bad after all. The No. 1 (at least for now) automaker, which shut down its $1 billion EV1 electric car development program a few years ago, is ready to unveil the Chevrolet Volt concept car at the North American International Car show.

The Volt would get 150 miles per gallon and travel as far as 640 miles on a single tank of fuel on a combination of batter and engine power, according to the AP. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz calls it a "new type of electric vehicle," the AP reports.

GM obviously is responding to the huge popularity of hybrids. My father owns one and loves it. Its engine runs so quietly that it's tough sometimes to know if the car is running.

Environmentalists blasted GM for ending the EV1 program in 2003. They have long accused the Big 3 automakers of dragging their feet on the development of electric cars. I think some of the conspiracy theories about big auto and big oil joining forces to stop electric vehicle development are bit far-fetched. These guys can't agree on lunch most days let alone how to stop the electric car.

Regardless, GM points out that the Volt is a long way from concept to reality. Lutz says the company will create the "E-Flex system" that like a hybrid combines batteries with more traditional power sources, such as a gasoline engine, the Associated Press says. The system would require a 400-pound battery that won't be ready until 2010 to 2012, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Corp.'s (NYSE:TM) hybrid business continues to hum along, pun intended. It expects to sell 250,000 to 300,000 units in North America this year, up from 191,000 in 2006, Reuters says.

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