Volt to achieve 230 mpg in city driving

[Subby]

August 12, 2009

G.M. Says Volt Will Get Triple-Digit City Mileage
By BILL VLASIC

WARREN, Mich. — General Motors said Tuesday that its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle, scheduled for release in 2011, will achieve a fuel rating of 230 miles a gallon in city driving.

The rating is based on methodology drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency, and most other automakers have not revealed the mileage for the electric cars. Nissan, however, announced last week that its all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, which comes out in late 2010, would get 367 m.p.g., using the same E.P.A. standards.

Figures for highway driving and combined city and highway use have not been completed for the Volt, but G.M.’s chief executive, Fritz Henderson, told reporters and analysts at a briefing that the car is expected to get more than 100 miles a gallon in combined city and highway driving.

“Our Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle will achieve unprecedented fuel economy,” Mr. Henderson said. “I’m confident that we will be in triple digits.”

The Volt can travel up to 40 miles on a single battery charge, at which point a small gasoline engine kicks in and powers the car and simultaneously recharges the battery. The battery can be charged in eight hours, at an off-peak cost of about 40 cents, Mr. Henderson said.

Nearly 8 of 10 Americans commute fewer than 40 miles a day, the company said in a statement, citing Department of Transportation data. The mileage calculation for the Volt essentially assumes that most drivers would stay within that range and not need the gasoline engine.

Mr. Henderson said the Volt would be a critical part of G.M.’s product strategy. “Having a car that gets triple-digit fuel economy will be a game changer for us,” he said. The car will go into production late next year.

But whether the Volt can live up to its billing has been a matter of debate. Some industry analysts note that General Motors has a poor track record of introducing green technology to the market.

G.M. is trying to persuade consumers to return to its showrooms after filing for bankruptcy on June 1 and emerging as a reorganized company with fewer brands, models and dealers.

Mr. Henderson and other G.M. executives met with groups of consumers on Monday to hear their thoughts on the company’s product lineup.

“We need to communicate what we have,” Mr. Henderson said. “The only way we’re going to make G.M. great again is to win in the market.”

The Volt is expected to be both a so-called halo car to draw consumers to the Chevrolet brand, and a technological foundation for future electric models.

The company has built about 30 Volts so far and is testing them in various conditions.

Interest has been building in the Volt since it was introduced at auto shows in recent years. But with G.M. now 60 percent government-owned, the car has become a symbol of the company’s rebirth after its 40-day trip through bankruptcy.

Mr. Henderson said most of G.M.’s new products would be either passenger cars or fuel-efficient crossover vehicles. While the company will still build trucks and large sport utilities, the bulk of its investments will go toward smaller vehicles.

“I think the fundamental premise of planning for higher fuel prices is the right premise,” he said.

[molson]

They just need to get the $40k pricetag down.

And then once that happens, where are we going to get all of the electricity to charge these cars? Coal?

It's a start though.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I hope a bunch of people buy these cars so I can buy gas for my car for cheap when demand drops.

It's ridiculous that the auto industry dragged their feet this long. This could have been done several years ago.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

It's ridiculous that the auto industry dragged their feet this long. This could have been done several years ago.

+1

[Subby]

I'll be pretty excited if they can get the price on this thing down to Honda Fit-level.

[MikeVic]

Wasn't this the car that couldn't go up a hill in some test last year? I hope that's fixed.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by molson

And then once that happens, where are we going to get all of the electricity to charge these cars? Coal?

Even if we use oil in power plants, it burns much more efficiently there, even including the transmission loss, than anything a car internal combustion engine can do. So that same barrel of oil would go much further and that assumes your local electricity is locked into oil.

SI

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Subby

I'll be pretty excited if they can get the price on this thing down to Honda Fit-level.

I'd be more pumped if they got it down to a Wii Fit level. That's probably what it would take for me to drive a girly car like that.

[digamma]

P.S. I drive a hybrid.

[cartman]

I've always wondered that if they use diesel engines to power generators to run electric trains at very high efficiency levels, why hasn't that been scaled down to have a fully electric car that doesn't have to be plugged into the grid? Is the stop and start nature of car driving as opposed to the hours on end travel of the trains? The cars mentioned in the article do use some fuel based electric generation, but you'd think they would have figured out how to do it 100% without having to be plugged in at some point.

[MikeVic]

The roads should be electrified.

[molson]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Even if we use oil in power plants, it burns much more efficiently there, even including the transmission loss, than anything a car internal combustion engine can do. So that same barrel of oil would go much further and that assumes your local electricity is locked into oil.

SI

I wonder how much more people would drive if they didn't have to pay gas though, especially if there were public sources of the electricity.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

The roads should be electrified.

I thought for a long time that was the next logical step (think the road system in the Will Smith 'I, Robot') where not only is the grid electrified and powered but also can drive itself so all that time is not wasted. It wouldn't be 100% electrical- just major streets (think highways and then the next phase would be anything with a stoplight)- and once you went "off the grid", you would go via battery.

That said, without superconductors- you lose a sizable amount of power on transmission and those lines are basically giant power lines with large resistances. Plus, I'm not sure how we'd ever afford to do this sort of works project. I still to this day don't understand how we afforded the interstate system and this would be just as big, if not bigger. If we really had gone into a second great depression rather than just skimming the surface, it'd be one heck of a good public works project.

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by molson

I wonder how much more people would drive if they didn't have to pay gas though, especially if there were public sources of the electricity.

You'd still have to pay for electricity, tho, from the local utilities. It's not free. Or maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying.

SI

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I thought for a long time that was the next logical step (think the road system in the Will Smith 'I, Robot') where not only is the grid electrified and powered but also can drive itself so all that time is not wasted. It wouldn't be 100% electrical- just major streets (think highways and then the next phase would be anything with a stoplight)- and once you went "off the grid", you would go via battery.

That said, without superconductors- you lose a sizable amount of power on transmission and those lines are basically giant power lines with large resistances. Plus, I'm not sure how we'd ever afford to do this sort of works project. I still to this day don't understand how we afforded the interstate system and this would be just as big, if not bigger. If we really had gone into a second great depression rather than just skimming the surface, it'd be one heck of a good public works project.

SI

I have also thought of this too. I have been thinking that cars with systems that monitor traffic and systems where cars can talk to each other for merging and speed control similar to traffic avoidance systems in airplane would be doable. It would cut down on jams, and certainly enhance saftey.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

I have also thought of this too. I have been thinking that cars with systems that monitor traffic and systems where cars can talk to each other for merging and speed control similar to traffic avoidance systems in airplane would be doable. It would cut down on jams, and certainly enhance saftey.

The 2010 Ford Taurus will come with a collision detection system that will slow you down as soon as you approach other vehicles or something. So I think we're getting there.

[MikeVic]

We should've been at self-driving cars a long time ago!

[JS19]

How long does one overnight charge last? Does it get you through the day?

[KWhit]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

The 2010 Ford Taurus will come with a collision detection system that will slow you down as soon as you approach other vehicles or something. So I think we're getting there.

Yeah, I was just reading this morning about the Prius that it does the same thing.

And it will parallel park for you all by itself. You don't turn the steering wheel or push the gas.

I had no idea that technology had been implemented in a car.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by JS19

How long does one overnight charge last? Does it get you through the day?

The article says it lasts 40 miles and then the engine kicks in and recharges after that.

[stevew]

Looks interesting, but I'm waiting to see if it actually works as advertised.