Chevy charges ahead with 2011 Volt

BY JEFF TAYLOR For Sun-Times Media October 24, 2011 10:18AM

2011 CHEVROLET VOLT

ENGINE: 80-horsepower 1.4-liter four-cylinder + 150-horsepower electric drive unit

TRANSMISSION: one-speed automatic

DRIVETRAIN: front-wheel drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 35 city/40 highway

BASE PRICE: $39,995

AS TESTED: not available

WEBSITE: chevrolet.com

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When my test Volt was delivered it indicated it had around 16 miles of electric range left, but that number is purely subjective as the Volt does not know how it will be driven going forward. Meaning if you accelerate hard, run the heater/air-conditioning/defogger or drive up hills or into a stiff headwind, etc., your range will be affected (downward) and you’ll switch over to gas sooner.

After I used up the Volt’s electrical charge, I plugged it into my standard 120-volt garage outlet. Chevrolet says that a nine-plus-hour charge should yield 40 miles of range. In 40-degree overnight temps, the highest mileage range indicated on the gauge cluster was 34 miles. If you convert to a 240-volt outlet, Chevrolet says you can get a full electrical charge in 3.5 hours.

Be aware that the cost of a quick charger and conversion will cost you several thousand dollars. To plug the Volt in you have to open a small filler door located on the left front fender and then attach the special charger and extension cord that is housed in a bin under the rear cargo floor. Once plugged in a green light on top of the dash comes on to let you know it is charging properly. When the Volt’s battery reaches its full charge capacity, the green light flashes until you unplug.

When I checked the Volt in the morning I noted a battery range of 34 miles. Once you begin driving the power/mileage range starts its downward countdown. The range is indicated in a series of green bars in a gas pump graphic. The futuristic instrument cluster indicated I had 291 miles of travel available between the electrical charge and a full eight-gallon gas tank.

My driving mix was about 60 percent city with lots of stop and go; highway speeds never got above 60 mph due to traffic — not car limitations. I did not run air but had the heater on as well as the defogger. My combined mileage averaged about 41 mpg; Environmental Protection Agency estimates are 35 mpg city, 40 mpg highway. When the Volt did switch over to gasoline the transition went completely unnoticed except as indicated on the instrument panel. In practice, you could run a Volt entirely on electrical power and never use the gas in the tank. Chevrolet thought of this and built in a maintenance check to remind you to cycle through the gas in your tank approximately once every six months.

The Volt’s interior is really futuristic and I liked (as did the kids) having an IP address onboard, the plunging center stack and four bucket seats with full front/rear center console. The rear seats fold flat to provide a huge cargo area.

Under either fuel source the Volt’s ride, steering and handling is comparable to a midsize Malibu or Accord. I’ve tested numerous Toyota Prius (Prii) models and diesels like the VW Jetta TDI and they are right there with Volt or have slightly better with mileage numbers. These smaller competitors are also less costly, but diesel fuel prices will remain a question going forward.

Is the Volt the savior of the automobile or even General Motors? No, but you will see lots of “green creep” from this vehicle, meaning that in the near future systems/features developed for the Volt will find their way into other vehicles not labeled “electric” or “hybrid.”

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