CARS.OM — The Chevrolet Volt has been a party of one since its introduction — no other plug-in hybrid electric vehicle can do what it can while seating four people plus luggage. The first-generation model delivered at least 38 miles of EV range, and the new-for-2016 Volt can go 53 miles. As someone who's owned two successive first-gen Volts, I've developed a special test loop to see just how far it can go on electric range, if driven calmly and with the intent of maximizing range while still keeping up with traffic. How far can you really go on a Volt's charge?
Related: 2016 Chevrolet Volt: First Drive
My test loop is 27.6 miles each way from my home in Ann Arbor, Mich., to Westpoint BBQ in Dearborn. The route includes driving through downtown Ann Arbor for stop-and-go and mild hills, following U.S. 12/Michigan Avenue through several towns at relatively flat elevations and speeds of 40 to 50 mph. Each of my three trips was taken in the afternoon with little traffic. I stayed off the highways and under 50 mph. I kept the climate control system off to maximize range and one window slightly cracked to provide some ventilation. The shifter was in "L" to engage the more aggressive regenerative braking mode, but the radio was on and I accelerated normally, keeping the use meter as close to level as possible.
The first voyage was with a last-gen Volt in late 2012, and I traveled 51.2 miles, getting to the restaurant and almost all the way back before it flipped its engine on. I blame this on the fact that I had to turn the headlights on, as dusk was approaching. In August 2014, a new Volt made the same test and went 57.5 miles on electric power or about 2 miles past my house. Both results are impressive given they were well beyond the gen-one Volt's advertised 38 miles of range.
Now I've had the opportunity to put the redesigned gen-two Volt and its much larger battery pack and higher range through the same loop. The 2016 Volt boasts a feature that debuted on the Cadillac ELR and is also on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV: a regen button on the steering wheel that initiates an even more aggressive use of the electric motors. Liberal use of the regen button allows you to slow the car to nearly a stop without touching the brakes, maximizing the energy recovery by turning your momentum into electricity.
The latest trip down my barbecue test loop was done in significantly colder weather than the previous two, but I kept the climate control off, cracking a window to defog the interior only now and then. Still, I was able to achieve 67.5 miles of electric range before the engine kicked in. I suspect that in warmer weather its range could be extended even further.
So it would appear that the increased size and usage of the Volt's new battery pack, combined with the inclusion of the useful regen button, lighter weight and revised electric powertrain have augmented the car's abilities. What's not seen in the measured performance is just how much better the new Volt is than the old one in nearly every qualitative way — ease of operation, comfort, style and quietness, just to name a few.
from Cars.com News http://ift.tt/1KliLbq
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