WSJ: GM Volt's Sticker To Have Three Mileage Ratings

General Motors Co.'s (GM) Chevrolet Volt battery-powered car will get three mileage ratings on its window sticker--37-, 60-, and 93-miles per gallon--that vary based on how the vehicle is driven.

The Environmental Protection Agency ratings, released on Wednesday, mark the government's first attempt to assign a miles-per-gallon equivalent to a car like the Volt, which is driven by a battery that is backed up by a small gasoline engine, which kicks in when the battery is drained.

Earlier this week, Nissan Motor Co. (NSANY, 7201.TO) announced the window sticker on its coming all-electric Leaf electric car will display 99 miles per gallon.

Average range also will be displayed on the stickers. The Volt will have a 35 mile range listed; the Leaf's is 73 miles.

(This story and related background material will be available on The Wall Street Journal Web site, WSJ.com.)

The stickers are based on new U.S. government standards that define how auto makers can advertise the fuel economy and driving range of vehicles that run some or all of the time on battery power alone.

The distance a battery car can go on a charge is among the biggest challenges vehicle makers face as they market electric cars to consumers, who may fear being stuck by the roadside with a dead battery.

Nissan has touted the Leaf's longer range, while GM has played up the idea of "range anxiety" consumers will suffer with a car that has no backup once the battery runs down.

To reach Volt figures, the EPA tested the car under driving conditions that tested how the car would perform using a combination of the electric battery and gas engine.

The Volt sticker prominently displays 93 as the miles-per-gallon equivalent when the car is driving on the battery alone; 37 miles-per-gallon is the figure when the gas engine is delivering power to the electric drive system. In smaller letters, 60 miles per gallon is listed as the comparable to other compact cars.

The EPA's electric vehicle rating system caused a stir last year after GM said the Volt might get the equivalent of 230 mpg, to which Nissan shot back that its Leaf would get the equivalent of 367 miles. GM later retracted its estimate.

The Volt is set to go on sale beginning this month. It will first be available in the New York region, California, Michigan, Austin, Tex. and Washington, D.C. before it goes on sale nationwide in 2012. GM has said it will build 10,000 Volts in 2011 and 45,000 in 2012.

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