Chevy Volt Offers 230 MPG

By: John Lester
Staff Writer
Published: Sep 27, 2009

MPG Ratings - Achieving 230 MPG With Chevy Volt Hybrid Car

There seems to be mixed reviews when it comes to the Chevy Volt hybrid car. General Motors is promoting a 230 MPG rating, which some reviews indicate could be very misleading. Some consumers are confused on whether the vehicle can drive 40 miles on a single battery charge, or if that means up to 40 minutes. The term "40" has been used by GM providing different estimates. It basically means that you could achieve 230 miles per gallon with the Volt but will have to stop during shorter distances to recharge the lithium-ion batteries.

What we do know is that next year is going to be huge for General Motors. The automaker will deliver its version of a new hybrid car that can travel on electricity with a combination of gas. The Volt is equipped with a small combustion engine that is used for higher speeds and to keep the lithium-ion batteries charged.

Chevy Volt is priced somewhere around $39,000 as it aims to provide renewable energy using advanced batteries. This price is not set in stone yet as the automaker is trying to achieve better pricing for batteries. The automobile is considered to be electric with extended driving ranges.

GM Volt was designed to move more than 75 percent of America's daily commuters without a single drop of gas. This is an amazing revelation that a future electric car could meet most daily travel needs without foreign oil dependency. GM says that the United States is currently using 96 percent of dependent petroleum for cars and trucks and more than half of it is imported.

The GM Volt is using a different method and technic to deliver fuel efficiency for drivers. Unlike traditional electric cars, the vehicle has a revolutionary propulsion system that takes the driver beyond the power of a battery. It uses a lithium-ion battery with a gasoline-powered motor which can be used to create renewable energy.

The hybrid automobile is exciting and is expected to be extremely revolutionary. The Chevrolet Volt will attempt to meet transportation needs that can offer zero foreign oil dependency while promoting zero carbon emissions. While the vehicle price seems high, it can certainly do more for the consumers while providing savings at the pump.

The Chevrolet Volt is designed for shorter commuter traffic, such as driving from home to work, on one single battery charge. We don't know everything about the components under the hood, but we look forward to meeting the post-production Volt next year.

Engineers worked on reducing aerodynamic drag while keeping the striking look of the Volt. This produced a rounder, smoother appearance that resulted in a coefficient of drag that is a 30 percent improvement over the first concept. Since the car relies on electricity as its primary fuel source, preserving the power stored in its battery is most important.

Designing the car with more aerodynamics is vital to the battery. This means the battery doesn't have to work as hard and will last longer to extend its gas-free mileage. To make sure the vehicle was indeed smooth from front to back, hundreds of hours were spent in a wind tunnel examining and adjusting things like the front and rear corner panels, the rear spoiler, the rocker panels, and the side mirrors. The GM Volt is already in post-production tests and will be released in 2010.

The fact is if I want to drive 230 miles without stopping for gas, I will have shorter distances to travel each time I need to recharge the battery. Perhaps this is why GM labels the hybrid as an "extended-range vehicle." Achieving 230 MPG is possible, but I don't think this should be labeled as a true EPA rating for the Chevy Volt.