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Hard to believe, but here we are two years in and roughly 3,900 litres of gas saved compared to the Grand Prix. A few minor issues – the charge door sticks (they redesigned it for the 2015) and the hatch struts had to be replaced (under recall). The wind whistle problem appears to be fixed (under warranty) and there is a bit of suspension noise in the front end apparently common to the platform. Based on my experience with the 2015 they are working hard to continually improve the car, and I’m really looking forward to the reviews of the 2016 model. I have absolutely no regrets and highly recommend the car. It’s amazingly quiet, very comfortable, has the tremendous versatility of a hatchback, is definitely fun to drive in sport mode and all that torque makes for a very satisfying drive.
Oh yeah, the savings in fuel, including the cost of electricity, is roughly $4,200 to date.
It’s cool to hear long term updates from actual owners. I think you have mentioned it before but I don’t remember. what kind of mpg are you getting on long trips?
On the last long trip I did, which was around 300 miles, I managed to average around 44 MPG. Usually it’s closer to 40 if you’re talking true highway bombing at 70+MPH. This particular run had more slower stretches, call it 50 MPH or so, and a lot of opportunity for regenerative braking as well. What’s interesting is that on very long trips, between the regen and the small amount of energy fed back into the battery by the running of the gas engine, you end up also stretching the electric range. On a previous version of the same road trip, it added an extra kw/h to the battery range.
Here’s a good example for you from this weekend’s road trip. Almost all at highway speeds around 70 MPH, loaded with luggage, and running the A/C as we’re having record breaking heat up here after a brutal winter (welcome to Canada) 42 MPG for the gas:
Thanks for the reply Mike. I would have posted sooner but things have been crazy for me recently. I was wondering what the gas only MPG was just as a comparison against other non electrified/hybrid cars. It really does make a great case for the technology when one can say, I get 40+ MPG when I do have to use gas, and I don’t need to very often.
It really makes me wonder what a larger engine/charger could do in a truck with the same voltech drive train.
I’d love to do a ‘back to back’ road trip with a Golf TDI or something like that and compare highway mileage in the exact same conditions.
Thing is, the hold mode added for the Volt in 2013 was a tremendous improvement, and I always use it on the long trips to preserve the battery for the slower speed driving at either end of the trip. Even so, the car is collecting regen energy on hills or during deceleration for slower portions, then allowing the battery to kick back in, without depleting the remaining charge, for going up hills or passing. This way the gas engine can just lope along most of the time, much like a big V8 would do against a tall gear.
The only drawback I can see with using it in a truck application is the packaging of the battery. Not being an automotive engineer, I can’t really envision where they would put it, particularly if you had all wheel drive. SUV’s on the other hand might be a more viable place to try it out.
Hey all! It’s been forever since I’ve been on here, but we’re now closing in on 5 years with the 2013 Volt, and still saving a TON on gas – as in 5 figures between the two cars. Hope everyone is doing well out there!
Congrats Mike. 🙂
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