Advertised mpg of 35/40 - is that during hold mode? mountain? etc
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Yes. In Hold mode, Mountain mode or Normal Mode you should see the same mileage in any given set of driving conditions, once the car reaches the target State of Charge. (If you switch to Mountain Mode after the battery has run down and it has to push the engine harder to charge the battery back up, you'll see worse mileage for a ten or fifteen miles, until the car gets the charge up, then it'll start behaving like the others.)
Your mileage will vary but overall you should have no problem exceeding the Gen 2 Volt's 42 MPG combined EPA fuel economy figures when using gas. (The Gen 1 Volt generally gets a few less MPG than the Gen 2 when using gas,) For best efficiency makes sure the gas engine has a chance to fully warm up, 8 - 10 miles usually will get the engine coolant to ~190F or higher. Maintain tire pressure, many Volt owners prefer to set cold tire pressure to ~40 PSI but try several pressure settings and find what gives you the best comfort and road handling. Keep speed under 70 MPH for best efficiency whether using gas or when driving the Volt in normal electric mode.
The advertised MPG would be the mpg you get after the car switches from electric to gasoline like the remaining miles of a long trip without stopping to recharge the traction battery, that is not including the battery miles. Mine usually gets around 38 with all types of driving, mountain and city included.
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I get the advertised EPA milage in winter. The rest of the time I get more.
I don't have Hold on my 2011. I just drive it like a car.
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Welcome to the Volt Club!!
I have a long commute (76 miles each way) and I use Hold Mode for the drive to work. Today I averaged 41.8 mpg on gas. On my way home this afternoon, I'll use Hold mode for half the trip, then switch over to battery for the remainder of the drive home.
I have a long commute (76 miles each way) and I use Hold Mode for the drive to work. Today I averaged 41.8 mpg on gas. On my way home this afternoon, I'll use Hold mode for half the trip, then switch over to battery for the remainder of the drive home.
"Gas" mileage is a debatable term for a Gen 1 Volt.
MPG (when written in all caps) = (total electric miles + total gas miles) / total gas consumption
This is a meaningless number for a car capable of moving down the road using no gas at all. The higher the number, the more time you drive using grid power from the battery and the less time you drive using the engine.
The window sticker gas mileage is the expected distance you can drive when you are driving with the engine running (MPGcs, or mpg in charge sustaining mode, i.e., Extended Range Mode).
Keep in mind a Gen 1 Volt is propelled by electricity 100% of the time. In effect, when you transition from Electric Mode to Extended Range Mode driving (when the battery is depleted or when you switch to Hold Mode), the motor is unplugged from the battery and plugged into the generator output. GM refers to this as "electric like" driving.
Whenever the Gen 1 Volt is in single motor configuration for Extended Range Mode driving (e.g., when in stop and go driving, when accelerating quickly), the Gen 1 Volt is an all-electric car running entirely on gas-generated electricity. When cruising down the road (>35+ mpg), the generator motor may be clutched to the drivetrain (split-power configuration), which smooths out the "off/on" engine cycles and allows the engine torque to flow through the generator to the wheels. This increases overall efficiency, reducing the generator’s fuel consumption rate, and thus improving the "gas" mileage.
One could say the Gen 1's "gas mileage" is the distance you can travel on the amount of gas-generated electricity the motor pulls from the generator’s output during the time it takes the generator to burn one gallon of gas.
MPG (when written in all caps) = (total electric miles + total gas miles) / total gas consumption
This is a meaningless number for a car capable of moving down the road using no gas at all. The higher the number, the more time you drive using grid power from the battery and the less time you drive using the engine.
The window sticker gas mileage is the expected distance you can drive when you are driving with the engine running (MPGcs, or mpg in charge sustaining mode, i.e., Extended Range Mode).
Keep in mind a Gen 1 Volt is propelled by electricity 100% of the time. In effect, when you transition from Electric Mode to Extended Range Mode driving (when the battery is depleted or when you switch to Hold Mode), the motor is unplugged from the battery and plugged into the generator output. GM refers to this as "electric like" driving.
Whenever the Gen 1 Volt is in single motor configuration for Extended Range Mode driving (e.g., when in stop and go driving, when accelerating quickly), the Gen 1 Volt is an all-electric car running entirely on gas-generated electricity. When cruising down the road (>35+ mpg), the generator motor may be clutched to the drivetrain (split-power configuration), which smooths out the "off/on" engine cycles and allows the engine torque to flow through the generator to the wheels. This increases overall efficiency, reducing the generator’s fuel consumption rate, and thus improving the "gas" mileage.
One could say the Gen 1's "gas mileage" is the distance you can travel on the amount of gas-generated electricity the motor pulls from the generator’s output during the time it takes the generator to burn one gallon of gas.
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