General Motors says owners of the Volt are driving up to 1,000 miles (1,610 kilometers) before they need to fill up. “A sample of our early Volt customers suggest that they drive 1,000 miles before they fill up the gas tank,” Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the Chevrolet Volt, told Bloomberg news.
However, the official driving range of the Volt, measured by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is much smaller than the GM executive's claims. The Volt's electric-only driving range is 35 miles (56.3 km), with another 344 miles (553.6 km) possible as the gasoline generator kicks in. The combined range therefore sits at 379 miles (610 km), way below the claimed 1,000 miles.
The explanation for this is simple: Volt owners who don't regularly drive long distances usually plug in the car every night, travelling more in electric-only mode than in gasoline-mode. This is why they can cover such distances without filling up with gasoline.
The Chevy Volt runs on batteries at all times. When they discharge, the gasoline generator supplies the battery-pack with electricity to extend driving range. Volt sales reached 1,210 in the U.S. in the first three months of this year, according to Autodata Corp.
By Dan Mihalascu
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