Volt range updated: 25 – 50 miles of EV range
At least you still won't have range anxiety
How much does battery age affect EV range?
Dependent upon “temperature, terrain, driving technique and the age of the lithium-ion batteries” the Chevy Volt should average between about 25 and 50 miles of battery range before before generating new electricity with the on-board gasoline engine.
While GM is still standing by its original 40 mile prediction, experience, according to the company, has helped the company achieve a better understanding of the Volt’s real world range capabilities.
For years now many have speculated the Volt’s real world battery-powered range could be far less than 40 miles in a number of conditions, so this update isn’t that surprising. Nevertheless, the acknowledgment that “age of the lithium-ion batteries” could have an impact on EV range is interesting.
How much impact? How soon might battery degradation begin to reduce range? Will cold winters, for instance, age the battery faster the other conditions?
Yeah, Larry, the naming is confusing. Technically speaking you can call the Volt a plug-in hybrid, whereas the Leaf is a pure battery-powered plug-in electric car.
GM, however, has wanted to distinguish the Volt from hybrids, and EVs, for that matter. Naming it a range extended EV suggests a higher level of sophistication and technical savvy compared to a hybrid, even a plug-in hybrid. However, unlike a standard EV, the Volt offers “extended range” via the gasoline engine that generates new electricity.
marketing-wise, it’s pretty smart. unfortunately, the downside is that compared to a small battery plug-in hybrid, the volt is a good bit loss cost-effective. and according to the battery research, it’s going to stay that way without a significant breakthrough in battery technology.
will that matter? it’s hard to say. maybe no plug-in is really going to dominate share, however, there is a chance that small battery plug-in hybrids could significantly dominate share simply because they will offer better cost-effectiveness despite the fact they are, in a way, less sophisticated and exciting.
yeah.. I keep forgetting that. “plug-in” can mean either total EV or hybrid and the Volt is the later as are most except what..the LEAF?
Huh? 40 MPG? Range anxiety?
I guess some people have no idea what the Chevy Volt is.
The Chevy Volt has a gas engine and gas tank that will power the car for about 300 miles. Full stop.
The Volt also happens to have a battery and electric motor that will power the car for about 40 miles after a full charge without using a drop of gas. Full Stop.
If your driving pattern allows you to charge the car nightly and drive less than 40 miles per day, for example, you will use essentially zero gas with a Volt.
Happy to provide a little Volt 101!
Isn’t that surprising for any one of us, from past several years GM had been going backward in the field of technology, when whole world is working to bring battery powered 100mpg vehicles into market GM still unable to achieve 40MPG in their volt model, really GM now needs a good leader who can vision the future and set the targets to R&D.
but that’s where the Volt is different. as long as there is gas in the tank, then the Volt can generate additional electricity for a total of about 300 miles. certainly, that isn’t the kind of range that can be achieved in other vehicles, but for most, it should alleviate range anxiety.
unfortunately, while the Volt can alleviate range anxiety, it can’t alleviate the monumental price difference between the volt and a similarly sized conventional vehicle, especially at today’s gas prices.
until plug-ins have a range equivalent to non-plug-ins.. most people will continue to have “range anxiety”.
Can you imagine a soccer mom on her way to get her kids and worried about whether her car has enough charge?
And it’s worse than that – because you just can’t pull into a service station and fill up.
what this boils down to is … chronic unreliability…
Remember the “cripple” spares in some cars?
That’s what plug-ins need – a way to limp back home as opposed to leaving you stranded 8 miles from home in the dark with your kids…
that will not wash with most people…