230 mpg in the Volt? Chevy fudging the numbers?

[Spac3dog]

Chevrolet Volt's official fuel economy: 230 mpg - Aug. 11, 2009


Sounds like they are just scamming people with the early marketing mpg number for the Volt.

[Spac3dog]

Just noticed this was posted in the Blog sorry for the double post.

[cfg83]

Spac3dog -

Originally Posted by Spac3dog

Just noticed this was posted in the Blog sorry for the double post.

That's ok. On the radio, someone was speculating that this was a "conservative" estimate on their part. They also said that no one has calculated a standard for plug-in MPG, aka calculating the "Gallons of Electricity" you are filling into your batteries. I don't know if the EPA has one or not.

I think a better thing would have been to be *very* conservative, so as to lull the competition. Just claim 100+ MPG.

CarloSW2

[99metro]

Wow. 190 mpg gasoline engine? wow. 40 mile range on electric. 190+40 = 230 mpg. I'd like to see how they get 190 mpg out of that engine.

Oh, that's right. Marketing scam.

[KJSatz]

I saw that ad (online I think) with the 23[power plug] and thought it said "23 MPG" and was like...uhh you know that's terrible right...?

I'm curious what mpg you get just chilling on the highway at 60 or 70 mph without any charge left (just the ICE acting as a generator to power the electric motor).

[Christ]

Originally Posted by 99metro

Wow. 190 mpg gasoline engine? wow. 40 mile range on electric. 190+40 = 230 mpg. I'd like to see how they get 190 mpg out of that engine.

Oh, that's right. Marketing scam.

When you're only using the gasoline engine as a very efficient generator, it's quite possible to get 190 MPG out of it. It would take alot of innovation and R&D, but I can't say it's impossible, nor even wholly improbable.

[superchow]

They're planning to use a 1.4L (turbo?) gasoline inline-4 engine as the generator last I heard. That was the death of it for me. Even in a super-lean-green-atkinson-cycle burning machine fashion I can't imagine it getting much better than 100 mpg out of it on gasoline alone. If they'd used something like a 600cc turbo engine, then I may have been more receptive.

Even the VW 1L car used a diesel engine, minimal weight and a 1+1 seating configuration to get the aero to work.

Ah - 230 mpg in city driving WITH charging at home every night. Yeah, that's kind of like saying, "I get 100 mpg in my Civic. On downhills..."

[cfg83]

Christ -

Originally Posted by Christ

When you're only using the gasoline engine as a very efficient generator, it's quite possible to get 190 MPG out of it. It would take alot of innovation and R&D, but I can't say it's impossible, nor even wholly improbable.

I don't know what the upper limit is, but I have always wanted to see what a series hybrid can do. Here is someone saying what you are, right?!?! :

Series hybrid no better than a gas car? - Autoblog Green

Sam Says -
Secondly a series hybrid engine will be running at constant speed and load and can be optimized for that duty cycle. That means that it can actually be made to run at higher efficiency than an engine that has to be able to smoothly handle operation for 600-6000rpm. The overal efficiency of the whole system can be dramatically increased.

CarloSW2

[joey]

Originally Posted by 99metro

Wow. 190 mpg gasoline engine? wow. 40 mile range on electric. 190+40 = 230 mpg. I'd like to see how they get 190 mpg out of that engine.

Oh, that's right. Marketing scam.

Indeed. Maybe they can come out with a sub-$40,000 model that just uses that 190mpg engine. Well, I guess they'd have to make the engine, you know, exist first. But after that...

[Daox]

They just need to develop a better rating system. There can't just be ONE number that they can give people. The car operates in two distinctly different modes. Trying to combine them is futile and just leads to confusion of the masses. They should just state EV miles and MPG on the EPA circuit there after, or something similar to that.