# The Chevy Volt Only Gets 35MPG



## KissMy (Jan 28, 2011)

This week a friend of mine in Arizona took a new Chevy Volt on a 300 mile trip & only got 35mpg. So I did a little checking & this is what I discovered. *The Volkswagen Golf, Rabbit & Jetta TDI cost half as much as a Chevy Volt & gets from 47-59 mpg* in the real world driving & test. The phrase your mileage may vary has reached a new level of meaning and importance.

EPA Rates Chevy Volt at 93 MPG, or 60 MPG or 35 MPG, Depending


> One day after the all-electric Nissan LEAF received its 99-mpg (equivalent) rating from the EPA, General Motors announced the Chevy Volt will carry a rating of 93 mpg while running purely on electricity, and 37 mpg in so-called charge-sustaining mode.
> 
> While the EPA tries to pin 60 mpg as a single composite number for the Volts efficiency, the amount of energy consumed will greatly depend on how you drive, the distance of common commutes, and how often its charged. "If you try to boil it down to a single number, it gets quite difficult," said Tony DiSalle, Chevrolet product marketing director. To make matters more detailed and confusing, the EPA also said the Volt has a 35-mile range on electricity alone and a range of 379 miles with gasoline and electricity.



58.82 MPG World Record set by Jetta TDI


> The most fuel efficient car across North America is not a hybrid. Its a diesel. A Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel, to be exact. Set under real world conditions with a completely stocked Jetta TDI... Making its way across the nation and into a world records, a Jetta TDI recently achieved 58.82 MPG during a successful 9,419 mile bid for the lowest fuel consumption across the Continental United States. Despite being officially rated at just 30 MPG city and 41 MPG highway by the EPA, the Jetta TDI managed a whopping 14 percent improvement over the previous record of 51.58 MPG.



261mpg Volkswagen XL1 to see limited production for the US


> Volkswagen is calling their XL1 Concept the most fuel efficient car in the world and while there is no guarantee that the production version will retain the exact drivetrain from the concept, the XL1 that debuted at the Qatar Motor Show is powered by a 0.8L litre, two-cylinder turbo diesel aided by an electric motor/lithium ion battery pack and a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. This drivetrain installed in the slippery yet distinctly modern VeeDub styling affords the XL1 an amazing 261 miles per gallon.


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## mdn2000 (Jan 28, 2011)

They got to lie otherwise they will never reach the 65 mpg mandate of Obama's. 

The Cooper/BMW Mini only get 35, how in the hell will they get the Mini up to 65 let alone the average of all cars.


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## Luissa (Jan 28, 2011)

My Toyota gets 40 mpg


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## B. Kidd (Jan 28, 2011)

Ditto. My 2009 Toyota Yaris almost gets 40 mpg.


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## The Infidel (Jan 28, 2011)

Luissa said:


> My Toyota gets 40 mpg





B. Kidd said:


> Ditto. My 2009 Toyota Yaris almost gets 40 mpg.



I bet you can go further in yours in a day too... 

Kuddos to you Toyota owners too...


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## Luissa (Jan 28, 2011)

The Infidel said:


> Luissa said:
> 
> 
> > My Toyota gets 40 mpg
> ...



My car is not a Hybrid, so I can go as far as I want or as long as there is a gas station. LOL


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## JWBooth (Jan 28, 2011)

Hell, my wife's 12 year Lumina gets 34 on road trips.


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## uscitizen (Jan 28, 2011)

Ahh on 300 mile trips yes lower mileage.
The Prius gets much better mileage on 300 mile trips though.

America behind again.


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## michael39 (Jan 28, 2011)

While the Volt CAN be driven that way, it was created as a commuter car designed to take you to and from work and around town without the gas engine kicking in.  It does what it was designed to do very well.  The problem is in the price. 





*
Opel Ampera*

They're selling a much better looking version of the volt in Europe as the Opel Ampera.  I like THIS car much better, but it's really the same car. 




.


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## Yurt (Jan 28, 2011)

my SUV gets 20/17 and can go nearly 500 miles on a single tank


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## RGR (Jan 28, 2011)

Luissa said:


> My car is not a Hybrid, so I can go as far as I want or as long as there is a gas station. LOL



??

My car IS a hybrid, and can go as far as I want or as long as there is a gas station to. What does being a hybrid have to do with that?


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## Zoom-boing (Jan 28, 2011)

Yurt said:


> my SUV gets 20/17 and can go nearly 500 miles on a single tank



Me too.  And it can fit the whole family with the kids all in their own corner, away from the other ones, with room to spare.  Dog gets a whole seat to herself too.


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## misterfact (Mar 17, 2011)

Can the engine be removed? After all, if the engine kicks on just to charge the batteries-why can't it be removed and made into an all electric car.

Seems to me if the electric drive shaft and the engine drive shaft are integrated into one drive shaft, why can't the engine and its drive shaft be removed? It's a slip-on fit, right?

Removing the engine shouldn't void the warranty, should it? After all, it isn't an add-on modification.


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## Douger (Mar 17, 2011)

LOL. My 73 Land Cruiser BJ40 gets 31 on used cooking oil.Damn thing weighs almost 2 tons !


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## martybegan (Mar 17, 2011)

misterfact said:


> Can the engine be removed? After all, if the engine kicks on just to charge the batteries-why can't it be removed and made into an all electric car.
> 
> Seems to me if the electric drive shaft and the engine drive shaft are integrated into one drive shaft, why can't the engine and its drive shaft be removed? It's a slip-on fit, right?
> 
> Removing the engine shouldn't void the warranty, should it? After all, it isn't an add-on modification.



Why in the world would you want to remove the engine? Then you would basically have a car with a 35 mile radius (1/2 that for round trip) with no room for error, or a serious need to plan on being by a plug every 30 miles or so.


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## midcan5 (Mar 17, 2011)

I am often puzzled by the negative attitude towards American industry? When did this start and why? It is as if a company that built the country and provided a middle class life for millions is now somehow a bad thing? Toyota is killing people with technical flaws but GM gets criticized for one driver's results? And it makes no sense to argue the technical issues as the idea is not based in technology but in prejudice against our own nation's major car builder. (While I can guess the source, I wonder at the biased tools who just follow.) The curious irony is the same people who criticize GM are generally big fans of corporate power and laissez-faire economics. Yesterday I am listening to commentators on the Japanese tragedy and they are discussing the impact on the auto business, and someone notes how this will help the Korean car makers. WTF happened to buying American and supporting America I wonder. As Pogo said long ago we have met the enemy and the enemy is us.  

http://www.usmessageboard.com/economy/128477-did-obama-save-gm-3.html#post2607852


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## editec (Mar 17, 2011)

My 2004 Ranger, even loaded down with a mino-glacier in the back (thanks to Maine's winter), got 29 MPG, last fill-up.

And in five years or so, I won't have to spend thousands to replace the batteries.

Electric cars are quite a disappointment thus far.


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## RGR (Mar 17, 2011)

editec said:


> My 2004 Ranger, even loaded down with a mino-glacier in the back (thanks to Maine's winter), got 29 MPG, last fill-up.
> 
> And in five years or so, I won't have to spend thousands to replace the batteries.
> 
> Electric cars are quite a disappointment thus far.



Speak for yourself. My Hummer costs about $60/week to fill up right now, my modded Prius drives the same distance using about $6 of gasoline. Plus the electricity which I barely notice in the electric bill.

You can be disappointed over a $200 month savings but I sure ain't.


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## Mad Scientist (Mar 17, 2011)

Consumer Reports doesn't like the Chevy Volt.
Via Yahoo! News:
Consumer Reports says GM Volt falls short on range - Yahoo! Finance


> "We would have really liked to have loved it," David Champion,  director of Consumer Reports auto test center told Reuters on Monday  after announcing the organization's top picks for 2011."It was  fun to drive and the ride quality was pretty good. But when you look at  the finances, *for us it doesn't make any sense*," Champion said.
> Consumer reports found that GM's first generation plug-in hybrid,  which is the resurgent automaker's signature entry in the industry's  drive for greater fuel efficiency, fell well short of its maximum range  potential under battery power.
> Champion said *the Volt that Consumer Reports bought and tested ran for 26 miles before the vehicle's gasoline engine kicked in.*
> After  promoting a 40-mile electric-only range for most of the Volt's  development, GM last year introduced a sliding scale of between 25 and  50 miles.
> *The Toyota Prius, by contrast, gets 51 miles per gallon and the Ford Fusion gets 41 mpg.*


And there's something else I've been wondering about, do any of these electric cars have heaters? Well apparently they do BUT...

From Wheels Canada:
Sweater, gloves required when driving Volt in cold: Magazine | Wheels.ca


> The  potential popularity of electric vehicles has always been tempered in  cold climates, like here in Canada, because of the concerns that *freezing  temperatures will reduce the range of an EVs batteries*.
> The magazine found that *the Volt uses up a  considerable amount of battery range to heat up its cabin on colder  days, reducing its range to well below 30 miles *(48 kms) before draining  the battery and reverting to its gas generator to recharge the  batteries and power its electric motor  much lower than the optimal 64  km estimate.
> The result led to the review calling the Chevy EV as *a sweater and gloves commuter car for northern-tier Volt owners.*


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## ba1614 (Mar 17, 2011)

Yurt said:


> my SUV gets 20/17 and can go nearly 500 miles on a single tank



 Woot! My big ole FORD gets about 15 with the intake, chip, and straight pipes with tips setup on it.
 I've only(hopefully) got 20-30yrs left on this earth and there isn't anyway in hell that my old fat ass is going to ride around in some little fuckin' sardine suicide trap, I don't care if it gets 100mpg.


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## Mad Scientist (Mar 17, 2011)

To quote UpstateNYGuy on another board:


> Gee what a surprise. And I thought Obama said this car would turn  Government Motors around. Huh, isn't that strange? And the taxpayers  shelled out 86 billion for what? A lackluster car that costs $41000 and  doesn't do what the Prius does for $23000.


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## Mad Scientist (Mar 17, 2011)

ba1614 said:


> Yurt said:
> 
> 
> > my SUV gets 20/17 and can go nearly 500 miles on a single tank
> ...


And I'll bet those Volt/Electric car owners are gonna' ask to borrow your truck quite often!


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## Midnight Marauder (Mar 17, 2011)

The extra weight of the batteries, electronics, electric motor, all of that makes it less efficient as a gasoline vehicle when gasoline engine is needed, which is most of the time on a long trip.


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## Cuyo (Mar 17, 2011)

Luissa said:


> The Infidel said:
> 
> 
> > Luissa said:
> ...



That would be true in a hybrid as well... And the volt.


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## Ernie S. (Mar 17, 2011)

Luissa said:


> My Toyota gets 40 mpg



My Harley gets 35 around town and 40 on the highway at 65 or 32 at 90-100 mph, and I actually enjoy driving it.


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## ba1614 (Mar 17, 2011)

midcan5 said:


> I am often puzzled by the negative attitude towards American industry? When did this start and why? It is as if a company that built the country and provided a middle class life for millions is now somehow a bad thing? Toyota is killing people with technical flaws but GM gets criticized for one driver's results? And it makes no sense to argue the technical issues as the idea is not based in technology but in prejudice against our own nation's major car builder. (While I can guess the source, I wonder at the biased tools who just follow.) The curious irony is the same people who criticize GM are generally big fans of corporate power and laissez-faire economics. Yesterday I am listening to commentators on the Japanese tragedy and they are discussing the impact on the auto business, and someone notes how this will help the Korean car makers. WTF happened to buying American and supporting America I wonder. As Pogo said long ago we have met the enemy and the enemy is us.
> 
> http://www.usmessageboard.com/economy/128477-did-obama-save-gm-3.html#post2607852



 As always, build a product people want, at an affordable price, and people will buy it. Build an over-priced piece of shit, and they'll tell you to get fucked. If the government is involved in trying to Force feed the people that "over-priced piece of shit", well then you are going to get a little heat for it. I'm not sure what is surprising here?


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## martybegan (Mar 17, 2011)

midcan5 said:


> I am often puzzled by the negative attitude towards American industry? When did this start and why? It is as if a company that built the country and provided a middle class life for millions is now somehow a bad thing? Toyota is killing people with technical flaws but GM gets criticized for one driver's results? And it makes no sense to argue the technical issues as the idea is not based in technology but in prejudice against our own nation's major car builder. (While I can guess the source, I wonder at the biased tools who just follow.) The curious irony is the same people who criticize GM are generally big fans of corporate power and laissez-faire economics. Yesterday I am listening to commentators on the Japanese tragedy and they are discussing the impact on the auto business, and someone notes how this will help the Korean car makers. WTF happened to buying American and supporting America I wonder. As Pogo said long ago we have met the enemy and the enemy is us.
> 
> http://www.usmessageboard.com/economy/128477-did-obama-save-gm-3.html#post2607852



The toyota random accelerator issue has been pretty much debunked.  (note this is an article that is acutally critical of toyota's handling of the situation, but admits the issue wasnt electronics)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/opinion/09wed2.html

The reason people prefer japanese designed cars is simple, in that the most popular models are basically indestructable, kind of like american cars back in the 50's and 60's. There are plenty of cases of hondas and nissans running like clockwork after 200k miles of hell. There are unfortunately fewer stories about american made cars nowadays.


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