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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg In cities like San Francisco or NYC, 100 miles in the EV mode will cost $5 and 2.5 nights of charging (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/08/reality-check-230-mpg-in-the-chevrolet-volt-maybe-if-you-think-electricity-is-free.html)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2011_Chevroelt_Volt_-_230_mpg_ad.jpgJake Fisher - CONSUMERREPORTS (http://blogs.consumerreports.org) - Aug. 11, 2009

GM, please don't give us the gas consumption without factoring the energy from the grid --Ed.

Yesterday General Motors rolled out a bombshell: Their new 2011 Chevrolet Volt will get 230 mpg. The details were sketchy though. (Read: “2011 Chevrolet Volt: Fuel economy results may vary.”) The figure was according to the EPA’s new… uh… almost done… er “draft” testing methodology that they aren’t prepared to comment on.

Let’s cut through the hype and break this down:

The “230 mpg” marketing suggests that the Chevrolet Volt will somehow have equivalent energy costs to a conventional, gasoline-fueled car rated at 230 mpg. The official GM press release quickly points out the low operating costs and quotes the national average electricity rate of $0.11/kWh. Further down it points out that $2.75 worth of electricity will get you 100 miles of driving. All the figures were based on city driving. ... http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/08/reality-check-230-mpg-in-the-chevrolet-volt-maybe-if-you-think-electricity-is-free.html

Some good points. But he repeats a myth:
"3. While we are all ingrained with the fact that highway cruising is more fuel-efficient than city driving, the opposite is true for electrics. All the announced figures are for city driving. Driving the Volt at highway speeds is likely to use energy at a far quicker rate, and in turn activate the on-board gas engine acting as a generator."

OTOH he gives hypermiling a plug:
"In terms of fuel costs per mile, a Toyota Prius isn’t far off that figure in our testing. With moderate hypermiling, it is definitely possible."

Not only is the electrical energy not free, the Volt is not all that clean of CO2 emissions when one considers that, according to this chart:

https://publicaffairs.llnl.gov/news/news_releases/2009/images/energy-use_big.jpg

more than half of the electricity comes from coal!

But, it is worthwhile and interesting technology and the added flexibility may allow some savings at least on the petroleum import side. Solar roofs would be of some help.

The electricity was free. They charged it from their own in house solar panels.

The solar panels GM makes are -23% efficient and some how emit light instead of converting light from the sun to electricity. To actually charge the car they used a sterling engine on top of the solar panel to drive a generator. The generator charged a battery. The battery was located on the moon and had to be shipped to earth........ I cant go on. I'm too tired. I'm going to bed.

I have two trains of thought on this announcement.

First that they have big time setup the Volt for failure. If people can remember this 230 mpg claim or they keep advertising it for the next 3 years (until the Volt actually is available to consumers not just fleets) the Volt better deliver! When people start getting 30, 50 even 100 mpg driving the way they do that 230 mpg claim is going to make the Volt a failure.

Next is that we do live in the united states of amnesia and perhaps GM is taking advantage of that. Setup the 230 mpg hype now and advertise the actual mileage in a few years. They can blame the EPA for not getting it right when they made the original claim. People will forgive them because, hey, the Volt is rated for pretty darn good mileage anyway!

The highway ratings are what is going to kill them if they are as low as I have been reading on here. As pointed out existing vehicles can do better, even my Yaris can get over 50 mpg. Perhaps they are banking on new technology breakthroughs in the next few years that they can build into the Volt to actually give it 230 mpg?

I agree that this campaign sets it up for failure. But I do think after the NEXT bankruptcy, there is a chance new management will adjust course and market to the urban driver that usually stays within the AER, obviating the need to mislead about the ICE efficiency. Price it agressively, and you could have a winner. But the EREV approach will never be cross-country champ.

Of course, by then, BEVs may begin to limit their niche.