GM wants a 230MPG rating from the EPA

[Rybold]

"GM came up with the 230-mile (370-kilometer) figure in early tests using draft guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for calculating the mileage of extended range electric vehicles, said Tony Posawatz, GM's vehicle line director for the Volt."

GM has produced about 30 Volts so far and is making 10 a week, CEO Fritz Henderson said during a presentation of the vehicle at the company's technical center in the Detroit suburb of Warren.
Henderson said charging the volt will cost about 40 cents a day.

GM is nearly halfway through building about 80 Volts that will look and behave like the production model, and testing is running on schedule, Posawatz said.

GM says new Volt to get 230 mpg in city driving - Yahoo! Finance

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[mikepaul]

But...

IMHO, Miles Per Gallon should mean that if I drive 230 miles in that car I should find 1 gallon gone. I'd be perfectly willing to drive it around a test track and brake and start again just like in a city, but a fuel-flow meter had better only record 1 gallon (give or take a few ounces) used when I'm done or they're just liars...

[hampdenwireless]

Originally Posted by hill

You mean "the other fraud" in the sense that GM doesn't even build the car that they've been talking about now for what ... two years?

The videos in the link show the Volt being built in pre-production mode. They are not being mass produced and its not the final version but the Volt does now exist. This is standard practice about a year before a production vehicle starts mas production.

Video: Building The Chevrolet Volt | Autopia | Wired.com

[Rybold]

Originally Posted by jdenenberg

The other fraud here is that the Volt will get about 30 (my estimate) MPG when running on gasoline (after the first 40 miles). In my driving I would be lucky to average 35 MPG with a Volt and I manage 46 in my Prius (lots of long highway trips). JeffD

This helps put the "230mpg" into perspective. Let's assume that you drive 70 miles per day (round trip). If 40 miles was electric and 30 miles was 30mpg, then you would be getting 70mpg each day. If the volt actually gets 40mpg in hybrid mode (let's assume that with the regen braking, they can at least get the 40mpg that Honda gets), then you would be getting 80mpg each day. I would believe that. 230mpg is a very distant figure, though. It will be interesting to see what the EPA comes up with, and HOW they calculate their number.

Originally Posted by snoctor

The 230 mpg figure is an eye catcher but doesn't nearly tell the whole story. The EPA needs to come up with a calculation for total energy used to account for the electricity and/or fuel burned on the upcoming (and current) electric cars. You noticed that Nissan didn't announce that the Leaf would get infinite mileage because the car does use energy.

As the near future moves into PHEVs, the EPA needs to extend the their tests to 500 miles when testing PHEVs. For conventional ICE vehicles, they can use their current tests, and for EVs, they don't have an MPG number, so with the time that the EPA saves by not having to test EVs for MPG, they can use that time to extend the PHEV tests up to 500 miles. At least, that is what they should be doing.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Some of us were talking a while back about the EPA testing. Here were a couple tests that I thought were pretty good.

For conventional vehicles and gas-electric hybrids, run the tank dry. To keep from wasting a whole lotta gasoline, just fill it half way. Keep repeating the cycle until the thing runs out and dies. Take the average MPG.

For EVs, fully charge it and then run it dry just like the above test.

For range-extending EVs, fully charge the pack and half-fill the tank. Run until dry.

It's pretty interesting to use a testing cycle under which the vehicle being tested runs on EV the majority of the time. How would a Hymotion conversion rate? I suspect that starting on EV and then shifting to hybrid would be pretty impressive.

[TonyPSchaefer]

Originally Posted by finman

Well, until a vehicle materializes for me to purchase, it's only fun to follow the press releases.

Agreed.

As I've said before:
If you have a good product, sell it (Prius, Camry, Fusion).
If you don't, market it.

In my opinion, this is really starting to get ridiculous. With every press release, GM has the need to improve on the last one. Every one makes bigger and better promises than the one before. I believe that they are going to end up making promises that real-world drivers are simply not going to see. My fear is that the Volt may end up like the Gen2 Insight coming out with great fanfare but getting panned in the press.

Here's another prediction:
When it's time for car critics to review the car, GM can't allow them to all test the same vehicle on the same day. GM is going to want them to write about the great electric range and the silence of the electric motor. This means that they can't hand off the vehicle from one test drive to another. So GM will either have to stagger the reviews so they have time to fully charge the car or have a fleet of cars, all of which are fully charged. Then they will have to dictate that the test drive can't be more than 30 miles.
Just my prediction.

[hampdenwireless]

Originally Posted by mikepaul

But...

IMHO, Miles Per Gallon should mean that if I drive 230 miles in that car I should find 1 gallon gone. I'd be perfectly willing to drive it around a test track and brake and start again just like in a city, but a fuel-flow meter had better only record 1 gallon (give or take a few ounces) used when I'm done or they're just liars...

The test factors in the amount of energy contained in the electricity. This kind of test makes electric cars get 3x to 5x the mpg of a similar gas car. The Tesla gets 135mpg on such a a test. 230mpg for the Volt? That was more then I was expecting, I was thinking it would be around 160mpg.

I don't agree with this method, I am just explaining it as best I can.

[JimboPalmer]

Originally Posted by Mike Dimmick

Actual fuel economy when gas engine is running: 22.3mpg.

Then they are being inadvertently honest with the logo with 23 and an electric plug. 23 is very close to 22.3

[usbseawolf2000]

Originally Posted by Chrome

Just fantastic. 25KWh/100miles is great. 230mpg is certainly a headline grabber. I can't wait to buy one!

25kWh/100 miles mean it takes 250Wh per mile. To get 40 miles range, you need 10kWh battery pack. Volt has 16kWh pack but only with 8kWh usable energy. So it will get only 32 miles range if you drive mix city/highway.

[warpedhifi]

Personally, I will believe it when I see it.