Edmunds drives the Volt

[LTC8K6]

http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/volt/2011/testdrive.html

Not much there we didn't know. A few tidbits. The engine will run once in a while to maintain itself. They report that you'd get 38.3 mpg on a continuous 230 mile trip which seems decidedly low.

They with hold final judgement, though.

 

[Tristicus]

You hate this so much yet love to report on it and talk about it.

 

[ayabe]

Sweet, I feel a lot better about plunking down 20K over MSRP. Suck it Prius owners!

 

[LTC8K6]

You hate this so much yet love to report on it and talk about it.

Could you just humor me for a minute and explain where you got the idea that I hate the Volt?

 

[StageLeft]

What will its fuel economy be? GM was quick to advertise an estimated mileage number of 230 mpg, but that figure is highly suspect. Because of the Volt's dual nature and ability to run solely on electricity, you could theoretically achieve infinite miles per gallon by driving 230 miles over the course of a week, but recharging in your garage every night. However, if you travel 230 miles in one go on a road trip, you would achieve an estimated 38.3 mpg because the gasoline engine would be running almost constantly for 191 miles. Furthermore, the electric-only range depends on driving conditions such as traffic, grades and your driving style. "Your mileage may vary" has never been more true.

230/38.3 = 6 total gallons

191 miles / 6 = 32 mpg

Are Edmunds' numbers right? Is this car really only capable of 32 mpg once it exhausts its on board battery? If so, that is Grade A fvcking pathetic.

 

[Throckmorton]

230/38.3 = 6 total gallons

191 miles / 6 = 32 mpg

Are Edmunds' numbers right? Is this car really only capable of 32 mpg once it exhausts its on board battery? If so, that is Grade A fvcking pathetic.

The Volt looks more like a regular car than your Prius, so why would it get better highway mileage than a regular car? At a constant speed it actually is less efficient because power is converted to electricity first, then used to drive the motor.

 

[LTC8K6]

Are Edmunds' numbers right? Is this car really only capable of 32 mpg once it exhausts its on board battery? If so, that is Grade A fvcking pathetic.

Well, it's a small engine moving a relatively heavy vehicle, isn't it?

I haven't seen it's exact curb weight, though.

They also haven't decided on a fuel tank size yet, I guess.

 

[StageLeft]

The Volt looks more like a regular car than your Prius, so why would it get better highway mileage than a regular car? At a constant speed it actually is less efficient because power is converted to electricity first, then used to drive the motor.

The Prius gets great mileage only partly because of its shape. It uses other approaches that the Volt must surely use, too, like no drive belts, no ICE running a lot of the time, etc.

If they are actually losing that much energy by virtue of using the ICE as a generator, that is a major problem. I swear I asked before what the Volt would get when out of battery and the estimate was 50 or so.

Well, it's a small engine moving a relatively heavy vehicle, isn't it?

Shouldn't that make it more efficient?

 

[KIAman]

230/38.3 = 6 total gallons

191 miles / 6 = 32 mpg

Are Edmunds' numbers right? Is this car really only capable of 32 mpg once it exhausts its on board battery? If so, that is Grade A fvcking pathetic.

You have to keep in mind that this is GM's first foray into the world of plug in electric range extended vehicle. Instead of developing a specialized generator, they simply dropped in a GM Family 0 Engine. This engine has nothing special about it, most likely to keep the cost down, but give me a break, this engine was developed for use in entry level compact cars.

 

[LTC8K6]

This is called CS mode fuel economy,and everyone is waiting for the numbers. Charge Sustaining mode fuel economy. There is even a pool at the unofficial Volt site to see who can guess the right CS economy figure.

 

[Pulsar]

It is no surprise that the volt doesn't get similar gas mileage to the prius on the freeway. The prius has a number of compromises to get it that mileage - the shape, rolling friction (tires), a special gas motor, etc.

0-60 Time
Prius: 10.1
Volt: 8.5

I'll say it again - the volt was never meant to be the prius. The Prius makes every trade-off possible for gas mileage. The volt was intended to be car you can step into and not notice the difference between it and a gas car. Except most folks will be able to drive the volt to and from work without ever using the gasoline engine: something the prius owners simply cannot do.

If you don't like the volt's design direction, that's cool. But deriding the car and comparing it to the prius is a bit apples-to-oranges.

 

[StageLeft]

It is no surprise that the volt doesn't get similar gas mileage to the prius on the freeway. The prius has a number of compromises to get it that mileage - the shape, rolling friction (tires), a special gas motor, etc.

0-60 Time
Prius: 10.1
Volt: 8.5

I'll say it again - the volt was never meant to be the prius. The Prius makes every trade-off possible for gas mileage. The volt was intended to be car you can step into and not notice the difference between it and a gas car. Except most folks will be able to drive the volt to and from work without ever using the gasoline engine: something the prius owners simply cannot do.

If you don't like the volt's design direction, that's cool. But deriding the car and comparing it to the prius is a bit apples-to-oranges.

Whether it's fair or not this vehicle will be compared in some ways to the Prius for years.

 

[Pulsar]

Whether it's fair or not this vehicle will be compared in some ways to the Prius for years.

Oh, quite definitely. I hope that they're able to quick bring the volt price down to reasonable levels: those batteries are expensive though and I don't know how they're going to manage it.

 

[mizzou]

I think electric / hybrid cars prove their worth more in stop*go city traffic, I don't see how great they are if you do mixed/highway only driving

 

[StageLeft]

I think electric / hybrid cars prove their worth more in stop*go city traffic, I don't see how great they are if you do mixed/highway only driving

I don't want to bother Pulsar but...the Prius does almost as well highway as city. You are right overall they prove their worth in it, though and highway is secondary.

 

[CrackRabbit]

It would of made a whole lot more sense to use a diesel motor instead of gasoline.
Diesel motors are used all the time for generators.
Heck we had a 3-cyl one that used natural gas at one location. Would of been perfect for an application like the Volt.

Even the technology is already there, but in a much larger form factor. Modern trains use a diesel electric system for their power.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Shouldn't that make it more efficient?

not necessarily. too small an engine and it will have to work extremely hard in order to move the car.

that's why corvettes can get 30mpg on a V8 - it has so much power that it has to work relatively little to maintain speed. of course gearing and light weight also help, but that doesn't change the fact that corvettes do like 1500rpm @ 80mph or something ridiculous like that.

 

[Pulsar]

I don't want to bother Pulsar but...the Prius does almost as well highway as city. You are right overall they prove their worth in it, though and highway is secondary.

You're not bothering me. Accurate assessments are just that. The Prius is 600 pounds lighter (I'd wager a large chunk of that are the additional batteries the volt has to carry), has a more efficient engine, and is more aerodynamic.

 

[AMCRambler]

I wish it didn't look like a Prius. It may be more aerodynamic but that shape is ugly. It has to have that tall ass end so that they can still have trunk space on top of all the batteries I guess?

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

It would of made a whole lot more sense to use a diesel motor instead of gasoline.
Diesel motors are used all the time for generators.
Heck we had a 3-cyl one that used natural gas at one location. Would of been perfect for an application like the Volt.

Even the technology is already there, but in a much larger form factor. Modern trains use a diesel electric system for their power.

not only does it not use diesel, it requires premium fuel.

 

[RU482]

230/38.3 = 6 total gallons

191 miles / 6 = 32 mpg

Are Edmunds' numbers right? Is this car really only capable of 32 mpg once it exhausts its on board battery? If so, that is Grade A fvcking pathetic.

Err, it's intended to be a commuter car...not a 230 mile per day car.
It's also a statement that pisses in the eyes of anyone that wants to whine about the demise of the EV1.

 

[RU482]

It would of made a whole lot more sense to use a diesel motor instead of gasoline.
Diesel motors are used all the time for generators.
Heck we had a 3-cyl one that used natural gas at one location. Would of been perfect for an application like the Volt.

Even the technology is already there, but in a much larger form factor. Modern trains use a diesel electric system for their power.

not really, considering that the majority of these, at least initially, will likely be sold in mass in "diesel is the devil" California.

 

[PingSpike]

not only does it not use diesel, it requires premium fuel.

Ugh, that is irritating. Same retarded move as the fartcar. Sounds like GM lamed it up on the engine part. I suppose you ideally would rarely use the gas engine so keeping its costs down may be the right decision, but it also feels half-assed. Hopefully they'll come out with an engine that better takes advantage of the fact its used as a generator.

 

[kalrith]

230/38.3 = 6 total gallons

191 miles / 6 = 32 mpg

Are Edmunds' numbers right? Is this car really only capable of 32 mpg once it exhausts its on board battery? If so, that is Grade A fvcking pathetic.

GM has stated that the estimated range on a full charge and full tank of gas is 340 miles, and most guesses are that the gas tank is 9 gallons (although it hasn't been officially stated by GM).

(340 - 40 miles) / 9 gallons = 33.33 mpg once the battery is depleted.

That means an 800-mile trip in the Chevy Volt or Toyota Camry would use about the same amount of gas. That's pretty ridiculous.

 

[PricklyPete]

not only does it not use diesel, it requires premium fuel.

GM has already stated that it will not require premium...just that it will run optimally on premium.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/03/2011-chevrolet-volt-has-knock-sensor-can-run-on-regular-gas/