ThreeWheelBurnin
Elio Addict
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2014
- Messages
- 128
- Reaction score
- 376
I think there's something wrong with that electric range. On my 2013 Volt, at freeway speeds (70 mph), with the A/C on Max in 100 degree weather, I can easily get at least 36 miles before the engine thinks about coming on. It almost sounds like the Volt that was test driven was in Mountain mode, which keeps a 17 mile electric reserve. It'll drive on pure electric until it hits that 17 mile threshold and then the engine will come on. On my car, that would mean driving about 20-25 miles pure electric until the engine came on. The 2016+ Volt should be able to go about 30 miles or so before the engine would kick on in that mode, which sounds about like what the original poster described. But Mountain mode isn't set by default, so someone would have had to set it purposely.
Now, if you're continuously doing jack-rabbit starts in Sport mode, you're going to see a big dip in range. Nothing wrong with the Volt there. That's just physics.
As others mentioned, your electricity cost is about a factor of 10 too high. 11 cents per kWh is about right in most Western states.
I will admit, the Volt is a slow charger. At 240V the 2011-2015 Volts only put on about 10 miles every hour (limited to 3.3kw
). The 2016+ Volts will charge at a slightly higher rate (3.6kW, I think). The upshot of babying the battery in this way is longevity.
Honestly, there's rarely a good economic case for an EV, especially when compared to an Elio, but when doing the economic calculations for an EV, everyone always seems to jump to the long-distance scenario. Sure an Elio (or even a Chevy Cruze) would drive more efficiently from New York to San Francisco, but really, how often do most people do that? Ninety-nine percent of the time, most people drive a 40 mile per day or less round trip to work every day, and for those scenarios, EVs use...wait for it.... NO gasoline at all! The Volt has the added bonus that you could make that One-percent-of-the-time trip from coast to coast without having to worry about charging. Shoot, today I drove more than 100 miles on pure electric power, and I only paid for the electricity for 40 of those miles. Various free ChargePoint stations supplied the rest.
They're not for everyone, but if you couldn't tell, I *really* like my Volt. I suspect that Sethodine likes his EV, too.
That said... I still can't wait to get my Elio.
Now, if you're continuously doing jack-rabbit starts in Sport mode, you're going to see a big dip in range. Nothing wrong with the Volt there. That's just physics.
As others mentioned, your electricity cost is about a factor of 10 too high. 11 cents per kWh is about right in most Western states.
I will admit, the Volt is a slow charger. At 240V the 2011-2015 Volts only put on about 10 miles every hour (limited to 3.3kw
). The 2016+ Volts will charge at a slightly higher rate (3.6kW, I think). The upshot of babying the battery in this way is longevity.Honestly, there's rarely a good economic case for an EV, especially when compared to an Elio, but when doing the economic calculations for an EV, everyone always seems to jump to the long-distance scenario. Sure an Elio (or even a Chevy Cruze) would drive more efficiently from New York to San Francisco, but really, how often do most people do that? Ninety-nine percent of the time, most people drive a 40 mile per day or less round trip to work every day, and for those scenarios, EVs use...wait for it.... NO gasoline at all! The Volt has the added bonus that you could make that One-percent-of-the-time trip from coast to coast without having to worry about charging. Shoot, today I drove more than 100 miles on pure electric power, and I only paid for the electricity for 40 of those miles. Various free ChargePoint stations supplied the rest.
They're not for everyone, but if you couldn't tell, I *really* like my Volt. I suspect that Sethodine likes his EV, too.
That said... I still can't wait to get my Elio.
