I would bet that if a standard hybrid 2016 Prius would have taken the same trip at the same speeds etc. probably would not have achieved over 50 mpg on gas. The Gen 2 Volt's gasoline engine, like I have stated several times, is more efficient that most people give it credit for. We have both a 2010 Prius and a 2016 Volt Premier. The last two trips just on gas for over 140 miles was a little over 59 mpg, cs mode. Our 2010 Prius would have attained about 55 mpg for the same trip, load, speeds, etc.
Mountain Mode not needed (Gen 2)
It's leaf peeping season in Colorado, so this morning I filled my tank and headed for the mountains. I live at 5,700 ft above sea level and ran out of battery after a little over 47 miles and a net climb of 2,800 ft. I stayed in Normal mode the entire loop, driving over Kenosha Pass at 10,000 ft, Independence Pass at 12,095 ft, Vail Pass at 10,662 ft, and through the eastbound bore of the Eisenhower tunnel at 11,158 ft. I drove the posted speed limit the entire way and kept my Volt in Normal mode the entire time. Kenosha, Vail, and Eisenhower approaches are posted 65 MPH. Kenosha isn't that steep so my car was only pulling about 20 KW on the climb. Climbing Vail and Eisenhower my car was running about 40-45 KW power output and the ICE was happily screaming along. I was even able to accelerate up both passes to about 80 MPH using the Normal mode "low" buffer in the battery. The descent from Independence Pass to Aspen actually resulted in three bars of power being regenerated. When I got to down to Georgetown I got off I-70 for a bathroom break and had one bar of battery from the descent. My car correctly identified it as "gas" power and allocated it to the gas fuel economy number even after I restarted the engine even though the Classic Enhanced display showed battery power only upon restart.
Here's the Energy Usage display when I got home.
![Electronics Multimedia Technology Electronic device Gps navigation device]()
The leaves were stunning with a variety of greens, yellows, and reds throughout the drive.
One other note: I was passed on I-70 by a CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) painted Chevy Bolt. Interesting...
Here's the Energy Usage display when I got home.
The leaves were stunning with a variety of greens, yellows, and reds throughout the drive.
One other note: I was passed on I-70 by a CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) painted Chevy Bolt. Interesting...
