New Cars Leave MPG Standard Behind

wsj.com:

General Motors promises its forthcoming Volt hybrid electric car will push fuel-economy levels to new heights. It also could spark an overhaul of the miles-per-gallon standard, a number that doesn't tell consumers enough about the next generation of vehicles.

In recent weeks, GM has touted the Chevrolet Volt's expected 230 mpg fuel economy in city driving. The big number dwarfs the mileage of any car on dealer lots.

Read the whole story: wsj.com

Comments

[jsarets]

This simple: Chevy Volt gets 5 miles/kWh for 40 miles then 50 mpg. That tells you the vehicle's efficiency in both modes and the distance at which the mode changes. It doesn't make any assumptions about how far you drive each day or where you get your electricity. Any attempt to reduce this down to one number will be inadequate, but no more than three numbers are ever necessary.

[totaldisbelief]

I can't wait for NASCAR to go electric.
I won't have to mute my TV.

[RJII]

change i can believe in. seems like the f@tcat oil men are losing their grip on our lives and environment. time to switch to alternative energy and severe our usual ties to the middle east.

[totaldisbelief]

just wait until those battery packs have to be changed out.....li­ke 8,000 bucks.

[RJII]

innovation is and will continue to get cheaper and more advanced. except now we don't have a few f@tcats bottlenecking progress to line their pockets

[loki]

they wont lose their grip. They can just raise the price of other things to compensate. Energy, plastics, ect... They might even have the gov use tax money to make up for their projected losses every year.

[loki]

Ok , How many of you find this to be total BS?? For years we have been told by the auto makers that even cafe standards of 32mpg were next to impossible to meet. Now everyone and their mother is claiming to have 35 to 300 mpg ....?????? What happened in the last couple years to make the sudden change in mileage which was previously claimed to be physically impossible?? Did they discover cold fusion or flux capacitor ? What magic bullet made all of this possible in a year or so?
Could it be a simple change in the why they come up with their figures and a lot of marketing?
I wonder..

[iLoveOldNY]

There were cars @ 30mpg since the 70's

[loki]

actually, since the late 1800's. but the motor companies since the 70's have been saying they cant do it fleet wide.

[DRaymond]

GM's absurd number for the Volt is like putting your car on a ferry for a 40 mile trip and then including the distance the ferry traveled in your mileage!

A new number is needed. Here is what I suggest: Each State should track the average cost of electricity and gasoline in their state over the prior year. The new 'mileage' number would be:

Energy cost per 10,000 miles traveled in (state) during (year)
Short Trips ($XXX)
Long Trips ($XXX)

The 'short trips' number would be calculated based on 100 10-mile trips, 200 20-mile trips and 100 50-mile trips. Cars unable to complete a trip of that distance nonstop would have the equivalent mileage added to the next lower trip length and have to include an asterix in the number.

The 'long trips' number should be based on 20 500-mile trips. Cars incapable of completing a 500 mile trip in 8 and a half hours cannot post a long trips number and any advertisement of the 'short trips' number must include a disclaimer that the long trips number is unavailable due to the limited range of the vehicle.

Hybrid vehicles can be presumed to start the trip with a full battery but must include the cost of recharging the battery to the full state at the end of the trip.

[Reito Hikari]

MPG should just be miles it takes for a car to run out of gas in a single run divided by the gallons in the tank.

Why over complicate things? As for city driving and all that, just say your car dont need gas if its under 40 miles of driving. Problem solved.

[digitalprophet]

That seems simple enough. But money spent on energy consumption and the carbon footprint related need to be considered.

[Reito Hikari]

True, but those would go under carbon emission testing, not the whole MPG fiasco we have now.

[SouthJerseySteve]

If they switch from MGP to KWPH (Kilowatt per hour), I'm screwed! LOL

[totaldisbelief]

not a math guy huh?

[vippy]

I was amazed when I found out that my husband's S 350 Mercedes get better gas mileage than my
RAV4 Limited, 6 cylinder. MPGs will play a big part in the decision of purchasing a car.
Funny, how most people lie about their gas consumption when asked.

[drkazmd65]

I don't lie about mine,... I have been tracking my milage for over a year on this website:

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do

Go and look up Mazda Protege, 1.6L engine, 5-speed manual tranmission, 2000 model year, and the guy from MD with the most recent login date.

I have held an average of 38.4 mpg combined driving, Summer 2008 - Summer 2009. That, and the car is paid for, and has a total of less than $400 repairs & maintence (including new tires) over the course of that year.

[totaldisbelief]

That's it...I'm getting one of those.

[wdent]

For the plug-in electrics we need MPLOC - miles per lump of coal - at least in my area and while I must remain 'on-the-grid'. For now, I'm OK with the 33 city mpgs in the Yaris which I've been driving for the past 2 years.

[digitalprophet]

Exactly.. People who don't pay attention won't realize how much energy they will consume charging that thing.

[Mikeatle]

Time will tell how much of a revolution the Volt is going to be. I'm really drawn to the idea that GM, an American company, will lead the way in building the cars that will truly have the kind of mileage they are touting here. Even better, GM will lead the way in building cars that are totally free of the gasoline engine. I don't think I'll be in the market for a new car for the next few years, so I can wait to see what happens. It'll be interesting!

[totaldisbelief]

got 40 grand for the Volt?

[BodyShotz]

i'm lucky to live in a house with a garage, but, if you live on the 8th floor in an apartment, how can you charge a car from the parking lot?

[ObamAtomic]

Cord extensions!
I don't tried to be funny.

[Ozarks]

It would be a simple step to set up "plug ins" in the parking lot since The Electric Utility primary feed ( say 34kv/13kv/­7.2kv step down transformers)to a big apartment building is probably right there in the parking lot.

[SouthJerseySteve]

I read somewhere that they need to install "charging stations" in parking lots -- that could be a real hindrance to the growth of electric cars in urban areas.

[SangZe]

I remain a skeptic, yet I realize that the Volt is a significant step in the right direction and hopes it succeeds.

[digitalprophet]

That is all my original statement was implying. And that people who don't read the article are not going to get that.

[gorgol]

I thought the gasoline engine was to re charge the batteries, not to power the car...

[hark]

It is. It doesn't power the car.

[digitalprophet]

Okay.. this headline is incredibly misleading­.. The article clearly points out that GM is basically trying to make the car sound far more economical than it really is...

"Calculating the Volt's fuel economy is complicated because of its two power sources. The Volt's battery, when fully charged, can power trips of about 40 miles, according to GM. Battery-fueled trips won't use any gasoline, although they will require electricity. Once the battery runs out, the engine begins drawing on gasoline. So drivers who use the Volt only for short trips, relying only on electricity, in theory could enjoy infinite fuel economy. Meanwhile, drivers who routinely use the Volt for long journeys, where gasoline power would be necessary, would see a far lower fuel economy than the 230 mpg advertised­."

Stupid people will read this article stub and think that the Volt is amazing :/

[MadamRoma]

The Volt is amazing and if you cannot see this you are either bias, blind or stupid. GM will change the way automobiles are made around the world with this technology.

[hark]

GM is not leading the way. There are true electrics coming from Tesla Motors, Detroit Electric, the Chinese, Nissan's Leaf, etc.. The GM Volt is a hybrid plug-in.

Tesla is an American company based in California. Check it out: http://www.teslamotors.com/ They make the Roadster and the Model S, the latter a stunning sedan with exciting performance features. Tough on the wallet, but that will change, as new technology always takes time to develop. The Model S will be available in 2011.

[digitalprophet]

This is a better car than the carbon emitting crap out there right now, but it certainly isn't the be all end all.. You do realize it costs money and carbon output to plug this thing in to your electrical outlet, right? How is that going to be figured into it's economically and "green" outlook?

[iLoveOldNY]

Nissan is blowing them away. GM doesn't stand a chance...a­gain

[totaldisbelief]

not so!

[snarkwaupaca]

You could say this about any performance standard. There are plenty of situations where the existing standards, which are based on a "typical driving cycle", do not reflect any actual trips made by a driver. Put a gasoline car in heavily congested traffic and its air pollution increases and fuel economy plummets. I also expect that people with enough money to purchase a Volt understand that their fuel economy will not be 230.00000 MPG on every trip. Your attempt to make the exception the rule makes you sound..... how do I say it.... Stupid.

[DBtv]

Given the fact that the vast majority of auto driving is in sub 40 mile distances, the figures given vastly UNDER ESTIMATE the real mileage per gallon in actual usage.

Compulsive nay sayers are sociopaths.

[hark]

I wouldn't say sociopaths. I would say Republicans, conservatives, who always resist change and progress. Our country has been "led" by conservatives for far too long, and it really shows. The true purpose of the conservative is to hold the reins on the progressives, to make sure they don't rush into the future too recklessly. It is not to stop the cart and then drag it backwards. That is what has happened in this country.

Anyway, there are millions who drive less than 40 miles a day (that's almost 15000 miles a year), and would never have to fill the tank up again after they purchased the car. For millions of others, it would make the perfect second car for those short trips and errands. Never use a drop of gasoline, or pollute. Even when coal supplies 100% of the electricity, these cars are substantially more efficient and less polluting.

Our government should provide greater subsidies for these vehicles to jump start the technology until it pays for itself. It would do wonders as a long term investment in the future. But alas, we won't do that. Only a few thousand Volts will be manufactured and sold because they are too expensive for ordinary people, even with the existing tax credits.

[digitalprophet]

I am by far not a compulsive naysayer.. Check just about any of my comments. I am merely addressing the fact that this car is being marketed wrong. If they would be more forthcoming about how it performs and not try to make some boast about MPG as it stands now.

This is a better car than the carbon emitting crap out there right now, but it certainly isn't the be all end all.. You do realize it costs money and carbon output to plug this thing in to your electrical outlet, right? How is that going to be figured into it's economically and "green" outlook?