Has GM Gotten The Last Laugh On Everybody? Chevrolet's Volt to Certify at 100 MPG!

General Motors 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.

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Agent004 - 9/26/2008 11:04:09 PM

+6 Boost

I don't know why the test needs to be so complicated. Charge the batteries up, put 1 gallon of gas in the tank, and drive 100 miles. If you make it 100 miles, it's a 100 mile range car. If it doesn't, it's not. All this "It's a new process. No one has done a vehicle like this before" talk just makes it sound like GM hasn't kicked in enough cash to the EPA to develop a new way of measurement that will ensure the car gets > 100MPG.

Let's KISS GM. 1 gallon of gas in the tank, fully charged batteries, put it on a track and do 45mph until you run out of gas. Then read the number of miles driven.

Brembo - 9/26/2008 4:40:46 PM

+4 Boost

They should start selling it soon so they get ahead start.

Brembo - 9/26/2008 4:47:36 PM

+6 Boost

Just finished reading the article. The Volt sounds amazing!

E36er - 9/26/2008 4:49:43 PM

-3 Boost

Its great the Volt can this kind of mileage but I would be cautious about this announcement. There are still a lot of hurdles for GM; namely that they haven't secured a deal with anyone to manufacture the Lithium Ion batteries. They still want to release the car in 2010. What GM will be offering is a product that is untested and rushed to market.

rawbux - 9/27/2008 3:35:35 AM

+1 Boost

They bought the company that supplied the batteries because they were not keeping up with demand so they just bought them out so they can have better control on the volume!

hk4site - 9/26/2008 4:57:07 PM

-7 Boost

SAE says it's a hybrid... Who is GN tryibg to fool the fed's It's just another plug-on hybrid nice try!

91z4me - 9/26/2008 5:32:45 PM

-5 Boost

The Grand Nationals are trying to fool noone! All fear the mighty LC2!

Peyton18 - 9/26/2008 5:02:07 PM

+1 Boost

I don't think they'd need the 25 billion from the government if they just made people preorder them now! this thing is going to sell like crazy!

carguy68 - 9/26/2008 5:13:15 PM

+6 Boost

this thing is going to beat the crap out of the ugly prius. good for gm

uhn2000 - 9/26/2008 5:17:16 PM

-4 Boost

I will suck my own ... dare I say it... if this car gets released the way it looks and gets the performance stated. I wish for once in their friggin GM would release a hyped concept car and something the people want a realty.

91z4me - 9/27/2008 12:07:06 AM

+4 Boost

They did, 1st w/ the SSR, then the Solstice, then the Camaro (starts production next Nov). All big hyped and all quite close to the concept that preceded them.

Brembo - 9/26/2008 5:18:09 PM

+3 Boost

Agent009!

Off the subject. Where did you get that avatar? Love to see the hi res.

007vehispy1 - 9/26/2008 6:26:04 PM

-2 Boost

not impressed with the Volts efficiency/ or Volt at all. only 40 miles and it still runs on gas to get added efficiency! wtf is going on here. Tesla is light years ahead of GM and will be suppling there electric components some day. Volt gets estimate 220 miles per charge. yes the tesla is expensive, but just imagine when they are ready to release a car in the 20 - 30 k range. i would be scared GM

Porschinator - 9/26/2008 9:16:26 PM

+5 Boost

Just so you know how it works. The first 40 miles is battery only. The next 360 miles is powered by the 1.4L engine that produces enough power to keep the electric motor running. It does not recharge the battery. 400 Miles total is huge for this type of car! Also read up on the Tesla, maintenance galore and 100K+ US price tag.

Volts is for general poulation, not for the well do to only.

hybridfarce - 9/26/2008 11:51:13 PM

+3 Boost

A point of clarification: GM is being conservative with the "battery only" range of 40 miles. When new, the batteries should go twice that, but GM wanted to be accurate over the life of the batteries (possibly 8 years?), after which their capacity will decrease 50%, hence the 40 mile rating.

Imagine how the buyer (or press or critics) will react if GM stated 80 mile range in the first year and then decreasing to 40 miles in the 8th year. It's just easier to state the conservative 40 mile range.

Remember, 007vehispy1, the Tesla only carries 2 people and probably very little, if any, cargo. The Volt will carry 4 people with cargo. The much heavier load the Volt is designed to carry will drastically reduce its range vs. the Tesla.

atomicbri - 9/27/2008 8:45:15 AM

+2 Boost

Yeah I don't bother submitting anymore, because when I do it takes like 6 hrs and then someone elses comes out anyway (especially if it is an agent 00 something or another)

Audiphile - 9/27/2008 3:06:35 AM

+2 Boost

Way to go, GM!

Runamukk - 9/27/2008 3:11:30 AM

+1 Boost

you know what I submitted yesterday? 4 articles that have not posted or gone into my submission section of my agent space......what gives?

Anyhow, one of the articles was about the $30k tesla car coming out so heres the link. cut and paste.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/06/tesla-to-produce-30k-elec_n_117134.html

Runamukk - 9/27/2008 3:15:42 AM

+1 Boost

Actually its a sub-$30k electric car in less than 4 years.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/30/tesla-motors-elon-musk-promises-sub-30k-all-electric-car-in-le/

rawbux - 9/27/2008 3:40:44 AM

+2 Boost

This is practically a whole reinvention of the automobile! Kickin' booty, GM

Agent004 - 9/27/2008 10:27:11 PM

0 Boost

First time agreeing with me?

Dang, you've been wrong quite a bit in the past ;).

BigShow50 - 9/27/2008 11:36:59 AM

0 Boost

It's amazing to see that GM is using as much marketing hype possible just to continue to save face. The sad part about this is the over price tag, let alone the late release on this model. Keep in mind that 100/mpg does sound impressive, but also current generation Pruis has already cracked this mark, with modded Prius' in Japan using older(based on comparison with today's Volt)technology....at the end of the day this continues to be all talk till it starts rolling out into the real world. GM has alot to prove in this segment, especially the reliability factor...let alone the supposed high fuel efficiency!

Runamukk - 9/28/2008 12:06:41 AM

+1 Boost

^^^^^^^^yea, for another thirty grand.

racedogs - 10/3/2008 2:57:02 PM

+1 Boost

You can never forget----it is still GM junk. Believe nothing GM says until the car is on the road and mileage claims are verified by consumers. Until then, it's nothing but meaningless GM hype!