General Motors Co. said Wednesday that its Chevy Volt will carry an overall fuel economy rating of 60 miles per gallon, topping the Toyota Prius, the long-time fuel economy leader.
GM has begun to build the long-awaited Volt at a Detroit-area factory, with initial sales expected for December.
The EPA fuel-economy rating, which will be displayed on stickers on each Volt sold, was one of the last hurdles for a vehicle GM has made the center of its effort to jumpstart its reputation for technology and innovation.
The Volt carries a 400-pound lithium-ion battery pack that will allow drivers to travel about 35 miles on a full charge, according to the results of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency testing released by GM Wednesday.
For longer trips and in some conditions, the Volt also has a 1.4-liter gasoline engine that kicks in to give drivers an estimated 379 miles of range, said Doug Parks, the GM executive in charge of electric car projects.
The EPA has given the Volt a “miles-per-gallon-equivalent” — or MPGe — rating of 93, just below the 99 the Nissan Leaf assigned earlier this week.
Nissan’s all-electric car also goes on sale next month. It has an EPA-certified battery-only range of 73 miles.
Running on gas alone, the Volt will have a traditional EPA fuel economy rating of 37 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving.
After accounting for the share of the average trip expected to include some pure electric driving, the EPA gave a combined 60 miles-per-gallon rating to the Volt, GM said.
By comparison, Toyota’s 2011 Prius has an EPA rating of 51 mpg city/48 highway.
compare the Volt to the new Chevy Cruze which gets 40 mpg. The Cruze costs $600-$800 more per year in gas , but the purchase price is over $20 K less. You would have to drive the Volt for over 15 years to make up the difference. The Volt is an expensive way to save on gas.
cruze gets 29mpg
costs 13k less
so by your estimaite it takes 8 years to make up the difference
good deal
I Hate Chevy so i don`t knw which one of you is right but… one of you is either ful of SH** or has no clue. I am pretty sure i know which one by their other posts but who knows.
PS- That said, Good for GM to finally come out with the Volt. I hope it`s a decent car. Sure would be nice to keep the American Car companies growing in their build quality like they have been. Of Course they were never as bad as some said but…. thats for another day.