How? Instead of making it a pure battery-electric vehicle like the EV1, GM designed the Volt as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) - and a unique one at that. Unlike the EV1, which only had room for two and could (initially) travel just 55 miles per charge, the Volt seats four and boasts over 300 miles of range. GM was still feeling the sting from the flop of its first electric vehicle, the too-early-for-its-time EV1 (1997-99), and they engineered the Volt to ensure its success wouldn’t be hampered by a lack of range or utility. While the Chevrolet Volt may seem rather mainstream these days, it was one of the most revolutionary cars on the road when it debuted. And thanks to deprecation, excellent used examples are now available for as little as $10,000.īut which is the best Chevy Volt to buy? And are there any problem areas to avoid? We explore that and more in this detailed buyer’s guide. After nearly a decade of production spanning two generations, there are plenty of Volts available for sale on the used market. The qualities that made the Volt a popular new car - its outstanding fuel efficiency, robust engineering, and affordable price - make it an even better used one. It quickly became America’s best-selling EV, a crown which it held for many years, only recently ceding it to the Tesla Model 3. No wonder the Volt was a hit, racking up an impressive list of kudos, including North American Car of the Year and World Green Car, and landing a spot on Car and Driver’s 10Best list, the first electrically powered car to do so. Yet you could buy it for just $32,495 (after federal incentives). GM reportedly spent a billion dollars developing the car. The Detroit-designed and -built compact sedan offered sharp looks, room for four, and an innovative hybrid-electric powertrain that could travel well over 300 miles without a refill. EV sales for the year totaled just 17,000 units.Įnter the Chevrolet Volt. And the sole Tesla model available was the two-seat, Lotus-based Roadster with a price tag over $100,000. The sales leader at the time was the original Nissan Leaf, boasting about 85 miles of range. Find out more about the Chevrolet Volt at the clock back to 2011, and you’ll find only a handful of electric vehicles (EVs) on the market. Roughly two-thirds of those miles were powered by grid electricity. Volt owners have traveled more than 65 million miles since the vehicle launched late 2010.
#CHEVY VOLT RANGE PER CHARGE FULL#
When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank.
#CHEVY VOLT RANGE PER CHARGE FREE#
The tests have revealed less battery degradation, the ability to withstand temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius and less impact by energy throughput.įor the first 38 miles, the Volt can drive gas and tailpipe-emissions free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16.5-kWh lithium-ion battery. A full recharge using a 120V could take 10.5 hours and 4.25 hours using a 240V charging unit.Ĭells with improved chemistry have accumulated 150,000 test miles to date.
The improved EV range capability will result in slight increases to the Volt’s charge times. The battery system maintains a buffer to ensure battery life, but that buffer has been reduced. In addition, the total storage capacity of the Volt battery has been increased from 16 kWh of energy to 16.5 kWh, and engineers have expanded the state-of-charge window to use 10.8 kWh of the total battery energy – up from 10.3 kWh used in the 2012 model. “This attention to detail will allow our customers to experience more pure EV range, which is the true benefit of owning a Volt.” We’ve done some work at the cell level to modify the ‘ingredients’ to make a better end result,” said Bill Wallace, GM director of Global Battery Systems Engineering. Sometimes if you use more sugar and less vanilla you get a better tasting cake. “The best way to explain what we’ve done at the cell level is to compare it to a cake batter recipe. Manganese spinel chemistry remains the foundation for the Volt’s battery system, but the amount of each material has been slightly modified to provide better life performance. The miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) will increase from 94 miles to 98 miles and the total range, including extended range operation, will be 380 miles.īased on real-world experience by Volt owners since the vehicle launched in late 2010, engineers made minor changes to the material composition of the battery cell chemistry, resulting in improved performance and durability.
By boisechevy on Jin Buick, Chevrolet, Voltīattery storage capacity increase and cell chemistry changes enable improved rangeīoise, ID – The all-electric vehicle range of the 2013 Chevrolet Volt will be 38 miles on a single charge, providing owners with a three-mile EV range increase from the 2012 model.
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