Let me explain this as i have already gotten phone calls and emails from friends wondering why my MINI E doesnt get 230 mpg. First off the Volt gets 40 miles per charge thats it. Then you have to plug it in just like our cars that get 120-130 miles per charge. If you dont plug in the engine starts up to power a generator that powers the electric motor. In this configuration the car gets 40 or so miles per gallon. At no time can it achieve 230 mpg. The number comes from GM figuring less than 25 kwh per 100 miles and that converts to 230 mpg if you could draw a comparison between electricity and gasoline. So our MINI E 's get 230 mpg or more if we want to figure it the way GM is. The best cars on gasoline will always be the 2000-2006 Honda Insight 70+mpg and the 90-94 Geo Metro XFI 57+ mpg. Sorry Prius owners and expectant Volt owners.

 

I wonder how the EPA will rate it on the window sticker. On the MINI E sticker they used some ratio to determine energy equivalence of kwh vs gallons of gas- didn't it end up being 99 mpg or something like that? (UPDATE - it is 102mpg) Hard to believe that the Volt would get more than twice as much range as the MINI for the same amount of kwh.

 

It doesnt get twice the range per kwh that we do. It will be lucky to get the same. They are figuring 100 miles per 25kwh. We get 120-130 miles per 28kwh. If you look in the owners manual, it gives the spec 35kwh battery pack with 27-28kwh usuable. I verified this when charging the car. From empty it does take about 27 kwh to recharge.

 

SJMINIE - your friends confuse "miles per gallon" with "miles per charge"? Time to sit them down with some Lego blocks and finger-puppets.

 

Guys, are you SURE this is how GM came up with the 230 mpg? The car has a complex duty cycle, where the gasoline isn't used to drive the car at all, but only to recharge the battery. So saying the electric motor expends 25 kwh per 100 miles doesn't tell you much about how much gas is needed to recharge the battery.

Seems the best way to figure the mileage is to just drive it for a week, see how much gas was used, see how many miles were driven, and do the math.

 

Posted: Aug. 12, 2009 11:08 a.m.


General Motors jolted the automotive world yesterday, announcing that its upcoming electric-drive Chevy Volt will earn an EPA city mileage rating of 230 mpg. Given a day to digest the news, the automotive press smells something fishy - and even the federal government says it can't explain GM's math.
The Volt is one of several so-called Extended-Range Electric Vehicles, or EREVs, in development. An EREV functions as an electric car until its batteries are depleted to a certain level, then starts a small gasoline engine, which acts as a generator to recharge the batteries. The Volt's battery-only range, according to GM, is about 40 miles.
Most Americans drive less than 40 miles per day, meaning that many Volt drivers could get through an average day without using any gas at all. That possibility, however, makes measuring the car's predicted fuel economy a tricky process.
Motor Trend notes that GM's announcement said the Volt "will achieve ‘at least' 230 mpg under the ‘tentative' EPA testing process for EREV vehicles." Under the draft guidelines, Motor Trend reports, "The EPA will put more emphasis on city mileage when testing EREV vehicles." The proposed measurement system rates vehicles in kilowatt hours per 100 miles, then converts that measurement to its equivalent in miles per gallon. "Under these rules, GM expects the Volt to consume as little as 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles, which works out to 230 mpg when both the battery and gasoline tank are empty."
Questioning the calculation, Nissan immediately poked fun at the GM announcement, posting an announcement on its NissanEVs twitter account noting that the upcoming 2010 Nissan Leaf would be rating for 367 mpg under the same formula - even though the Leaf, a pure electric car, doesn't have a gas tank.
The EPA distanced itself from the announcement, telling GreenCarAdvisor "EPA has not tested a Chevy Volt and therefore cannot confirm the fuel economy values claimed by GM," though they added, "EPA does applaud GM's commitment to designing and building the car of the future."
So what kind of mileage can a Volt driver expect? GM claims the Volt has a 300 mile range after the gasoline engine ignites, but the company hasn't released official numbers telling the press the size of the Volt's gas tank. Kicking Tires notes, "If it packs a 10-gallon gas tank...our simple math finds that it will get 34 mpg overall. GM says it will get 40 mpg once the battery is depleted, which would mean an exceptionally small 8.5-gallon gas tank."
Your mileage, then, will vary greatly based on how far you drive. For 40 miles, the Volt uses no gas. After that, it's apparently about 40 mpg. So if you commute 40 miles or less per day, you could expect an infinite number of miles per gallon. For every mile you drive over 40, the number drops precipitously, stabilizing at around 40 mpg as the needle drifts toward "E."
But that's a mouthful, and not nearly as easy to market as 230 mpg.

 

Posted: Aug. 12, 2009 11:08 a.m.

From US NEWS
General Motors jolted the automotive world yesterday, announcing that its upcoming electric-drive Chevy Volt will earn an EPA city mileage rating of 230 mpg. Given a day to digest the news, the automotive press smells something fishy - and even the federal government says it can't explain GM's math.
The Volt is one of several so-called Extended-Range Electric Vehicles, or EREVs, in development. An EREV functions as an electric car until its batteries are depleted to a certain level, then starts a small gasoline engine, which acts as a generator to recharge the batteries. The Volt's battery-only range, according to GM, is about 40 miles.
Most Americans drive less than 40 miles per day, meaning that many Volt drivers could get through an average day without using any gas at all. That possibility, however, makes measuring the car's predicted fuel economy a tricky process.
Motor Trend notes that GM's announcement said the Volt "will achieve ‘at least' 230 mpg under the ‘tentative' EPA testing process for EREV vehicles." Under the draft guidelines, Motor Trend reports, "The EPA will put more emphasis on city mileage when testing EREV vehicles." The proposed measurement system rates vehicles in kilowatt hours per 100 miles, then converts that measurement to its equivalent in miles per gallon. "Under these rules, GM expects the Volt to consume as little as 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles, which works out to 230 mpg when both the battery and gasoline tank are empty."
Questioning the calculation, Nissan immediately poked fun at the GM announcement, posting an announcement on its NissanEVs twitter account noting that the upcoming 2010 Nissan Leaf would be rating for 367 mpg under the same formula - even though the Leaf, a pure electric car, doesn't have a gas tank.
The EPA distanced itself from the announcement, telling GreenCarAdvisor "EPA has not tested a Chevy Volt and therefore cannot confirm the fuel economy values claimed by GM," though they added, "EPA does applaud GM's commitment to designing and building the car of the future."
So what kind of mileage can a Volt driver expect? GM claims the Volt has a 300 mile range after the gasoline engine ignites, but the company hasn't released official numbers telling the press the size of the Volt's gas tank. Kicking Tires notes, "If it packs a 10-gallon gas tank...our simple math finds that it will get 34 mpg overall. GM says it will get 40 mpg once the battery is depleted, which would mean an exceptionally small 8.5-gallon gas tank."
Your mileage, then, will vary greatly based on how far you drive. For 40 miles, the Volt uses no gas. After that, it's apparently about 40 mpg. So if you commute 40 miles or less per day, you could expect an infinite number of miles per gallon. For every mile you drive over 40, the number drops precipitously, stabilizing at around 40 mpg as the needle drifts toward "E."
But that's a mouthful, and not nearly as easy to market as 230 mpg.

 

You may like the point of view on this blog - former CMO of Tesla

230mpg is ridiculous really - very misleading. GM will milk this as long as they can.

http://www.darrylsiry.com

 

its a lie...

 

So is the current honda insight worse on mpg than the 00-06 ones?

 

So, maybe someone should just put a gallon of gas in one, and see how far they go.

 

GM is owned by the government. The government just gave out this MPG rating. My son the lawyer says this is classic conflict of interest.

 

its marketing - turning BS into fertilizer

Maybe later will will see best MPG in its CLASS - always a classic loop hole and a very effective one

Oh, I am a marketer

 

Yes. The current Insight is not nearly as focused on fuel effeciency as the old two seater was.

 

The government has NOT rated it yet. It is just GM hype at this point.

 

And you would be correct. So, I stand corrected.

From Rueter's:

"EPA has not tested a Chevy Volt and therefore cannot confirm the fuel economy values claimed by GM. EPA does applaud GM's commitment to designing and building the car of the future - an American-made car that will save families money, significantly reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create good-paying American jobs. We're proud to see American companies and American workers leading the world in the clean energy innovations that will shape the 21st century economy."

Seems Fritzie was just a bit too enthusiastic, as I was.

 

It's a lie! AND It's great ink.

In there PR world there is no bad ink. This controversy will spend the details of the Volt and all electric cars in a new fast and fascinating way. All good.

BTW, I bet I can go 250 miles with one gallon of gas in the Volt.
Maybe 500!
Think.
Is that possible.
Of course.
You just keep recharging it!