A couple big announcements from GM CEO Fritz Henderson came out today.

The highlight of the press conference was the announcement that the 2011 Chevy Volt would be benefiting from a new methodology by the EPA to determine draft fuel economy for extended-range electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt. What’s the big deal about that? Well under this new methodology the Volt will have a fuel economy rating of 230 mpg! This rating makes the Chevy Volt the first car ever to score a triple digit fuel economy rating.

The EPA has been researching how cars are used in real world situations so as to come up with formulas that attempt to give consumers ratings that more accurately represent the kind of mileage they will actually get from their vehicles. We can expect new EPA stickers that have not only the composite number, but also a rating for mileage in charge sustaining mode as well as electric efficiency for the fully electric vehicle mode.

The other GM announcement wasn’t as ground breaking or Chevy Volt specific. It was the unveiling of the GM FastLane blog, which would be available to accept feedback on new GM designs directly from customers.