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I drove a Volt today.

Discussion in 'Chevrolet Volt' started by daniel, Oct 27, 2011.

  1. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    The Volt would cost about $1.40 to charge ( @ $0.11/kWh)

    Volt is EPA rated 40MPG Highway in CS mode, many are getting 46mpg on the highway in CS mode, not 35.

    I find that most Prius/PiP owners tend to round their Prius/PiP mpg up and/or are using the dash displayed mpg while rounding the Volt's mpg down to city mpg or worse. :)
     
  2. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    So if you we're a buyer which one would you select and why?
     
  3. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Correction: the Volt gets 40mpg hwy (long drive).

    Your electric rates are crazy but climate wise you don't need much in the way of a/c or heat like most other places.
     
  4. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    If you had solar panes on the roof you could drive for free.
     
  5. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    I would have to import a PiP since they don't sell them in Texas :)

    I looked at both this past summer and chose the Volt, importing it from Florida on a lease.

    What made it a slam dunk for me was that I could get an EV subscription and charge the battery for $0.14/day. I could also have gotten a Leaf and charged it for $0.14/day as well but this Volt is going to my son when he graduates and he wanted the Volt after taking a test drive and spinning the tires.
     
    JMD likes this.
  6. drinnovation

    drinnovation EREV for EVER!

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    Only if you don't drive much. The surface area of a car's roof if fully covered might produce about 125W/hr with 4 solars hours a day in souther cali for about .5kWh/day a supper efficient driver, say 25kWh/100 miles, the solar panel would let drive about 2miles a day.

    Of course a house roof filled can provide you lots of miles ;-)
     
  7. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    I like it.
     
  8. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    Solar panels on the house roof.
     
  9. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    140 mpg? Free electricity with instant recharge? Reality is 10+ hours recharge and there is emission and cost in electricity.

    Volt is about 1 second faster from 0 to 60 mph. By no mean it is a Vette.
     
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  10. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Volt will never reach 112 mph full speed. ;) Top EV speed is 100 mph.

    Volt does not operate like a full hybrid like Prius but it is still a hybrid -- it uses two fuels. With the Hold button, Volt can be driven with gas first.
     
  11. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    It has been proven not to be the case. Yet, the misinformation is being repeated.

    PiP on the graph is the prototype model.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Volt gets 35 MPG in the City 40 Highway and 37 combined.

    The average MPG(cs) on Voltstats is 36 MPG. The highest I see it 60 MPG and the lowest is 2.5 MPG.

    Here, Volt would cost $3.8 to charge at 30 cents per kWh. That's about the price of a regular gas and Prius would go 50 miles instead of 38 miles in Volt.
     
  13. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    I never equate any EV or Hybrid and speed performance. But there are some fast EV's out there I'm sure.
     
  14. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    usbseawolf2000, are you still unhappy with your PiP upgrade from the Prius?

    did you ever go drive a Volt ?

    You keep complaining that the PiP produces more emissions than the Prius when you plug it in and that the only reason you bought the PiP was because you got a great deal during a Toyota fire sale on PiPs.

    I hope you're not plugging your PiP into the dirty "grid" just to save a few cents on fuel costs. :)
     
  15. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    That graph seems to indicate that the PiP can't get over 80mph. Maybe that's why they don't sell them in Texas. :)

    Odd that the graph doesn't have a PiP EV mode plot.

     
  16. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Yes, I did drive a Volt. Loved the drive/ride but not the utility, functionality, total efficiency or price.

    I am extremely happy with my PiP. At 258 Wh/mi, it costs slightly less to operate than 54 MPG on gas (my averages so far). Cost aside, running on electricity at 258 Wh/mi produces less emission as well.

    The point I was making with Volt was specifically on the rate of it's electricity consumption. If you drive Volt in EV mode (especially on highway), you'll be increasing emission (upstream from electricity production) over a 50 MPG Prius, using national average.

    PiP uses both electricity and gasoline efficiently and responsibly. I am fuel neutral, bias against neither. For a car that use two fuels, I believe efficiency of both must be addressed. That's why I chose PiP.
     
  17. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    If you are getting 258 Wh/mi in your PiP you might get 181 Wh/mi in a Volt (from the wall), like I do on my first 21 miles every day. :)
     
  18. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    258 Wh/mi is my average. What's yours? No cherry picking. :p
     
  19. John H

    John H Senior Member

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    Don't I get to cherry pick the 12 miles of EV per charge? just so that we are comparing EV range to EV range? Obviously the PiP cherry picks when it stays in EV mode.
     
  20. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    That's how PiP was designed. Volt was designed to drive 100 mph in EV mode. It turns out that's not a bragging point after all. ;)

    2013 Volt has a HOLD button to mimic PiP operation but too bad you have the earlier Volt that was designed to be EV first then use gas. :p

    If a car has two fuels, you might as well use them in synergy. That's what PiP does and I am loving the results.