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Hi,
The Volt is what is called a serial hybrid (though the folks at GM want to call it an "extended range EV"). This means the electric motor pushes the car by it self, and the ICE is used to charge the battery -- this is similar to how electric/diesel trains work.
So the ICE should be run at one constant -- and it's most efficient RPM, to charge the battery. They used a 1.4L 4-cylinder engine, which is way too big for what it needs to do. It should have been a 500-750cc (tops!) and even a smaller ICE could have worked.
The too-large engine has a major weight penalty.
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