How GM "Lied" About The Electric Car

[Javaman]

(sooooooprise,sooooooprise,sooooooprise)

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-gm-lied-about-the-electric-car-2010-10

The Chevy Volt has been hailed as General Motors' electric savior. Now, as GM officially rolls out the Volt this week for public consumption, we're told the much-touted fuel economy was misstated and GM "lied" about the car being all-electric.

>snip<

Let's see what they've found out. Popular Mechanics saw just 37.5 MPG in city driving. Car and Driver apparently didn't choose to use their wheel time for any city driving — but found with all-electric driving:

"...getting on the nearest highway and commuting with the 80-mph flow of traffic-basically the worst-case scenario-yielded 26 miles; a fairly spirited back-road loop netted 31; and a carefully modulated cruise below 60 mph pushed the figure into the upper 30s."

Motor Trend, like the rest of the trade press other than Popular Mechanics, didn't appear to do any testing in city conditions, but did find that:
"Without any plugging in, should return fuel economy in the high 30s to low 40s."

They also parrot GM's new line of 25-50 miles of all-electric — a far cry from the 230 MPG they originally marketed — that the "Volt provides 25-50 miles of real-world electric operation no matter how hard you flog it."


Much more at link...

[Obamanaut]

1. But it doesn't matter - it's not an import. We. Must. Love. It. nt

[pokercat999]

2. The 2011 Ford Fiesta all gas is rated at 40 mpg hwy with

the automatic transmission. I read that Ford had made an agreement with a micro turbine manufacturer to use their small turbines in a future all electric Ford. That was over a year ago but I've seen nothing since.

[blue_onyx]

3. GM didn't say it was all electric

It's always been advertised as a plug-in hybrid. That article sounds about as "fair and balanced" as Fox News.

[itsrobert]

4. This article doesn't look right

I got my bullcrap meter going off.

[Rincewind]

10. Mine too

I remember reading several months ago that the Volt could go up to 40 miles on the battery alone, and could get around 40 miles per gallon on it's gas engine. So, it appears to work as advertised, how it that lying?

[Motown_Johnny]

5. I need more than one source for this (and that source is somewhat questionable)

If what they say here is true then the MSM should pick up on it




for now I am withholding judgment

[Kolesar]

6. worst-case scenario-yielded 26 miles...or miles per gallon??

This writing is Terrible

[itsrobert]

7. Looks like the Business Insider is a new type of "Shock" site

"Business Insider is a business news site launched in February 2009. It is the overarching brand beneath which fall the Silicon Alley Insider (launched May 16, 2007) and Clusterstock (launched March 20, 2008) verticals. The site breaks and analyzes business news and acts as an aggregator of top news stories from around the web, each with an "edgy" commentary. Their original works are often times cited by other larger global publications such as the New York Times <1> and domestic news outlets like NPR <2>"

From wikipedia

They try to be "edgy" to be relevant.

[madrchsod]

8. toddd in the comment section has the real facts

[hunter]

9. Except for vacations I drive my car less than 40 miles.

Never faster than 55 mph on flat ground.

The longest trip I commonly make is 9 miles, there and back, total 18 miles.

If I plugged it in every night would I have to buy gasoline or not?