Chevy charges ahead with quick, quiet Volt

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Updated: January 31, 2012 2:02PM

The much-anticipated Chevrolet Volt is an intriguing vehicle because it offers pure electric operation for up to 40 miles when its lithium-ion battery pack has been fully charged.

Volt’s gasoline-powered engine (acting as a generator) extends the driving range by about 340 additional miles before requiring refueling. So the Volt is an extended-range plug-in hybrid vehicle. It bridges the gap between current hybrid offerings and pure electric vehicles.

Typical hybrid vehicles aren’t designed to run on pure electricity during all facets of operation like the Volt. While the Volt can operate in pure electric mode for all types of driving, a typical hybrid vehicle relies on frequent use of its petroleum-based engine to provide additional assistance.

In regard to pure electric vehicles, they don’t need any fuel, but they can’t be driven significant distances between recharging. And that means there will be down time during the recharge phase.

So if you’re thinking about a pure electric vehicle, and you end up driving farther than you anticipated you might not have enough juice to get back home.

That’s where a vehicle like the Volt steps in. It gives the consumer the best of both worlds: pure electric power for typical commuting, and extended range capabilities for driving without needing to stop and recharge.

The Volt really shines with commutes of less than 40 miles per day. You can easily plug it into a 120-volt or 240-volt outlet. At 240 volts, the battery pack is completely recharged in about four hours. At 120 volts, recharging may take up to 12 hours. And you can check on your Volt’s battery level during the recharge phase with a smart-phone app.

Those with short commutes may never need the engine to operate. Well, that’s not exactly true. If the engine remains off too long, the fuel in the tank will spoil.

So Volt’s engineers designed the gasoline-powered engine to periodically come online to keep the gas in the tank from going bad. Still, fuel economy can be quite impressive when relying on electric-only operation.

Those considering a Volt may need to consider if its $39,145 base price (less a $7,500 federal tax credit) makes it a better choice than a typical hybrid.

One thing’s for sure, though. The Volt is much less dependent on oil than most other vehicles on the road, save pure electric vehicles.

Regardless of how you feel about Volt’s exterior or interior styling, or the fact that you can’t get a sunroof, or that it only seats four and there’s not much rear head or legroom, you have to operate this car to really appreciate it.

Volt sounds a bit like a video game whenever it powers up or down, and its two-display screens are futuristic, but easy to configure and interpret.

The ride is refined, more like a European sedan than you’d expect from a hybrid. It’s extremely quiet inside, and acceleration in full electric mode is surprisingly responsive and strong. In sport mode, a jab on the pedal will jerk your head back and send Volt ahead of the pack.

The Volt behaves well under all driving conditions, and when the battery pack has been depleted to the point of the gas engine coming online, the transition is smooth and imperceptible.

Cold-weather operation does affect driving range. A cold-morning commute of just five miles with the heat and seat heater turned on depleted the battery pack driving range by nine miles.

But I did have the opportunity to plug in my Volt tester at my stop so I would have plenty of juice for my return trip home later that day.

While the Volt may not be for everyone, those looking for a refined carlike ride with much reduced dependency on fuel will likely be very happy with it.