The Chevy Volt Will Get 50 MPG When the Battery is Drained, According to GM

Show me the data.
.

 

No one will convince you if you don't want to be convinced. Like the writer in the post I just read who does not like hybrids "just because".

Some people want to feel like they are on the winning team. Their car, sports team, house, job is better than yours no matter what. No amount of facts, figures, or even real world test drives with a scientific measurement of exactly how much gas and how many miles the car drove would prove anything to some. There would be some argument that it was 72* and cloudy, the track was .2 miles off with some obscure measurement device, the car had a K&N air filter instead of stock, or some other BS.

I have seen more GM hate on here than I have ever seen of Prius hate that everyone talks about. Some GM cars are good, same with just about every company, some are bad, and they all have their lemons. Even Toyota, my grandmother had an 05 Camry that fell apart after 40,000 miles.

 

ouch! that's quite a rant. i think his point is that GM keeps telling us what the volt is going to do, when it's coming out etc. many of us would like it to succeed, and would be interested in owning one if it meets the hype. but you have to admit, they havn't done much in the past to deter sketicism.

 

+1 on show us the data.

Since when is objectivity hate?

You protesteth too much, methinks.

We don't hate GM. What we really hate is being taken for yet
another ride by the former Motors Liquidation Company.

 

60,000 Volts will be produced through 12/31/12 according to GM. Nissan says they can produce 500,000 LEAFs globally in 2012. Too bad GM still doesn't believe in anything other than the ICE.

 

If the car fails, then I have nothing invested into it other than a bit of time researching, but I will not doom the car to failure based on past experiences with the company. This is a whole new model on a new drive train they have never used before. As a mechanic with the military I understand that this can go one of two ways, it can make for a very good car, or a horrible one.

I believe GM is ready for a resurgence into the market. The trucks are top notch (see Ford and Nissan on the worst lists), Corvette is doing fine, the new Comaros are flying out of the dealership as fast as they can be delivered. The place where GM is weak, ok anemic, is in the 4 door family car. I see the Volt as a step in the right direction to fixing this issue. If they do the work now with QC, in 5 years the image of the two companies (GM and Toyota) might be reversed, justified or not.

Sorry about the rant, I am just getting tired of the GM hate and "doom and gloom" on a car none of us have even test driven yet.

 

The original interview said the goal is still 50 MPG. It wasn't clear if it is in the City, Highway or Combined.

If the Volt is able to get 50 MPG (Combined) in CS mode, GM should stop making two-mode hybrids as there is no need for the hyped pure mechanical efficiency advantage.

Remember, Volt would compete with the mini Prius (FT-CH) as Volt is a compact 4 seater. We don't know the MPG for that mini Prius yet.

 

I'd also like to read a better description of what sort of cycle that 50 mpg represents: a close approximation of an EPA test cycle, or CAFE rating, or as driven by Wayne Gerdes, or Dave Booth, or somewhere in between.

 

you need to remember, we are dealing with a company that had the chance at being the first commercialy succesful EV over 12 years ago (1997 EV1), yet they chose to 86 the project and crush all of the cars, and a purported billion dollars in research.

Any why? because they didn't like being "told" what to do by CARB?
No more like they don't like change, and really hated EV's.

Do you see why they don't inspire much confidence or trust now?

 

+1 again on showing the data. Regenerative braking to a battery is one of the most important reasons (if not the biggest) that the Prius hits 50 MPG. As far as I know, the Volt will not have this feature.

As for GM's chances for success with the Volt, their history of introducing new technology to the car market & sustaining it is simply poor in the US. NUMMI is just one recent example. GM still retains its middle management from the past. The chances for Volt to fail are simply far higher than for it to succeed.

 

This is a common misunderstanding. After watching the show on the National Geographic Channel, it confirmed the car does have regenerative braking.

The other misunderstanding is that the car will run under "normal ICE power" when the battery is dead. The ICE will act as a common generator to recharge the batteries while driving.

 

Given GM's track record, it's more likely to lead to a horrible one. I'm personally wary of buying first model year vehicles from any car maker other than Toyota or Honda.

The Corvette's reliability for model year 09 is much worse than average per Consumer Reports. Their predicted new car reliability for it is worse than average. I don't have reliability data for the Camaro yet, but despite their impressive factory (that I've seen an Ultimate Factories ep on), take a look at the problem list I cited at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...y-problems-list-doesnt-get-out-hand-spun.html.

My parents and I have had firsthand experience w/3 GM products in the past. We don't buy their crap anymore. I've driven a # of their most recent unimpressive products as rentals.

I strongly recommend that you listen to the podcast ep cited at http://priuschat.com/forums/other-cars/78530-great-story-nummi-nprs-american-life.html. I'd heard thing about GM before but I was just blown away at how broken their production system and relations between w/labor, suppliers and HQ were, for so long w/management being in denial and/or not having the will.

Agreed.

 

Uh, I don't think it ranks above some others. That Atkinson cycle engine paired with a CVT variant has a huge impact. As does the stop-start engine.

'Better Mileage Now', in the Feb Scientific American, contains a laundry list of potential MPG improvements. Look at the list on page 52, and count how many are already in the Prius.

 

It isn't, for the most part, irrational.
GM has a long history of lies, short sightedness, and doing things that are bad for the country.
They EARNED this reputation.
However,you also did them an injustice by putting words in their mouths.
They didn't say the Volt will get 50 mpg, they said that is their goal.
It is not that we want the Volt to fail, it is that we see signs of GM over promising, or as some would say, lying, once again.

 

tthat's reasonable. nothing wrong with the audacity of hope!

 

the volt won't be competing with anything if they don't start building them.