[sosmerc]

So we just got back from a trip to the Oregon Coast towing our kayaks and paddleboards. There were no charging opportunities, so the trip was mostly on gas. Got home with just 3 miles of electric range left. We covered just over 600 miles round trip. Alot of freeway driving (I use cruise set to 63mph), and alot of two lane up and down hills, ect @ 50 mph. I switched back and forth from hold mode to normal trying to take advantage of any decents in order to preserve electric range. Kind of a fun game to play while on these long trips! Our overall average mpg for the trip was 35mpg. Not bad when I consider the load we had and think about the fact that our Miata MX5 would not have gotten this kind of mileage nor would it have been able to haul the load or tow a trailer.
There was an outside power outlet right next to where we parked at the Worldmark resort at Glen Eden, but my EVSE would not work with it. The outlet did have power because I tested it with a coffee grinder we brought and it worked. I have yet to get my EVSE to work with an outside power source. Must be something to do with grounding?
It would have been nice to charge up so that we could have done more local running around on just battery. But again, having the Volt instead of a Bolt saved the day!
One thing I am missing on the Volt is a power seat. After a few hours of driving I need to be able to readjust the seat and I miss my F150 King Ranch seats! But all in all, I am very pleased with my Volt.

 

[sosmerc]

I should also mention that I ran the gas down until the Low Fuel warning came on. This is the first time I've done this and I was surprised that the estimated gas range remaining was at about 14 miles at this point and when the Low Fuel warning came on there was no longer any remaining range shown. So I was at a loss as to just how much farther I could drive (on gas). I would assume that it would be approximately another 14 miles, but I decided not to chance it and headed immediately to find a station. When I filled up it took about 8 1/2 gallons so I guess I was very close to empty! My other vehicles always seemed to have at least 50 miles or so when the low fuel light comes on. The Volt is different for sure. Don't ignore the low fuel light....when it comes on you aren't going to be going much farther. (or make sure you have been "holding" enough battery range to make your destination or your next fuel stop).

 

[quirkySquirt]

One of the things the Volt is great at: quick fill up whenever. Truly an EV with a backup plan. Thanks for the low-gas info! Should be helpful for others pushing the "gas-anxiety" limit.

 

[TheBlueFlash]

Did you take any pics of the towing setup?

 

[sosmerc]

I have a pic posted on a previous thread, let's see if I can do it again.

 

[[email protected]]

sosmerc, I am very interested in your towing experience (which hitch you used, what you like, what you would do different next time, etc.) I am really more interested in a cargo pod and a bike rack than towing, but might consider a very small, light trailer. I have a 2017 Volt Premier, and am curious about Torklift Invi-hitch (native to the Tacoma area), but have looked at the Curt and Draw-tite as well. By the way, my wife and I lived in Puyallup when we were young and stationed at McChord AFB in Tacoma, love to get back up for a visit. sometime now that we are retired.

 

[sosmerc]

We bought our Volt from the Chev dealer in Bremerton. They installed the Curt Hitch, but would not do the trailer wiring (supposedly for liability/warranty reasons). It just so happens I found a Chev dealer in Fife (Jet Chevrolet) and they were selling some neat, all aluminum utility and sport trailers made by Triton. The trailer salesman turned out to be the owner of the dealership and he was really a pleasure to deal with. So, maybe because we were buying a trailer, he had their shop guys install a trailer wiring harness(made by Curt that I bought through Amazon). Wiring was not an easy job, but they did a nice job and everything works! The trailer was set up to carry 4 kayaks. Triton makes other models too for different numbers of boats or craft. I am very pleased with the setup. I am now thinking about buying a small aluminum utility trailer from Jet Chevrolet just to haul our recycle stuff to our transfer station.
Our mileage does drop noticeably when we tow, but I do not feel like the car is straining in any way. My guess is the mileage drop is probably due more to aero drag than weight. We plan to do more and more trips and want to be able to take our boards and kayaks with us. If I can continually average around 34 mpg on these trips then I will be happy. Fingers crossed that these trips are not damaging the powertrain in any way. I took a gamble on this setup based on what I saw others doing with their Volts. The "Voltruk" thread was very helpful and encouraging.