GM Claims 100 Miles-a-Gallon Volt `Bragging Rights'

[Ming]

GM Claims 100 Miles-a-Gallon Volt `Bragging Rights'
By Jeff Green

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp. reached a preliminary agreement with U.S. regulators to certify the Chevrolet Volt, an electric vehicle that can be recharged at home or with a 1.4-liter gasoline engine, as the first 100 mile- per-gallon car, the company said.

The country's biggest automaker, whose sales of pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles collapsed this year as gasoline topped $4 a gallon, is cutting the mileage deal while urging Congress to approve $25 billion in government loans to help the industry meet new federal fuel-economy standards.

Earning a 100 mpg certification would give Detroit-based GM the holy grail auto companies began seeking following the oil shocks of the 1970s. The Environmental Protection Agency agreed to a testing method that will produce a rating at least that high, said Tony Posawatz, 48, vehicle-line director for the Volt in Warren, Michigan. The four-passenger car, which goes on sale in November 2010, will be able to travel 40 miles (64 kilometers) before the internal-combustion engine needs to recharge the battery.

``It's a huge milestone to beat 100 mpg. It's bragging rights,'' said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. ``To many people, GM is just about gas-guzzling SUVs. They never get credit for fuel economy. If Toyota were doing the Volt, they would be having parades and waving flags.''

While the Volt is classified as an electric car, GM will still be able to claim it's the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the road because the gasoline-powered generator will start after the sedan exceeds the battery's 40-mile range.

`Final Policy'

The EPA won't confirm how it gauges fuel economy of plug-in models until testing methodology is complete, spokeswoman Catherine C. Milbourn said in a statement. The agency ``hopes to have a final policy soon,'' she said.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...bsIcU&refer=us

[61BelAir]

wow....put that in your pipe and smoke it Toyota!
Thats great news, now lets hope they can get the Volt to market with all the bugs worked out.

[Whitesky]

Great news. Nice to see the government being GM friendly these last few days.

[bobojay]

WOW, big news! But we know the press will be critical of the way this is figured, don't we. Because it's not a Toyota......

[BigThreeForever]

Holy cow! That is fantastic news!

I really wasn't expecting the government to be cooperative on this issue.

100 mpg bragging rights . . . . now that's what I call a USP.

Not only that, but, if ever produced in high enough volume, this wil doubtless have a considerable impact on GM's CAFE averages, too.

A slender ray of hope in a collapsing world . . .

[calgaryhhr]

I'm a big fan of the Volt and the gasoline-electric configuration but I believe that a better determination is to have, at least, two seperate ratings. All electric range vs gasoline range. Both need to be tested seperately using the EPA's standard procedures.

This would determine all electric range for city and highway and fuel economy when the gasoline engine is engaged.

Some people may rarely ever use fuel and only use the electric energy from the battery. Some people may rarely get a chance to plug in the vehicle or have long commutes when the majority of the trip would be done using the gasoline engine.

Having one single number such as 100 mpg is fairly irrelevant in my opinion.

[jkennedy293]

You know the auto magazines are going to test the car in such a way as they won't get anywhere near the 100mpg EPA figure. At that point, they will call GM liars, assert the notion that the federal government is in bed with the automaker, and stop just short of telling us that Rick Wagonner likes to kick puppies on his way home from work.

[5.3Avalanche]

Truly amazing! Congrats to the engineers at GM.

[Pedal 2 Metal]

Really great news. I think this will get a heck of a lot more people interested in the Volt.

[elderon]

How exactly would they figure this number?

Does that mean the Volt can get 60 mpg running on its generator motor?

60+40=100

[Dr. Show-Me]

They should run the cycles 2 ways, with the battery fulled charged, with the battery depleted so that the gas engine is running, and advise that your mileage would fall between the lowest and highest ratings. If a fully charged Volt gets 125 miles/gallon, and a fully discharged Volt gets 48 miles/gallon, then the prospective buyer would be advised of that range. Kilowats used would also be helpful

[YupYupYup]

Originally Posted by Whitesky

Great news. Nice to see the government being GM friendly these last few days.

I wouldn't say "friendly", more like fair or normal. Of course we still need to get the Toyota-biased media in check. That won't happen anytime soon. I know Toyota is now out there lobbying the heck out of their media friends to destroy the Volt's launch.

100 MPG. Suck on it, Toyota! You got beat.

[YupYupYup]

Not only that, but, if ever produced in high enough volume, this wil doubtless have a considerable impact on GM's CAFE averages, too.

Yes, a lot of people have missed that in the excitement. This will be phenomenal for GM's EPA requirements.

[tgagneguam]

It's reasonable that the U.S. government would entertain evolving standards along with the Volt's evolved powertrain. It's not pro-GM, per se. It's pro-logic.

And I do think it's critical to have the higher FE rating. Because as much as Volt detractors are going to try to explain any nuance in arriving at the 100-mpg rating, the explanation will be lost on a majority of Americans. All they will [thankfully] hear and see in advertisements is one simple statement: "The Volt gets 100-mpg."

Oh, and this sensible approach to regulation will do far, far more for the Volt than any silly tax rebate.

[hrcslam]

Originally Posted by jkennedy293

You know the auto magazines are going to test the car in such a way as they won't get anywhere near the 100mpg EPA figure. At that point, they will call GM liars, assert the notion that the federal government is in bed with the automaker, and stop just short of telling us that Rick Wagonner likes to kick puppies on his way home from work.

I think that the Rags are gonna beat the 100mpg est more often than not, especially CR. I have a hunch.