[mr_3456]

Does anyone know how many miles can the VOLT go before recharge is needed when one is using heat or air condition?

 

[frankyB]

Search

Now that we have a search function working in the forum, it wouldn't to use it.... plenty of post about it... any number are only speculation at this point.

 

[kubel]

Does anyone know how many miles can the VOLT go before recharge is needed when one is using heat or air condition?

Welcome to the forums!

The US DoE estimates that AC will have an impact on range of up to 30%. Heating is up to 35%.

A 30% to 35% decrease would result in a total all electric range of about 27 miles. Worst case scenario is if you are using defrost on a cold day. That would require heat and AC, which could reduce range to 14 miles if both were on.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/avta/light_duty/fsev/fsev_auxiliary.html

(These estimates are about 10+ years old, so hopefully more efficient technology will be available to GM by 2010)

 

[Tom]

Power Management

See Automobile electronics seek to plug power leaks.

Scott Brenneman, release engineer for vehicle electrics at Tesla, comments on how running accessories, such as a heater or a radio, affect the range. “In general, some simple math shows the impact on the range,” he says. “In rough terms, a given load would have a quantifiable effect on a 50-kWhr battery pack, assuming you also knew the other loads. Back of the envelope, let’s say the range over a given course is 240 miles, driven at an average speed of 30 mph, for a total time of eight hours. I suspect that the effect of most electrical subsystems on range is small except for a few items, such as the HVAC components. For instance, a 1-kW load running half the time would consume 4 kWhr, or 4/50=8% of the range. I think this is an extreme case, since 1 kW of heating or cooling is a lot. Typical 12V loads, such as exterior lights, are less than 0.2 kW in this scenario and thus would reduce range by about 1.5%.”

A Simulation for the Volt's AER of the EPA City Cycle goes from 40 to 35.1 miles with an added 0.5 kW average power.
See post http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719 for details.