The Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended range will provide customers with an unprecedented, standard, eight-year/100,000-mile (160,934km) warranty on its advanced, lithium-ion battery.

But there is still no lithium battery light enough to power a small electric car over a reasonable distance on a single charge.

The Prius Plug-in, which seats five people, comes with a new lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a household outlet, much like an electric car.