![]() You can use that Lifetime MPG number and the odometer reading to calculate your Volt’s lifetime gas consumption, in gallons. There is no Lifetime MPGcs display (gas mileage when using gas). There is an energy usage display on the center console that provides a Lifetime MPG number. Check 'em out here.Click to expand.There is no display in the Volt showing the total ev miles/total gas miles breakdown. Eastern July 12: Our friends at Autoblog got a look at the 110- and 240-volt chargers GM will offer with the Volt. The Volt announcement - which was part of a major media blitz in Detroit - follows GM's announcement on Monday that it is working with eBay to allow Californians to buy cars through the popular online auction site. The Volt will qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit. GM hasn't said how much the Volt will cost, but it is widely believed the automaker is frantically trying to keep the price under $40,000. "The Volt is becoming very real, very fast," Henderson said during his presentation at the Technical Center. It plans to transfer production to the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant early next year. The company is building the prototypes at a rate of 10 per week. Another 21 are in various stages of completion at the Technical Center. GM has built 30 pre-production prototypes, called integration vehicles, that look, run and drive just like the Volt that GM promises will roll off an assembly line by the end of next year. "GM should instead continue to promote that the Volt's best attribute - that in the absence of a recharging infrastructure aside from one's garage, the gas-powered engine acting as a generator solves (the) range and recharging issues that will limit pure EVs." "My concern is that while stating such a high MPG figure may be good for some instant media coverage, it could backfire as consumers are likely to be skeptical of such an astronomical leap in mileage," Langley told. He was at the Technical Center today and counted himself among those who took the claim "with a healthy dose of skepticism and grain of salt." It also could be the wrong message for GM to send, said Joe Langley, an analyst with CSM Worldwide. People will improperly conclude that the Volt is about 5 times more efficient that the Prius, which simply isn't true." "The problem is that this number will be broadly discussed as a comparison to other cars, particularly the Prius. ![]() "So it isn't an 'untruth,' as long as the main thing you are concerned about is the burning of gasoline as a resource, as opposed to the actual energy efficiency of the system," Siry wrote of GM's 230 mpg claim. Trouble is, the resulting figure doesn't take into account various drive cycles or charging losses. To determine the MPG equivalent of an EV, Siry wrote, you can use the energy equivalent of a gallon of gas (33.7 kWh) to determine how far an electric vehicle would go on the same amount of energy. Darryl Siry, the former chief marketing officer at Tesla Motors and a a green tech consultant, wrote in his blog that when trying to determine "miles per gallon" for a an EV, "you end up in a very strange debate with very strange outcomes." Toyota is among the automakers developing plug-in hybrids, and the Japanese automaker says we'll see a plug-in Prius in 2012.īut at least one EV advocate says GM's claim is unrealistic. The standards are to be published later this year. The EPA draft that General Motors referred to repeatedly is SAE J1711 (.pdf), " Recommended Practice For Measuring The Exhaust Emissions And Fuel Economy Of Hybrid-Electric Vehicles." It will create uniform chassis dynamometer testing procedures for testing emissions and fuel economy. "But mpg is the only metric anyone understands." "It's difficult to translate electric car performance to miles per gallon," Bragman said. Henderson said the Volt will get 25 kilowatt-hours per 100 miles - but because that is essentially meaningless to anyone but an EV advocate, GM is touting the car's fuel efficiency instead. "It's still kind of fuzzy," Aaron Bragman, an analyst with IHS Global Insight who attended the briefing, told us when we asked how GM arrived at the 230 mpg figure. ![]() The EPA is working with the Society of Automotive Engineers to develop a methodology for calculating fuel economy ratings for EVs and plug-in hybrids. They have not been verified or certified by the EPA, which would not confirm GM's figure. Still, General Motor's claims are just that - claims. Henderson did not say what the Volt might achieve in highway driving, but he told reporters and analysts gathered for a briefing at GM's sprawling Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, he is confident the car will top 100 mpg.
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