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I am a new owner, only three weeks, is there any reason why my 2014 V would only be <estimating> 28 miles on a full charge?
Estimated 28 mile battery range, why?
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It's only a range estimate based on driving history, not a indication of battery capacity. If your driving pattern is different, the range estimate will adjust over time.
Congrats and welcome to the forum.
It's possible you have a battery issue but the higher likelihood is, as smarti has suggested, your driving pattern. Faster gives you less range and slower gives you more. You might also want to check your tire pressure (low pressure or new tires will give you less range) and look at your OnStar app in the morning to see if the car is charging to 100%. The estimate is also an estimate and can move up and down even during one drive between charging events. Also, and this is less likely, if you never deplete the battery you can end up with less range. Seems the balancing goes off a bit. This can be reversed by driving until you deplete the battery a few times.
We've seen very little degradation even on the 2011 MY Volts so you shouldn't be concerned at this point.
It's possible you have a battery issue but the higher likelihood is, as smarti has suggested, your driving pattern. Faster gives you less range and slower gives you more. You might also want to check your tire pressure (low pressure or new tires will give you less range) and look at your OnStar app in the morning to see if the car is charging to 100%. The estimate is also an estimate and can move up and down even during one drive between charging events. Also, and this is less likely, if you never deplete the battery you can end up with less range. Seems the balancing goes off a bit. This can be reversed by driving until you deplete the battery a few times.
We've seen very little degradation even on the 2011 MY Volts so you shouldn't be concerned at this point.
George, give us some more information. How fast and how are aggressively do you drive? What is the terrain like – – are you in the hill country? What are your air conditioning settings? Do you have auto defog turned on? Forget about the estimate . . . How far can you really go before the engine starts. When it shows 28, it is really saying, "Based on the current charge of your battery, and your recent usage of electricity per mile, we estimate that you should be able to travel 28 miles on this charge." How you drive will decide your actual range.
I used to live off FM 2214 usually exiting at the top of Ranger Hill so I am familiar with the area. The 75 mph speed limits and living in a windy area aren't doing you any favors. Of course everyone is affected but most cannot monitor things as closely as EV drivers can. And, of course, pure-EV drivers have that range anxiety thing going on, as well!
I'm curious how many kWh the status page reports consumed for a full charge.
I'm curious how many kWh the status page reports consumed for a full charge.
38's the MINIMUM according to some documentation. Dealers seem to look at 32-35 as correct. First stop after any dealer trip is usually to Kwik-Trip to air up and give myself indigestion with a turbo dog to go along with the sour stomach from the dealer coffee.
Tell me about it. I had my winters swapped out a couple of weeks ago, had '38 psi' and 'reset TPMS' in big letters on the work order, because I'm usually lucky to get one or the other, and this time got neither. A TPMS error as soon as I drove away, and measured 32 psi when I got home. That and a customer satisfaction survey.
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Looking at it from a simple science angle, battery capacity is never measured in miles. We use kilowatt hours. The amount of kilowatts required to drive a mile is variable. For instance, driving a mile up hill takes more kilowatts than driving a mile down hill. Driving in the winter takes more kilowatts to keep things (people and batteries) warm.
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And if you want a better idea of how much range you are _actually_ getting and how efficient it is, you can look at the Energy Info display.
This gives an estimate of miles driven and energy use since last fully charged.
If the OP is getting an estimate of 28 miles in Cisco, TX, then I'd expect that they are taking a lot of short trips where the car will be running heating or cooling systems.
Ignore what has become known as the Guess-O-Meter. Look instead at the green 'thermometer' on the left of the driver display. If it is all green you are fully charged and when you first get in the car and before you "start" it, a message should state "fully charged" or words like that.
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I suspect the OP is driving it like a jackrabbit. slow and steady like a grandpa is what you need to keep it up. But where's the fun in that? I can drive it like Jeff Gordon and even get it down to 24.
Speaking of Jeff Gordon, here's a funny song by the late Tim Wilson
https://youtu.be/P1w7Fh7VNto
(completely unrelated useless seque...FTW)
Speaking of Jeff Gordon, here's a funny song by the late Tim Wilson
https://youtu.be/P1w7Fh7VNto
(completely unrelated useless seque...FTW)
Gen 1 SEEM to pay attention to the last 150 miles, and mostly to the last 50 or so. Three weeks is probably enough to get through the majority of that.
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There were some questions on my driving habits so I'll tell you a little bit more about what I do for better context. I am open to suggestions and recommendations, just remember that I live in West Texas so turning off the air conditioner entirely is not going to happen.
I am a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America, a professional Boy Scout, and in the three weeks that I have owned my 2014 V I have driven 3600 miles. I got it for $13k and it had 42,000 miles on it when I got it. When I picked up the car I reset "mileage A" was reset so that only my mileage, not the previous owners, is reflected and it shows exactly 36 mpg.
I drive in L all the time, and in mountain mode unless I am running purely on battery. I only use Normal in slower speed areas. Approximately 75% of my miles are highway speed ( 10% of that is on the Interstate, the balance of that is on US Highway or paved county roads). With regen and midday charging I am getting 45 to 50 miles pure electric between full 110V charges at night.
I did notice that I had been running the air conditioning in comfort mode and have switched that back to ECO, so I expect a mileage bump from that.
I am estimating that I'm cutting my fuel cost between 1/4 and 1/3 which, even though it is not as impressive as some of you, it is a huge help for me. A Scout Is Thrifty.
My tires are in overall good shape, however I did have to replace one after I caught a bolt in a construction zone and while it is the correct size it is not the low rolling resistance tire. I have noticed a little increase in road noise from that.
I am curious if there are "run-flat" tires available for the Volt. (I end up on gravel or dirt roads maybe 10% of the time)
There is some shoulder wear on the right front. I don't know if that is an alignment issue or something that is a known problem.
I am a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America, a professional Boy Scout, and in the three weeks that I have owned my 2014 V I have driven 3600 miles. I got it for $13k and it had 42,000 miles on it when I got it. When I picked up the car I reset "mileage A" was reset so that only my mileage, not the previous owners, is reflected and it shows exactly 36 mpg.
I drive in L all the time, and in mountain mode unless I am running purely on battery. I only use Normal in slower speed areas. Approximately 75% of my miles are highway speed ( 10% of that is on the Interstate, the balance of that is on US Highway or paved county roads). With regen and midday charging I am getting 45 to 50 miles pure electric between full 110V charges at night.
I did notice that I had been running the air conditioning in comfort mode and have switched that back to ECO, so I expect a mileage bump from that.
I am estimating that I'm cutting my fuel cost between 1/4 and 1/3 which, even though it is not as impressive as some of you, it is a huge help for me. A Scout Is Thrifty.
My tires are in overall good shape, however I did have to replace one after I caught a bolt in a construction zone and while it is the correct size it is not the low rolling resistance tire. I have noticed a little increase in road noise from that.
I am curious if there are "run-flat" tires available for the Volt. (I end up on gravel or dirt roads maybe 10% of the time)
There is some shoulder wear on the right front. I don't know if that is an alignment issue or something that is a known problem.
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Before anybody comes to me with "why the hell did you buy a Volt with driving like that, I will never win any efficiency contest but if I am able to reduce my fuel usage by 25 to 33%, which is what I seem to be doing, I will be happy with my purchase.
One of the things that has impressed me the most, and is extremely useful to me, is the amount of internal storage in the cold even with the rear seats "up".
I am considering putting a hitch on it for a single bicycle or occasionally a luggage rack (50-75 lbs max) for camping events
One of the things that has impressed me the most, and is extremely useful to me, is the amount of internal storage in the cold even with the rear seats "up".
I am considering putting a hitch on it for a single bicycle or occasionally a luggage rack (50-75 lbs max) for camping events
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I believe you answered your own question in this paragraph (75% @ highway speed). Why so much use of Mountain Mode? I thought Texas was pretty flat.
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Our Wheels & Tires sub-form has an FAQ on runflats for the Volt. http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?105593-Chevy-Volt-Wheels-amp-Tires-FAQs
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