While the Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability, some Volt owners say they are challenging themselves to see how fuel-efficient they can be by tracking how far and how long they can go without buying gasoline.
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This is the kind of news that makes General Motors and GM stock (NYSE: GM) look good, which may explain its rise on Friday, closing at 30.95.
Owners testing the driving range system was bound to happen, too, because that’s what car owners do; especially those with new technology.
According to the GM news release dated 4/21, Chevrolet Volt owners made fewer trips to the gas station in March, going an average of 30 days – or nearly a month – between fill-ups.
“Volt owners drove an average of 800 miles between fill-ups since the Volt launched in December, and in March they averaged 1,000 miles,” said Cristi Landy, Volt marketing director. “When the majority of miles driven are electrically, gas usage decreases significantly.”
“I am surprised how infrequently I go to the gas station. It’s become a game to achieve as many miles as I can in EV mode,” said Steve Wojtanek, a Volt buyer in Boca Raton, Fla. “I have made it my goal to drive as efficiently as possible and I am seeing the results, with more than 3,417 miles under my belt – of which 2,225 are EV miles.” A Volt owner since December, Wojtanek is averaging 122 miles per gallon and visiting the gas station about once a month.
“On April 11, I had to buy gas for the first time since filling up on Jan. 9,” said Volt owner Gary Davis of Greenville, S.C. “In my Volt I’ve driven 4,600 miles on 8.4 gallons of gas. That’s an impressive 547 mpg that I am achieving with my Volt.”
“Today in the U.S., 80 percent of drivers commute fewer than 40 miles a day, making the Chevy Volt a great daily driver,” said Landy. “We’re hearing from customers like Steve Wojtanek and Gary Davis, who are seeing great daily results.”
For the record, the Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with an advertised extended-driving range capability of 25-50 miles depending on temperature, terrain, driving technique and battery age. Yet, because the Volt can use gasoline to create its own electricity in extended-range mode, long trips are possible.
When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas-powered engine-generator seamlessly engages to extend the driving range until the vehicle can be recharged. On a fully charged battery and tank of gas, however, the Volt has a total driving range of up to 379 miles.
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About the Author: After 39 years in the auto industry as a design engineer, Frank Sherosky now trades stocks and writes articles, books and ebooks via authorfrank.com, but may be contacted here by email: FrankS@TorqueNews.com
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