GM claims the Volt has a 300-mile range after the gasoline engine ignites, but the company hasn't released what the size of the Volt's gas tank will be. Engineers have said it could be as small as 8.5 gallons - and 300 miles on 8.5 gallons means the car might be no more efficient than 35 mpg.
Your mileage, then, will vary greatly based on how far you drive. For 40 miles, the Volt uses no gas. After that, it's probably going to net about 35 mpg.
SHOOT: Basically it works out to be more efficient the less you drive, which isn't a complete waste of time.
General Motors jolted the automotive world yesterday by announcing that its upcoming electric-drive Chevy Volt will earn an EPA city mileage rating of 230 mpg. It's an astounding claim - one that would make the Volt more than four times as efficient as the Toyota Prius. And yet, even the federal government says it can't back up GM's math.
What's going on here?
The Volt is one of several so-called Extended-Range Electric Vehicles, or EREVs, in development. An EREV functions as an electric car until its batteries are depleted to a certain level; then it starts a small gasoline engine. That engine, however, doesn't drive the wheels - it merely acts as a generator to recharge the batteries. The Volt, GM says, can travel about 40 miles at any speed before its onboard generator kicks in.
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