Chevrolet Volt Gets EPA Sticker: 93MPG On All-Electric

A car isn't really a piece of computer hardware. It's made of up lots of them, though, and Chevrolet's Volt holds a special place in the hearts of technology freaks. For years, people have watched the Volt progress from a concept, into a car with a questionable future, into a car that's all-but-ready for release. Now, the final hurdle is upon General Motors. The Chevy Volt is expected to debut on American car lots as a 2011 model, and the biggest question surrounding it was just how good would the gas mileage be.

Now we know. The EPA has just revealed the MPG sticker for the 2011 Volt, and it's impressive. The math to figure up these figures is fairly complicated, but the car has received a 93MPG equivalent when running in all-electric mode, and a 37MPG rating for gas-only. Somewhere in-between is where it's likely to land in real-world use, and that's not bad at all.

Will you be standing in line to get the technology lover's car? Does this EPA sticker make up your mind one way or the other?

Volt gets new fuel economy label to go with new drive system

DETROIT – When the 2011 Volt begins arriving in Chevrolet showrooms over the next few weeks it will have an all-new fuel economy label to go with its unique propulsion system.

With its ability to operate completely gasoline- and emissions-free for 25 to 50 miles and then continue indefinitely with its range- extending engine, the Volt’s energy efficiency depends on how you use it.

Because the Volt works like no other car before it, General Motors and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency collaborated to design a new label to help consumers understand what to expect when they drive the Volt.  Before plug-in cars like the Volt, calculating fuel economy was simply a matter of filling the tank with fuel, driving the vehicle and dividing the distance by the amount of fuel consumed.

Even though they have no tailpipe emissions, electric cars still use energy so the MPG equivalent (MPGe) is determined by measuring electricity use and converting it based on the energy content in a gallon of gasoline.  This MPGe rating allows consumers to compare the Volt’s efficiency to other cars in its segment.

The Volt uses two energy sources, electricity from the grid, and gasoline from the pump, with the mix depending on how far you drive and how often you charge the battery. The Volt is a complex vehicle that is incredibly easy to use.  And while the new fuel economy label also looks complex, it has more information than any EPA label before it.