2017 Volkswagen e-Golf Given Official US EPA Range Rating Of 125 Miles

Following the beginning of orders in Germany, the new 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf has been granted its official US EPA range rating — 125 miles per full charge. That figure represents a roughly 50% increase on the range of previous model years.

Notably, the refreshed model was granted a combined fuel economy rating of 119 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) by the EPA, which makes the model one of the most “fuel” efficient vehicles on the US market. It’s actually in a tie with the Chevy Bolt EV, only trailing the Hyundai Ioniq Electric. The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf’s estimated fuel economy for city travel (as determined by the US EPA) is 126 MPGe, and the estimate for highway travel is 109 MPGe.

Pricing information has yet to be revealed for the US market. Sales are expected to begin sometime in late Spring.

As with earlier iterations, if you don’t live in California, you’re likely out of luck if you want the model. The company doesn’t seem particularly interested in selling the model in the broader US market, for whatever reasons.

As we reported previously, the 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf features a 35.8 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack — representing a fairly large increase from the 24.2 kWh battery-packs in use in the model previously.

A 7.2 kW onboard charger is now standard on both SE and SEL Premium trims, it should be noted. Also notable is that DC fast-charging capability is standard on SEL Premium and optional on SE, allowing for a roughly 80% charge in under an hour (presuming a 50 kW fast charging station).

Another notable improvement accompanying the new 2017 iteration is the inclusion of a 100 kW electric motor, rather than the 85 kW electric motors in use in previous model years. The upgrade improves the model’s torque to 214 pound-feet (up from 199 pound-feet) and improves its 0–60 mph acceleration time to 9.6 seconds.

Real-World Gas Mileage Moving Away From EPA Ratings: Report

Your mileage may vary--but these days, it appears, your mileage may vary more than it used to.

According to a new report, the gap between rated fuel efficiency and the real-world gas mileage achieved by actual drivers is increasing.

In 2001, it notes, the average difference between rated gas mileage and actual results was 20 percent or less in the U.S. and 10 percent or less in Europe.

By 2012, that gap had risen to 35 percent in the U.S. In Europe, it was 25 percent in 2011.

Highlighted by Ford hybrids

The variation in real-world results against published EPA efficiency ratings has been highlighted by owner reports that the 2013 Ford C-Max and Fusion hybrids do not achieve their 47-mpg combined ratings.

The EPA is now investigating those cars, which appear to have electric motors that, under gentle acceleration, can cover much more of the EPA test cycles in all-electric mode than actual drivers would.

The latest Ford hybrid, the 2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, offers more information to drivers on factors that affect gas mileage.

Most analysis for Europe

The report, From Laboratory To Road, was published this month by the International Council on Clean Transportation.

It looks at ratings and real-world results both in the United States and in the European Union.

The bulk of its analysis applies to European cars and drivers, using data gathered from fleets in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the U.K.

It shows the steepest increase in 2007 and 2008, when several member countries switched to taxing cars based on their rated tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide.

The report is careful to note up front that "nothing in this analysis suggests that manufacturers have done anything illegal."

But, it continues, the New European Driving Cycle test "was not originally designed to measure fuel consumption or CO2 emissions, and some features of the test procedure can be exploited to influence test results for those values."

Discrepancy between EPA gas-mileage ratings & real-world results,

U.S. analysis using "My MPG"

Only four pages of the 88-page report apply to similar discrepancies in the U.S.

That analysis is based on variations in "My MPG" data submitted by users to the EPA's FuelEconomy.gov website starting in 2004, against the official EPA fuel efficiency ratings.

The report suggests that more study is needed on these discrepancies.

"For the United States," it concludes, "the data examined in the context of this paper are seen only as a starting point for future analysis."

Source: Green Car Reports

Automakers tell EPA it's highly unlikely they can hit California ZEV mandate

To quote L.L. Cool J, automakers concerned about stricter alt-fuel mandates keeping "going back to Cali, Cali, Cali." It remains to be seen whether the EPA responds by saying, "I don't think so."

Last week, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to step in and possibly nullify California's zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandates set to start in 2018, Automotive News reports.

The Auto Alliance is happy to promote the idea that its members are selling more cars, but the two big automaker groups are taking issue with the requirement that 1.4 million ZEVs – including plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles – be sold in California by 2014. That requirement may jump to about 2 million after factoring in the nine other states that are likely to follow the Golden State's lead for their own ZEV requirements. The groups tell the EPA that it's "highly unlikely" that automakers will be able to hit those numbers. Of course, there are ZEV credits available to those companies that fail to meet the ZEV mandate, as described here.

Last month, California outlined its ZEV Action Plan and said it would do things like subsidize electric-charging discounts and charging-infrastructure build-out in order to help push up those numbers. California, the most populous US state, accounts for about 12 percent of the country's total vehicles and about 40 percent of its plug-ins.

Source: Autoblog Green

EPA rates Fiat 500e at 122 MPGe city, 108 MPGe highway, 116 MPGe combined, 87-mile range

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rated the battery-electric Fiat 500e’s highway-cycle performance at 108 MPGe (equivalent to 2.18 l/100km)—the highest highway cycle efficiency of any EV currently on the US market. The city-cycle rating is 122 MPGe (1.92 l/100km-equiv.), with 116-MPGe (2.03 l/100km-equiv.) combined.

(Although the 500e takes the lead in highway efficiency, the 2013 Scion iQ EV edges it out in the city and combined cycles, with 138 and 121 MPGe, respectively. Similarly, the 2013 iMiEV carries a 126 MPGe city cycle rating, but the 99 MPGe rating on the highway pulls down the combined rating to 112 MPGe.)

EPA testing also has indicated that, when fully charged, the Fiat 500e has a range of about 87 miles (140 km).

EPA also estimates the annual cost to power the Fiat 500e is $500. The estimate is calculated by factoring electricity price projections into 15,000 miles of travel at a vehicle’s combined city/highway performance rating.

EPA testing estimates the car’s energy-consumption rate at 29 kWh per 100 miles.

The Fiat 500e arrives at FIAT Studios in California in second-quarter 2013.

US EPA awards $50M for clean diesel projects

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $50 million for clean diesel projects. These efforts will replace, retrofit or repower more than 8,000 older school buses, trucks, locomotives, vessels, and other diesel-powered machines.

Diesel engines emit 7.3 million tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and 333,000 tons of soot annually. Diesel pollution is linked to thousands of premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks and millions of lost work days. While EPA’s standards significantly reduce emissions from newly manufactured engines, clean diesel projects funded through these grants will work to address the more than 11 million older diesel engines that continue to emit higher levels of harmful pollution.

From 2008 to 2010, EPA has awarded nearly $470 million to more than 350 grantees across the nation under the diesel emissions reduction program (also known as DERA). The grant-supported clean diesel projects have cleaned or replaced more than 50,000 vehicles and equipment nationwide. Grants under DERA, in addition to the clean diesel program grants, include:

• National Funding Assistance Program grants
• Emerging Technologies grants
• SmartWay Finance Program grants
• Direct State Allocations

Every state will receive funding for clean diesel projects through direct state allocations. Additionally, EPA plans to award more than 50 grants across the nation. This year for the first time, the following territories can now receive direct state allocation funds: Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. EPA’s National Clean Diesel Campaign works cooperatively with state and local air agencies, tribes, communities, environmental groups, and the diesel industry to help control diesel emissions.

Source: Green Car Congress

Chevy Plans to Double Volt Output to 120,000 Next Year

Dan Akerson, CEO General Motors










General Motors, Inc., plans to double the 2012 production capacity for the Chevrolet Volt to 120,000 as the automaker works to boost the plug-in hybrid's sales, said two people familiar with the matter.

Volt output this year may increase to 25,000 from an original plan of 10,000, GM CEO Dan Akerson said earlier this month. GM now is working with suppliers to raise 2012 capacity from an earlier target of 60,000. It may not build that many if parts aren't available or demand isn't strong enough, said the people, who didn't want to be named because the plans are private.

Akerson, who became CEO in September, wants to sell more of the $41,000 Volt and is pushing to use its Voltec gasoline- electric drive system for models sold by other GM brands. Akerson has said he wants GM to have more fuel-efficient models ready for a possible increase in oil prices to $120 a barrel.

“We want to stay sharply focused on technology,” Akerson told analysts at Deutsche Bank's Auto Industry Conference in Detroit on Jan. 11. “We don't want to be caught flat-footed as we were in 2008.”

Crude oil that year climbed to more than $140 a barrel and average gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. Sales of trucks and cars with large engines plummeted, contributing to GM's $30.9 billion loss that year.

Randy Fox, a GM spokesman, declined to comment on production plans. He said he didn't know how many people have ordered a Volt or how long they will have to wait.

Volt goals

Akerson told his executive team in early December that he wanted to boost Volt production and explore adding its drive system to several models with a goal of at least tripling sales of vehicles with that technology by mid-decade from the 2012 target, people familiar with the matter said at the time.

After exploring its options, the team settled on doubling capacity for the Volt next year, they said. GM is still evaluating the Volt's technology for other models.

Higher output will allow GM to reduce the cost of the Volt's drive and battery systems, helping it lower the car's cost in future years, said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics Inc., an automotive consulting firm in Birmingham, Mich. GM

GM should be able to sell all of its Volt production as long as the government's $7,500 tax incentive is in place, Hall said. The incentive expires after GM sells 200,000 units of the car.

“The only way they will get cost down is with more production,” Hall said. “They are in a race to get costs down concurrent with selling 200,000 Volts.”

GM may announce the production increase at the Washington auto show next week, one of the people said.

The Volt can travel about 35 miles on a fully charged battery before the gasoline engine kicks in, giving the vehicle an additional 340 miles of range on a full tank of gas, GM said on its website.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated the Volt's energy use as the equivalent of 93 mpg in electric-only mode. In combined gasoline-electric driving, the EPA estimated the Volt would average 60 mpg, GM said. In gasoline-only mode, when the battery was drained, the car would get 37 mpg, GM said.

Source: Automotive News