General Motors XP-883

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The XP-883 was an experimental plug-in hybrid car demonstrated by General Motors in 1969. Primarily intended as a commuter vehicle, the very small car had a fiberglass body with a design resembling the then-future Chevrolet Vega or Ford Pinto. The two-door hatchback had seating for two adults and two children, though the children sat in rear-facing seats and would enter and exit through the tailgate. It was powered by the combination of a two-cylinder engine and a DC electric motor. Electricity was stored in six 12-volt batteries placed between the rear wheels.

At 35 cubic inches (about 575 cubic centimeters), the engine was small enough to bypass laws of the day mandating emissions control devices like catalytic converters. The batteries could be charged using a standard 115 volt wall outlet and could power the vehicle in all-electric mode in city driving. In hybrid mode, it had a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), which could be reached in 28 seconds. 40 mph (64 km/h) could be attained in 12 seconds. The electric motor powered the car until it reached 10 mph (16 km/h), at which point the gasoline engine would kick in when running in hybrid mode. At cruising speeds, the gasoline engine would normally provide all of the power.

While the XP-883 was built using off-the-shelf technology, General Motors did not provide an electric car to consumers until about 25 years later when the GM EV1 was made available for lease (at the same time the factory Chevrolet S10E was manufactured for sale as opposed to strictly for lease). GM's full hybrid system appeared first in their city buses and their first "mild" hybrid light vehicles appeared in the 2000s decade. A light vehicle (non-bus) version of their full hybrid system will appear in 2007 (MY 2008) in the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. As of 2007, GM has plans to introduce plug-in hybrids including an updated Saturn Vue Green Line and a vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt concept car, though specific dates have not yet been set.