The Chevy Volt, GM's much anticipated electric car, will be a sipper, not a guzzler, getting an astounding 230 miles per gallon in the city, the company said.
The Volt runs on a battery that can be recharged by its 1.4-liter gasoline engine. That will allow it to top Toyota's vaunted Prius by more than four-fold, according to Bloomberg News. The 2011 Volt is due out next year and will cost around $40,000.
GM CEO Fritz Henderson announced the rating and combined city-highway mileage of more than 100 mpg Tuesday at GM’s technical center in Warren, Michigan. But some experts said the claim, using a new federal Environmental Protection Agency formula, is misleading. The Volt will be able to go 40 miles on a single charge before the gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the battery. The in-city claim likely means drivers are going fewer miles between recharging, so it's no wonder little gas is used, they say.
U.S. & World
GM is banking on the Volt as it tries to remake itself following a short stint under bankruptcy protection.
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