Does 100 MPG sound like a dream ???

General Motors Corp. said Friday that it had reached a preliminary agreement that cleared the way for U.S. regulators to certify the Chevrolet Volt as the first 100-mile-per-gallon car. But the Environmental Protection Agency said testing guidelines hadn't been finalized.

The Volt, an electric vehicle that can be charged at home and has a range-extending gas-powered generator on board, is expected to start selling in late 2010. GM says it will be able to travel 40 miles before the generator kicks in.


Tony Posawatz, 48, vehicle-line director for the Volt in Warren, Mich., said the EPA agreed to a testing method that will produce a rating of at least 100 mpg. In a statement, agency spokeswoman Catherine C. Milbourn said the EPA won't confirm how it gauges fuel economy of plug-in models until testing methodology is finalized. The agency "hopes to have a final policy soon," she said.

Earning a 100-mpg certification would be a huge boost for Detroit-based GM, whose sales of pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles have slumped this year as gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon and credit became harder to obtain.