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GM: Volt will get 230 miles per gallon

I have not read the whole thread, but allow me to make this commentary. GM wants to sell a car that while quite admirably gets great gas mileage according them, it also is quite expensive according to them. Their price tag of $40k for this is just asinine in my opinion. So for $40k I could have this Chevy Volt, or wait and possibly get the Tesla Model S for $49k. Hmm....bland Chevy, or sleek performance (well 0-60 5.6 ain't that bad).

Next year I believe Nissan will introduce to our market a smaller subcompact the Leaf, which will debut at $28k. While I would not consider the Leaf to be a replacement for my current auto :), it is however I believe much more competitive than the Volt will be. And if the Tesla Model S turns out to be as reliable as some of us hope and pray, then the Volt could be a failure.
 
phattonez said:
Fuel efficiency is going to be a very tricky thing once we get plug-in hybrids. Car companies will be able to post these astronomical mpg numbers, but of course we still pay for electricity. That has to be factored in somehow.
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Pretty much. Utahbill suggested posting efficiency in miles per watt. We know how much on average electricity a gallon of gasoline will generate in a car engine and how far that will take certain cars. Let's do the same for electric cars, just without the gasoline calculation.
 
Researchers are constantly looking and searching. Who knows what they will come up with or stumble over in the future. Here is one such study that might prove to be valuable as it is refined.


Researchers at the University of Miami and at the Universities of Tokyo and Tohoku, Japan, have been able to prove the existence of a "spin battery," a battery that is "charged" by applying a large magnetic field to nano-magnets in a device called a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ).
[...]
Like a winding up toy car, the spin battery is "wound up" by applying a large magnetic field -- no chemistry involved. The device is potentially better than anything found so far, said Barnes.
[...]
Although the actual device has a diameter about that of a human hair and cannot even light up an LED (light-emitting diode--a light source used as electronic component), the energy that might be stored in this way could potentially run a car for miles. The possibilities are endless, Barnes said.


Spin Battery: Physicist Develops Battery Using New Source Of Energy
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winston53660 said:
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- General Motors said Tuesday its new Chevy Volt will get 230 miles per gallon in the city, dwarfing the current mileage leader and giving the automaker reason to crow about its strides in fuel efficiency.

GM, fresh out of bankruptcy, is looking to the Volt to highlight a parade of 25 new vehicles by 2011 aimed at stemming market-share declines and bringing the automaker back to profitability. The Volt could also give GM a much-needed makeover in terms of its reputation for lagging behind the push toward "green" technology.

Scheduled for late 2010, the Volt will be able to travel up to 40 miles on electricity from a single charge, based on testing of pre-production prototypes and extend its overall range to 300 miles or more using a flex fuel-powered engine-generator.

GM: Volt will get 230 miles per gallon - MarketWatch



*** I was not sure where to post this if there is a better place than BN please move. TYIA
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Initial prices for the car may be as high as $40,000, analysts said




:shrug:
 
Reverend_Hellh0und said:
Initial prices for the car may be as high as $40,000, analysts said
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Don't worry about the price. Obama's giving us money to buy new cars so we can all afford them.
 
GM once touted 230 MPG for its Volt by using a method under consideration by the EPA. That number raised eyebrows and then disappeared from the Volt marketing campaign

See full article from DailyFinance: What's the Volt's MPG? There's No Easy Answer - DailyFinance
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Sounds like the Obama Motors were trying to find an equivalent for "jobs saved" with this dud.

40 miles per charge.
$41,000.
No bench seat in the back.

Who would want to buy an overpriced bit of novelty... Obi's Edsel?
Just think how priceless the photos of Obama sitting in his Edsel will be in the future... ROTFLOL. Like Dukakis looking like Mickey Mouse during his military photo op.

.
 
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Don't care, I'm not buying a GM, or Chrysler ever again, period!

Besides the relaized savings factored in for the cost of owenership are not all that great!

Tim-
 
Make an electric Cadillac and I'm all over that
 
Wondering what happens on a really hot day with a full electric charge: the a/c goes on and the sattelite radio is thumping --- still 40 miles on an electric charge or does the gas engine automatically kick on? Same with cold weather... how do the batteries stand up to say Michigan or Wisconsin -10 degrees F. Still going to be optimal 40 miles on a charge? A a bit of a heavy foot -- still 40 miles? Lots of stop & starts in city traffic ... still 40 miles?

I don't buy it at all... 40 miles is what they calculated in pristine conditions with no win, not to hot, not too cold, no wind, no rain, no snow and totally flat. Given real life conditions it'll be lucky to get 20 miles on electric and I somehow doubt this will work in very hot or very cold conditions.

I'll let them work out the bugs for the next 3-5 years and then revisit it. Until then I'm keeping my V-8 gas guzzler.
 
Kernel Sanders said:
Which is why an electric car designed for city driving is not a good choice for you. If you lived in the city, it would be a great choice
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You know they have these things called Golf Carts...
 
Ockham said:
Wondering what happens on a really hot day with a full electric charge: the a/c goes on and the sattelite radio is thumping --- still 40 miles on an electric charge or does the gas engine automatically kick on? Same with cold weather... how do the batteries stand up to say Michigan or Wisconsin -10 degrees F. Still going to be optimal 40 miles on a charge? A a bit of a heavy foot -- still 40 miles? Lots of stop & starts in city traffic ... still 40 miles?

I don't buy it at all... 40 miles is what they calculated in pristine conditions with no win, not to hot, not too cold, no wind, no rain, no snow and totally flat. Given real life conditions it'll be lucky to get 20 miles on electric and I somehow doubt this will work in very hot or very cold conditions.

I'll let them work out the bugs for the next 3-5 years and then revisit it. Until then I'm keeping my V-8 gas guzzler.
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It's also calculated with a 150lb person in the car, not with 4 adults.
 
sam_w said:
I have not read the whole thread, but allow me to make this commentary. GM wants to sell a car that while quite admirably gets great gas mileage according them, it also is quite expensive according to them. Their price tag of $40k for this is just asinine in my opinion. So for $40k I could have this Chevy Volt, or wait and possibly get the Tesla Model S for $49k. Hmm....bland Chevy, or sleek performance (well 0-60 5.6 ain't that bad).

Next year I believe Nissan will introduce to our market a smaller subcompact the Leaf, which will debut at $28k. While I would not consider the Leaf to be a replacement for my current auto :), it is however I believe much more competitive than the Volt will be. And if the Tesla Model S turns out to be as reliable as some of us hope and pray, then the Volt could be a failure.
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The Tesla S seems to be the better car on paper --- and design. The Volt is 40 miles on a charge... the Leaf (one ugly assed car btw) is 100 miles per charge and an electrician has to come out and install the home charging station (blech!), then the Tesla is 160, 200, or 300 miles per charge depending on the batteries and you can plug it into almost any outlet. Volt isn't bad for a electric hybrid ... the but Tesla seems to be the real deal.
 
The 230 MPG figure is quite misleading. Where do you think the electricity used to charge the car comes from? That's right, from an energy source, and part of that source is probably powered by a product that is derived from oil. Whoever did the figuring wants a free ride on that. LOL.
 
danarhea said:
The 230 MPG figure is quite misleading. Where do you think the electricity used to charge the car comes from? That's right, from an energy source, and part of that source is probably powered by a product that is derived from oil. Whoever did the figuring wants a free ride on that. LOL.
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Nowhere near gasoline and you know it.
 
texmaster said:
Nowhere near gasoline and you know it.
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So? It is something, and it is being completely ignored in order to pad the MPG numbers. That is dishonest.
 
danarhea said:
So? It is something, and it is being completely ignored in order to pad the MPG numbers. That is dishonest.
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I dont see it being ignored.

Electric is the future and solar is the source. Wind power is a bunch of crap because of the maintenance and hybrid cars are crap because most drivers don't drive under 30.
 
danarhea said:
The 230 MPG figure is quite misleading. Where do you think the electricity used to charge the car comes from? That's right, from an energy source, and part of that source is probably powered by a product that is derived from oil. Whoever did the figuring wants a free ride on that. LOL.
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texmaster said:
Nowhere near gasoline and you know it.
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GM wanted it figured in that way for CAFE reasons, it bumps up their average drastically

As for the Volt,

This first version is a write off, GM is hoping to sell 10 000 in the first year, which is possible
 
winston53660 said:
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- General Motors said Tuesday its new Chevy Volt will get 230 miles per gallon in the city, dwarfing the current mileage leader and giving the automaker reason to crow about its strides in fuel efficiency.

GM, fresh out of bankruptcy, is looking to the Volt to highlight a parade of 25 new vehicles by 2011 aimed at stemming market-share declines and bringing the automaker back to profitability. The Volt could also give GM a much-needed makeover in terms of its reputation for lagging behind the push toward "green" technology.

Scheduled for late 2010, the Volt will be able to travel up to 40 miles on electricity from a single charge, based on testing of pre-production prototypes and extend its overall range to 300 miles or more using a flex fuel-powered engine-generator.

GM: Volt will get 230 miles per gallon - MarketWatch

*** I was not sure where to post this if there is a better place than BN please move. TYIA
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I say, WOW!! Where's THIS technology been? And what other products will feed off of it? I think we're seeing a revolutionary design that's going to change us forever. To those neigh-sayers who post that it's misleading, yada yada, I'm bettin' your ancestors held tight to their buggy whips, too.
 
texmaster said:
I dont see it being ignored.

Electric is the future and solar is the source. Wind power is a bunch of crap because of the maintenance and hybrid cars are crap because most drivers don't drive under 30.
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For your average commute they generally do.

And Solar is okay, but it is not the only part of the future. Wind Turbines are being improved every day to lower the need for maitenance, and they hold a lot of potential.
 
ScottD said:
For your average commute they generally do.

And Solar is okay, but it is not the only part of the future. Wind Turbines are being improved every day to lower the need for maitenance, and they hold a lot of potential.
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Turbines don't hold potential at all, but the batteries some of them feed do. :mrgreen:
 
Coronado said:
That's cool. I still won't buy it though.

I'm holding out for biodiesel in a VW or a Benz.
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Make sure you keep plenty of fuel filters in your trunk.

I bought a tank of bio-diesel one time and I had to get my fuel system totally flushed out, before the truck would run right.
 
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