Chevrolet Volt expected to get 230 MPG city!

[quagmire]

Today GM announced that using a draft of what the EPA will use to test plug in electric vehicles, the Volt is expected to get 230 MPG city.

WARREN, Mich. - The Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is expected to achieve city fuel economy of at least 230 miles per gallon, based on development testing using a draft EPA federal fuel economy methodology for labeling for plug-in electric vehicles.

The Volt, which is scheduled to start production in late 2010 as a 2011 model, is expected to travel up to 40 miles on electricity from a single battery charge and be able to extend its overall range to more than 300 miles with its flex fuel-powered engine-generator.

"From the data we've seen, many Chevy Volt drivers may be able to be in pure electric mode on a daily basis without having to use any gas," said GM Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson. "EPA labels are a yardstick for customers to compare the fuel efficiency of vehicles. So, a vehicle like the Volt that achieves a composite triple-digit fuel economy is a game-changer."

According to U.S. Department of Transportation data, nearly eight of 10 Americans commute fewer than 40 miles a day http://tinyurl.com/U-S-DOTStudy .

"The key to high-mileage performance is for a Volt driver to plug into the electric grid at least once each day," Henderson said.

Volt drivers' actual gas-free mileage will vary depending on how far they travel and other factors, such as how much cargo or how many passengers they carry and how much the air conditioner or other accessories are used. Based on the results of unofficial development testing of pre-production prototypes, the Volt has achieved 40 miles of electric-only, petroleum-free driving in both EPA city and highway test cycles.

Under the new methodology being developed, EPA weights plug-in electric vehicles as traveling more city miles than highway miles on only electricity. The EPA methodology uses kilowatt hours per 100 miles traveled to define the electrical efficiency of plug-ins. Applying EPA's methodology, GM expects the Volt to consume as little as 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles in city driving. At the U.S. average cost of electricity (approximately 11 cents per kWh), a typical Volt driver would pay about $2.75 for electricity to travel 100 miles, or less than 3 cents per mile.

http://media.gm.com/servlet/Gateway...ws/viewpressreldetail.do?domain=2&docid=56132

 

[rdowns]

Pretty impressive but I get the impression that this car is still a ways off. I'd be surprised if they move any big numbers of this model but the technology will sure help them.

 

[CorvusCamenarum]

I wouldn't want the first-gen models. Definitely a later model though when/if the technology becomes more proven outside a lab.

 

[yg17]

And how much CO2 is produced to generate the electricity to charge the thing?

And it's going to cost roughly $40,000. No way in hell would I spend 40 grand on a Chevy.

 

[Keebler]

And how much CO2 is produced to generate the electricity to charge the thing?

And it's going to cost roughly $40,000. No way in hell would I spend 40 grand on a Chevy.

exactly. i think for them to hit a home run, they need to sell this thing at a very affordable price. i know they're spending alot on R & D, but with the recession still hurting folks (even though it won't be supposedly out until next year), if they can slap a 'sale' price on it, more ppl would buy it I think (total guess).

The more volume, the higher sales possibly?

I do agree with the article that this is a game changer. You know the major players are working on similar vehicles. It would be neat to drive around most of the week without needing gas. Think of the reduction in smog for the larger cities.

Cheers,
Keebler

 

[danpass]

Lets see what type of mileage it gets according to the current EPA test matrix (which decently approximates real life).

 

[quagmire]

exactly. i think for them to hit a home run, they need to sell this thing at a very affordable price. i know they're spending alot on R & D, but with the recession still hurting folks (even though it won't be supposedly out until next year), if they can slap a 'sale' price on it, more ppl would buy it I think (total guess).

The more volume, the higher sales possibly?

I do agree with the article that this is a game changer. You know the major players are working on similar vehicles. It would be neat to drive around most of the week without needing gas. Think of the reduction in smog for the larger cities.

Cheers,
Keebler

It will have a $7500 tax credit making it a bit more affordable, but don't expect it to be Prius cheap anytime soon. The Lithium battery is expensive as hell and is the main force behind the $40K rumored sticker.

I would spend $40K on a Chevy( already do with our Suburban). I would spend $118K for one too( Corvette ZR1 ). But for you image conscious people, the Converj is nearly green lighted.

 

[sushi]

Interesting development or maybe I should say ongoing development. That mileage is wonderful if it can achieve it.

On the negative side, what is the cost for charging it? In this case, we may be swapping efficient gas use with less effective electricity generation, transmission and storage.

 

[quagmire]

Interesting development or maybe I should say ongoing development. That mileage is wonderful if it can achieve it.

On the negative side, what is the cost for charging it? In this case, we may be swapping efficient gas use with less effective electricity generation, transmission and storage.

As stated in the press release, it will cost a person about $2.75 per 100 miles of electricity.

 

[Tortellino]

On the negative side, what is the cost for charging it? In this case, we may be swapping efficient gas use with less effective electricity generation, transmission and storage.

Power generation is more efficient with the bigger power plants. The efficiency of the the steam generating power plants is around 35-50%. I don't know how much transmission of the power will consume, but I doubt it's a game changing amount. The internal combustion engines have average efficiency of 18-20%. If hybrids improve fuel efficiency by about 30% then you get 24-27% efficiency.

That's the cost. As far as the price goes, it has already been answered.

I would be more concerned about the load on the power grids when everyone plugs in at night. The existing grids in the US already fail during the Christmas lights seasons, and during heat waves due to A/C use. How many plugged cars can the grids handle?

 

[brad.c]

I wonder what the battery life is, and what the replacement cost will be. You may need to refinance before it's paid off.

But, I'm excited to see progress on alternative sources.

 

[quagmire]

I wonder what the battery life is, and what the replacement cost will be. You may need to refinance before it's paid off.

I believe GM is going to warranty the battery for 10 years/150,000 miles.

The battery will be kept between 30%-80% charge in order to prolong battery life.

 

[GSMiller]

Hopefully the batteries won't be manufactured by Sony.

 

[quagmire]

Hopefully the batteries won't be manufactured by Sony.

The battery is being made by LG Chem and made in the US.

 

[ZachsMacDaddy]

Looks like "fuzzy math" again.

Basically, you will be able to drive the Volt for about 40 miles using the lithium-ion batteries. For those driving less than that, gas mileage is essentially unlimited. It is only after 40 miles that the Volt will start using gas.

"Most Volt drivers will operate on a daily basis without having to use a single drop of gas," said Henderson, saying that three out of four drivers travel 40 miles or less a day.

Fuel economy for hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius is displayed in the same way as it is for any other gasoline-powered vehicle. It gets 46 mpg, for example, versus 19 mpg for a V-6 Ford Mustang.

That standard works because all the energy used by the Prius ultimately comes from burning gasoline. The Prius just uses that energy more efficiently than other cars do.

The Chevrolet Volt, on other hand, runs on electricity that comes from two sources -- a battery as well as a gasoline engine.

When gasoline is providing the power, the Volt might get as much as 50 mpg. But that mpg figure would not take into account that the car has already gone 40 miles with no gas at all.

So let's say the car is driven 50 miles in a day. For the first 40 miles, no gas is used and during the last 10 miles, 0.2 gallons are used. That's the equivalent of 250 miles per gallon. But, if the driver continues on to 80 miles, total fuel economy would drop to about 100 mpg. And if the driver goes 300 miles, the fuel economy would be just 62.5 mpg.

The Volt will need to be plugged in at night to recharge. The company said it estimates it will need 10 kilowatt hours for the recharge necessary to travel 40 miles. That should cost a total of about 40 cents at off-peak electricity rates in Detroit, Henderson said.

The EPA rating for the Volt is based on a draft report and applies to city driving. Henderson said GM is confident that when Volt's combined city/highway mileage average is calculated, it will be over 100 mpg.

But GM is obviously focused on the 230 mpg estimate as part of its early marketing campaign for the vehicle. It unveiled a logo with the number 230, with the zero looking like a cross between a smiley face and electrical plug.

 

[Gaelic2]

MPG?? Forget MPG! If you need to charge it for 8 hours on a 230 Volt dedicated line, then what does it get per mile figuring in the cost of electricity! No energy is free. To generate more electricity you need to burn more gas/coal and you are right back where you started! Simple physics folks.

 

[Drumjim85]

Looks like "fuzzy math" again.

its not fuzzy math, just marketing ... ya, if you drive 50 miles, you'll use very little gas, and get 230mpg.

the thing that sucks is the charge time. 10 hrs for only 40 miles?

 

[quagmire]

its not fuzzy math, just marketing ... ya, if you drive 50 miles, you'll use very little gas, and get 230mpg.

the thing that sucks is the charge time. 10 hrs for only 40 miles?

Or 3 hours for the 240 volt charging station.

And remember, it is only using 50% of the batteries capacity. It will be kept between 30%-80% charge.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

MPG?? Forget MPG! If you need to charge it for 8 hours on a 230 Volt dedicated line, then what does it get per mile figuring in the cost of electricity! No energy is free. To generate more electricity you need to burn more gas/coal and you are right back where you started! Simple physics folks.

The 8 hours charge would only be an issue if you are running at 120V. Most people who buy the Volt are going to get a little rewiring done to get a 240V plus in for it. I believe it going to cost 200 or so to get that rewiring done at ones home.

 

[Abstract]

Using the new EPA standards, the 230 MPG doesn't mean anything because there's nothing for me to compare it to.

It's far too easy to report a deceptively large value for mpg when the method devised favours this type of car. Perhaps the EPA favours this type of car, and want the discrepancy in mpg numbers to appear enormous.

Like Drumjim85 said, you'd use very little petrol over 50 miles. Well no kidding. You're not using any petrol over the first 40 miles.

 

[CorvusCamenarum]

Using the new EPA standards, the 230 MPG doesn't mean anything because there's nothing for me to compare it to.

It's far too easy to report a deceptively large value for mpg when the method devised favours this type of car. Perhaps the EPA favours this type of car, and want the discrepancy in mpg numbers to appear enormous.

Like Drumjim85 said, you'd use very little petrol over 50 miles. Well no kidding. You're not using any petrol over the first 40 miles.

I suppose a better estimate would be to know what the mileage is when the gas engine is going.

 

[techfreak85]

so thats what all those ads on Hulu have been about!
the ones with the green background with the 23 and the outlet(as 0).
the ads got changed today to say Chevy Volt...
i am actually impressed with that marketing.
maybe Obama's General Socialized Motors got some good stuff going!

 

[aethelbert]

I suppose a better estimate would be to know what the mileage is when the gas engine is going.

Well of course: "miles per gallon" of gasoline doesn't work if it's not using petrol.

 

[techfreak85]

they say it should cost 88 cents a recharge.

 

[Sun Baked]

The fuzzy math of comparing electric cars to gas vehicles using MPG is fuzzy to say the least.

Fine and dandy for a vehicle to quote the number for a fully electric loop. But for hybrid owners, not really unless they make sure the consumer knows it is for a all electric loop.

Likely, like the Tesla, the EPA's MPG conversion should improve as the drive system is refined along with some program tweaks. For the Tesla, the jump was huge over the scattered release MPG numbers -- likely not going to be as big with the numbers on the Volt.