[deekster_caddy]

Why not? My only concern on a trip that long would be to bring a spare tire. Otherwise many people have driven the Volt as far or farther without issue.

See if you can find hotels that will let you plug in overnight! Most will try to accommodate you.

 

[telveer]

As compared to? If you have another Hybrid car like a Prius, you may want to use that. If not, a Volt is perfectly fine for long journeys. Carry a spare and try to opportunity charge wherever you can (especially at hotels, shopping malls, etc)

 

[gschuck]

I bought my Volt to drive it. I have a lifetime MPG of 56. I think I am still beating a Prius both in MPG and comfort. Drive your Volt to Vegas and have a great time! Don't worry about your stats. If you know that you are not going to be able to charge up overnight stay in MM so that if you need the reserve you have it. It's always better to stay in MM than to run your battery down and to use gas to charge it back up to the MM threshold. You can always run the battery down to empty on the last 30 miles of your drive before a charging opportunity.

 

[baragona]

Why not? My only concern on a trip that long would be to bring a spare tire. Otherwise many people have driven the Volt as far or farther without issue.

See if you can find hotels that will let you plug in overnight! Most will try to accommodate you.

Agreed. Find a way to get a spare & a jack, even if it is a donut spare.

Opportunity/hotel charging is not that big a deal on super long trips as an overnight charge really only saves you 1 gallon of gas on the next day's trip.

 

[Loboc]

Volt is a great road car. The aero makes truck buffeting non-existent. Don't worry about tires or charging. Just have a great trip!

 

[soundmike]

That would be a great trip, IMHO. Like any other long road trip, especially yours which would be about 5k miles or so, be prepared for anything. Spare tire would be nice.

FWIW, i once took a road trip that crossed 17 states and just under 6,000 miles. Didn't really need a spare, but it was good to know i had one if needed. If i had to do it again, i'd remember to bring a pillow for passengers, and stop at any opportunity instead of gunning for traveling the most distance in a single day.

 

[saghost]

Ontario to Myrtle is a long drive already. I don't think there are any surprises in store for you, or any reason you won't like the drive to Vegas just as much. This is why you have the engine - relax and enjoy it.

 

[ScottG]

Thanks gang....a spare tire is a good idea.

 

[BMR_Volt]

Wow. 2 new posts from Essex County members today. The Volt is catching on here! Love it. Where did you buy yours ScottG?

 

[srmarti]

I think it's up to you. It's not an issue regarding the car. There are gas stations on the way to Las Vegas too.

 

[volt11]

But but... What about your lifetime MPG!? The number man, the number!!

(yes, I'm making fun of people here)

 

[Mike Michaels]

Sounds like a good trip to me - especially after the weather we just put up with.

 

[alfon]

Not many cars today will get even 35 mpg on a long trip, real world driving, at interstate speeds. Even at 70 + mph at 45 degree temps we still averaged 37 mpg with three on board with just the gas engine. So, when we get home you can drive all week on little or no
gas at all....

 

[Cord]

Nice think about just having a tire in the back and not the whole tire+wheel is you can pack stuff inside the tire

and I see that NTB has in stock replacement Volt tires if you need to get one fixed on a long trip.

 

[deekster_caddy]

Nice think about just having a tire in the back and not the whole tire+wheel is you can pack stuff inside the tire

and I see that NTB has in stock replacement Volt tires if you need to get one fixed on a long trip.

I actually really like this idea! You don't need the whole rim or anything, pretty much any shop can change a tire, and physical rim damage is very unlikely. The tires themselves are very lightweight - when I swapped to my snow tires I was very surprised how light the OE rubber was. Put the tire in a plastic trash bag and stuff all around it and inside. Very space efficient!

 

[Elemental]

Pack a credit card and a gun.....You wont need to pack anything else.

 

[soundmike]

Nice think about just having a tire in the back and not the whole tire+wheel is you can pack stuff inside the tire.

It's a nice idea, but what if the OP gets a flat, say, between Grand Junction and Green River State Park, between CO and UT? That's roughly a 100 mile distance of nothing. The spare would certainly give him a faster means of getting back on the road and "limp" it to town.

The spare isn't that big, just turn it upside down like a shallow bowl and stuff it.

 

[Steve-o]

If you drive 500 miles per day, charging at the hotel can save 10% of the gasoline, and it is very easy: "Can I plug in my electric car?" "Yes, right over there." "Thank you." Most hotels want to accomodate their customers.

 

[ChasSidwa]

Bring a heavy duty extension cord, remember to charge on high overnight and if you are from ON you should already have extra tires mounted on wheels. I like the idea of just buying an extra tire, no rim.