Understanding the 2011 Chevy Volt's Fuel Economy

Understanding the new fuel economy ratings for plug-in electric vehicles can be a daunting task, but thankfully, this video about the Chevrolet Volt's two MPG ratings is here to help you make sense of them.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• chevy volt mpg
• Chevrolet volt mpg
• electric car mpg
• electric car gas
• electric car battery
• gas to electric car conversion
• fuel efficient car

[ACEDcomputers]

@djnikel

90% of americans, or 87% in our city drive less than 40 miles a day. 35 Miles is A LOT.

[MrEnergyCzar]

The 2012 has a 94 MPGe rating now....

[cdoftx]

@MrEnergyCzar Still, even if gasoline is pure evil that doesn't justify misrepresenting things to people.

[MrEnergyCzar]

@cdoftx because to get the gasoline to market, exponentially more amounts of energy are used and wasted compared to stateside power plants and their fuel sources... Just think how much energy the Navy's 5th fleet is using just to patrol the Strait of Hormuz. 50 military bases in the middle east region etc.. We don't get coal from there.

[cdoftx]

@MrEnergyCzar But where does the electricity come from? Today, 70% of the US's electricity comes fossil fuels, where 60 to 70% of the fuel's heat content is lost. Why give people the impression that you're tripling your fuel economy when your overall fuel and vehicle cost may jump up? On energy costs, they need to base what they tell consumers on regional energy cost data. Continental US, gasoline prices vary about 20%, while electric prices can vary by 200%+

[MrEnergyCzar]

@cdoftx That's what makes electric traction motors twice as efficient, they convert 75% of the energy, only lose 25%....

[cdoftx]

@MrEnergyCzar The "energy equivalent" business is the problem. Due to the laws of thermodynamics, combustion engines can only convert 40% or so of their fuel's heat energy into work or electricity. Its not physically possible to get much above this. The government's MPG figures assume that 100% of this heat energy gets converted. Totally bogus.

[MrEnergyCzar]

@cdoftx Nah, no lawsuits. It's based on energy equivalents. A gallon of gas has the same energy as about 33 KWH. You easily get 3 - 5 miles per KWH so 94 MPGe is somewhat conservative, if not very conservative. The Mitshubitshu I-mev has 112 MPGe because it's lighter and it averages 4 miles per KWH probably. Tesla is highest at 119 MPGe because its fiberglass and basically all battery....

[cdoftx]

@MrEnergyCzar Please look into the math. There's some really slick tricks going on to get that 94 mpg number. To get your cost of operating the vehicle, you need the miles per kWh and your local electricity cost. To get your CO2 emission reductions you need to know where your electricity comes from. The 93 "mpg" figure tells neither. I smell a lawsuit over this in the next 5 or so years.

[cdoftx]

I wish she wouldn't say "Scientists and engineers." As one myself my jaw dropped when I saw the formula they used to calculate the 93 MPG. Isn't it criminal to give someone the impression that they'll save 3x on gas when they'll probably end up paying a little more?

What they do is convert the heat content of gas directly into electricity. They ignore all inefficiencies in the conversion process. To really know the cost, you have to look at the kWh per mile and your local electric rate.

[rastaboogie]

superfluous really. These things are starting at 40k in Canada. A person can buy a brand new Hyundai Accent ($9,999.00 new) and fuel it for 10 years for the same price as this car.

[Thunderchicken1997]

I'm sorry Chevy, but I'm just stuck on the concept of an electric having NO gas engine. That's why it's call electric. The Volt is a Hybrid, just in reverse of a Prius.

The electric motor in a Prius supports the gas engine. In a Volt, the gas engine supports the electric motor. Why not look into the incredible storage batteries that come in a Tesla? 300+ miles. Expensive, yes. But if you leave out the gas engine, this should offset the cost of the batteries.