Ask Me ANYTHING About The Chevy Volt; If I don’t know, I’ll ask the experts

Carissa In VoltI’m in the market for a high fuel efficiency vehicle by this fall. I plan to test drive as many fuel efficient vehicles as I can get my hands on before then. And learn as much as I can along the way.

Recently in Orlando I was able to test drive the Volt. And lucky me, I was able to pick the brains of the Chevy PR Team, including Lesley Hettinger who owns and commutes in a Volt in Atlanta. (Plus she’s just so dang cute!){NOTE: Some of these answers are anecdotal and not the opinion of or official information from Chevrolet}

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Top Ten Things I Learned About the Chevy Volt

{NOTE: Some of these answers are anecdotally direct from Lesley and not the company line!}

 The BIG ONE: How often do you gas up?

  1. Lesley only fuels up the nine gallon tank once every four months. FOUR times a year people!! At about $25/tank… so yeah the math? About $100 per year +/- for gas!!
  2. How often do you charge your Volt?
    She says as often as she can. At night and (for her) at work as well. And of course electricity has a cost so you have to add that to the gasoline costs.
  3. What is your electricity cost for the Volt?
    Due to different Kilowatt hour rates in different cities this number varies. The national average to charge an electric vehicle from a completely depleted battery to full is $1.50 per day. (About $45/month—that’s $540/year for electricity)
  4.  So what is the ACTUAL miles per gallon?
    Chevy Volt TmomchevyVolt Girls: (left to right) Amanda Topinka, Angela Walker, Lesley Hettinger and Yours TrulyThe paper work says the vehicle gets about 100 miles per gallon but it’s actually in MPGe, meaning both the electric engine and the gasoline engine combined. Again Lesley says she gets a bit more than that, more like 140MPGe.
  5. If it’s not a pure electric car and not a hybrid, what Is It? And how far before it switches to gas powered?
    The Chevrolet Volt is an extended range electric vehicle (EREV). The Volt’s Voltec propulsion system combines pure electric drive and range-extending engine for 382 total miles of range. The Volt will run between 25-50 miles on all electric range. This number varies based on the driver’s driving style, terrain and temperature. Once the battery is depleted, the Volt’s 1.4L range extender engine will turn on to give you another 300 miles of range.
  6. How long does it take to charge the battery?It takes about 8 hours to fully charge the battery, if it’s completely depleted, with a 120V charger and about 4 hours with a 240V charger.
  7. Where else can you charge the Volt?
    Lesley often charges her Volt at Airports while traveling with her job. (I asked if people ever steal the charge cords? She says so far, no. And if the car is plugged in and locked and someone tries to take the cord, the car’s alarm goes off.) And there are hundreds of electric charging stations across the US and growing. There are many mobile apps available to help folks locate public charging stations. e.g. ChargePoint or Car Stations—both are free: Android/iPhone.
  8. When fully charged do you have to unplug the cords?
    The battery automatically stops charging when it is full, so it’s not continuing to pull electricity when it’s complete.
  9. Where is the Chevy Volt made?
    Right here in the US! In Detroit. The battery is assembled in the US (Detroit) from both domestic and international parts.
  10. What would you tell someone who is thinking about buying a Hybrid VS buying a Pure Electric Car VS the Chevy Volt?It depends on what your needs are.
    If you want to experience the pleasure of pure electric driving for your daily commutes but you want the flexibility to travel longer distances every so often, the Volt is perfect for you. If, however, you want to eliminate the need for fuel altogether and live in an urban environment, a pure EV might be ideal for you. But, if you want to reduce your fuel consumption but not have an EV, then a hybrid is ideal.

And Bottom line… What does it cost?

The price of the Chevrolet Volt starts at $39,000. There is a $7,500 federal tax credit available for Volt owners and some states have state incentives on top of the federal.

Can A Man Fit In A Chevy Volt ComfortablyCan a tall man fit in a Chevy Volt comfortably? Our gracious seat tester says, why, yes! Below, pix from the test drive: Me happy behind the wheel (top right) and showing off the car’s groovy technographics (center left and right); the car’s hatchback design makes for a roomy cabin (below left) and its easy to reach charge port –right next to the driver’s side door (below right)

But how well does it drive, how much space is there and can my husband who is 6 feet tall fit in it comfortably?

I get to answer this one—the answer is it drives amazingly smooth, it has more bells and whistles than my Mom-Van, it has plenty of power yet whisper quiet in electric mode!! It’s much larger than I imagined (although there are only 4 seats). The trunk space is huge; it fits two grown women, no problem—we tested it! And I asked a 6 foot gentleman to sit inside the Volt and tell me how well he could see out the front and maneuver in it. He was nice enough to comply. He was happy!

Overall I was completely impressed with the Chevy Volt, not just for the CRAZY great fuel efficiency but for the fabulous interior space.

And now for a little teaser… the cute little Chevy Spark 2014 is also going electric later this year!! You can find out more about the new Chevy Spark EV in this press release.

Big thanks to Team Chevy for the brilliant test drives. And to TravelingMom and Disney Parks for hosting a great writing conference!

Carissa Rogers writes about life, travels and good times with her three kids and husband at GoodNCrazy.com, and shares her travel adventures at TravelingMom.com.Chevy Volt Collage 7 Goodncrazy A Girls Guide To Cars Travelingmom Test Drive Carissa Rogers

 

Carissa Rogers
Carissa Rogers

Carissa Rogers was a molecular biologist in her former life, but now she is the chief researcher of bloggy karma, family travel destinations, parenting dos (and some don'ts), new recipes and, for spice, she pretends to be a photographer. All that comes after mastering her day job: mom of all trades.

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