Prices start at about $40,000, not including a potential $7,500 federal tax credit.
Chevroletâs electric-powered Volt is a stylish sedan inside and out. But its most distinguishing feature is a unique electric propulsion system that uses a small gasoline engine to deliver an extended driving range of nearly 400 miles.
The Volt is a technological tour de force, but it can be treated like just another car. Despite its silent propulsion system and seamless stream of torque, it can be operated like any conventional sedan.
But if you remember to plug it in every night, you may never need to put a drop of gasoline in it. You can say the same about a few all-electric vehicles, but unlike the Volt they force you to carefully calculate every journey or run the risk of running out of juice.
The Volt’s brilliant engineering delivers the benefits of electric propulsion with the peace of mind of a nearly 400-mile range and no greater risk of being stranded than there is in any conventionally powered vehicle.
It’s similar in that regard to Toyota’s plug-in hybrids, but it can travel about three times as far using only electric power. And unlike hybrids, which are driven by gasoline engines when the electricity runs out, the Volt is always propelled by electricity.
Here’s a very simplified explanation of how General Motors engineers turned electric propulsion into practical transportation:
The Volt’s drivetrain consists of a primary electric drive motor, a secondary generator/motor, a small gasoline engine and a 435-pound, 5.5-foot long lithium-ion battery. The motors and engine are linked by three clutches and a “planetary gear set.”
How those components interact and behave depends on the battery’s state of charge and the way the Volt is being driven. On a full charge, either one or both motors will provide all the power, depending on speed and acceleration. The engine won’t run at all until battery charge has dropped to around 30 percent.
Even at that point, the gasoline engine is used primarily to recharge the battery, although it can provide a little extra boost when driving conditions require it.
The major difference between the Volt and conventional hybrids is that it will never operate on gasoline power alone. It differs from plug-in hybrids because it has a much greater all-electric range.
The EPA says that range is 38 miles, but it topped out at 34 during my test. That was driving the Volt like I would any conventional vehicle and in temperatures that hovered around 32 degrees. Higher temperatures and gentler driving should extend battery life. Other reviewers have reported getting close to 50 miles on a charge.
Superior range than typical electric vehicles
The Voltâs massive lithium-ion battery can be charged using standard household current, but it requires several hours.
Chevy says fully recharging the Volt’s battery from its maximum depleted state will take 10-16 hours on standard household current or about four hours on the 240-volt current used by electric clothes dryers. An optional charging adapter (around $500) is required to use 240. Full charges took about half a day on 110-volts during my evaluation, but it couldn’t have been easier.
After grabbing the charging cable from its nesting place below the Volt’s cargo floor, I plugged one end into an electrical outlet in my garage. Whenever I parked the Volt for the night, I grabbed the other end of the cable, which looks like a cross between a gasoline pump handle and a Buck Rogers ray-gun, and pushed it into the proprietary plug under what looks like a conventional gas filler flap just fore of the driver-side door.
With nightly charges, there were several days that I drove the Volt without ever burning a drop of gasoline. There were other days – such as the one that included a 200-mile highway trip – when the gasoline engine kicked in long before the destination was reached.
Over the course of the week, I drove the Volt around 450 miles and never bought an ounce of gas. And the car’s trip computer was still reporting about 60 miles of driving range remaining. That would never have dropped if I kept my driving under 30 miles a day and recharged the Volt every night.
Chevy says 80 percent of Americans drive less than 40 miles a day. That helps explain the TV commercial in which several Volt owners say they hardly ever put gas in their cars.
Does that mean the Volt will save you a fortune during the 8 years or 100,000 miles for which its battery and Voltec drive system are warrantied? Not exactly. The EPA says it will save $6,850 in fuel costs over five years compared with the average new vehicle, but the Volt’s starting price is $40,000.
Even if you qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit for which it is eligible, there are many excellent, high-mileage sedans available for thousands less than the Volt.
There are none, however, that are as fuel-efficient, technologically advanced … yet unassuming and undemanding … as Chevy’s marvelous Volt.
NUTS AND BOLTS
What is it? 2013 Chevrolet Volt, a practical plug-in vehicle.
What does it cost? Volt is offered in one trim level for $39,995, including destination charge. Options hiked test car's MSRP to $44,370. A federal tax credit of up to $7,500 is available to buyers.
What I liked best: Finally, a practical electric car with no impractical compromises.
What I liked least: Charging takes half a day.
Important numbers: Two electric motors and one 1.4-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine produce up to 149 hp and 273 lbs-ft torque. 105.7-inch wheelbase. 3,781-lb. curb weight. EPA mileage ratings: 98 all-electric; 37 all-gas; 62 composite. 10.6 cu. ft. cargo room. 0-60 in 8.7 seconds (stopwatch). 382-mile range.