Chevy Volt nabs shaky 230 MPG rating, might not ship in 2010

by Darren Murph posted Aug 11th 2009 at 9:03AM

We've always heard that you've got to take the bad with the good, but who said it had to be done at the same time? This morning, GovernmentGeneral Motors CEO Fritz Henderson had some rather sensational news to share about Chevrolet's Volt, but according to a report over at Autocar, that very vehicle is looking at some serious (potential) issues. As for the good news, we're told that the Volt has snagged a staggering 230 MPG rating in the city, but we should caution you that it's not as cut and dry as GM would have you believe. The EPA has released "a new methodology for determining a draft fuel economy standard for extended-range EVs like the Volt," and it's that murky measurement system that has blessed Chevy's wonder child with a triple digit MPG rating.

Now, for the bad news. This past Sunday, GM reportedly submitted a regulatory filing with the US Treasury, and while it can't be taken as official word per se, it does provide reason to believe that the promised November ship date will slip to an undisclosed month and year. The report also noted that there is "no assurance" that it will qualify for any remaining energy loans to develop advanced fuel technology automobiles, and if you needed more reason to doubt the whole ordeal, have a look at this zinger: "Our competitors and others are pursuing similar technologies and other competing technologies, in some cases with more money available; there can be no assurance that they will not acquire similar or superior technologies sooner than we do." Ah well -- at least we know the four or five prototype models destined for eBay will do Ma Earth proud, right?

Update: CNN has a nice look at this incredibly large MPG figure, and -- surprise, surprise -- it's not nearly as fantastic as it looks at first glance.

Read - Chevy Volt gets "230 MPG" rating
Read - Chevy Volt may be delayed [Via AutoblogGreen]