The Chevy Volt’s fuel economy has been rated at the equivalent of 60 mpg by the Environmental Protection Agency. That sounds much more reasonable than the extravagant 230 mpg figure they came up with last year.
That figure combines a 93 mpg equivalent when running just on electricity with the 37 mpg the Volt is said to achieve when running solely on gasoline. We’re not quite sure just how the combining is done, but that’s the figure on the label. All the figures I just mentioned are combined, with no individual city or highway numbers available.
The EPA says the Volt has an all-electric range of 35 miles, and then an additional 344 miles on gasoline, for a total range of 379 miles. The range will certainly vary according to real-world conditions, and you might be able to get more out of it.
Press Release
Volt gets new fuel economy label to go with new drive system2010-11-24
DETROIT – When the 2011 Volt begins arriving in Chevrolet showrooms over the next few weeks it will have an all-new fuel economy label to go with its unique propulsion system.
With its ability to operate completely gasoline- and emissions-free for 25 to 50 miles and then continue indefinitely with its range- extending engine, the Volt’s energy efficiency depends on how you use it.
Because the Volt works like no other car before it, General Motors and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency collaborated to design a new label to help consumers understand what to expect when they drive the Volt. Before plug-in cars like the Volt, calculating fuel economy was simply a matter of filling the tank with fuel, driving the vehicle and dividing the distance by the amount of fuel consumed.
Even though they have no tailpipe emissions, electric cars still use energy so the MPG equivalent (MPGe) is determined by measuring electricity use and converting it based on the energy content in a gallon of gasoline. This MPGe rating allows consumers to compare the Volt’s efficiency to other cars in its segment.
The Volt uses two energy sources, electricity from the grid, and gasoline from the pump, with the mix depending on how far you drive and how often you charge the battery. The Volt is a complex vehicle that is incredibly easy to use. And while the new fuel economy label also looks complex, it has more information than any EPA label before it.
Source: General Motors