Posts Tagged Electric Vehicles

Chevrolet announced on Aug. 11 that the upcoming Volt will get 230 miles per gallon. Don’t get too excited though—that number is a bit misleading. In fact, even the EPA has said that it is yet to confirm that number.

The Volt will have an electric-only range of about 40 miles. After the batteries are drained, a gas-powered generator will start up and recharge the batteries as the vehicle is driving. Chevy says that with the gas generator the range will be extended by about 300 miles. So, the total range is 340 miles on a full battery and a tank of gas, which is expected to be about eight gallons. That is, if my math is correct, about 43 mpg.

But what if you drove 30 miles every day for a month and recharged the vehicle every night? That would be about 900 miles without using a drop of gasoline. How do you calculate the mpg then?

So, how did they come up with 230 mpg? That number is a bit complicated. The EPA has a draft method to convert electricity usage to a miles-per-gallon equivalent. This calculation is more of an energy usage comparison to help consumers get an idea of the cost to operate the vehicle. The EPA realized some time ago that consumers needed a way to compare energy consumption of standard vehicles to alternative fuel vehicles, such as plug-ins and EVs. That’s where this formula comes in. Unfortunately, I don’t fully understand it, so if you do, please help us out.

There has been tons of chatter on the internet about Chevy’s 230 mpg marketing, including this and this. Certainly, Chevy nailed their viral marketing leading up to the announcement. Plenty of forums had people guessing, and some people did some real investigation trying to undercover what the vague 230 ads were talking about.

Actual range and electricity costs for the Volt will vary significantly depending on driving habits and utility rates. If you start with a full charge and a full tank and then drive a very long distance, then you’re going to rely more on gasoline. If you keep all your trips short and recharge as frequently as possible, then you’ll be relying on electricity.

However, maybe Chevy is doing us a favor? If we’re trying to compare energy consumption, then the EPA formula is something to consider. For the average consumer, will the Chevy Volt really consume 1/10th as much energy as a car rated at 23 mpg? As far as I can tell from the absurdly complex EPA document, I think that’s what the formula, and the Volt’s massive rating, is trying to tell us.

Ultimately, be ready for mass confusion when consumers think they’ll get 1,880 miles of travel off an eight-gallon tank and a full charge.