General Motors’ ‘Volt’ Car Will Get up to 230 Miles Per Gallon, GM Says

The electric Chevrolet Volt will achieve a fuel rating of 230 miles per gallon in city driving and will get more than 100 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving, according to General Motors. GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson said drivers will achieve the higher fuel economy rating when relying primarily on the electric engine, which can run 40 miles on a charge before a small gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the battery. The Volt is scheduled to come to market in 2011, and General Motors is counting on the car to help change its image as a producer of outmoded gas guzzlers. “Having a car that gets triple-digit fuel economy will be a game changer for us,” Henderson told reporters and analysts. Toyota’s Hybrid Prius gets roughly 50 miles per gallon in city driving, and Nissan is developing an all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, that it claims will get the equivalent of 367 miles per gallon. Henderson said the Volt’s battery can be recharged in 8 hours using a regular electrical outlet, but be acknowledged that city dwellers — a prime audience for the Volt — at this point have no way to charge the Volt if they park on the street.