High Voltage: New Chevy Volt Boasts 230 mpg

Wow! 230 miles-per-gallon!  GM says its new Chevy Volt gets 230 mpg in the city and 100 mpg on the highway.

Wait a minute? Isn't the car suppose to get more miles-per-gallon on the highway? Well, as I now understand it, yes and no.

First, GM says the Volt can only go 40 miles on a single charge and it must charge its lithium-ion batteries 8-hours a day.  But, it also has a gas powered, "range extending" engine that powers the generator past the 40-mile mark. So, GM say you can rack up 230 miles per gallon during city driving because you'll barely tap into the gas powered, "range extending" engine.  Meanwhile, if you have a long road trip, one gallon of gas is suppose to give you about 100 miles.

Most importanly to me, the Volt looks great and hopefully it has some performance.  That was always my knock on hybrids and electric cars.  They looked terrible and there was no head snapping acceleration.  Plus, if you really did the math, you weren't saving money in the long run, saving the environment, maybe. 

But, the Volt is actually cool enough to buy. And, if it delivers some performance and 230 mpg in the city...SAAAWWEEET.