GM says that it's made changes to the size and composition of the Volt's battery based upon the driving experiences of Volt owners. The new model will also improve its electric fuel economy rating, leaping from 94 mpg-e to 98 mpg-e (2.4 L/100km equivalent). After the first 38 electric miles, the Volt's range-extending gas engine kicks in to deliver an additional 340 miles (547 km) or so. The automaker announced yesterday that the 2013 Volt will travel 38 all-electric miles (61 km) on a single charge. GM is slowly inching its way toward that 40-mile rating. Five mpgs may not be a huge difference, but it kind of fudges the averages - it would seem there wasn't a study for what percentage of Americans drive 35 miles or less every day. That may have been smack in the middle of GM's range, but it sure took the the effectiveness out of the whole "40 miles a day" claim.
Chevy volt range with gas only series#
Essentially, assuming a 40-mile range, the Volt could serve as a full-blooded EV for the majority of Americans, almost lending credibility to GM's insistence on referring to the Volt, a series hybrid, as an electric vehicle.Įnter the EPA and a flat 35-mile (56-km) all-electric range rating. That worked out pretty well because GM originally estimated the Volt's all-electric range at that very 40 miles, later revising it to between 25 to 50 miles (40 to 80.5 km). In the months leading up to the Volt's December 2010 launch, GM was ever-eager to point to a study showing that 80 percent of Americans drive 40 miles (64 km) or less every day. In GM's case, it wasn't quite as bad, but there was still a bit of fallout. Combined with the low, SUV-like 20 mpg (11.8 L/100km) the EPA stickered in for gas-only mileage, it was quite a blow to the Karma's image. In the case of Fisker, the official EPA rating cut the Fisker Karma's claimed 50 miles (80.5 km) of all-electric range down to 32 (51.5 km). The EPA has a way of messing up marketing materials big time. Plug-in vehicle manufacturers must have all kinds of trepidation when it comes time for the official US Environmental Protection Agency rating. The automaker has tinkered with the formula of its lithium-ion battery to provide a few extra miles.
GM announced this week that the 2013 Chevy Volt, which will go on sale in August, will get a boost in electric range and efficiency.
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