GM’s Chevrolet Volt to Get 230 Miles Per Gallon in City Driving (and will cost 40K)

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. expects its Volt electric car to earn a fuel-economy rating of at least 230 miles per gallon for city driving, more than four times that of Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius hybrid.

"Many Chevy Volt drivers may be able to be in pure electric mode on a daily basis without having to use any gas," Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson said in a statement today.

...

The automaker is counting on unproven technology to leapfrog the Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid, which starts at $22,000. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said in May that the Volt would probably cost about $40,000.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...id=a1CnFu6pgHFg

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Once there was a silly old ram

Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam

No one could make that ram scram

He kept buttin' that dam

...'cause he had hi-i-igh hopes, he had hi-i-igh hopes

He had high apple pi-i-ie-in-the-sk-y-y hopes

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

230 miles per gallon? I don't believe it. It's a Chevy - they're lucky if it lasts 230 miles.

[NickD 203]

Did they find a battery yet? Last I heard, they are still looking. Sounded kind of dumb to me to develop a battery powered vehicle without a battery. Still never figured out their choice for a CEO. Must give an IQ test, anyone with an IQ of over 5 is rejected.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

At 40k how long would you have to keep it after its paid off to see a positive? Whats a new battery cost? How long does the battery last?

[NickD 203]

At 40k how long would you have to keep it after its paid off to see a positive? Whats a new battery cost? How long does the battery last?

They are looking for a battery that will last ten years. Do you have one? Cost? Who cares, should get a government subsidy. The pollution generated by it's manufacturer? We have China for that.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

At 40k how long would you have to keep it after its paid off to see a positive? Whats a new battery cost? How long does the battery last?

Exactly.

[Heracles 417]

It's a good start. I will definitely be buying one the second they come out.

I don't know about anyone else but I don't want my money being sent to countries that hate us.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Toyota and Honda will more than top that in one year!

[Donna A 4]

It's a good start. I will definitely be buying one the second they come out.

I don't know about anyone else but I don't want my money being sent to countries that hate us.

[Rhiannercakes 14]

Toyota and Honda will more than top that in one year!

Agreed.

And I don't even think there's a battery that can run a car on full electric power.

If there is one, I'd like to see it.

And really, I'd hate to have to replace the battery in the 40k car.

The battery's probably like 10k itself.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I'd wait until those technologies are proven and established - dealer mechanics are expensive...

[Nik+Heather 121]

I agree, while a plug in hybrid sounds really cool, I too worry about having to replace a possibly very expensive battery on an already pretty expensive car. Also, I wonder how battery life correlates with sitting out in the Phoenix sun. (eek!) They will have a lot of proving to do to me before I spring for one.

Now that the Prius has been around for a while, how is that doing on the battery replacement front? Wouldn't it have fairly similar issues?

Although it sounds (in concept) ideal for me, I work only 3 miles from home, and only drive about 22 miles away with any sort of regularity...I'd be a candidate for all electric all the time, so I hope they figure things out.

[mawilson 2,133]

Once there was a silly old ram

Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam

No one could make that ram scram

He kept buttin' that dam

...'cause he had hi-i-igh hopes, he had hi-i-igh hopes

He had high apple pi-i-ie-in-the-sk-y-y hopes

Ah - the hypocrisy. Liberals hated GM when they were making gas guzzling SUVs, and they hate it

now that they are making green vehicles.

They talk the talk about being pro-union, hiring minorities and women in management, yet they buy

Asian cars and vote for the opposite with their money.

[Rhiannercakes 14]

I agree, while a plug in hybrid sounds really cool, I too worry about having to replace a possibly very expensive battery on an already pretty expensive car. Also, I wonder how battery life correlates with sitting out in the Phoenix sun. (eek!) They will have a lot of proving to do to me before I spring for one.

Now that the Prius has been around for a while, how is that doing on the battery replacement front? Wouldn't it have fairly similar issues?

Although it sounds (in concept) ideal for me, I work only 3 miles from home, and only drive about 22 miles away with any sort of regularity...I'd be a candidate for all electric all the time, so I hope they figure things out.

My father works for Toyota, and from what I've heard, not many people have needed to replace their car's batteries.

The batteries themselves are pretty expensive too, somewhere around 3 or 4k.

Last time he was in Japan they were working on a new battery and they were building a plant just to produce them, since they can't keep up.

And let's remember everyone that Toyota shared the hybrid battery technology with the rest of the car companies