Volt is a hybrid, with gasoline tank onboard, gasoline engine, etc.
IOW not limited range. Like a Prius.
The Volt and the Prius are actually very different. The Prius is a gasoline powered car, that scavenges wasted energy, and converts it to electricity for use. So Prius concept = Gas Car with electric assist. Its a 134 hp car, weighing 3,300 lb...fully capably of performing like a normal car while running on gasoline.
The Volt is the opposite. It is an electric car, with gas assist. And the gas assist is somewhat lacking...84 hp for a 3,800 lb vehicle. Ignoring the losses involved in converting this power to electricity to run motors, the power to weight ratio is 1 hp per 45 lb. What car compares to this? I have a hard time finding one. The Prius is 1 hp per 25 lb, or almost 50% better. Remember the Geo Storm inline three cylinder car? It got 95 hp, but weighed a thousand lbs less. How about the Yugo...it only got 65 hp, but weighed 2,000 lbs less...or a 1 hp per 30 lb ratio....still 33% better than the Volt. It really is hard to find a car with poorer specs.
So what does this mean? Well, lets just say the Volt won’t win any drag races in gasoline mode...and remember, after the first 40 miles (equivalent to approx. one gallon of gas), you’re in full time gas mode. The online Volt manual has ‘mountain mode’. What is this? Essentially, the gas engine can’t get you up a sustained incline, maintaining highways speeds. So, if you know a hill is coming up, you pre-emptively drive in degraded mode while in the flatlands...switching to gas only mode, to conserve electrical power...so the electrical power can be used to get up the hill.
So should a Volt owner have range anxiety? I’d say that a Volt owner could not drive in the same manner as an ordinary driver, in some situations. And, frankly, if there’s a mountain between you and home...you may not get over it, without doing some charging, depending on whether or not you’ve planned ahead with mountain mode. Bottom line, its not just like driving any other car. Range is probably unlimited (although I’d love to see a Volt go through the rockies to prove the concept)....but you may be in the emergency lane doing 35 mph.