[dogunter]

I've only owned my 2017 Volt for a few weeks and I'm extremely happy with it. I read a few posts about people who do not get the advertised "up to 53 miles/charge" and at first I was also very bothered to find that on a full charge, my car would only show 42 miles.

But I knew that my driving habits had not been "learned" by the car as well. The number I see on a full charge now varies from 45 to 50 miles. I'm still not sure of the logic it uses but I'm not deterred.

I have a 52 mile one-way commute to work. Most days I take public transit since it is an express bus with no stops. I bought the Volt since it could at least make it most of the way there on a charge and I have access to a Level 2 charger when I get there.

Now for the interesting part. The elevation difference between where I live and work is 1,500 feet. Needless to say, the climb on the way to work usually depletes the charge around mile 35 or so. Driving home on a full charge, however, I gain 10 additional miles on the steep downhills. It's fun to watch.

I've attached a photo of my return commute showing the charge at start, after 10 miles of ~5% grade downhill, and then when I got home, with miles to spare. The bottom of the image shows my elevation profile.

 

[Norton]

That number is the GOM. It's not real. It's there for your pleasure and disappointment.

 

[Jim Fallston Md.]

Try increasing your tire pressure to 40 or at least the 38 recommended, Max psi for the tires is 45 which is where I am at and it is not a harsh ride.

 

[llninja]

Drive like a grandpa, never coming close to the speed limit, avoiding regen and coasting like crazy then you can get the guessometer to climb. But drive like Jeff Gordon, and it can drop like crazy.

Plus your low tire pressure warning means you are adding friction to your low rolling resistance tires. why all your tires are around 30 psi is beyond me. Look at the recommended numbers in your door sill.

 

[srmarti]

The OP is explaining not asking a question. The rest of us already know this stuff. It's rather obvious for example that going downhill takes less energy than going uphill. True even in an ICE car. One difference with the Volt and other similar EVs and Hybrids is regenerative braking can put energy back into the battery on a downhill run.

 

[mbsmd]

My new 2017 always says 41 miles for a full charge.

My work commute each way is 12 highway miles and about 1.5 total miles on surface streets. I'm presuming my reported miles-per-charge is low because of 75 mph highway speeds. I'm hoping it's not a dud battery.

My wife's 2017 Volt, on the other hand, says 53 miles for a full charge, but she rarely needs to drive on the highway.

Am I right in my thinking?

 

[SharkVolt]

Yes the OPs tire pressure are extremely low, which in addition to poor mileage, will result in premature tire wear from cornering.

The tires are supposed to be at a minimum of 38 pounds on the Volt, because it is a relatively heavy car.

 

[srmarti]

Yes the OPs tire pressure are extremely low, which in addition to poor mileage, will result in premature tire wear from cornering.

The tires are supposed to be at a minimum of 38 pounds on the Volt, because it is a relatively heavy car.

Isn't it 36 psi for the 2017? Yeah, 30-32 psi is low. OP should at least run the pressure stated by GM.

 

[Geohec]

The OP is explaining not asking a question. The rest of us already know this stuff. It's rather obvious for example that going downhill takes less energy than going uphill. True even in an ICE car. One difference with the Volt and other similar EVs and Hybrids is regenerative braking can put energy back into the battery on a downhill run.

Yep. I think most read that as "why dont I get 53..." instead of what the OP actually said "Why I dont get 53..."

Ilninja and others do have some great advice for the OP to raise the pressure in his tires. I run at about 38 psi tire pressure.

I luckily drive downhill about 1000 feet in elevation and I have 30 miles each way for a 60 mile total commute. I start with a GOM of 46 at my home then I drive downhill daily and make it with ~35 on the GOM at the end. Then I charge at work to top off and get home with a few miles to spare. I drive average of 65-70 both ways. Fortunately, I live in mild climates so my hit to the GOM is mild with only a drop of 5 miles between the summer and winter.

After 24.5k miles and 15 months of trouble free ownership, I'm very happy with my G2 Volt.

 

[Geohec]

My new 2017 always says 41 miles for a full charge.

My work commute each way is 12 highway miles and about 1.5 total miles on surface streets. I'm presuming my reported miles-per-charge is low because of 75 mph highway speeds. I'm hoping it's not a dud battery.

My wife's 2017 Volt, on the other hand, says 53 miles for a full charge, but she rarely needs to drive on the highway.

Am I right in my thinking?

I think your battery is fine. I think your temperature, driving habits and temperatures all contribute to your low GOM. And your wife driving at low speeds on city streets contribute to her better GOM, which she probably refers to as "driving report card."

 

[stingray]

I traded my 2015 for a 2017 volt on 12 23 16 I load my tires to 45 psi and they settled in around 42 to 43 psi. In Florida the temps are around 70 F. My car had been a loaner and had about 3240 miles – about 90% gas. The GOM Read as follows after the first 7 full charges. 58, 62, 66, 72, 76, 78, and 82 ev miles. I expect to hit 100 in about 4 or 5 more full charges.
By the way my wife I love this car even more than we loved the ’15.

 

[wordptom]

The full-charge, or start of day range estimate, is based on your driving history, with emphasis placed on the more recent history (such as the efficiency of your drive home the previous day).

Once you unplug and start moving, terrain, environment, and driving habits start modifying the estimate. Range decrease occurring slower or faster than your actual travel doesn’t mean the computer is then giving you more fuel or taking it away, it’s just changing its estimate of how far you could drive using the available fuel if you keep driving as you’re driving at that moment under those driving conditions... as you drive downhill on your way home from work, your short-term electric mileage improves, so the computer increases its estimate of how far you could travel per unit of fuel remaining to be used...

Note that the start of day range estimates are "fuel history specific." If the only time you use the gas engine is for short distances when it doesn’t have time to warm up, the gas mileage will be lousy, and, over time of such limited use, multiplying that by a full tank of gas will produce a very low range estimate. On the flip side, if you drive but 20 electric miles a day, but are very efficient and use only 4 kWh of power to do that (i.e., 5 miles/kWh) and do it frequently, over time the computer multiplies the ev mileage by the ~14 kWh in a full charge and estimates a range of 70 ev miles.

Sooner or later some Gen 2 driver’s going to try switching to Hold whenever their speed goes above 40 mph, saving all the battery for the better efficiency of slow speed driving, just to game their full-charge ev range estimate (the Gen 1 Volts had a maximum limit for the ev range display). It’s not necessarily easy to maintain high efficiency throughout a full battery depletion, and that’s why a center screen usage display showing 70 Electric Miles achieved is far more impressive than a driver’s display showing a 70 ev mile estimated range. Oddly enough, switching from Hold to Normal to avoid using the gas engine for stop and go, slow speed driving might also increase the MPGcs gas mileage, thus increasing the overall efficiency of your Volt!

 

[Norton]

.... The GOM Read as follows after the first 7 full charges. 58, 62, 66, 72, 76, 78, and 82 ev miles. I expect to hit 100 in about 4 or 5 more full charges....

Right! All it takes is to drive slower and slower... Save those pennies and expensive electrons!!
But please don't be like those Prius drivers constantly looking at that dang display and driving SO slow they made a bad name for the car.

 

[stingray]

Right! All it takes is to drive slower and slower... Save those pennies and expensive electrons!!
But please don't be like those Prius drivers constantly looking at that dang display and driving SO slow they made a bad name for the car.

I was driving normal in town speeds for nearly all those numbers, but, the 100 mile comment was tonge in cheek. I was very suprised the see a 82 QOM but it was under normal driving. I don't expect to top that number.

 

[llninja]

Ilninja and others do have some great advice for the OP to raise the pressure in his tires. I run at about 38 psi tire pressure.
.

It's LLninja, not Ilninja...

 

[Geohec]

It's LLninja, not Ilninja...

Not the fighting IL ninja surrounded by corn fields? I think you should change it.

Ok, got it LL. Sorry about that.

 

[llninja]

Not the fighting IL ninja surrounded by corn fields? I think you should change it.

Ok, got it LL. Sorry about that.

Well, I did attend The University of Illinois and I work in Champaign, IL, plus I did have corn in the fields on my farm (this year it will be beans), but I can't say I'm an Illini fan. They haven't had a winning football team in like forever, I was a student when the Flying Illini made their Final 4 run, and I was living here when Daron Williams and Dee Brown were making the next run. Other than that, sports on this campus is pretty dead (sure we have some tennis and golf wins, but who really follows that?)

 

[bluzer1]

It's LLninja, not Ilninja...

Ok, that clears it up. I just thought you were an Italian Ninja

 

[llninja]

Ok, that clears it up. I just thought you were an Italian Ninja

All ninja's are Asian (just like the stereotype that mobsters are italian). I'm not quite sure how IL or LL becomes Italian.

 

[RoRo]

I traded my 2015 for a 2017 volt on 12 23 16 I load my tires to 45 psi and they settled in around 42 to 43 psi. In Florida the temps are around 70 F. My car had been a loaner and had about 3240 miles – about 90% gas. The GOM Read as follows after the first 7 full charges. 58, 62, 66, 72, 76, 78, and 82 ev miles. I expect to hit 100 in about 4 or 5 more full charges.
By the way my wife I love this car even more than we loved the ’15.

I'll guess that you bought your Volt from Maher Chevy in St. Pete. I just got mine 8 days ago from Mark. ;-)

I'm running 41/42 psi and the GOM is up to 62 from the 52 when I bought it.