Volt rated at 93 MPGe ... and 37 mpg ... and 60 mpg

[DGthe3]

From www.autoblog.com:

After yesterday's 99 miles per gallon (equivalent) EPA rating for the Nissan Leaf, General Motors had to be eager to get the numbers for the Chevy Volt from the government – if for no other reason than because these efficiency stickers are the last thing holding up deliveries of the first production vehicles.

Today, GM shared the official numbers with the world, and they range from 37 miles per gallon to 93 mpge (equivalent) combined to 60 mpg "composite." Sixty mpg composite is a "combined, combined" number, and will be completely different for everyone. You might want to think of it as a lifetime figure, since it accounts for both electricity and gasoline consumed. Oh, and it's also best in class for compact cars. The Volt's official electric-only range will be 35 miles, but GM, like Nissan, has been giving a range recently of 25-50 miles. The Volt now has an official total range of 379 miles, with 344 miles of that being extended range (i.e., gas) driving. As Tony DiSalle, Chevrolet product marketing director, said, "If you try to boil it down to a single number, it gets quite difficult."

Doug Parks, Chevrolet Volt Global Vehicle Line Executive, said he is "quite pleased" with the numbers and understands that it is a complicated story to tell. GM and the EPA worked together to come up with this label to figure in all of the different modes that impact the vehicle's efficiency. We've heard that the 2011 Volt will have a temporary EPA label, but Parks told us that what you see above will likely be what we see in next year, saying "Our intent was not to do something that was a one-year deal. Our hope is that this is very similar to the path that everyone will go down in the future. We tried to make the label look as similar as it can to next year."

So, what about that "230 mpg" GM touted last year. Well, that was a different way to calculate things. "230 by itself was never intended to be a composite number," Parks said.

[KeepItGreasey]

If you're driving at night, in the winter time, with your heater and stereo cranked - you will get poor "mileage"?

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by KeepItGreasey

If you're driving at night, in the winter time, with your heater and stereo cranked - you will get poor "mileage"?

Thats why GM has cut back on the 40 mile range and is instead citing 25-50 mile electric only range.

And whats wrong with using the word mileage? It still makes sense, fuel economy doesn't but mileage does.

[fielderLS3]

So what does that mean? 93 city/37 hwy?....or 93 electric only, 37 range extended mode? If it's the latter, is the 37 city/hwy combined?

I'm assuming the 93 electric mode means it goes that far on the energy equivalent of one gallon of gas.

[KeepItGreasey]

I think it's a cool concept... and it's cool if you live by yourself and actually have immediate electrical access to charge your car at night (and while you're at work). A 50 mile range would get me to work and back each day, but 25 wont.

Gasoline will always be king. If I can get 300-400 miles out of a tank smaller than 20 gallons, then I'm fine with filling it every 7 or 8 days. I just don't want to be strong-armed into feeling like I have to buy an electric car just because I don't want to pay for gasoline.

There is sooooo much that I'd worry about... maybe the car stereo comes with headphones so you're not pumping electricity to all the speakers?

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by fielderLS3

I'm assuming the 93 electric mode means it goes that far on the energy equivalent of one gallon of gas.

Correct.

[KeepItGreasey]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Correct.

By $$$ cost conversion?

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by KeepItGreasey

By $$$ cost conversion?

No, energy equivalence. 1 gallon of gas contains the same energy as 34 kWh of electricity.

[King Sun]

I wonder would they bring out an aftermarket option to have a another battery for the sound system?

[Cmicasa the Great XvX]

vs





I think I'm gonna go buy a VOLT.. and is anyone else surprised that the total ELECTRIC cost difference of only $40 bucks???


also... This vehicle that for the first 40-50 miles will be purely electrical, but then the gasoline engine will kick in allowing him another 300-330 more miles before having to fill up or charge.

Also... the Volt has a 5 miles reserve charge which allows for the driver to, in case of actually running outta fuel, to still go another 5 miles should you run the gas tank dry to find a gas station.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by fielderLS3

So what does that mean? 93 city/37 hwy?....or 93 electric only, 37 range extended mode? If it's the latter, is the 37 city/hwy combined?

I'm assuming the 93 electric mode means it goes that far on the energy equivalent of one gallon of gas.

Because of the dual sources of energy on-board...you can dial up either the electricity or the gasoline...changing the rating from as low as 37 (I assume that's pure extended-range), and as high as 93 (which I think accounts for some gasoline usage).

If you never you gas...which is more than possible for 75% of Americans, you may as well ignore the EPA sticker and consider it whatever-the-heck-you-want mpg. That 230 from GM sounds good.

The EPA tags are designed to give you a number from which to judge one car against another. They are not always reflective of real-world numbers, and they are figured in a lab setting...not necessarily on the road. When you now have two sources of energy, and a bagillion different ways to send it to the electric motors....things get tricky, and I can understand why the EPA took so long to figure these numbers. Personally, I expect them to be revised many times over the next decade or so.

EDIT: The charging routine sticker is a great example of the complexity.

[BigDan]

Is the volt still only powered by electric motors and the gas engine just charges the battery's once they're depleted or does it just go into typical car hybrid mode like the Prius once the battery's are drained?

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by BigDan

Is the volt still only powered by electric motors and the gas engine just charges the battery's once they're depleted or does it just go into typical car hybrid mode like the Prius once the battery's are drained?

There's two answers to that question...

One, under 99% of the time, it will always be driven by electricity and the generator will only be providing electricity to through the batteries to the motors when active.

But under very strenuous conditions...like accelerating up a really steep hill, the Volt excels beyond cars like the leaf, by piggy-backing the front wheels off of the generator for a loose mechanical connection. It's all in the way the generator/engine/transmission/motor is packaged into one unit.

[BigDan]

^ That's even better then before. It would be nice to one day have an even smaller more fuel efficient engine like a 2 cylinder maybe in a smaller car that can still provide the mechanical energy to power the generator and still make it up steep grades.

Thanks for your answer.