http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/ Engadget Comments for Chevy Volt nabs shaky 230 MPG rating, might not ship in 2010 http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/That is your miles per gallon. Period. No recharges / refills.]]>Oct 9th 2009 10:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 10:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
The only reasonable way to rate series hybrids like this is to give them a dual rating: Miles per kilowatt AND miles per gallon. When you're operating in EV mode, you go off the miles per kilowatt rating. When the gas engine starts up, you begin calculating in miles per gallon. Otherwise, why don't they just claim infinite miles per gallon? If your commute is 12 miles each way (and mine is), then I'd be getting infinite mpg. Of course that would be a ridiculous and inaccurate claim - just as ridiculous and inaccurate as 230mpg.
]]>Aug 11th 2009 3:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 12th 2009 1:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 12th 2009 1:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 19th 2009 2:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/']]>Aug 11th 2009 9:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
GM is pretty much guaranteed to fuck this up. I'd say there's only about a 3% chance they'll EVER be able to turn a profit by selling EVs, about a 20% chance that the Volt as we know it doesn't EVER get released, and about a 75% chance this thing doesn't drop in 2010.

SET FAIL!]]>Aug 11th 2009 10:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 2:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 10:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 10:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
With a 40 mile electricity-only range, there are many people who will not use a drop of gas during a regular work week. Those people need to know just how much juice is it using to charge the batteries overnight. We can't keep shoehorning new technology into our old standards.]]>Aug 11th 2009 10:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
yeah, it runs on pixie dust and rainbows.]]>Aug 11th 2009 10:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 12:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 1:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
It would cost me $1.28 to completely charge the battery from empty.]]>Aug 11th 2009 2:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
It also turns out my off-peak rate is only $0.05/KWh.

My math was wrong, charging price for the Volt at my house would be $0.50. Not bad for 40 miles.

My prius is averaging 50MPG, and with gas prices at $2.58 I would only manage about 9.5 miles at $0.50.]]>Aug 11th 2009 3:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
This is nothing more than a stunt to get the stock price up, so someone can make a profit, before it comes crashing down.

I already worked this math months ago
http://blog.whitesites.com/Chevy-Volt-Charging-Math-doesn-t-add-up__633585085743050177_blog.htm
]]>Aug 11th 2009 5:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:11AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
CARS was clearly a political move to put money into the UAW. One thing's for sure, the current administration looks to heavily support union labor given this program, health care (think about it... unions won't have to pay for healthcare plans now... but your dues will stay the same...), Union Organizing Act and who knows what else on the horizon. You'd think they had ties to the union in some way... like granting him the power to pass all this legislation while making the unions more powerful so they can back him in his re-election...
]]>Aug 11th 2009 9:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 10:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
1. The Volt is not big. It's underpinned by the Delta II platform, which is the same as the upcoming Chevy Cruze (replacement for the Cobalt).

2. Bob Lutz went on Letterman because a couple weeks before Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, had been on showing off the Tesla Model S and didn't correct Letterman when he slammed the Volt and GM for the 40 mile range without mentioning the range extender.

3. This car is as efficient if not more efficient than the Prius (one of the most aerodynamic production cars) in the wind tunnel, and was designed mostly with aerodynamics in mind. However, as a designer the challenge is creating a form that achieves this efficiency while maintaining appeal. This brings me to my next point:

4. To each his own, but wait to see it in person before making a judgment on its looks. Place this next to a Prius, and the Prius looks stodgy. The Volt a stunning car live.]]>Aug 11th 2009 12:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Oh, so THIS was the thing behind those damn commercials on Hulu. I never looked into it, just waited until today to find out.

Well, now I know.

*whistles as I walk away knowing why*

]]>Aug 11th 2009 9:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
]]>Aug 11th 2009 10:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/That logo looks like the number 23 to me, not 230. What a dumb marketing decision.

]]>Aug 11th 2009 10:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 11:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 3:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 14th 2009 11:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 10:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 10:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 12:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
Every engine, however, has a perfect power to fuel use point. That is, at a specific power output level, the engine is using the least amount of fuel per horsepower possible for that particular engine's design. Ideally, if you want to maximize fuel economy, you'd run the engine at this power level at all times. Now you can't do that when the engine is driving the wheels directly, the output power of the engine is constantly changing based on the demands of driving. If you want to go faster you push on the gas pedal which delivers more fuel to the engine, if you want to slow down you let up on the pedal which delivers less fuel, etc. So the engine is rarely running in it's most fuel efficient power range.

Using the engine as a generator to charge batteries to drive an electric motor, however, changes everything. You can now run the engine in it's perfect output range, using the least amount of fuel-per-horsepower possible. Stopped at a light, on the freeway, and everywhere in between, the engine stays in that perfect range and the electric motor, which is much more efficient, gets to handle the stop & go duties. Even accounting for the losses in power conversion, a series hybrid like this is still much more efficient than the "old way" of using engine power to drive the wheels.

You know how you get better gas mileage on the freeway vs. the city? It's like that, except as far as the engine's power (and fuel use) is concerned, you're always on the freeway and the cruise is always set in the optimal position.]]>Aug 11th 2009 4:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/The Volt is a perfect solution for an all electric car and here is why. You can use whatever fuel source you want to in place of the gasoline engine. You can use a diesel engine, a fuel cell, a hydrogen powered engine, a propane engine, etc., etc. Anything that can convert fuel into electricity can be retrofit to power this vehicle and keep the batteries charged as a back up generator. And you can plug the car in at home to charge it from the grid, solar, wind, or whatever you use to generate power in your house to power the majority of your commute.

Trains, large industrial equipment, large ships, all use a similar type of propulsion. Many of these vehicles all have diesel or turbine engines that run a generator that powers an electric motor to propel the vehicle.

This method of propulsion is also very efficient. In a normal car, you lose a lot of energy going through transmissions and because of the constant throttle position changes of the engine. In the Volt, the engine can pretty much run at a constant speed to charge the battery and then shut off when the battery is full. Engines are more efficient at certain RPM ranges. Also the engine is directly coupled to a generator which eliminates the necessity and inefficiency of a transmission. Also the engine can be much smaller than those in a traditional vehicle.

Finally, the Volt's power train eliminates one of the downsides of a Tesla. You don't get stuck on the side of the road if you run out of electricity because you have a backup generator with you to recharge if needed. Also, if the batteries die, the smaller size of the Volt's batteries compared to the Tesla's mean they will be much cheaper to replace in the Volt.

I don't care if GM comes out with a car with this type of propulsion system first or someone beats them to it. This is the future of electric vehicles because of how flexible a platform like the Volt's can be. It is the best combination of an electric vehicle and a traditional fueled vehicle. It allows us to continue to use current fuel infrastructure in the interim time between the switch to hydrogen as a primary fuel source since hydrogen is obviously the best choice for future fuel because of its abundance.]]>Aug 11th 2009 10:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 9:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 12:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
A better solution would arise if someone were to ask why it should be necessary to drive 20 miles to work and back just to sit in front of a computer and talk on a phone - activities that could be done anywhere.]]>Aug 11th 2009 9:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
I was just commenting to my wife that during the week just going to and from work we would not use any gasoline. Sure we'd be paying for electricity to charge overnight, but from what I understand that is a lot cheaper.]]>Aug 11th 2009 9:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
Management has a hard time with telecommuters. It's hard to quantify work hours. They also have to pay for at least part of the user's internet connection, and phone bill. Then you have the IT issues. Do you allow the user to connect their personal computer to the company over a vpn(fuck no!), well then you have to issue them a computer. Now how do you keep the software up to date? Sure auto update works, but only if they keep the computer running 24/7. Now you have to pay for part of their electric bill. Then comes the time IT needs to update/install a new piece of software. They don't want to give the user the license key(no really, that's a bad idea), so they have to remote desktop the machine. Wait! They have the slowest dsl connection available, because the bean counters decided that a 512kb connection was all they were going to pay for. Or, the user is half way across the country, or even in another country. Yea, it sounds good on paper, but in the end it's a big pain in the ass.]]>Aug 11th 2009 11:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 11:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/
Over 95% of my electricity here in the Pacific Northwest comes from hydroelectric. It really is the ultimate green power. Now, we just need to get the price of these cars way, way down. $40k is ridiculous. Get 'em closer to $20k and I'll trade my Hummer in on one, but for now, it's cheaper to keep feeding the Hummer.

]]>Aug 11th 2009 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/What a garbage report on the Volt, . 4 Prototypes? they produced already more than 30 Volt's for testing and they are used in daily driving around Arizona and Michigan. Why all that negativity? I think its a big step forward to get the country off the oil addiction. GM needs all the support they can get. Taxpayers are part owner so why would you shoot yourself in the back by avoiding GM products?]]>Aug 11th 2009 9:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/11/chevy-volt-nabs-shaky-230-mpg-rating-might-not-ship-in-2010/Aug 11th 2009 3:10PM