Don't just vote, stake your claim and post it. As the poll creator, I don't want to sway the poll so I'm going to post mine later (it's the same that I posted many times before).
I think just the opposite. I believe the more times the car is stopped and restarted the more consumption. Electric motors, especially with no transmission, use more energy to start than to keep rolling. There's a price to pay for that maximum torque at 0+ revolutions. Brake regen won't be a factor because it's not efficient enough....My second prediction... hwy and city mileage will be the same in the charge sustaining mode...
Weight I will give you, the Volt is about 700lbs heavier and that should account for a couple of mpg points. The Volt is as aerodynamic as a Prius, perhaps better.Originally Posted by dagwood55
The Prius can get 53 because it is very aerodynamic, it is relatively light (3050lbs) and the power transmission is efficient. The Volt is behind in each of those three criteria.
That would disappoint a lot of GM engineers, who have been working for years so that the car can get 40 miles on 8 kWh (half the 16 kWh li-ion battery).At a constant 70 MPH, Tom’s Simulation (which is best I’ve seen without actually having the proprietary information) predicts the Volt can travel about 28 miles on 8 kWh, so that equates to an electric efficiency of 3.5 miles/kWh.
Clearly Texas hasn't voted yet, if I remember correctly his prediction was <30 MPG at 70 MPH from a previous post.
Your cited thread uses the wrong EPA test for highway driving; this test was changed in 2008 to be more realistic. Tom says Hwy max speed is 60 mph, mean is 48.2 mph. This was true in 2007 and earlier (well, 48.3 mph). But the change in 2008 specifically added Higher speeds; harder acceleration & braking, and they changed the max speed to 80 mph.The Volt gets 40 miles range in either the EPA hwy or city cycle, which happens to average 48mph speeds.. that is a big stretch to 70mph steady on a hwy. There is no EPA 70-Hwy cycle used to compare cars to each other.
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719
At this point, my vote is the lone 36-40mpg entry, based on a dash of pessimism and the fact that I never drive without the environmental system operating in some mode.The new EPA measurements, started in 2008, add tests at High Speed highway, with Air Conditioning, and Cold Temperature driving.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/fe_test_schedules.shtml
But with plug-in hybrids, the test will be different, again.
My gen2 Prius, on dead level highways running around 70mph really only gets around 46 MPG.
From that, I'm guessing about 40 mpg.4:46
Mark Duvall:
You can drive plug-in hybrids or extended range EVs (the Volt) without ever plugging them in. * You would get approximately the fuel economy of a good gasoine-only hybrid. * So better than a gasoline car, but not nearly as good as it could be---so plug it in!
What I'm getting from that is that it will do the same as a Prius (46?), but the car will cost more. That is, unless he's fibbing about the Volt being as good as a good hybrid.Anyone catch this from the Q&A a few days ago?
From that, I'm guessing about 40 mpg.Mark Duvall:
You can drive plug-in hybrids or extended range EVs (the Volt) without ever plugging them in. * You would get approximately the fuel economy of a good gasoine-only hybrid. * So better than a gasoline car, but not nearly as good as it could be---so plug it in!