It almost never gets credit for this, but the Chevrolet Volt set the paradigm for every modern plug-in hybrid vehicle. Introduced for the 2011 model year, the Volt offered 40 miles of all-electric driving, enough to cover the daily transportation needs of the vast majority of Americans. On longer drives, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine would kick in, powering a generator to replenish the battery.
For the everyday American driver, it offered something never seen before: All-electric driving for the daily commute, recharged nightly via a standard 120-volt home outlet, with a fuel tank you could fill at any gas station. People who understood engineering recognized the Volt as an immense achievement, but the everyday car buyer never fully caught on. “General Motors did an unspeakably lousy job at communicating the car,” Lutz told InsideEVs.