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2015 Volt range @ 55mpg with/without eco AC

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2015 range
5K views 30 replies 18 participants last post by  canehdian 
#1 ·
How many miles are people going who average around 55mph and go through maybe one or two small towns? Also, what do you get when you use eco AC when it is about 70 out?

I've been getting about 39-42 in eco AC mode. Averaging right at or below 4 miles per kwh.

Seems low to me based on what my 2012 did.

Other facts:
- Last complete battery discharge shows I got 10.8kwh
- Fan has an annoying hum. I took it in to the dealer and 20 minutes later they said they replaced it. In talking with the tech I don't think they actually replaced it. He seemed to think the hum was normal. I do not. No other car I know does that including my 2012 Volt.
 
#2 ·
How many miles are people going who average around 55mph and go through maybe one or two small towns? Also, what do you get when you use eco AC when it is about 70 out?
Often do drive that way. I'd normally be Fan Only, though. I'm good with no AC below about 75 even with the limited ventilation through the climate system.

I've been getting about 39-42 in eco AC mode. Averaging right at or below 4 miles per kwh.

Seems low to me based on what my 2012 did.
Maybe a little. I'd expect upper 40s. What tires do you have, and how much air is in them?

Other facts:
- Last complete battery discharge shows I got 10.8kwh
- Fan has an annoying hum. I took it in to the dealer and 20 minutes later they said they replaced it. In talking with the tech I don't think they actually replaced it. He seemed to think the hum was normal. I do not. No other car I know does that including my 2012 Volt.
The amount of discharge is normal. I don't think the fan is affecting your MPG that much, though.
 
#3 ·
I normally get 55-60 ev miles per charge
I usually use my seat heater when it gets cold

And if i use my a/c i use the eco setting, as it only uses around 18%
 
#5 ·
2013 - Best EV only range, which was in Miami, Florida was 48 miles. Most of the time we were over 40 miles per full charge.

Alaska - Summer, with OEM tires on it, we would see mid to upper 30s. In the winter, with studded, winter tires LOW 20s and if I kept those tires on after spring break up, we were lucky to get 30 miles. I kept my tires around 40-42 PSI as well. Last summer we had the car, I removed the studs and kept the winter tires on (since we were turning the car in) and I still got a max of 32 miles on a charge. This is with no AC or Heat on. Summer where I am in Alaska means highs in the 70s...
 
#6 ·
Here's my experience from 2 years with a 2015. (All numbers are from memory. Unlike others, I haven't taken the time to document my results.)

My daily commute is between 29.1 and 31.6 miles. I drive 10 miles highway (65+ mph), 5 miles back road (35-40 mph) . On normal days (60 - 75 degrees) I will get 38/39 miles on a charge.

Lately, I've tried a slightly different route which changes the mileage mix to 7 highway 8 back roads. This has increased my range to 44/45. But added 5 minutes to my 25 minute commute.

I really think the highway driving has a significant negative impact on range. Recently, using the back road route, stop and go highway traffic coming home and no heat or A/C, I made the 29 mile round trip with 22 miles left on the GOM.

So your numbers really don't seem out of bounds. Especially when we don't know how you arrive at the 55 mph average.
 
#7 ·
All our Volts get about 4.0 miles per kWh at 55-65 mph sustained on roundtrips with ECO setting in temps above 50°F and no heater after preheating cabin. 55 sustained gets about 4.5 miles per kWh roundtrip. Our roundtrips normally require a 600' altitude change. Traffic congestion will raise that up as high as 5.0 miles per kWh roundtrip.
 
#9 ·
Anything over 45 mph puts a pretty significant drain on the battery. 40 mile AER on Gen 1 at 55 mph seems reasonable. My 2012 I get less than 30 mile AER at 65-75 mph. I have high performance tires that cut about 10%. I rarely drive right at 55 mph anywhere. Speeds are usually 45 or less or 60 and up due to speed limits on local roads (+5 to 8 mph), so I am not sure exactly where that cutoff occurs.
 
#10 ·
I should have said where i live?i live in Florida ,
And i regularly get anywhete from 55/60 ev miles per full charge
 
#12 ·
2012 had the longer air dam, which was dropped in the '15. Might make a slight difference, especially at higher speeds. Also, heard this comment from others who went from 12' to 15' that there didn't seem to be any appreciable range gain despite the slightly increased battery pack--that the car was just slightly less efficient somehow in terms of miles/kwh.
 
#16 ·
Without AC, I peak at around 80km/50mi optimum
Typical summer probably 75km/47mi, add in AC, 66/41 or so.
AC is hard because it depends on how much you're driving and how hot it actually is.
No AC is easy to estimate because the only variable is speed and ambient temp (provided it's not so hot that AC is required for battery cooling)



11-12 normal 10.0-10.4
12*-14 normal 10.4-10.8
14*-15 normal 10.8-11.2

Only significant change was 2016+ up to 14.x
*late builds in model years got the next battery up
 
#17 ·
>Maybe a little. I'd expect upper 40s. What tires do you have, and how much air is in them?

Still have factory tires.
Air pressure: 37-39

How I arrived at 55mph average:
commute is 44miles round trip on two lane highway with 55mph speed limit. Drive about 60.
Go through one town of 3000 people.
3 other stop signs.

Thank you for all the replies. Looks like our range and miles per kwh of around 3.9/4.0 are about normal with the exception of the guy that goes 60 miles on a charge. No way I'd ever get close to that.
 
#18 ·
To go 60 miles on a G1 Volt you should probably live in a state with legal marijuana. No problem. Drive 25mph on the freeway with a jumbo bag of Doritos and a Big Gulp.
 
#19 ·
H.....Fan has an annoying hum.
I have a 2013, so I can't comment on what you should expect in a 2015, though I can say that I see range anywhere from 20 on a 16 degree winter's day with wipers and lights running and heaters on high and defroster running, to over 50 miles range at 45 -50 mph on nice 65 degree day.

what I can comment on though is the "hum". mine is not the fan, but the water pump the circulates the cabin coolant anytime the fan Is running. The hum doesn't vary with fan speed, and I had the pump changed at one point in the hope of making it better and it did not. Its just a function of pump design, and how it is mounted and how the acoustics couples through the coolant into the vehicle cabin. you could do what I do,.... turn up the radio....
 
#24 ·
Something is wrong or do you live in a really hilly area or something? I get 38 easily with AC blasting and not trying one bit to max out the miles. Low 40's is typical. I live in North FL which has gentle hills. My commute is partially mid 60MPH, partially top and go 50's and some stop and go 30MPH stuff.

If you run the heat your mileage makes sense. In winter I find I get a WAY longer range by starting in hold mode for the first couple of miles to warm the car and the batteries.
 
#21 ·
If it's gen 1 volt and the good years Assurance ECO Tires i believe the MAX PSI is around 51 cold so allot of people are running 42-44 to get more life out of the tires otherwise the outside edge wears really fast plus you get better electric range obviously the ride is more harsh but i prefer a harder ride feel more connected with the road.
 
#23 ·
I usually stay below 60 mph, so i can get the best ev miles i can
I rarely use my a/c, i keep my windows down, as i love the fresh air
i live on the east coast of florida, so i regularily get an ocean breeze.
I keep my tires at 40 psi
And i have almost 19,000 miles on my oem goodyear tires .
So far i get my tires rotated every 5,000 miles
And they are wearing even so far.
 
#26 ·
Hello Wow ..... just below 60 MPH with windows open and still getting 50EV+ Miles. I am getting about 38-40 at 60MPH. with 39-41PSI on tires.

It seems that some cars do better. I have only gotten 52 miles once.
 
#30 ·
Hello I only been getting 10.8 with the 2015 Volt. It may have gone to 11+ last year, when I kept speeds at less then 56MPH most all the time. Now I try to stay at about 60MPH and am still the slowest car on I95 to work.

Since the KW-HR is not a direct measurement i am starting to think that if you drive harder or less efficientlly that the program lowers your available KW-HR to protect the battery. Or some cars are just better then others. Driving carefully is not rocket science, but I have a hard time getting +47 EV Miles. One day I will get up at 4AM and do I95 at 50 or 45MPH to see what I get.

52Miles! in a 2013!!!!
 
#31 ·
There are many factors that go into it, but know that 10.8 is perfectly fine.
I'd say +/- 5% from the standard value is normal to account for erroneous conditions (the estimate tends to drift more if you do lots of partial charges vs full ones, but I've yet to see >5% away from norm).
If it's suddenly only 8 or 9, something's going on that I'd want looked at.
 
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