General Motors set to unveil a new type of clean car

General Motors later this month will take the wraps off an unusual hybrid car in which the gas motor serves as a generator to produce electricity.

The company, which is facing tough competition from Toyota and Honda, will unfurl the car at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month, according to the L.A. Times.

The car essentially starts out running on electric power. The gas engine then serves as a generator to recharge the battery. One problem with electric cars, particularly the fated EV1 from GM, is that they can't go too far without battery charges. The EV1 only went about 130 miles and then had to be recharged at specialized charging stations. While some believe that GM cancelled the car to appease oil companies, electric car entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Ian Wright say the problems were the car's limitations.