[WTF]

Hi Everyone,

I've had my new Volt about a month now, so far it's been a fantastic car! I've been a Prius owner/driver for over a decade but made the switch after doing research on the car (great electric range, tax incentives, nice styling for the new redesign, etc).

I've been experimenting with switching modes for freeway vs. street driving to learn more about the car and how each mode works. So far I've put about 1500 miles on my Volt and I've only added about 7 gallons of gas since I got the car. In a couple days I'll be making my first long drive (Denver to Albuquerque and back) - I'd like to hear from anyone who might have any suggestions on driving modes and styles to maximize the efficiency and also minimize wear/tear on the drivetrain and especially battery.

BTW, I am enjoying discovering what this car can do, especially compared to my 2013 Prius trade-in. The Priuses I've owned were definitely great cars but the Volt seems an order of magnitude better - more power, 53 miles electric range (I'm seeing over 60 on average), full color displays, great exterior styling, etc. I also love the way the Volt drives compared to my Gen.3 Prius - so smooth!

Thanks in advance!
WTF

 

[Steverino]

Just drive the car however you feel comfortable. You won't hurt the car or the battery. Cruise control is nice.

 

[telveer]

For the most part, you can just drive it like a regular car.

If you are particularly inclined, you may use hold mode once you reach highway speeds, so you can preserve battery range for local driving.

And if your route has long, steep gradients, consider engaging mountain mode when you start the trip.

 

[turboguy327]

Use hold when you get on the highway to keep your charge as gas is more efficient on the highway and electric is better for around town.

 

[llninja]

And don't even try volting (using mountain mode to charge the battery, then driving on all battery, repeat) as it just doesn't work.

Using PlugShare to find places to eat and hotels near free charging stations is one way to reduce your fuel consumption. Stoppign for a few hours of shopping, a trip to the zoo, or wandering around a museum is also nice, it will distract you from getting to your destination in a timely manner.

 

[mike100]

Use hold when you get on the highway to keep your charge as gas is more efficient on the highway and electric is better for around town.

Don't waste the battery charge at interstate speeds. Go gas and switch back when you arrive in the big city and traffic slows, or you hit the surface streets. You will find that you can only go 46-47 miles at 70 mph as an EV. As an option, run the last 40 miles on electric to reduce your total gasoline consumption, but only if you have a good charging opportunity at your destination. My mom will let me do it, but I'm not sure how the average person will react to you asking for 15-16 kWh of juice while you are standing there with a cord in your hand.

 

[Andy00778]

I drive to Florida with my Volt. As soon as I get off the low speed city roads I use gas, saving the electric for things like slow traffic jams on the highway, pulling off the highway to get to a restaurant or hotel etc.

Toyed with idea of using battery when going down big hills just to add regen power, but probably doesn't make any difference.

 

[tmdz28]

I agree with using the Hold Mode on the freeway when driving 70+mph. I was playing around with modes during my drive from LA to SD last weekend, and got 45 miles on battery alone, when i can get above 60 miles during my daily drive.

 

[Geohec]

How about a good audio book to help pass the time.

Anyone else coming with your on this trip? If you have passengers in the back, then you might want to plan a few stops every couple of hours becuase it can be a bit cramped in the back and the long trip can make some a bit claustrophobic. Front seat passengers on long trips have no problems.

Enjoy.

 

[wordptom]

Toyed with idea of using battery when going down big hills just to add regen power, but probably doesn't make any difference.

Downhill regen adds charge to the battery regardless of what mode you’re in... if the miles driven on that regen count as gas miles, you get better MPGcs, if they count as electric miles, your AER goes up. Neither choice affects your MPG.

 

[turboguy327]

Don't waste the battery charge at interstate speeds. Go gas and switch back when you arrive in the big city and traffic slows, or you hit the surface streets. You will find that you can only go 46-47 miles at 70 mph as an EV. As an option, run the last 40 miles on electric to reduce your total gasoline consumption, but only if you have a good charging opportunity at your destination. My mom will let me do it, but I'm not sure how the average person will react to you asking for 15-16 kWh of juice while you are standing there with a cord in your hand.

That's what I said?

 

[kubel]

I'll share a little bit about my experience and my history.

Coming from a Nissan LEAF after almost 4 years, I am what you would consider to be an "EV Purist". I don't like burning gas. I don't like the idea of a genset (oh sorry, in Volt land, you guys call this a "Range Extender"). In fact, the reason (aside from the steep pricetag) that I didn't get a 2011 Volt was because GM engineers announced that the genset was capable of providing torque to the drive wheels. The series hybrid concept of the Volt was smashed, and I told myself "screw the Volt, I'm getting a LEAF for $6,000 cheaper".

When I test drove the 2nd generation Volt, the genset was again my least favorite feature. I saw the EV range drop to 0 and heard the gas engine kick on and felt the vibrations through the steering wheel-- Eww. Then came the smell. You know, that smell of burning off the oily residue and other chemicals on the exhaust and elsewhere. Oh yeah, that's just what I want to smell in green car.

The day after I took delivery of my Volt, I did a ~700 mile round trip (destination wedding), about 250 miles there and back with lots of driving at the destination. Let me tell you the feature I now love the most: The genset! Why? Well, yes, it stunk for the first half of the trip (literally, burning smell), but it gave me the freedom of travel that a pure EV could never give, not even a Bolt. I was able to do 88MPH the whole way. If I did that in a Bolt, I would have run out of electricity about 140 miles from my starting point.

So I had the freedom of travel, but I also had freedom of time. About half way to my destination, I got a text message from my Dad saying we were meeting the family about 60 miles north of where I had originally planned for dinner. Had I been driving a Bolt for instance, I would have barely made it to my original destination (about 200 miles away driving carefully at or below the speed limit), but I would have missed out on dinner (there are only 2 charging stations along that stretch, both are 120V). This is not a rip on EVs- but they take a level of planning and coordination that aren't always compatible with "real life" (or my notorious family communication).

On my trip, I used Hold mode while on the freeway, Normal mode for pulling off the highway and on city streets or in traffic, and never really touched Mountain or Sport modes. I avoided "L" on the highway because, as much as I love it in city driving, it's too jerky at those kind of speeds.

Keep it below 75MPH for decent fuel economy. I was doing 88MPH most of the way there and the genset seemed to be pegged and actually was eating into the battery a few times and never really held the charge completely (it went from 100% to around 80%). The first half of the trip I burned through a whopping $14 in gas. I think my average was around 32MPG. But I was speeding redicuously and driving like an ass most of the way there.

The return trip I tried to keep it under 75MPH (unsuccessfully at times) and MPG figures were much closer to advertised, around 41MPG (which I was surprised to see for a mostly highway trip). I found the speed limit alert sound to be very helpful (I set it at 77MPH), since it's difficult to ascertain your speed based on the RPM of the genset like you can a traditional gas car with a conventional transmission, and if you arne't using cruise control and aren't looking at the speedometer, you can find yourself going faster than you would like.

 

[PilotAlan]

If you are particularly inclined, you may use hold mode once you reach highway speeds, so you can preserve battery range for local driving.

This.
It won't make any measurable difference on a trip of that length. But I use gas on the highway and electrons around town, simply so I don't have to hear the engine running. But it won't make any difference.

First rule of Volts: Don't try to outsmart the car. The engineers did a great job, and except for some very unusual circumstances, you won't do better than the car will do itself.

 

[AE7HF]

I suggest the only thing NOT to Hold, is your bladder.. stop every now and then and stretch and relieve yourself.. enjoy the car. It will drive more than 7 hours at highway speeds on a tank plus charge. Enjoy the trip.. don't push it. Enjoy the car. It's a piece of heaven on Earth.

 

[llninja]

How about a good audio book to help pass the time.

Enjoy.

Or a boatload of podcasts (Motley Fool Money, Market Foolery, and The Dave's Ramsey Show are my favs). Or setup Pandora or Spotify...

 

[llninja]

Here's one I haven't seen posted in this thread yet. Use hold mode in the morning when it's cold and reserve the battery for the afternoon when the temps have climbed a bit. You might get an extra 5-10 miles of range this way.

 

[Digitalflyer]

Have a nice trip, it's like any other car. Enjoy it! I know I do every time.��

 

[jbakerjonathan]

I drove in your part of the country last month in my 2014. I didn't use any "tricks" using Hold Mode on this road trip and never plugged in at night. I averaged 42.6 mpg for the 9890 miles. My recommendation is to use CC and set it to 65 mph. Turn on Sirius/XM (you're still in the complementary 3 month period) to your favorite music genre and boogie on down the road for the 450 mile trip. Make a pit stop at Raton, NM and stretch your legs. I'd be very curious in your opinion of how well the seat supported your body for the trip. I've read that the Gen1 seats do a better job than the Gen2s do. I've also driven your state in a 2010 Prius and know how bad the seats support on a long journey. Enjoy your trip.

 

[WTF]

Wow, this was my first post on the forum - thanks everyone for your ideas!

I've had my Volt for a month now and I haven't really used the ICE much apart from experimenting with the various modes to see what they do, and how it affects mileage/gas use/battery use/how the car drives so this trip will my first LONG drive with the ICE on most of the way.

How about a good audio book to help pass the time.
Anyone else coming with your on this trip? If you have passengers in the back, then you might want to plan a few stops every couple of hours because it can be a bit cramped in the back and the long trip can make some a bit claustrophobic. Front seat passengers on long trips have no problems.
Enjoy.

No passengers, just me and a flashdrive full of music - back seats will be empty. I'm going to Albuquerque for a Tango festival there - I've gone there every year for the past six years and it's always been a lot of fun. Prior to a month ago I was driving my third Prius, a 2013 model 2 which I loved but ended up trading in after a run-in with a deer on a lonely mountain road a couple months ago. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Volt does drive- and comfort-wise compared to the Prius.

I drove in your part of the country last month in my 2014. I didn't use any "tricks" using Hold Mode on this road trip and never plugged in at night. I averaged 42.6 mpg for the 9890 miles. My recommendation is to use CC and set it to 65 mph. Turn on Sirius/XM (you're still in the complementary 3 month period) to your favorite music genre and boogie on down the road for the 450 mile trip. Make a pit stop at Raton, NM and stretch your legs. I'd be very curious in your opinion of how well the seat supported your body for the trip. I've read that the Gen1 seats do a better job than the Gen2s do. I've also driven your state in a 2010 Prius and know how bad the seats support on a long journey. Enjoy your trip.

You know, I've never had any problems with the seating in my 2013 Prius - I found the driver's seat to be very comfortable and have made this exact drive several times in the past with my previous car. And to add - I'm 6'3" and about 240 pounds so seating and comfort are important to me. I opted for the heated leather seats in my Volt and they have been very comfortable so far - hopefully there won't be any issues on my drive to ABQ. I'll definitely share my experience after my return trip...

I gotta say I am loving the car - yesterday I did an around town trip after work: I started with an almost-full battery showing a range estimate of 55 miles (no solid green light while charging so it wasn't full). Drove a little over 45 miles and still had 15 miles left of EV range when I pulled into the garage - fantastic!

Again a big thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts and experiences - this is a great forum and the threads and posts here had a big influence on my decision to purchase a new Volt after my accident. Weird to say, but I'm glad it happened now! I have some ideas on how to experiment with modes and driving conditions for the trip - curious to see what will result, plus the Albuquerque festival is always a blast so it's all good

 

[Bacardi]

Check to ensure your battery terminals are correctly aligned...