Everybody has seen the announcement yesterday that GM's new Volt is supposed to get 230 miles/gallon of gas.
Given that the best that a Prius can do is 60 mpg, it is bit more than just fishy that GM could claim to quadruple fuel efficiency with essentially similar technology.
So here is the best explanation I've seen of how GM made this "calculation". From Reuters:
So how did GM get to the 230 mpg figure, and why did they jump the gun without the right credentials?
Probably something like this; the average city testing cycle for a new car under current EPA rules is 11 miles long at various speeds, inclines, and conditions (traffic, open road, etc). The Volt can travel 40 miles on electricity alone, so by the time the gas engine kicks in, the Volt will have traveled 40 miles without a sip of gas. The next 11 miles would drain just under a quarter gallon of gas.
Just like magic, GM has a 230 MPG car.
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