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230 Miles per Gallon?
by Larry Lubell
General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson announced that GM was going forward on the Volt and that they are going to be advertising the car with a MPG of 230.
Yes that’s right I said 230!
Personally, I own two cars, neither of which gets 23 miles to a Gallon; so excuse my exclamation point after the number 230. Truth be told, that number is in large part based on combined electric only driving and charge sustaining mode with the engine running. We are all use to advertisements saying “Your mileage may vary”, but usually that variation is just a few miles. Because this vehicle is designed to run principally on electric power stored in batteries charged from your home current; GM is free to pick almost any number they want.
The EPA had to determine a method to calculate fuel economy standard for extended-range EVs. The difficulty is trying to get an average that combines both time the car is running on stored battery power as well as burning fuel. Based on the EPA’s new guidlines, the Volt will have a composite urban fuel economy rating of 230 mpg! This figure is reach because while running on the electric, the Volt will consume 25 kW/hours per 100 miles. That allows GM to claim that the Volt is the first car ever to get a triple digit fuel economy rating.
Yes that’s right I said 230!
Personally, I own two cars, neither of which gets 23 miles to a Gallon; so excuse my exclamation point after the number 230. Truth be told, that number is in large part based on combined electric only driving and charge sustaining mode with the engine running. We are all use to advertisements saying “Your mileage may vary”, but usually that variation is just a few miles. Because this vehicle is designed to run principally on electric power stored in batteries charged from your home current; GM is free to pick almost any number they want.
The EPA had to determine a method to calculate fuel economy standard for extended-range EVs. The difficulty is trying to get an average that combines both time the car is running on stored battery power as well as burning fuel. Based on the EPA’s new guidlines, the Volt will have a composite urban fuel economy rating of 230 mpg! This figure is reach because while running on the electric, the Volt will consume 25 kW/hours per 100 miles. That allows GM to claim that the Volt is the first car ever to get a triple digit fuel economy rating.
Wow, that makes the Toyota Prius look like a Hummer.
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