I have been driving a Chevy Volt since November 11, 2010, covering over 4200 miles so far. Almost all of this driving has been in winter conditions. I logged my first 2352 miles here to get a feel for the vehicle's overall efficiency, which effectively settled in at 129 miles per gallon.
For the entire month of January I have recorded my daily EV range compared against ambient temperature, driving style, road consitions, and HVAC cabin energy use. I started each day with a fully charged battery and my trip was 30 miles one-way. I did not pre-condition the cabin and 90% of the drive was at highway speeds over 65 mph, using Normal mode acceleration and L-position motor braking.
The data is presented below:
Date | Temperature (F) | Driving Efficiency | Cabin Efficiency | EV Range | Notes |
12/30 | 30 | 66% | 13% | 27 | |
1/2 | 28 | 64% | 15% | 25.6 | |
1/5 | 36 | 69% | 18% | 24.7 | |
1/6 | 28 | 73% | 12% | 25.6 | |
1/7 | 32 | 66% | 15% | 23.4 | snowing |
1/10 | 33 | 60% | 45% | 25.6 | |
1/17 | 22 | 68% | 12% | 26.4 | |
1/18 | 32 | 66% | 16% | 22.8 | slippery ice |
1/19 | 38 | 83% | 28% | 27.9 | |
1/20 | 34 | 89% | 32% | 31.2 | 72 eco |
1/21 | 29 | 79% | 21% | 27.2 | icy |
1/24 | 8 | 68% | 6% | 26.6 | 0.1gal used due to temp |
The cabin efficiency reaches 100% if no HVAC is used, the lower the number the more aggressive the HVAC settings.
Over this period my average EV range was 26.2 miles with an average driving efficiency of 71% and cabin efficiency of 19.4%. The average temperature was 29.2 degrees. EV range appeared further reduced when the roads were slippery from snow and/or ice.
My greatest range was 31.2 miles at 89% diving and 32% cabin efficiency, and the lowest range of 22.8 miles occurred at 66% driving and 16% cabin efficiency.
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