Chevy Volt Gets MPGe Rating By The EPA – 93 MPGe
General Motors says the new Chevy Volt gets the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving powered by electricity. Thats according to estimates from the U-S Environmental Protection Agency. GM says the plug-in car gets 37 MPG when running on its gasoline-powered generator. These are important figures as these mileage test results will be on the Volt’s window sticker on dealer parking lots. Nissan looks to have won the MPG battle as they already announced that their Leaf all-electric car would get an estimated 99 MPG in combined city and highway driving. This puts the average annual fuel cost for the Leaf at $561 and $601 for the Volt if both are run strictly on electric. Both the Leaf and Volt are to go on sale here in the next month. The Chevy Volt is priced at $41,000, though buyers may qualify for an up to $7,500 federal tax credit. The Nissan Leaf starts at $33,800 with shipping and also qualifies for the federal credit.
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.
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