Tag Archive: range anxiety


A little tip

Filed Under: Uncategorized by franksvinthed — 1 Comment
May 9, 2011

The other day I left my car at the Valet while attending an event. And remember how I’ve said people comment on how quiet the car is? Well, its so quiet the Valet didn’t turn my car off. It idled the whole time I was at the event! When I picked it up from him the battery life was almost gone and he was very apologetic. Luckily, and not to say it again but I will, the gas generator is crucial to a car that runs so quietly! I would have have been stranded in downtown Detroit and my car would have needed to be towed back to my house! That would have been embarrassing. Luckily, there is the gas generator and I was able to come to drive to the office and get a good charge before I had to head home.

Word to the wise – make sure to remind people to turn off the car when they park it for you!

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3,000 Miles and the Drivings Fine

Filed Under: Uncategorized by franksvinthed — Leave a comment
April 15, 2011

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.

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Extended Range Importance

Filed Under: Uncategorized by franksvinthed — Leave a comment
April 12, 2011

Last week I drove my Volt from Bingham Farms to Southwest Detroit to Warren back to Southwest Detroit and then home. It was a busy day at Ideal. I drove 86 miles that day. And I’m so glad the Volt has a battery and gas generator engine. I would have been stuck somewhere on I-75 since I would have run out of charge along the way had it not been for the back up system. I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again the technology in the Chevy Volt is right on and exactly what was needed in an electric vehicle.

I can’t imagine how I would explain to my customers that my car ran out of juice and I wouldn’t be able to make it to any of the meetings that day. It wouldn’t fly and it would have been embarrassing. With my Volt I never need to worry about it. I just get in the car and go. As I thought more about it, I realized how important backup power is. Imagine seeing electric vehicles littering the highway because they ran out of battery life. At least you won’t see my Volt on the side of the road.

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2,158 Miles

Filed Under: Uncategorized by franksvinthed — Leave a comment
March 31, 2011

Seems like a lifetime, these 2,158 miles but its been less than a month. The gas mileage is great. Never thought I’d see the day of 65.9 mpg but driving the Volt has been a real learning curve. In my estimation I could get 80 mpg if I would have had my home charging station when I first got my car AND learned to drive slower.

I found driving fast and hard was not only invigorating and I’m saving gas at the same time! Every time I hit the accelerator and look at the miles per gallon I think of the hamsters driving the Kia commercial because I feel cool, hip and most importantly I feel like I have a car that everyone else would like to have.

The excitement, gas savings and sheer newness of the Volt is totally different than anything else out there. My mindset has changed.

I equate it to plugging in my iPad for the first time and having fun using and discovering all the neat apps and learning as I use it. Every day my Volt teaches me something new. One of the best things I’ve learned is I rarely have to smell gas fumes as I have only been to the gas station three times and I still have another quarter tank to go before my next fill up. Who would have believed five years ago you can over 2,000 miles on 3.5 tanks of gas! It used to blow my mind, now its a reality. Running with electricity is a real gas, no pun intended!

I will say this, not to get political, but I think Chevy and GM hit out of the ballpark incorporating a gas engine that works as a generator to charge the battery. The crazy thing about driving electric is ‘range anxiety’, something I’d never heard of until the birth of the electric car. According to MacMillian Dictionary the definition of range anxiety is concern about the battery of an electric car going flat. With the Volt the only range anxiety I deal with every day is the same anxiety any other driver deals with. Using a little electricity and using a little gas is giving a longer range than 90% of cars being built today. And I never have to worry about being stranded because the battery died.

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