Cessna working on electric 172

That might be difficult if they intend to carry batteries to supply that electrical power. That might require removing the ability to carry rear seat passengers in order to accommodate the added battery weight.

Would a generator work in this case, of course, it would have to be a pretty good size. Would this be economical?

This would bring new meaning to the term; "Loss of power".

WHAT THE?

There's a little more information about it in this article: [http://blog.cafefoundation.org/?p=1422]

They talk about two different prototypes being considered: a hybrid and a pure-electric version, the latter having an extra battery pack that takes up the rear passenger seat.