General Motors has said its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car should get 230 miles per gallon (98 kmpl) of gasoline in city driving, more than four times the current champion, the Toyota Prius. The Volt is powered by an electric motor and a battery pack with a 40-mile (65-kilometer) range. After that, a small internal combustion engine kicks in to generate electricity for a total range of 300 miles (480 kilometers). The battery pack can be recharged from a standard home outlet.
GM is marketing the 230-mile (370-kilometer) figure following early tests using draft guidelines from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for calculating the mileage of extended range electric vehicles. The EPA guidelines, developed with guidance from automakers, figure that cars like the Volt will travel more on straight electricity in the city than on the highway. If a person drives the Volt less than 40 miles (65 kilometers), in theory they could go without using gasoline.