What's the first 100mpg car?

[Mr. Wyndham]

THE CHEVY VOLT!!!!


How to annihilate the competition:

Step 1: leapfrog their technology and design appeal
Step 2: Secure government-sponsored tax credits for YOUR vehicle, not theirs.
Step 3: Have the EPA rate your vehicle as the first 100mpg car EVER!!!!

Company 'T' has got to be pissssed!!!

GM shifts gears to gain mileage bragging rights

General Motors last week reached a preliminary agreement with U.S. regulators to certify the Chevrolet Volt, an electric vehicle that can be recharged at home or with a 1.4-litre gasoline engine, as the first 100 mile-per-gallon car, the company said.

The country's biggest automaker, whose sales of pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles collapsed this year as gasoline prices soared, is cutting the mileage deal while urging Congress to approve $25 billion in government loans to help the industry meet new federal fuel-economy standards.

Earning a 100 m.p.g. certification would give GM the holy grail auto companies began seeking following the oil shocks of the 1970s. The Environmental Protection Agency agreed to a testing method that will produce a rating at least that high, said Tony Posawatz, 48, vehicle-line director for the Volt in Warren, Mich.. The four-passenger car, which goes on sale in November 2010, will be able to travel 40 miles (64 kilometres) before the internal-combustion engine needs to recharge the battery.

"It's a huge milestone to beat 100 m.p.g. It's bragging rights," said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Mass. "To many people, GM is just about gas-guzzling SUVs. They never get credit for fuel economy. If Toyota were doing the Volt, they would be having parades and waving flags."

While the Volt is classified as an electric car, GM will still be able to claim it's the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the road because the gasoline-powered generator will start after the sedan exceeds the battery's 40-mile range.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s hybrid Prius is the highest-rated car on the road today, achieving 48 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway. It has a 1.5-litre gasoline engine, isn't rechargeable at an electric outlet and can drive only 2 miles on its battery, according to the company, which leads global sales in the category.

The Volt may sell for more than $30,000 in the U.S., according to GM vice chairman Robert Lutz, 76.

Obtaining a 100-mpg rating will require the EPA to develop a new way of measuring fuel efficiency for a car that's likely to rely more heavily on electric than internal-combustion power, according to GM's Posawatz. The automaker promised to share mileage data captured from the Volt's onboard computers to verify real-world performance if EPA will grant the certification now, he said.

"It's a new process. No one has done a vehicle like this before," said Posawatz. "We would like to have 80 per cent of the people get better than the label."

Chevy's Volt can be plugged into a standard 120-volt outlet and be charged in about eight hours, GM said. The process takes less than three hours with a 240-volt outlet.

The cost for a full charge providing 40 miles of driving is about 80 cents per day, at an electricity cost of 10 cents per kilowatt hour, according to GM. Charging the Volt about once daily will consume less electricity annually than the average home's refrigerator and freezer, the company said.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimesc...d-951db9742907

[headpunter]

happy dance time?

[TAG UR IT]

Hell yeah, happy dance time!!!

I'm going to have to ask some Toyota execs on Sunday why they don't have a 100mpg car like GM does! HA! I want to see their faces light up!

[Zieke]

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

Hell yeah, happy dance time!!!

I'm going to have to ask some Toyota execs on Sunday why they don't have a 100mpg car like GM does! HA! I want to see their faces light up!

all i ask is that you bring a camera. that would be awesome! we could make a wall of shame?

[patriotpa]

I wonder what the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times are?

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by patriotpa

I wonder what the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times are?

0-60 was around 9 seconds. Not very fast, but still faster than the prius.

Someone on GMI did some math, and I think the EPA's going to have a hell of a hard time figuring out what to put on window stickers because of the 40 mile electric only range.

For example, he figured out that driving the Volt 45 miles would get 800 MPG. Anything below 40 miles is infinity MPG.

[SSmoked]

holy crap i could drive to school and back (56km) both ways and not use any gas ahahahah wicked. good job gm for taken this car to a whole new level, its gona be very hard for companies to top that.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by headpunter

happy dance time?

[shank0668]

wait so if you run out of electricity you can get 100 mpg out of the engine

[jojohn33]

Originally Posted by shank0668

wait so if you run out of electricity you can get 100 mpg out of the engine

no hence step 3 HAVE part either way good for them I will wait and see how much cost is saved when the electricity bill is put into the equation.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by shank0668

wait so if you run out of electricity you can get 100 mpg out of the engine

Something like that. The ICE acts as a generator to maintain the battery's charge level until you can plug it back in. It also generates electricity to power the electric motor. I'd guess that would come out to be around 100 MPG.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by jojohn33

...either way good for them I will wait and see how much cost is saved when the electricity bill is put into the equation.

$0.80 - $1.80 cents to charge for 40 miles (depending on area and electricity costs). It's an 8-kilowatt charge. If you charge it every day, they claim it uses no more power than a household refrigerator.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by shank0668

wait so if you run out of electricity you can get 100 mpg out of the engine

no. The rating is somewhat arbitrary - they could have it rated at anywhere between 45 mpg and infinity. I remember hearing that its gas engine will consume 1 gallon of fuel for every 45 miles or so. So if the certification test is 72.5 miles long 40 of those will be electric only and 32.5 will be with the engine. Assuming 45 mpg with that engine that gives it a rating of 100 mpg. But if you were to try and drive 100 miles non stop, it would require more than 1 gallon of fuel. But to drive 50 miles it would take less than a half gallon of fuel.

[AirGoya]

Sweet Victory!
Happy Dance Time Indeed!!!