GM: Volt Will Get 230 MPG in City

Rechargeable Electric Car Would Have More Than 4 Times the Mileage of Current Leader; EPA Confirmation Awaits

(CBS/AP)  General Motors Corp. said Tuesday its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car should get 230 miles per gallon of gasoline in city driving, more than four times the mileage of the current champion, the Toyota Prius.

The Volt is powered by an electric motor and a battery pack with a 40-mile range. After that, a small internal combustion engine kicks in to generate electricity for a total range of 300 miles. The battery pack can be recharged from a standard home outlet.

GM came up with the 230-mile figure in early tests using draft guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for calculating the mileage of extended range electric vehicles, said Tony Posawatz, GM's vehicle line director for the Volt.

If the figure is confirmed by the EPA, which does the tests for the mileage posted on new car door stickers, the Volt would be the first car to exceed triple-digit gas mileage, Posawatz said.

"I think it's a game changer technology wise, image wise," Jack Nerad of Kelley Bluebook told CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod.

GM has produced about 30 Volts so far and is making 10 a week, CEO Fritz Henderson said during a presentation of the vehicle at the company's technical center in the Detroit suburb of Warren.

Henderson said charging the volt will cost about 40 cents a day.

"The EPA labels can and will be a game changer for us," he said.

Most automakers are working similar plug-in designs, but GM could be the leader with the Volt, which is due in showrooms late in 2010.

Toyota's Prius, the most efficient car now sold in the U.S., gets 48 miles per gallon of gas. It is a gas-electric hybrid that runs on a small internal combustion engine assisted by a battery-powered electric motor to save gasoline.

"The battery capacity that gets you those mind blowing - and I mean mind blowing - EPA fuel economy numbers, that comes at a price," Nerad told Axelrod.

The first-generation Volt is expected to cost near $40,000, making it cost-prohibitive to many people even if gasoline returns to $4 per gallon. The price is expected to drop with future generations of the Volt, but GM has said government tax credits and the savings on fuel could make it cost-effective, especially at 230 miles per gallon.

"We get a little cautious about trying to forecast what fuel prices will do," Posawatz said. "We achieved this number and if fuel prices go up, it certainly does get more attractive even in the near-term generation," he said.

The Volt's not been without some PR problems, reports Axelrod. A PBS crew caught a Volt in mid-break down last year.

Figures for the Volt's highway and combined city/highway mileage have not yet been calculated, Posawatz said. The combined mileage will be in the triple digits as well, he said, but both combined and highway will be worse than city because the engine runs more on longer highway trips.

The EPA guidelines, developed with input from automakers, figure that cars like the Volt will travel more on straight electricity in the city than on the highway. If a person drives the Volt less than 40 miles, in theory they could go without using gasoline.

The mileage figure could vary as the guidelines are refined and the Volt gets further along in the manufacturing process, Posawatz said.

GM is nearly halfway through building about 80 Volts that will look and behave like the production model, and testing is running on schedule, Posawatz said.

Two critical areas, battery life and the electronic switching between battery and engine power, are still being refined, but the car is on schedule to reach showrooms late in 2010, he said.

GM is simulating tests to make sure the new lithium-ion batteries last 10 years, Posawatz said.

"We're further along, but we're still quite a ways from home," he said. "We're developing quite a knowledge base on all this stuff. Our confidence is growing."

The other area of new technology, switching between battery and engine power, is proceeding well, he said, with engineers just fine-tuning the operations.

"We're very pleased with the transition from when it's driving EV (electric vehicle) to when the engine and generator kick in," he said,

GM also is finishing work on the power cord, which will be durable enough that it can survive being run over by the car. The Volt, he said, will have software on board so it can be programmed to begin and end charging during off-peak electrical use hours.

Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co. and Daimler AG are all developing plug-ins and electric cars, and Toyota Motor Corp. is working on a plug-in version of its gas-electric hybrid system. Nissan Motor Co. announced last month that it would begin selling an electric vehicle in Japan and the U.S. next year.

[BSChemistry]

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm
The battery pack itself, rated at 16 kilowatts/hour, comprises more than 220 separate cells wired in series. That means the failure of any one cell disables the entire array, though some existing hybrid vehicles also have this flaw. The Volt pack is about six feet long and weighs a hefty 375 pounds.
Voltage: 320 ? 350 V
100% recharge time:
110V outlet: 6 ? 6.5 h
Electromotor: 45kW
GM also claims the 2011 Chevrolet Volt can run solely on electric power for 40 miles with a full battery charge. That?s in line with studies showing that most Americans drive only about 40 miles a day, so in theory at least, a Volt could go for weeks without using a drop of gas or spewing any CO2. But some analysts think the real-world electric range will be closer to 30 miles and probably less, depending on vehicle speed, ambient temperature (which affects battery performance), and whether trips include steep grades.
GM is confusing the battery pack characteristics because they are not sure:
A Li Ion battery pack with a 72V, 450AH configuration, it charges in 2 hours, is 1/3rd the size of the lead acid batteries, weighs less, doubles the range, and they are simply fantastic.? Only problem? The cost for the pack is $10,000 for a car whose total cost is $12,800.
Since the car-capable packs can cost between $10,000 and $15,000 each, finding a cheaper alternative will be a major hurdle for car companies that want to market them.
The cost of maintenance for a hybrid car is also higher. Also it has more complex systems and engine, a normal mechanic may not know how to repair it. In most cases, you need to send back to the hybrid car manufacturer for maintenance and repair and the cost is not cheap.
Hybrid cars use special tires that are wore out more easily than conventional cars. These hybrid car tires cost more and need to be replaced around 25,000 miles.
Gasoline Engine: 3-cylinder, turbocharged; size 1L
160hp or 120kW
Calendar Life
Li-ion cells lose capacity with time, even if they are just sitting on a shelf. They lose the most early in their life (year one) and then continue to lose capacity gradually thereafter.
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htmGoing beyond Hybrid, GM and his rescuers are going down a cliff.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1010906587918

[start99]

Wow its strange how technology is much more than we think it is or is someone holding back this technology for greed? Where has this MPG technology been all these years? I know cars ten years ago can be better than they have them at today or yesterday...who are they fooling? We go to space and we want to go to the moon again and our grateful leaders tell us technology is not they good yet too! Man are we being jipped!

[incog-nito]

What the automakers need to do is make reasonably sized, fuel efficient vehicles that most people can afford to buy. Why go from one extreme to the other? From 10-13 mpg expensive monster SUVs to 200 mpg expensive electric/hybrid cars? This vehicle is not realistic, affordable, or practical for most people. How about a mid-size hybrid that gets 35 mpg and sells for about $25K? I bet that will sell like crazy.

[BSChemistry]

This car has an Electric motor and a battery that must be recharged after 40 miles.
If you will be the lucky one to kip this battery for 300 charge/discharge cycles you need a new battery set after driving 12000 miles (40miles x 300 recharge cycles). If the cost of the battery is $5000 , then you spend $0.4 per mile only in battery cost. Kilowatts, recharging the battery are extra.
Oh, by the way, this car has a gasoline engine 40MPG.
I bought a used Toyota Corolla, manual, on 2002 with 35000 miles. Now the car has 120000 miles and still makes 34MPG (Summer).

[genfixer]

By law GM is required to provide a 10yr. 150kmile warranty on the battery. This is one reason that the initial cost is so high.

[sjc_1]

The new lithium batteries are good for more than 1000 deep cycles and with the 30-80% state of charge they can do more than 4000 cycles, or more than 10 years.

[mjdunk]

Have they tested this car in Fairbanks AK in January? I will bet it won't work

[bobcnn4046]

Read the fine print. 250 mpg only if you stop and recharge the car every 50 miles, and then go another 50 miles and recharge and so on and so on. GM is pulling a scam with the headline of 230 mpg on money.CNN.com.

So let's say the car is driven 50 miles in a day. For the first 40 miles, no gas is used and during the last 10 miles, 0.2 gallons are used. That's the equivalent of 250 miles per gallon. But, if the driver continues on to 80 miles, total fuel economy would drop to about 100 mpg. And if the driver goes 300 miles, the fuel economy would be just 62.5 mpg. (http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/11/autos/volt_mpg/index.htm?postversion=2009081108&iref=topnews)

[rhs648]

GM has the same problem with the Volt that Pharmaceutical companies and electronics companies have. It is called research and development. New products (drugs, electronics, electric cars) take many millions (if not more) of dollars to research, develop, and market. The first VCR machine in the 1980's sold for around $1,000. You see much better versions with DVD recorders selling for under $150. Even after spending huge amounts of money on redearch and development, there is no guarantee that you can recoup your money. It will take time and a lot of sales before the Volt comes down in price.

[curiously1]

There will be a day when you iron your shirt, unplug the iron and ride it to work with the remaining heat energy. Only that the iron will disappear in a body part of yours on your way to work. But, no worry, we will have public healthcare to handle it.

[grabandgo]

Now that the government owns GM, they can lie about the real mileage.

[rightbehind]

We are at least going in the right direction now. Ideology is in the rear view mirror and science is leading the way. If it were half that amount it would still beat any production car out there that still uses petroleum. It's been a long time since this nation has had vision. GM has set a standard. The other car companies will either meet or beat it.

[speakinup22]

It never ceases to amaze me just how stupid the public is about the TRUE cost of an electric car. I don't care if it uses NO gasoline per mile.

What do you think is the chief fuel used to create electricity in the US ? COAL and Natural Gas.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you libs the ones having the cow over global warming.



I don't see a whole bunch of windmills going up. In fact, the wall street raider that decided to build windmills has put his plan on hold indefinitly.

I'm not hearing about any government plan to start building solar power - gee - now it would have made sense to use the 787 BILLION dollars on THAT. Think of the jobs ! Think of eliminating the oil profits ! Think of eliminating the WHOLE middles east dependency thing.

BUT NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo. Obama want to bankrupt the country AND destroy the planet.


So, how is the hope and change coming along for ya'll ?

[billpl-2009]

"What do you think is the chief fuel used to create electricity in the US ? COAL and Natural Gas"

I'll give you hint

"IF" what they say is correct, 40 cents a day to recharge it.

whatever they use to make the power...it's a lot less than what you'd be pumping into your tank now

....but like I said "IF"

[daffy64]

Your right!!!! Why use domestically produced "All American" energy when you can continue to import it from Canada, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia?

Hey, don't get me wrong. We loooooooooooooove all that Amercian money pouring over the border, and giving us our free health care.

Keep it coming, Mr. "Patriot". ;-)

[dwilson59]

Get used to it. The only way they will sell this car ?Government Motors? is to give a tax break to the person that buys it. GM can put a diesel motor in a small car and get 45mpg. Several years ago they had a Metro 3 cylinder and if I am not mistaken that got 42mpg and that was 10 years ago. Something is not right here just ask yourself why cant I get a car that GM produces for Europe that gets great gas mileage here in the US.

Who stands to make the most money? ?He who holds the gold makes the Rules?

[grabandgo]

Volkswagen has had a car that gets 45m.p.g. it is available now!
See your local VW dealer!

[rightbehind]

Morgan stanley and goldman sachs thought that. They were the ones that hired those former enron speculators that drove gas to 4 dollars a gallon. They went running for the doors when congress wanted to investigate. mitch mcconnell filibustered it. Now that I think about it I'm glad it happened. It was a wake up call. Now we have a vehicle that can do over 230 MPG!

[AOCGUY]

As much as I would to see all vehicles get this kind of mileage, unless one was looking to buy a new vehicle anyway it doesn't make economic sense. I drive a a paid for 10 year old S-10 that gets on average in excess of 20 mpg. Assuming I drive 10K mile a year and gas goes to $3 a gal it would take me close to 30 years to break even.

[rightbehind]

Actually considerably less. You would need 500 gallons of fuel per year at a cost of 1500 dollars. It would be 26.6 years. That assuming your 10k per year or 27.4 miles per day. Wiki said the average was 34 miles. Don't forget about oil changes, air filters, exhaust systems brakes.

[billpl-2009]

One factor missing

how much coal you have to burn to make the power to recharge that thing

[speakinup22]

Obama is asleep at that wheel.

[daffy64]

That's right. Why use American coal when you can use Canadian gas?

[grabandgo]

And when the batteries fail it will cost 8 or 10 THOUSAND DOLLARS to replace them.

GM is a failed company run by a FAILED government.

THIS IS A NOT THE CAR YOU WANT TO BUY!

[dwilson59]

JUst one Question?

What if I have 4 kids? Are they still going to make the Suburban?

[jeannettelj]

WELL, THE MILAGE SOUNDS GOOD BUT THE $40,000 + PRICE TAGE IS WAY OUT OF MY BUDGET AND I TOTAL AGREE WITH incog-nito. GM THINKS THAT THIS CAR WILL SAVE THEM? I DON'T THINK SO.

[credibility2]

Was this mpg under optimal, I mean fairy tale driving conditions? Even conventional autos have a reduced mpg driving in the city, compared to what is represented by the manufacturer, due to stopping, starting, varying speeds, etc. I can well imagine the price tag for something like this. Our taxpayer funds going to GM for research and development of this Jetson concept car? If so, it's a waste of our money. Can you imagine how many years it will take to reach the break-even point for buying this car and recouping the savings in gas? So, GM, what are the real numbers, huh?

[billpl-2009]

"Even conventional autos have a reduced mpg driving in the city, compared to what is represented by the manufacturer, due to stopping, starting, varying speeds, etc"

nope it's inverse....with electric recharging, the more you stop and start, the better mpg's you get.
just ask anyone with a Prius

[daffy64]

Agreed. Let's face it. Americans just aren't smart enough to deliver a world-beating technology any more. The Alexaner Graham Bells and Thomas Edisons of the world all live in Japan now.

I hear Nissan has an electric called the Leaf coming out and Toyota's next generation Prius will have Lithium Ion batteries.

So much for American innovation and support from the public.

No wonder your country is going down the tubes.

[incog-nito]

Here's a tip for people who actually wants to save real money AND conserve energy: Go out and get a decent $15-20K gasoline car that can get 30-40 mpg right now. See? The technology is already here. It may not be as exiting as a $40K electric/hybrid car that only a few can afford and that will do nothing to reduce overall oil dependency, but it works.

[grabandgo]

VW has a car that gets FORTY FIVE mile per gallon!!

They have had it for quite some time. It is a GREAT CAR!

[rightbehind]

VW has a car that gets FORTY FIVE mile per gallon!!

They have had it for quite some time. It is a GREAT CAR!

Seen it, It is a nice car. Still going for the volt!

[mnguyen4]

At 230MPG, this beats all world records in a high gas mileage vehicle. It even beats the goal of 100MPG vehicle set under the Clinton Administration. Why did GM hide this technology all these years under the Bush Administration?

The next goal for GM is turn the Volt into a Volt wagon for the common man to own. Watch out Big Oil! This time, you won't be able to sabotage any efforts to make available an electric vehicle for the consumer market.

[rhs648]

A car such as a gasolene Toyota Corrolla can be purchased for under $20,000. If you took the extra $20,000 that a Volt will cost you could buy a Lexus ES 350 which gives you luxury, comfort, reliability, a larger car, and prestige. The tradeoff would be less fuel economy. Sorry folks, at my age, I'll take the Lexus.

[legacyabq]

AHA!! Opportunity cost!! Great point!

The markets, habits, etc. will change slowly over time..

Atleast they're trying..

[billpl-2009]

"Sorry folks, at my age, I'll take the Lexus"

...the same logic is why we now have used car lots filled with Hummers