I have had my Volt for almost 2 weeks now and am a little confused by what the EV value means. When I first got the car, when fully charged it said EV Range 48. After driving and charging it went up to EV Range 49. It seems to be higher each time and tonight, after charging it is showing EV Range 58. Since the literature states an EV Range of 53, I am trying to know what to expect this reading to mean.
What does the EV Range level really mean
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It is a learned value based on your average driving method. If you go out tomorrow, and cruise at 85mph on the freeway, the next time you charge it, your number will drop. If you stick to surface streets at 45mph and lower, it goes up.
If you keep driving the way you are driving, it will go 58 miles before the ICE kicks on. But if you go faster, it will run out WAY before 58 miles.
If you keep driving the way you are driving, it will go 58 miles before the ICE kicks on. But if you go faster, it will run out WAY before 58 miles.
It's frequently referred to as the "guess-o-meter" here, as it is nothing more than an estimated value for your future driving that is calculated based on previous usage. If you are consistent with your driving patterns it will become fairly accurate, and therefore actually useful, at indicating what you can expect, but as you can tell if you have an occasion to drive very fast, or climb long steep grades, it will adjust very quickly to reflect the inclusion of that disruption into the estimate. Likewise, I have seen it seemingly "reward" me with a range estimated beyond what it initially showed when starting out with a full charge, yet after I had driven fully 10 miles down the highway already. It is a "guess-o-meter".
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If you drive like you stole it, the range drops. If you drive like a grandpa, the range goes up. It also drops if its cold, or if you have the AC or heat on, or if the traction battery decides to warm or cool itself. If you drive like Ari C, you might break his 81.1 mile single charge record on a 2011 G1.
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Actually it's the Nissan Leaf's range estimate that first got this nickname, and it's often incorrectly used for the Volt (in my opinion). Anyone who has driven in a Nissan Leaf can appreciate the difference. The Volt's range estimate is much better by comparison!
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The Guestimation is pretty accurate, as are the comments posted already.
Based on temperature, driving style and driving history it will show a figure that I have typically found to be within 1 or 2 km of what you can expect if none of these factors change. If the temperature drops you get less range, if your driving style changes for the better you get more range, if it changes for the worse you get better range, and if you use climate controls, especially on max then it plummets .... Its pretty impressive how it does give you a reasonably accurate number once you get used to it, and with that ICE engine tucked in the front its not a worry if the number does reach zero !
A week ago I posted about getting between 40-65 KM and rising (see HERE). Over the last weekend, with the temperatures still rising and even hitting a balmy (for March) 20C (68F) one day last week, my estimated range is now showing 80+ in the mornings.
Based on temperature, driving style and driving history it will show a figure that I have typically found to be within 1 or 2 km of what you can expect if none of these factors change. If the temperature drops you get less range, if your driving style changes for the better you get more range, if it changes for the worse you get better range, and if you use climate controls, especially on max then it plummets .... Its pretty impressive how it does give you a reasonably accurate number once you get used to it, and with that ICE engine tucked in the front its not a worry if the number does reach zero !
A week ago I posted about getting between 40-65 KM and rising (see HERE). Over the last weekend, with the temperatures still rising and even hitting a balmy (for March) 20C (68F) one day last week, my estimated range is now showing 80+ in the mornings.
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Does anyone else feel like this question gets asked on a daily basis?
It will get asked more and more as spring goes by, just wait.
And then it will die off in summer as people are happy with the amazing max ranges they get.
And then come fall-winter it will return again as a deluge of "battery not charging to full", "battery capacity loss", "battery failure", "horrible range loss".
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Maybe I should revive my super long signature with all the answers to most common questions?
True, but few of us have previously driven a car that presented us with an estimate of how far we could drive (based on previous driving habits) on the first gallon of gas we use that day. We also never had a center screen display indicating as we drove how much gas we had used in increments of tenths of pints of gas used to total our day’s travel distance. If we had, such feedback may have provided us with a heightened sense of how fuel mileage varies with the seasons and with the terrain and temperature and driving techniques. We get to learn that by driving an electric car, where the electric fuel powers not only the traction motor, but also the accessories.
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