Autoblog

Ford C-Max Energi will have 20-mile electric range, get 95 MPGe [w/video]

Sebastian Blanco — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 18:01:00 EST

Ford's marketing strategy for its plug-in vehicles is coming into Focus (pun intended): compare, compare, compare.

When announcing the Focus Electric's 105 miles per gallon equivalent, for example, Ford made sure to note that it beats the "Nissan Leaf by 6 MPGe while also offering more motor power, passenger room and standard features. Customers can make more use of this efficiency with Ford's faster charging technology that can recharge Focus Electric in about half the time of Nissan Leaf." With the C-Max Hybrid, Ford said it would get better mileage than the Toyota Prius V. Today, Ford is revealing more details about the C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid, and the press release says it offers "nearly double electric-only range of Prius."

What does that mean, aside from some numerical chest puffery? Ford says the electric range of the Energi PHEV will be "more than 20 miles" and that the car's full-tank-of-gas-plus-electricity range is 550 miles. On top of that, the C-Max Energi is expected to get 95 MPGe (Ford expects its Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid to get 100 MPGe). It may not be saying much, but Ford also says that the Energi has a "maximum electric-only speed projected to top that of Prius plug-in." The C-Max Hybrid will be available this fall with a base price of $25,995, including destination and delivery.

Oh, by the way, Ford would like you to know that that price is "$1,300 lower than Toyota Prius V."

Watch a promotional video of the C-Max below.

Continue reading Ford C-Max Energi will have 20-mile electric range, get 95 MPGe [w/video]

Ford C-Max Energi will have 20-mile electric range, get 95 MPGe [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tesla Model S officially rated at 89 MPGe with 265-mile range

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:29:00 EST

The numbers are in, and they're looking good. According to the EPA, the Tesla Model S gets a miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) rating of 89 (combined), 88 (city) and 90 (highway). MPGe is defined as the distance a vehicle would travel on the energy contained in one gallon of gasoline, though of course the Model S runs on electrons, not gas.

To compare, other pure electric cars on the market include the Honda Fit at 118 combined MPGe, the Mitsubishi i with 112 MPGe, the Ford Focus Electric with 105 MPGe and the Nissan Leaf with "just" 99 MPGe. Even at the bottom of this particular list, these are impressive numbers for the Model S, meaning it makes efficient use of the energy available in its battery.

Tesla says the range has been declared to be 265 miles using the EPA's five-cycle testing procedure, which makes it the long-range mileage champ of the production electric car world. Using the EPA's older two-cycle testing protocol, the Model S would score more than 300 miles per charge - significantly greater than the 244 miles managed by the older Tesla Roadster. Still, that range figure only applies to the top-of-the-line version with the 85-kWh battery that starts at $69,900. There will be Model S sedans available with considerably less range and a smaller price tag, as well as a Performance model starting at $84,900.

We're on the lookout for more information from Tesla, and we expect it'll come before the first deliveries take place this Friday at the company's Fremont factory in California.

Tesla Model S officially rated at 89 MPGe with 265-mile range originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

2013 Chevy Volt increases range to 38 electric miles, 98 MPGe

Sebastian Blanco — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:59:00 EST

And thus the mid-cycle product refresh - so common to computers and cellphones - comes around again to GM's plug-in hybrid.

The new EPA sticker for the 2013 Chevrolet Volt has been released, and with it comes a fresh set of numbers. The highlights are an improved all-electric range and miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) rating: 38 miles and 98 MPGe - that's three miles of additional electric range and five more MPGe than last year. GM said in a statement today that "minor changes to the material composition of the battery cell chemistry" and a boost in overall battery capacity from 16 kWh to 16.5 are responsible for the increase. Allowing the car to use more of that capacity - 10.8 kWh now, up from 10.3 before - also helps. Unsurprisingly, the bigger battery also gives the Volt a slightly longer recharge time.

As previously reported, the 2013 Volt also gets a new "EV Hold Mode" that forces the car to burn gas and "hold" the energy in the battery for later use. "EV Hold Mode" is available on the Volt's European sister vehicle, the Opel Ampera, and early Volt buyers could sort of force their cars into this operation by engaging "Mountain Mode." Visually, the 2013 Volt will also lose the black roof and trunk backing, using the main body color for those parts (GM has yet to release new images showing this development) and gain an available lane-departure warning system.

You can compare the 2013 Volt sticker above to the 2011 model here. The important numbers from the first Volt are: 93 MPGe, 36 kWh per 100 miles, 37 mpg in gas-only mode and a 35 mile all-electric range. For 2012, the Volt improved in one category: 94 MPGe. All others remain the same.

As expected, the Volt will also be available with a special low-emissions package for California and New York giving drivers access to the states' HOV lanes with solo occupancy. For details on all 2013 Volt developments, check out the official press verbiage by scrolling below.

Continue reading 2013 Chevy Volt increases range to 38 electric miles, 98 MPGe

2013 Chevy Volt increases range to 38 electric miles, 98 MPGe originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Honda Fit EV rated at 118 MPGe with 82-mile range by EPA *UPDATE

Sebastian Blanco — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, Hatchback, Honda, Electric

It might only be available to lease in limited numbers in only a few areas, but the Honda Fit EV certainly has one thing that's tremendously good about it: an official EPA rating of 118 MPGe and a range of 82 miles. Specifically, the all-electric Fit gets 132/105/118 city/highway/combined MPGe. Honda says the little EV is the most efficient vehicle the EPA has ever tested, but we're not sure about that.

As you can see in the comparison chart Honda released for the Fit EV below, the automaker conveniently forgot to include the Tesla Roadster 2.5, which the EPA said got 119 MPGe.

Honda does say, "the 2013 Honda Fit EV tops all other EV offerings in efficiency ratings, providing the most mileage for your electric dollar," and that Roadster only got 124 MPGe on the city cycle, so maybe there's an asterisk needed somewhere. Or perhaps Honda is comparing the kWh required to go 100 miles (the Fit needs just 29, while the Roadster 2.5 uses 30). Whatever the specifics of the situation are, the Fit EV is one efficient little car, and this makes us doubly sad that Honda is treating it like a compliance car.

Leases will be begin "in select California and Oregon markets during the summer of 2012, followed by an East Coast rollout in 2013." The Fit EV will likely cost $399 a month and have an MSRP of $36,625. Last we heard, Honda only plans on making 1,100 Fit EVs for the U.S. market.

*UPDATE: As we suggested, Honda is using the kWh per 100 miles number for the calculation for "highest efficiency rating." Thus, Honda told AutoblogGreen, the Fit EV compares to the Tesla Roadster 2.5 (kWh per 100 miles, lower is better) this way:

Fit EV: City, 26 / Highway, 32 / Combined, 29
Roadster 2.5: City, 32 / Highway, 33 / Combined, 30

Thus, Honda says the Fit EV's 20-kWh battery is "much more efficient" than the Roadster's 42-kWh battery pack.

Continue reading Honda Fit EV rated at 118 MPGe with 82-mile range by EPA *UPDATE

Honda Fit EV rated at 118 MPGe with 82-mile range by EPA *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ford Focus Electric officially rated at 105 MPGe with a 76-mile range

Sebastian Blanco — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:14:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, Electric

Coming soon to select Ford dealers, at least those on the coasts, is the most efficient five-passenger car in America, the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, which the EPA has certified gets 105 miles per gallon equivalent, combined. This is better than what the Blue Oval was estimating publicly in December, when it said the all-electric Focus should get 100 MPGe. The Focus EV is also rated for 110 MPGe in the city and 99 MPGe on the highway. As you can read in the press release below, Ford is using the official numbers to go after the Nissan Leaf for the all-electric passenger car market. Ford says its new electric car:

... achieves a combined rating of 105 MPGe, topping Nissan Leaf by 6 MPGe while also offering more motor power, passenger room and standard features. Customers can make more use of this efficiency with Ford's faster charging technology that can recharge Focus Electric in about half the time of Nissan Leaf.

To compare with some other combined MPGe ratings for plug-in vehicles on the market or coming soon: the 2012 Chevrolet Volt gets 94 MPGe (one better than the 2011 model), the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid gets 95 MPGe, the Nissan Leaf gets 99 MPGe, the Mitsubishi i is rated at 112 MPGe, and the current champion, the Tesla Roadster 2.0, officially gets 119 MPGe.

The EPA also says the Focus EV will have a range of 76 miles. As Ford is quick to point out, again, that's three miles more than the Leaf. Given the variances of EV ranges based on driving style and outside influences, those three miles won't make all that much real-world difference to most people, but it does give the engineering team one more thing to brag about.

For all the comparisons that Ford makes in today's announcement, it does leave one thing out: the Leaf's one big numerical advantage. The 2012 Leaf starts at just $35,200, while the Focus EV starts at $39,200.

Continue reading Ford Focus Electric officially rated at 105 MPGe with a 76-mile range

Ford Focus Electric officially rated at 105 MPGe with a 76-mile range originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mitsubishi i rated at 112 MPGe with 62 to 98 mile range

Jeff Glucker — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:27:00 EST

Filed under: Mitsubishi, Electric

Mitsubishi i - Click above for high-res image gallery

Mitsubishi is nearly ready to join North America's nascent all-electric parade. The 2012 Mitsubishi i will be available sometime early next year, and the automotive world has been speculating on the type of electron-powered economy one can expect to achieve when behind the wheel. The speculators can take a break because the EPA has finally released its ratings for the i.

How does a mile per gallon equivalent of 126 city and 99 highway sound? That's a combined MPGe rating of 112. The EPA also subjected the 2012 i to its LA4 driving test, also known as the city test. This subjects the vehicle to numerous starts and stops, as one would encounter when cruising through town. The electric four-door achieved a max cycle range of 98 miles.

From an efficiency standpoint, the 2012 Mitsubishi i stacks up nicely against its electricity-drinking competition. The Tesla Roadster 2.5 has a 119 MPGe combined rating while the Nissan Leaf sports a rating of 99 MPGe combined.

Check out our photos of the Mitsubishi i in the gallery below, and be sure to keep reading for the full press release.

Continue reading Mitsubishi i rated at 112 MPGe with 62 to 98 mile range

Mitsubishi i rated at 112 MPGe with 62 to 98 mile range originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Automotive X-Prize recommends EPA adopt MGEe rating

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:25:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Contests, Government/Legal, Green, Chevrolet, GM

Click above to view high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt

Now that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has an agreement with General Motors regarding how to measure the fuel mileage of the 2011 Chevy Volt, our attention turns to the EPA, which now has to decide what official mileage rating will appear on the new car's window sticker and how to determine what that number will be. The first recommendation comes from the Automotive X-Prize, the foundation of which will award $10 million from Progressive Insurance to the winner of its competition to design a production-viable car that people would want to drive that gets 100 MPGe or more.

What's with that little 'e' after the familiar miles per gallon? Basically, the X-Prize crew wants to convert all units of energy to a figure that's equivalent to the power from a gallon of gas. That way, a car's powerplant - regardless of where it gets that energy from - earns a rating that can be easily compared with everything else. So, EPA, the ball's in your court... still.

Psst - GM, maybe you should enter the Volt in the X-Prize competition. Just a thought.

Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt - Live Reveal

[Source: Automotive X-Prize via AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading Automotive X-Prize recommends EPA adopt MGEe rating

Automotive X-Prize recommends EPA adopt MGEe rating originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments