Are Hybrids Now Obsolete? EPA Will Rate The Chevrolet Volt At 230MPG City!

A few stories down on the main page is a story about the Volt's future being "uncertain".

I think hybrids will be around a bit longer.

Maybe it's uncertain how popular it will be?

Agreed.

Considering that owners of the new Volt electric vehicle will need to have charging equipment installed in their homes for a better recharging periods, the Volt's luster kinda gets a bit tarnished. Isn't recharge times: 12-16 hours (120V conventional plug/system); 4-8 hours (220V upgraded system)?

I'd go with a gas-electric hybrid if I'm renting.

Then Kraut, why do you waste your valuable time on the sight? You could go else where really its not the hard and the site will continue on with or without you.

Not to mention, 40% of US energy (obviously, figures differ from geographical locations) are derived from petroleum anyway, so as its charging, its using up petroleum ;)

No question hybrids will be around. What, just because hybrids came on to the scene, gas powered vehicles just vanished? I believe the future will hold a various types of models with range extended, electric only and many with both combined from manufactures.

if that MPG figure turns out to be anywhere close to 230...this is a remarkable accomplishment.

I hear the tesla roadster gets infinite miles for every gallon of gas it uses ;)

The 230 figure uses some creative math. According to the energy consumption data from the EPA at best the Volt would go 134 miles on a "gallon of gas"

http://killwithfire.blogspot.com/2009/08/chevy-volt-to-possibly-get-230-mpg.html

Stupid headline, of course. How about, "Are Diesels Now Obsolete?"

HEV, PHEV, EREV, they're all hybrids in some sense, just different approaches. The hybrid is dead. Long live the hybrid.

Well they needed some way to measure MPG...it's not the best way but it is the only standard system we have in the United States. None of this matters at the end of the day the Volt will save the planet according to garbage motors...even though it has the same carbon footprint as a regular car to produce...after it is cleaner. I think the volt concept car was sexy, the production one was beaten down by aerodynamically challenged engineers named Joey McPractical.

No. A hybrid uses a combination of engine switching from electrical to gas. The Voltec has a small motor that powers the electrical motors. The Volt never runs directly on gas power. It only runs on electricity . It is like have a powerplant onboard but instead of using coal, it uses petrol. If you had a infinite range electrical cord, wouldn't the electrical company need to product power with coal or other fossil fuels to power the vehicle? Same premise.

Can't tell you how many times I have to explain the difference between a current toyota definition of "hybrid engine" vs an electric engine with a gas generator, which is a "true hybrid".

The volts engine design is the way we should be moving forward...maybe even throw in a small diesel engine to replace the gas one...just to get super mileage out of the car. Sort of like MB is designing.

I agree, because it puts the UAW out of business.

Have a nice day ;)

The Republicans won't buy this car.

The Libs will buy this car or else Uinon workers will be unemployed and that will hurt Obama.

Have a nice day :)

what do you know of obama? you must be a cave man with the comments you make el, you're the same as the people that said obama was a terrorist and a muslim, and even if he was, what did it matter what religion he was? All muslims are terrorists right? And Obama is against all union workers huh? He bailed out GM and Chrysler to no avail for the latter company but he's a liberal? a communist? because of his health-care plan right? Like they have in Euro countries that are democratic am i mistaken? But don't let america follow we have to lead right? that's where were mistaken, and so are you. We are no longer the leader and the Volt will be obsolete by the time it comes to market. Toyota and other companies will make Hydrogen powered cars with no emissions by then, so who would want to spend 30K+ on a car that you have to upgrade your electrical system at home to 'charge' it, adding more to your costs to your energy bill, in turn using more electricity, in turn burning more fossil fuels, in turn polluting more and not polluting less. So much for 'GREEN'!

sigh... you were making sense up until you mentioned hydrogen... have you noticed how all of the major car companies have quietly stopped investing in hydrogen? It's because it is a very innefficient process to make and recapture the energy put into hydrogen. The emissions you save at the tailpipe of your car will never make it up in the extra emissions you burn at the power plant, and if there was a hydrogen system set up you would still be paying more per mile then with gas.

that and if you were to produce mass amounts of hydrogen you are either going to use up the worlds fresh water supply or end up investing an even greater amount of energy and create more pollution to first desalinate and filter sea water...

the only way to bypass using up fresh water and to not have to invest in converting salt water would be to have mobile hydrogen stations in the car and or at a persons home... but if you do that you can't simply "gas" up, you would have to buy expensive hydrogen stations or wait at a battery plug in... not to mention that "cheap" home hydrogen stations would never reach any reasonable efficiencies for hydrogen production. At which point, why not have a battery? Or two batteries? If you could swap batteries you could store more power then you need off of a 120v plugin and not have to worry about waiting to charge.

The fundamental problem with hydrogen is that acquiring it from water is a thermodynamically inefficient process. Water is literally combusted hydrogen- so your are refining the fuel out of its products. Really the only way that hydrogen from water begins to make sense is if you have, in effect, free energy. It will ALWAYS take more energy to refine hydrogen from water than you get from the resulting hydrogen (H2 lest we forget it is a diatomic molecule).

That is the law of nature, which does not bow to the laws of man.

Incidentally, currently most hydrogen is acquired by stripping it off of the carbon chains in natural gas. So anyone who thinks that hydrogen is sicking it to the oil companies is a fool.

Not sure that's true. Agree Hydrogen/Electric is not a SHORT TERM or IMMEDIATE option. Problem is more because of the lack of a delivery system for the fuel. They estimate it will take 15 years to build an infrastructure to deliver it to the consumer. Second biggest problem is what you mentioned (cost of producing the H2) but there are many theoretical solutions already on the drawing boards. Google the subject. It's good reading if you're having trouble sleeping :)

Gas/Electric hybrids are the logical and easiest first step off 100% petrol vehicles but certainly not a good longterm solution. Battery/Electric just doesn't seem like the way to go unless there's a major breakthrough in battery technology. Hydrogen/Electric sure seems promising. Me, I'm holding out for a Flux Capacitor.

People forget to charge-up their cell phones let alone a $30k electric vehicle.

That is why this vehicle has a gas powered generator on board.

If you want to be economical go buy a bicycle and ride to work.