For the last couple days, GM has been trying to drum up a little press surrounding the number 230 for a surprise announcement. As you can see above, the “0″ in 230 is a plug, which makes sense considering the announcement was about the fuel economy capabilities of the upcoming Chevy Volt.

Nothing has changed about the Volt in recent history, but the big number comes from changes in the EPA’s plug-in electric vehicle rating system. The new system, which isn’t official yet, credits the Volt for what would be almost entirely electric-only use during normal city driving:

Under the new methodology being developed, EPA weights plug-in electric vehicles as traveling more city miles than highway miles on only electricity. The EPA methodology uses kilowatt hours per 100 miles traveled to define the electrical efficiency of plug-ins. Applying EPA’s methodology, GM expects the Volt to consume as little as 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles in city driving. At the U.S. average cost of electricity (approximately 11 cents per kWh), a typical Volt driver would pay about $2.75 for electricity to travel 100 miles, or less than 3 cents per mile.

In a nutshell, semantics. The number relies on consumers consistently plugging their vehicle and getting a full charge each time. Also, this says nothing of the highway mileage for the vehicle, though it’s said the Volt will be weighted more for city driving than highway because of its plug-in capability. While this may generate a more impressive number, it doesn’t give much confidence in the vehicle for use in extended driving.

So, until the actual combined number comes from the EPA, we won’t really know what the Volt’s fuel economy is like, and even then, it will likely be very hard for any of us to make an accurate comparison with another vehicle.

Read the full press release after the break.

PRESS RELEASE:

Chevrolet Volt Expects 230 mpg in City Driving

* First mass-produced vehicle to claim more than 100 mpg composite fuel economy
* Tentative EPA methodology results show 25 kilowatt hours/100 miles electrical efficiency in city cycle
* Plugging in daily is key to high-mileage performance

WARREN, Mich. – The Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is expected to achieve city fuel economy of at least 230 miles per gallon, based on development testing using a draft EPA federal fuel economy methodology for labeling for plug-in electric vehicles.

The Volt, which is scheduled to start production in late 2010 as a 2011 model, is expected to travel up to 40 miles on electricity from a single battery charge and be able to extend its overall range to more than 300 miles with its flex fuel-powered engine-generator.

“From the data we’ve seen, many Chevy Volt drivers may be able to be in pure electric mode on a daily basis without having to use any gas,” said GM Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson. “EPA labels are a yardstick for customers to compare the fuel efficiency of vehicles. So, a vehicle like the Volt that achieves a composite triple-digit fuel economy is a game-changer.”

According to U.S. Department of Transportation data, nearly eight of 10 Americans commute fewer than 40 miles a day http://tinyurl.com/U-S-DOTStudy .

“The key to high-mileage performance is for a Volt driver to plug into the electric grid at least once each day,” Henderson said.

Volt drivers’ actual gas-free mileage will vary depending on how far they travel and other factors, such as how much cargo or how many passengers they carry and how much the air conditioner or other accessories are used. Based on the results of unofficial development testing of pre-production prototypes, the Volt has achieved 40 miles of electric-only, petroleum-free driving in both EPA city and highway test cycles.

Under the new methodology being developed, EPA weights plug-in electric vehicles as traveling more city miles than highway miles on only electricity. The EPA methodology uses kilowatt hours per 100 miles traveled to define the electrical efficiency of plug-ins. Applying EPA’s methodology, GM expects the Volt to consume as little as 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles in city driving. At the U.S. average cost of electricity (approximately 11 cents per kWh), a typical Volt driver would pay about $2.75 for electricity to travel 100 miles, or less than 3 cents per mile.

The Chevrolet Volt uses grid electricity as its primary source of energy to propel the car. There are two modes of operation: Electric and Extended-Range. In electric mode, the Volt will not use gasoline or produce tailpipe emissions when driving. During this primary mode of operation, the Volt is powered by electrical energy stored in its 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

When the battery reaches a minimum state of charge, the Volt automatically switches to Extended-Range mode. In this secondary mode of operation, an engine-generator produces electricity to power the vehicle. The energy stored in the battery supplements the engine-generator when additional power is needed during heavy accelerations or on steep inclines.

“The 230 city mpg number is a great indication of the capabilities of the Volt’s electric propulsion system and its ability to displace gasoline,” said Frank Weber, global vehicle line executive for the Volt. “Actual testing with production vehicles will occur next year closer to vehicle launch. However, we are very encouraged by this development, and we also think that it is important to continue to share our findings in real time, as we have with other aspects of the Volt’s development.”

About Chevrolet
Chevrolet is one of America ‘s best-known and best-selling automotive brands, and one of the fastest growing brands in the world. With fuel solutions that go from “gas-friendly to gas-free,” Chevy has nine models that get 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, and offers three hybrid models. More than 2.5 million Chevrolets that run on E85 biofuel have been sold. Chevy delivers expressive design, spirited performance and provides the best value in every segment in which it competes. More information on Chevrolet can be found at www.chevrolet.com. For more information on the Volt, visit http://media.gm.com/volt/.

General Motors Company, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 235,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the new General Motors Company can be found at www.gm.com.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV94PvlQVbM

Most of the time these pages are covered with discussion about electric, hybrid, or efficient combustion engine news and opinion. However, there is more to a car than the power source. An under-appreciated, but still very important part of any car is its transmission.

In fact, as far as fuel economy goes, transmissions can either make or break the car. Ever wondered why the Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris gets worse mileage than you would expect? It’s because the transmission has shorter gearing to provide better performance with a smaller engine.

In the above video, GM discusses some of the issues linking the transmission to performance and fuel economy while at the same time highlighting their new 6-speed automatic transmissions. A move to the 6-speed gearbox helps on all accounts because it allows for your gearing to span a greater distance without creating too large of a gap between each individual gear.

In short: on the low end you will get better performance through shorter gearing but on the high end you will get better fuel economy through lower cruising RPM. GM is not the only one doing this, of course, but they do offer a nice explanation of how it works even if they do not go into detail about the associated cost increases.

Source: ABG

It’s no secret that I am not a big fan of Elon Musk or the way that he leads the company. From calling reporters nasty names to deceptively overhyping new products, it feels like Musk is going to the extreme just to drum up any sort of press he can for Tesla Motors.

Now Musk is up to it again. Except this time, instead of over-representing the value of his company’s products he is lying about the products that his competitors produce. From ABG:

In a recent interview discussing Tesla Motors, CEO Elon Musk didn’t really reveal much new information, although he did manage to misrepresent the performance capability of the Chevy Volt, again. He refers to the Volt’s range extender as a “lawn mower engine” and says highway performance “will be anemic.” While the Volt will no doubt feel anemic next to a Roadster, the reality is that the 160-horsepower electric motor will provide more than adequate performance for almost anyone’s needs and should accelerate to 60 mph in about 8.5-9 seconds.

This reminds me of the recent Chevy ad where the company teases Honda about its superior line of lawnmowers. While people who know about quality engine design know that Honda has good lawnmowers because they have good engines, the association between a car and a lawnmower is an entirely negative one.

Musk just doesn’t seem comfortable with competition. Neither of the cars have been released yet, with the Model S even further away than the Volt, but already he is waging a nasty marketing campaign against it.

Perhaps he’s worried that Tesla Roaster sales don’t seem to be going anywhere.

At the opening breakfast of the New York International Auto Show, I was struck by one thing: GM is getting back into the sub-prime loan business. This one tidbit was mixed in with a few hours of talking, and I don’t even remember who mentioned it anymore.

However, it clearly stuck in my mind. The speaker not only mentioned getting back into the sub-prime loan business but also noted that it would be a good thing for consumer confidence. This is why I got hung up on the whole situation.

Sub-prime loans are very important to the auto industry. Financing direct from the automakers not only helps put people in cars, but it helps the automakers keep both the sales and the financing all under one umbrella, which increases profits for the company.

Right now, global auto sales are dipping to long-time lows. The recession has not only hurt the public’s ability to afford cars but freezing credit markets have made it even harder to get financing for those cars. Sub-prime loans help the automakers reach another market, a market that could not afford new cars without large loans.

But, does anyone really think this is a good idea? Sub-prime loans were at the heart of the beginning of this crisis. Right now, people are losing jobs and benefits; others are having salaries and hours cut back. Sub-prime loans were kept afloat for so long by good markets and good luck, but how will these risky loans do in a bad economy?

Now, I’m no expert at the economy, but if GM is expecting this announcement to add confidence to the marketplace among consumers, I can confidently say that I’m not so sure.

What do you think? Is this a good thing? Better yet, is it a good thing to advertise?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sswhzuNgXFQ&feature=channel_page

The other day when I first saw the P.U.M.A., a combination of efforts between GM and Segway, I was skeptical. Who would want to buy this ugly, awkward, and flimsy excuse for a car? Even though it was electric, I didn’t think it was much of a vehicle and didn’t think it would go anywhere.

Well, after seeing it in person today, I must say my tune has changed a little bit. Not only is the little EV quiet and quick, but it operates smoothly and deftly. There is no question that this vehicle will be good at what it is intended to do.

Not only that, but GM is working on the technology to allow these vehicles to network with each other, allowing them to travel together in sync without driver input. This could lead to self-driving transportation pods that eliminate the driver completely.

However, safety is still an issue. If the above networking model is put into place, accidents might not be such an issue. Until then, it is still troublesome to imagine this kind of vehicle in an accident. Besides being incredibly small, I doubt the PUMA could remain balanced during an accident, putting the occupant at risk of serious injury.

As you can see in the video above, all they currently have is a driving prototype. In the coming months we will see an electric vehicle with a full body and more safety features.