Well with Government Motors behind it, surely the Government will do what it takes so their "investment" doesn't fail.

 

If electricity is free, 230 MPG does make sense, but if we convert the cost of electricity to gasoline, what's the final result?

 

Yet another reason not to believe the Government, or the news media.

 

Unless cars like this have dedicated EV button question here is when will they turn on its combustion engine to recharge the batteries? When batteries are down 20% or 80%? Or maybe when they are drained to the minimum? No one knows yet.

So for cars that function as EV but also have combustion engine for battery charging EPA should brake the mileage numbers in three categories:

1) How many miles can car travel in EV mode in both city and highway (40 miles city/ ?? highway)
2) How many kilowatts batteries need to be fully recharged (8kWh)
3) How much fuel does ICE consumes to store that certain kilowatt amount into batteries (8kWh in this case) while in motion both city and highway (??city/??highway)

 

in Volt, petrol engine does not charge the battery at all....

 

Yes and no. According to the press releases thus far, when there is sufficient charge in the battery, the ICE doesn't need to run at all. But when the charge gets low enough, it turns out to charge the battery, not run the car.

 

It does if you run the car far enough on the electrics to drain the battery pack. The batteries and hybrid system in the Volt are extremely efficient (probably more so than any other hybrid), but they can't keep running more than about 40 miles or so without a charge. When the battery gets low enough, the gas engine cuts in to recharge things....or you have to plug it back in to an charging outlet, if one is close by and handy. That was part of my concern, however, in my first post in this thread.....the gas engine may not run long enough to keep the oil and coolant warm.

 

If we take the high estimate of 80 cents for a full charge and say that's for 40 miles, simply divide that into the cost of regular gasoline. I'll use $2.60 as an example: $2.60/$0.80=3.25 charge equivalents. 3.25x40 miles=130mpg cost equivalent. That is, it costs the same in electricity as it would if the car got 130mpg.

So for the first 40 miles, you get an effective 130mpg indexed against a cost of $2.60/gallon (even though your actual mpg is infinite). For mile 41+, you get 50mpg.

To look at it another way, the first 40 miles cost 2.0 cents each, while 41+ cost 5.2 cents each.

 

If you can find some conditions where you can use downhill coasting (in gear) and/or regenerative braking, which gives some recharge capacity independent of either the gas engine OR an electrical outlet (which you pay for, as you noted) you could save even more money. Under those conditions, the electric motor on the car itself acts as a generator, giving you a partially-free recharge.

 

where did you read this? my understanding is the petrol engine is ONLY capable of charging the battery, not actually powering the wheels.

basically after 40 mi. or before the gas engine kicks on the recharge the batteries ONLY.

 

what's the bet that not only will VOLT be an expensive car, but that GM/congress will demand and TAKE another giant bail-out. plus obama has stated he intends to make electricity prices skyrocket which should do wonders for the volt.

 

Make no mistake, there will be MPG reductions as production nears, more delays, recalls when it's on sale, and other setbacks. This is GM afterall, risky new territory to boot, and the car is overpriced.

 

I don't know. GM has been working on this car for so long, hopefully, perfecting it. By the time it hits showrooms, I would hope all the bugs will have been worked out. I don't expect drastic issues with the Volt.

Personally, I think the Volt will have to sell well under 40k to be marketable. Unless, of course, the actual fuel mileage blows the Prius's out of the water. I mean, a lot of people would be willing to spend 40k for a sedan that gets 80-90 mpg. GM has already stated that the Volt, starting with a full tank of gas and a full charge, will have a range of over 700 miles. Pretty impressive if you ask me. The big question remains; How will the EPA rate this vehicle?

 

I thought one of the criticisms of the Volt was that it didn't have regenerative braking...

 

So after the electric engine cuts off and the gas kicks in, is it then on gas only? If so, how much power does the engine have? I can't drive 50 mph on the highway, it would drive me crazy...