Chevrolet Volt to Achieve 230 MPG: GM

General Motors (GM) said on Tuesday that its new Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid electric car is expected to get 230 MPG in city driving. This would be more than 4x the mileage of the current MPG champion, the Toyota Prius.

These are preliminary numbers based on GM testing, however, not official EPA estimates. If in fact the numbers are confirmed by the EPA, this will be the first car to achieve triple-digits, much less 200+ MPG, in EPA testing. The Volt, which operates differently than current hybrid cars, is expected in late 2010.

While current hybrids, like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight use a gasoline motor in concert with a smaller electric motor to power the drivetrain, the Volt will use an electric motor exclusively to move the vehicle, with a smaller gasoline motor used to recharge the batteries. Additionally, the Volt will need to be plugged in to charge at night.

Additionally, while most cars get more MPG on the highway, the Volt would not. The car has a 40 mile range once charged overnight; if a person drives the Volt less than 40 miles, in theory they could go without using gasoline. Highway driving would require the gasoline engine and be much less. The maximum range of the car is estimated to be 300 miles.

Figures for the Volt's highway and combined city / highway MPG have not yet been calculated, according to GM. As noted above, because of more use of the gasoline engine, the combined mileage, while still in the triple digits, will be much lower than city driving.

One problem for GM will be the price of the Volt. It is expected to cost about $40,000, and even then may not make a profit for GM. Even with $4 a gallon gasoline, that may not make the car cost-effective for consumers.

Future generations will see cost reductions and efficiencies kick in, but GM has hopes that expected government tax credits and fuel savings make it cost-effective, attractive, even at that price. It will surely bring back the cost-of-ownership debate which was sparked by the Toyota Prius; things like the cost of replacing the lithium-ion batteries are not usually mentioned, but need to be considered.

Another thing that has some utility operators concerned: worries over whether electric systems will be able to handle the surge of power required as consumers reach home and plug in their cars in a relatively short period of time, possibly overwhelming the grid.