Tag Archive: electric vehicle


I’m giving my 3,000 mile report today. I rolled 3,000 miles on the odometer last night. All I can say is the longer I drive this car the more I enjoy it.

Fuel statistics: I’ve used 44.4 gallons of gas since February and am averaging 71.5 mpg. I think I could have done better but my charging stations at home and work weren’t installed until March. I estimate I could have hit 88mpg if both stations had been operational.

I use two stations to charge my Volt – at home and at the office. I find its rather difficult to find a station when I’m out and about. I know there has been a lot of talk about putting in charging stations but there isn’t the infrastructure in place yet. Hopefully we start seeing more charging stations soon.

The ride in this car is memorable, I adjust the settings to Sport Mode because the Volt rides like a baby Corvette. The acceleration is amazing and the steering when in Sport Mode tightens up and even I-75 feels like a race track.

I do have one problem though-people slow me down and I don’t mean slow drivers on the highway. I mean everyone wants to ask questions about my Volt. Common questions include:

  • What’s the mpg?
  • How does is ride?
  • How is it so quiet?
  • Do I like it?
  • How does the battery work?

These are all questions I’ll address in future posts.

Other great things I’ve found:

  • It has a lot of cargo space especially when you put the seats down. Easy to put the seats down and easy to load stuff in.
  • The rubber mats Chevy sells is a great buy, they are a little pricey but boy do they do the job.
  • Its like driving in a fishbowl because you can see everywhere but it doesn’t look like it.
  • Tall people need to sit in the front, there just isn’t the leg room for them in the back
  • The trim and interior are great. The seats are comfortable and lend themselves to the race car feel.

 

I give the Chevy Volt and my experiences with it an A plus. There is so much to learn from the Volt and the only way to do it is by driving one. I’m so glad I choose the Volt because as I’ve said before and I’ll say again there is no range anxiety driving a Volt.

I had the opportunity to drive Frank’s Volt while he was in California. It was a great experience and I found a lot of people are curious about the car. I went to dinner with R.J. King, Editor of DBusiness Magazine, at Roma Cafe in Detroit and parked out front. The car created quite a buzz in the restaurant and I fielded a lot of questions. The biggest one was ‘what do you think of the Volt?’

So what do I think, in one sentence, GM has a hit on their hands with the Volt! Its a great car that runs smoothly, has great pick up and has a unique interior that is unlike anything else I’ve seen.

I want to thank TSC Michigan, Inc. for letting me ‘charge up’ at their charging station. TSC is located in Northville and is the North American Headquarters for lithium ion electrolyte research, development and pilot production. Their research helps support the Volt battery. The Department of Energy (DOE) has a great website that lists all commercial charging stations. It was a great help in finding a charging station when I was out and about.

Loren Venegas' First Volt Experience

I picked up my Volt on Friday, February 25,  at Buff Whelan Chevrolet. What an exciting moment! It was a big deal at the dealership as well. It was their first Volt sale. They had a Mariachi band playing traditional Mexican songs as well as fun cover songs. Members of the local media were also there to cover it.

I couldn’t wait to drive it off the lot!