GM's Volt To Get 230 Miles Per Gallon......Sort Of.
It has been a while since we talked about the Volt. Now's a good time given GM is cranking up its marketing on the car. The car's engine really doesn't get 230 miles per gallon but the dynamics of the car's design allow it to travel 230 miles using only a gallon of gasoline in specific situations. As we have discussed before, the Volt's powertrain is a very unique electromotive design. ie, Much like modern rail locomotives.
The biggest problem with the Volt as we have remarked before is the anticipated price tag - $40-45K. This is not a mainstream product unless GM somehow subsidizes the purchase or maintains some special program for the battery packs. It's just too expensive. That said, this is a rolling testbed of sorts and is a very important product for the auto industry. If nothing else, it will allow engineers to capture real-world feedback on a nontraditional powertrain. This could lead to further advances and improvements in coming years. (That's why I call it a rolling testbed.)
The Cruze will be a more important model for GM given its expected price tag is around $19K and it is expected to achieve mileage similar to the Prius in a standard nonhybrid powertrain. (Dependent somewhat on whether it employs HCCI in early models.)
The biggest problem with the Volt as we have remarked before is the anticipated price tag - $40-45K. This is not a mainstream product unless GM somehow subsidizes the purchase or maintains some special program for the battery packs. It's just too expensive. That said, this is a rolling testbed of sorts and is a very important product for the auto industry. If nothing else, it will allow engineers to capture real-world feedback on a nontraditional powertrain. This could lead to further advances and improvements in coming years. (That's why I call it a rolling testbed.)
The Cruze will be a more important model for GM given its expected price tag is around $19K and it is expected to achieve mileage similar to the Prius in a standard nonhybrid powertrain. (Dependent somewhat on whether it employs HCCI in early models.)
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