In one of the examples above, when we achieved 26 miles, the car had been pre-conditioned, and that led to the most accurate prediction. All of these ranges were lower than the prediction, but three were within 10%, and one was within 20%– tighter than the variances we witnessed with the Leaf.īoth cars allow owners to turn on the heat or air conditioning while still plugged in to get the cabin to an optimum temperature before being unplugged, so the overall range won’t be diminished by the energy-sucking environmental systems. On four different occasions of temperatures registering 25, 27, 25 and 26 degrees on the car’s computer, the Volt traveled 23.8, 26, 23.3 and 21.3 miles, respectively. It took 20-degree temps to bring the actual-miles-driven number lower. The lowest predicted range on a full charge we saw was 24 miles when it was 36 degrees out, but the Volt traveled 28.8 miles that day. We didn’t see that number again in Chicago until March. When we picked it up from the dealer in sunny California on Jan. But after recording driving data from each outing with both vehicles, we discovered two significant issues an owner will face: how cold weather affects them, and how much you’ll need to rely on a somewhat erratic car computer telling you how far you can drive.Ĭhevy says the Volt’s range on battery alone - it also features a gasoline engine that works as a generator to power the electric motor when the battery is emptied - is between 25 and 50 miles. We drove these cars in temperatures ranging from minus 2 to 67 degrees in the Volt and 24 to 82 degrees in the Leaf, and both lived up to their billing. This fundamental shift in how car owners think about refueling their vehicles is why purchased a 2011 Chevy Volt in January and a 2011 Nissan Leaf a month later. Its power comes from a battery, and that battery needs to be recharged. There is one thing today that separates an electric car from a gasoline car.
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