General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GRM) announced Tuesday, August 11, 2009 that the Chevrolet Volt, to be available as a 2011 model in 2010, is expected to achieve city fuel economy of 230 miles per gallon (Press Release, Official Site – GM-Volt.com).

2011 Chevy Volt

The Volt is powered by an electric motor and battery pack with a 40-mile range. After that, a small internal combustion engine kicks in to generate electricity for a range of up to of 300 miles. “From the data we’ve seen, many Volt drivers may be able to be in pure electric mode on a daily basis without having to use any gas,” said GM CEO Fritz Henderson. He also said, “The key to high-mileage performance is for a Volt driver to plug into the electric grid at least once each day.”

They used to say “What’s good for GM is good for America.”

This is true today, given that the Federal government – the taxpayers – owns a significant stake in General Motors.  But if it gets 230 miles per gallon, it will sell, and The Volt will be good for GM, good for America, and good for the world.