Let\'s see...one of those for each wheel...turbine genny... Giddy up!

@Alan: hmmmmmm a 450 hp Chevrolet Spark. That\'s doesn\'t sound right ;-)

Why not make the wheel rims a dynamo? Have magnets built into the wheel well and was the tire turns, it generates electricity, to keep the batteries charged up or have a wind turbine built in to the roof?

And when it hit 88mph........whoooshka

If you put magnets in the wheel rims to turn them into generators you will waste power trying to turn them. Generators create electricity by converting kinetic energy. Electric motors generate kinetic energy by expending electricity. All you\'d be doing is using an electric motor to turn an electric generator and you\'d lose power to the various inefficiencies in the system. More or less the same with putting a wind turbine on the roof. You could deploy the wind turbine while you are parked, but if you rely on the car\'s forward movement to turn the turbine you\'d be drawing power from the electric motor once more and your car would look funny.

@ Robert Bourke - the reason why wheels are made as light as possible - is because UNSPRUNG mass is a horrible thing.
a) It uses up enormous amounts of power running weight up and down over bumps and dips - via the suspension.
b) It creates a kind of disproportionate run away effect - bigger wheel weights, stronger heavier tyres, heavier stronger suspension - bigger engine / engine output to keep the vehicle going at the same speed.
If all the roads of the world were one big flat glass table top - great idea.
Regular to bad roads - not so much.
Try this out.... get a motorbike - remove the rear disk brake and bolt on the same disk size - piece of steel but 30mm thick and see the difference - or fill the drum housing with lead.
Then take it for a ride on a regular road.....
Not good.

good idea.. GO GM .. BUY AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTS and support your local small business

I think that cars should be made lighter and more aerodynamic without regard to increasing the power of the electric motor powering it. The more powerful the motor, the greater the draw on the battery and the less time the battery will be useable. I know that better batteries are on the way but it is comparitively easy to improve aerodynamics while waiting,

Permanent Magnet motors? I thought that the point of fuel efficient cars were to free us from the whims of OPEC. But magnet dependencies enslave us to the whims of the Chinese, the OPEC of the rare earths.
A smarter way would be to use multi-phasic motors that are permanent magnet free. Has GM never heard of Chorus Motors? Or are they simply accustomed to making bad decisions?

I am expecting the ICE engine to suffer a quick death due to a new pollutant. 2013 is my guess