2011 Chevy Volt
As reported by Lyle Dennis from GM-Volt.com:
I just returned from Detroit, having had my first chance ever to take the Volt on the open road for two days of extensive driving. On the first day, just after touching down, I got to drive a production Chevrolet Volt from the Detroit airport out to Rochester Michigan to the hotel journalists are staying for the Volt launch drive event. I was on the first wave of journalists with about a dozen others. There will be six waves in all each with about 20 reporters. Expect a persistent stream of Volt news over the next week or so. This event is considered the Chevrolet Volt media launch.
GM had nine final production Volts waiting for us to drive, which we did in pairs of two journalists along with one member of the Volt staff. It was set up as a contest to see who could get the most EV range. It will continue through the waves.
The distance of the drive was 45.9 miles, and I personally took the car for the first 20 with another reporter driving it the second half of the way. We began with a full battery.
This was the first time I was fully allowed to drive and operate the Volt extensively on public roads. For my part I chose to be careful with the pedal and brakes and to indulge in the pleasures of efficiency.
I found the car to be bright, technical and cheerful as always. The leather seats were comfortable and sturdy and the car was adequately spacious inside though not overly roomy. It was the first time I had seen a final-textured interior surface and found it was well done and gave forth a refined appeal.
On this first journey, I intentionally didn’t gun the car, I accelerated modestly, coasted once in a while, and often kicked into low gear to utilize motor braking. The car handled and glided smoothly, swiftly and silently with crisp, immediate and perky torque and a highly responsive throttle. It steered like it was floating on air.
When I started out the battery indicator showed 39 miles of range remained. The surprisingly warm temperature outside ranged from 78 to 83 degrees and so I had to use the air conditioning. I kept it at 76 degrees F and used the ECO mode HVAC setting at which the car was quite comfortable. I turned off the daytime running lights and didn’t use the radio.
Within a few miles of driving my remaining range had actually climbed to 41. The roads were mostly flat and I drove at around 45 MPH, with minimal traffic and few stops.
After covering 19.2 miles the meter indicated I still had 31 miles of range remaining. Had I continued for the whole trip at that style of driving I would have easily passed 50 miles of range. Volt director Tony Posawatz in the car with me said I was “on track for more than 55 miles” of range. Tony said EV ranges beyond that (though he wouldn’t be specific) had been achieved by several engineers using captured test fleet vehicles.
The second driver, however was considerably more lead- footed and less careful about braking. By the time we arrived at our destination we had traversed 45.9 miles and the meter said we still had 3 miles left, for an effective 49 miles of EV range with our mixed driving styles. We came in tied for 3rd place in the field of the nine pairs of journalists. The winner of our wave arrived with 8 miles EV range remaining on his meter.
This real world test indicated there was little doubt one could easily regularly achieve 50 miles or more of electric range with little effort in an extremely efficient, super technological and fun-to-drive car. Achieving 40 miles of range will likely be the norm.
Soon I will share with you my second day if driving in which I covered over 150 miles on Michigan roads on both EV and extended range mode, and even hypermiled a bit.
GM had nine final production Volts waiting for us to drive, which we did in pairs of two journalists along with one member of the Volt staff. It was set up as a contest to see who could get the most EV range. It will continue through the waves.
The distance of the drive was 45.9 miles, and I personally took the car for the first 20 with another reporter driving it the second half of the way. We began with a full battery.
This was the first time I was fully allowed to drive and operate the Volt extensively on public roads. For my part I chose to be careful with the pedal and brakes and to indulge in the pleasures of efficiency.
I found the car to be bright, technical and cheerful as always. The leather seats were comfortable and sturdy and the car was adequately spacious inside though not overly roomy. It was the first time I had seen a final-textured interior surface and found it was well done and gave forth a refined appeal.
On this first journey, I intentionally didn’t gun the car, I accelerated modestly, coasted once in a while, and often kicked into low gear to utilize motor braking. The car handled and glided smoothly, swiftly and silently with crisp, immediate and perky torque and a highly responsive throttle. It steered like it was floating on air.
When I started out the battery indicator showed 39 miles of range remained. The surprisingly warm temperature outside ranged from 78 to 83 degrees and so I had to use the air conditioning. I kept it at 76 degrees F and used the ECO mode HVAC setting at which the car was quite comfortable. I turned off the daytime running lights and didn’t use the radio.
Within a few miles of driving my remaining range had actually climbed to 41. The roads were mostly flat and I drove at around 45 MPH, with minimal traffic and few stops.
After covering 19.2 miles the meter indicated I still had 31 miles of range remaining. Had I continued for the whole trip at that style of driving I would have easily passed 50 miles of range. Volt director Tony Posawatz in the car with me said I was “on track for more than 55 miles” of range. Tony said EV ranges beyond that (though he wouldn’t be specific) had been achieved by several engineers using captured test fleet vehicles.
The second driver, however was considerably more lead- footed and less careful about braking. By the time we arrived at our destination we had traversed 45.9 miles and the meter said we still had 3 miles left, for an effective 49 miles of EV range with our mixed driving styles. We came in tied for 3rd place in the field of the nine pairs of journalists. The winner of our wave arrived with 8 miles EV range remaining on his meter.
This real world test indicated there was little doubt one could easily regularly achieve 50 miles or more of electric range with little effort in an extremely efficient, super technological and fun-to-drive car. Achieving 40 miles of range will likely be the norm.
Soon I will share with you my second day if driving in which I covered over 150 miles on Michigan roads on both EV and extended range mode, and even hypermiled a bit.
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