Audi's de Nysschen Clarifies Volt Remarks, Doesn't Recall Calling It 'Car for Idiots'
Perhaps Discussing GM's Silly 230 MPG Claim for Volt Would Have Been More Productive
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
Whoops.
Diesel booster and Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen, whose remarks questioning the common sense (or worse) of people who'd pay $40,000 for an extended-range Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid have been all over the Internet today (including an earlier Green Car Advisor piece), says he didn't mean it that way.
In fact, the famously outspoken de Nysschen (left) says in a new posting on Audi's Facebook page that he doesn't recall using the term 'car for idiots' to describe the Volt (what he did say, apparently, is that "there are not enough idiots who will buy" Volts), and certainly didn't intend to disparage electric cars or people who want to buy them.
He'd better hope he hasn't done the latter - Audi is working on an electric-drive car of its own.
In any event, de Nysschen said in his Facebook posting, "if I was unclear on either of those points then I need to eat crow."
What he did want to make clear, he said, is that, in is opinion the Volt, which he believes will be selling for a "50 percent or so price increase...over a similar gasoline car," won't be able to earn back the price difference for owners through fuel savings alone.
"The only way to offset the extreme premium for the Volt," he wrote, "is through taxpayer funded subsidies. So I question if that makes economic sense."
It might not, but we must point out that Audi's clean diesels (and those of parent Volkswagen) also get federal subsidies - although at $1,300 a pop they're not nearly as large as the $7,500 earmarked for the Volt and other cars with hefty rechargeable batteries and meaningful amounts of all-electric travel.
That nicety aside, de Nysschen reminds us that he has often in past months as head of Audi in the U.S. "asserted that the future of automotive transportation lies not in any one 'silver bullet,' but in a range of technologies...That includes plug-in electric cars when technological and economic hurdles make them more practical...."
So there.
Let's Talk Fuel Economy
We think that if de Nysschen really wanted to point out a problem with the Volt, he'd have picked on GM's infamous claim that a secret EPA protocol being developed would let it claim city-cycle fuel economy of 230 mpg and combined mileage of more than 100 mpg.
We find those figures silly in the extreme and suggest that they will likely come back and bite GM, hard, when buyers find that they can't dump a gallon of gas in the tank and head out on a jaunt around town without running out of fuel after somewhere in the 70-85 miles range, well short of the city or highway mileage GM has now told 'em to expect.
That's because the Volt mixes all-electric drive, which consumes no fuel, with travel augmented by a gasoline-consuming 4-cylinder motor-generator that gets somewhere between 30 and 37.5 mpg, based on GM's preliminary figures.
The company says the car will go 40 miles at highway speeds on electricity from its grid-charged batteries and an additional 300 miles beyond its all-electric range with the motor-generator at work, but hasn't said whether that's with an 8- gallon gas tank or a 10-gallon tank.
As a result, the Volt is likely to offer an extreme range of fuel economy performance depending on how it is driven, how far it is driven daily, and how far it is driven between battery charges.
On a 340-mile trip with the first 40 driven gasoline-free, the Volt should deliver combined mileage of 34 to 42.5 mpg, depending on whether GM installs an 8- or 10-gallon tank. On a 70 miles trip, fuel economy would be in range of 70-85 mpg, depending on tank size.
Whatever the EPA finally rules, the Volt's real fuel economy will be a thing that diminishes with daily distance traveled, as each mile of electric power provided by the car's gas engine-generator will dilute the gas-free mileage from the fully grid-charged battery.
Perhaps what de Nysschen ought to have said is that even a luxe model like Audi's upcoming 2010 A3 TDI clean diesel hatchback, which will deliver an EPA-estimated combined fuel economy of 34 mpg and cost - after tax credits - a good $3,000 less than the Volt, will likely be the more economical choice for some. Especially those with long daily commutes and/or a love of weekend driving trips.
Or, as he did say in his "clarification," there's no silver bullet yet.
- Posted by
- John O'Dell September 3, 2009, 6:36 PM
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- Categories:
- Audi, Chevrolet, Diesel, General Motors, Opinion, Plug-ins and Electric
- Technorati Tags:
- Audi, Car For Idiots, De Nysschen, Volt, Volt for Idiots
Smells like someone's mouth got them in trouble and is now backpedaling.
As to the 230mpg claim, I agree that it's absurd. At the same time, I wouldn't put it past Audi to make their own Absurd MPGe claims when their EV comes out. I'm also willing to bet their EV costs a lot more than $40K.
This guy isn't worth listening too.
The Volt may have trouble getting even 30 mpg once the batteries are depleted.
Having a gas engine which turns a generator which in turn spins an electric motor is not a very efficent system. Every time you convert energy there is a loss.
The small gas motor will have to work very hard to provide enough electricity to move the heavy Volt at a speed people expect these days.
If you have ever worked with a gas powered generator, you'll notice they roar away at a constant high rpm when under load. I can't see how the Volt will do anything different.
I think people will love how it drives for the 1st 40 miles but I can't see how anyone will accept how it drives after that.
The Volt clearly works for a certain niche of driver: Those who operate the vast majority of the time within the 40 mile range. However, unlike a full electric car like the Mini E, the Volt will have the ability to travel outside of its range if it needs to, albeit with some efficiency issues (as noted above). So for the person who has a short commute everyday, but drive to visit Grandma's cabin across the state twice a year, the Volt makes a lot of sense. The more trips a driver takes in excess of 40 miles, the less sense a Volt makes.
But the Volt is clearly an attempt to combine the zero emissions running of an electric vehicle with the long-range convenience of a car that exploits our existing infrastructure (gasoline). Run within its parameters, the Volt answers some difficult questions quite nicely. Take it out of its element and it's really totally boneheaded.
"The Volt may have trouble getting even 30 mpg once the batteries are depleted."
I'm not sure where that came from. Wasn't it supposed to be in the 40-50 range?