Chevrolet Volt Owners and Their Fuel-Economy Stories

I’m sure many of you by now have either seen a Chevrolet Volt in person or seen one of it’s many commercials on T.V. I am also pretty sure many of you have asked yourselves, “Whats the big deal?” It seems as if every year some new car comes out and claims to be better than the one before it. But the ability to basically create your own fuel-economy, that really is a big deal.

Mike DiPisa of Lyndhurst, NJ has driven a total of 1,485 miles since taking delivery of his new Volt, not even filling up his gas tank. 1,391 of DiPisa’s miles traveled have been powered by electricity, giving him a staggering total fuel economy of 231 per gallons.

GM said the following in a press release: By recharging their Volt regularly, owners are easily surpassing the 93 miles per gallon equivalence, or MPGe, on full electric operation and an overall 60 MPGe composite fuel economy during extended-range operation. The EPA ratings make the Volt the most energy efficient compact car on the market today.

The Chevrolet Volt

What is the Volt? The Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability. The Volt is capable of about 340 miles total driving range, with electricity powering the car at all times and speeds. For trips of up to 40 miles, the Volt gets its power solely from electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery.  When the Volt’s battery runs low, an engine-generator seamlessly engages to extend the driving range for an additional 300 miles on a full tank of gas.

Who will get the most benefit from driving the Volt? According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, more than 75% of people commute 40 miles a day or less. If you plug in frequently, you’ll experience the greatest gas savings and reduced emissions. Per mile, electricity is less expensive to use than gas, so if you can plug in before or shortly after the electric charge runs out, you’ll get the maximum benefit out of Volt.

What happens if I travel more than 40 miles? Once the charge in the Volt battery is depleted, the gas engine will turn on to seamlessly generate enough energy to continue to power the car for up to 300 additional miles.

How much does Volt cost to charge? Electricity is an extremely affordable way to power a car —If the car is driven less than 40 miles, it will cost about $1.50 a day for electricity. That’s about the same annual cost as running a common household appliance.

How long does it take to recharge? The Volt will take about 4 hours to recharge on 240 volts or about 10 hours on a standard 120-volt home outlet.  A 20-foot portable vehicle charge cord will come standard and is designed to work on any standard 120-volt outlet.

When will Volt arrive at Gamblin Motors? Chevrolet is releasing Volt on a State by State basis.  The good news is that Volt production is increasing more than double from original forecast. The State of Washington is due to have Volt in the fourth quarter of this year.

Chevrolet Volt- Sooner Than Expected

Chevy Volt, Volt, Chevrolet Volt

Here it is the car that is supposed to save Chevrolet.  Most of you have probably heard of the award winning and ground breaking Chevrolet Volt.  General Motors has recently announced updated plans for the release of the new Chevrolet Volt, speeding up the rollout of Chevrolet’s newest vehicle by close to six months. Due to strong customer demand and consumer interest Chevrolet plans to double the production of the Volt from 60,000 units to 120,000 units.  You can say the GM and Chevrolet are ahead of the curve in the electric car race.  The Chevrolet Volt recently was awarded the 2011 North American Car of the Year due to its innovative features. Check out the map below to see when Chevrolet plans on releasing the Volt.

 

For those of you who may not be as familiar with the Chevy Volt, here is a quick run down provided by Chevrolet on what this vehicle has to offer. Plus we will be blogging about this car more in the future so this is not the last time you will hear us talking about the Volt. We look forward to having one here in our showroom in the near future and we will keep you posted on upcoming Volt news.

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is powered by 16-kWh, “T”-shaped lithium-ion battery that powers the electric drive unit, which allows it to drive 40 miles on battery power alone. The system puts out 149-hp and a maximum torque of 273 lb-ft, allowing the Volt to go from 0-60 mph in about 9 seconds, hitting a top speed of 100 mph. The battery can be re-charged by plugging into a household outlet and takes 4 hours to recharge on 240 volts, and about 10-12 hours on a standard 120-volt outlet. The Chevrolet Volt also carries an 84-hp 1.4 4-clyinder engine that allows the five-door, FWD sedan to travel additional miles while averaging a fuel-economy of 50 mpg. A fully charged battery and full tank of gas will allow the Volt to travel 340 miles. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt gets an EPA estimated 93 miles per ’gallon-equivalent’ when driving under electric power only, 37 mpg when in gasoline mode and over the long term it is estimated to get 60 miles per gallon in combined gasoline-powered and electric-powered driving. Prices for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt start at $41,000 but with a full federal income tax credit (which range from $0 to $7,500), the Volt can cost a total of $33,500.  See  Chevrolet.com for more information.