German Car Forum

Well, I think it would be quite fair if they said it was a 1 l/100 km car. If that is the fact. But why say that no gas is used to get that number?

*watching the news* Looks like this thing will be $40k.

40K is too much, IMO. As it is, the cost of a Prius or Insight don't outweigh the benefits from maintaining your current car past 200K miles, then why pay 40K for this car?

How much does a Prius or an Insight cost in the US?

Prius runs for about $21k -$28k. Insight is a little cheaper...maybe around $18k - $25k.

The scent of marketing BS stung it my eyes the second I saw the title to the thread. City driving is different from normal driving in the real world, especially the the hybrid happen to stay below the speeds what permits the electric engine to drive without needing some extra punch for a good old combustion engine. It won't take more than a one day's use of the car to deem this statement bogus.

According to the news, the car will still get triple digit mpg numbers city/highway combined. So we shall see!

Yeah, I think you're about right.

It will be interesting to see how the market will respond to the Volts price tag. Of course if it really delivers 230 mpg, I doubt that it will have a problem selling "if" we successfully get through this recession. Then again it depends on if people will have enough faith in GM to buy their product over the reliable Prius. Even the insight isn't getting the sales numbers like the prius and it's far less in price.

Apperntly this is how they got the 230mpg figure:

The Nissan leaf which is a pure EV, got 367mpg rating - have no idea how they got the figure - maybe some electric power sucked from the grid to recharge to gasoline conversion.

http://www.leftlanenews/nissan-leaf-...t-367-mpg.html

I think it has to do solely with the immediate environmental aspect: the use of fuel over a certain distance or period of time.

It's an indirect miles per gallon in that sense. While a normal car uses a certain amount of fuel to power it over a certain distance, the Volt uses fuel to run a generator that ultimately powers an electric motor to the wheels. So while fuel isn't being burnt constantly, the electricity needed to move a certain distance requires a certain amount of fuel to be burned.

Think of it this way: Producing X amount of electricity will drive you Y miles, but in order to produce X amount of electricity, Z gallons of gas must be used. So you ultimately end up with the figure Y miles per Z gallons.

I think that has more to do with the snobs who buy Priuses in the first place. (Can you be a brand snob about Priuses now?)

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the Prius, its goals, its aim, even its looks; but every time I see one being driven around with a thousand bumper stickers boasting about how "clean" it is, with "low emissions" and bunny rabbit hugging engineering, I want to puke.

Awwww, now don't be like that... you might end up looking like Paris Hilton.

Just know that it's marketing at its best (or worst) and you'll be able to retain your meals.

Oh, it's going to be a hit with Gov. Agencies and Hollywood.

Yes, yes you can be a brand snob with Prius' now. That's why Toyota was thinking about Turning Prius into a brand.

As for the problem with douche's...err...I mean Prius drivers. Well, watch the South Park episode called "Smug Alert", it's pretty much how it is, especially since I live in California.

What's the maximum speed on electric drive?

Pardon my ignorance, but what is so amazing about this Chevrolet Volt?

It appears to me, to be just another ugly hybrid, primarily designed to please the econazi lobby and it will be driven by stupid tree-huggers.

It is amazing to get 230 mpg without using gas

That smells like bs to me.

BS or not it will be more beneficial then another M or AMG car. It's really a matter of saving money. I believe the $40k sticker is way to much, but even if it can produce a combine triple digit mpg it will make history. Plus I highly doubt that all the customers will be tree huggers, if so the same goes for the S400 Hybrid and 750h (or what ever BMW is calling their hybrid).

Yes, of course it will be more beneficial than a new M or AMG, because what we need now is for average Joe to get a car the takes less fuel. M and AMG have a very marginal impact (none), what the ordinary man does, however, have a huge impact. Therefore, these cars need to be cheap. Otherwise, the companies are just showing off..

Regarding tree huggers, in my experience, the tend to steer clear of German premium brands, first of all, because these companies are regarded as evil and second, people sitting in trees all day cannot afford them.

^Do you remember hearing anything about the tree huggers getting upset at Benz for their extensive use of leather? For some reason, I remember hearing that a few years ago.

Apparently, we're not the only ones trying to figure out the exact methodology that was used to determine the supposed 230 mile per gallon city rating claimed by General Motors for the upcoming Chevy Volt. In response to a query from the boys at Green Car Advisor, the EPA issued the following statement:

"EPA has not tested a Chevy Volt and therefore cannot confirm the fuel economy values claimed by GM. EPA does applaud GM's commitment to designing and building the car of the future - an American-made car that will save families money, significantly reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create good-paying American jobs. We're proud to see American companies and American workers leading the world in the clean energy innovations that will shape the 21st century economy".

Although it deserves noting that GM CEO Fritz Henderson didn't exactly say the 230 mpg rating was an official figure from the EPA, it sure is being bandied about as if it were gospel in the huge marketing campaign launched ahead of today's announcement.

When contacted for comment, GM told AutoblogGreen that the EPA is not backing away from the 230 numbers and that it's unlikely that the EPA will come out with a much lower number when they actually get to run a Volt through the official cycle. Further, GM believes that coming out with the 230 rating at this point in time is one way to change people's perception of what kind of car the Volt is.

- EPA backs away from GM claim of 230 mpg for Volt — Autoblog

Chevy Volt Home Charging -











- http://www.autobloggreen.com/gallery...me-chargers/#4

For comparison the EPA rating for the Mini e is just above 100 MPGge (Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent). Here's the sticker:

The Euro plug is a bit different, and can also handle 400 Volt.



http://www.mennekes.de/web/screen?ID...en%2F%5C%5D%5D