The Chevy Volt- Hit or Miss?

[Cd]

I thought that the image posted of the Volt said " 23 " MPG.

23 miles per gallon ?? Those barstards !


I see how that G.M. is now selling the Camaro like mad, and it makes me wonder if the Volt was a way of getting the bailout money.

I'm not going to see the Volt as anything but a P.R. move untill I actually see one driving.

[Jammer]

haha- Hey, for what it's worth there is video on the net somewhere of them test driving this car in The Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, which is fairly close to me. There are several sites dedicated to this car already, and I believe some videos of it being test drove on youtube. GM claimed they wanted to test the car in the "real world" but as I said before, many critics do not understand the long wait. Other car companies would of already had a car from paper to production in half of the time it's taken Chevy to get The Volt into production ('assuming they stick to schedule and start building them in mid 2010)- But I must say the GM executives seen test driving the prototypes are glowing with excitement over this car. They sure seem confident it's going to be a success. I may like Chevy, but not even I will give the Volt as much credit as GM is already claiming. I too will like to see one in action, and perhaps be able to test drive one for myself sometime.

Oh, the bailout money was a low interest LOAN. If GM pulls out of where they wear they have to pay back every dime with interest to The American Government.

[99LeCouch]

I think once the sticker shock wears off and the first wave of green-washing celebs drives around in these it'll be a reliable, if slow, seller. Well-heeled folks who want to make a statement about the environment and "supporting the US automakers" will buy them. And then GM will abruptly kill the car and leave it to others to bring it to market more cheaply. Just like they did with the EV1.

I think the $40k MSRP is a figure they yanked out of thin air, like many other of their MSRP figures. I bet somebody will find a dealer willing to let one go for $33k before the rebate. At that price it's competitive with a midlevel Prius.

Meanwhile, over in Camaro-land somebody will have figured out how to make the V6 get 500 hp and 10 mpg...

[meanjoe75fan]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the way the "230 MPG" was calculated is this:
1. Operated over a simulated 50-mile test.
2. Volt makes it ~40 miles on battery power and gets a "gimme" for those 40 miles: no fuel burned.
3. Volt has to kick in ICE for last 10 miles (at roughly 46 MPG).
4. Total fuel burn: 10miles/46MPG=0.22 gal
5. Total distance travelled: 50 mi.
6. MPG rating: 50/0.22~=230MPG.

This makes sense, given that the ICE has to take an efficiency hit for going from mechanical energy, to electric, back to mechanical. I would expect its efficiency to be roughly equal to a standard hybrid when operating on gas.

I'm from coal country, and I know coal is dirty business--the mining for sure, no matter how much you clean up burning it. I'm unsold on electric for "save the planet" purposes; I'm much more inclined to support it on "slay the trade defecit" purposes--the US is pretty much the Saudi Arabia of coal.

[cfg83]

meanjoe75fan -

That sounds logical, but I thought it was based on the current EPA algorithm for plug-in electrics. You may be describing the outcome of the algorithm, but I don't know for sure. When I say "current EPA algortihm", I mean that the algorithm is subject to change.

Can someone chime in?

CarloSW2

[Jammer]

Fact is I don't think anyone but GM really knows. Their site only says what info I put into this thread, in regards to fuel efficiency. It may take time to learn more about this car.

OK, what does "ICE" stand for gang?

[vinny1989]

ICE = Internal Combustion Engine

Or

In Car Entertainment

Depending on the context.

[cfg83]

Jammer -

Originally Posted by Jammer

Fact is I don't think anyone but GM really knows. Their site only says what info I put into this thread, in regards to fuel efficiency. It may take time to learn more about this car.

...

Ok, I think I have answered my own question. Here are more details that are closer to what I have read before :

Chevrolet Volt Expects 230 mpg in City Driving - 2009-08-11

According to U.S. Department of Transportation data, nearly eight of 10 Americans commute fewer than 40 miles a day BTS | Figure 2 - On a typical day, how many miles one-way do you travel from home to work? .

"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."

CarloSW2

[Jammer]

Thanks, that's some very interested reading.