A Rant: Ending the Volt's Power to Play with Your Mind and the "Efficiency Game"

[Lee Willis]

A lot of posts on this forum revolve around the efficiency of the Volt and getting the most out of the car's range. The 40-Mile club . . . Posts on if, how, why, and when running in Mountain Mode improves CS efficiency or not, and how to use it best . . . should you or shouldn't you drive in L to gain a few tenths of mile per kWhr . . . "games" you cam play with the Climate settings to improve range.

The nature of the car, and its displays, promotes awareness of and efforts to improve energy efficiency. I suppose the nature of the drivers has something to do with it, too.

And I dove into that whole energy efficiency thing for the past two months since I got the car: I worked at it until I got up to 47 miles on a charge back when it was warmer (43 miles in a day with an estimated 4 left when I got home), etc. Calculated mpg equivalent and miles per kWhr and all that . . .

IT GOT REALLY ANNOYING after a while. I was paying more attention to the car, not to my errands and other, more important things. Whenever I went everywhere I kept obsessing on whether driving this way or that would save a few watt-hours of energy. ENOUGH!!!!

Last Monday it was really cold (for NC). I did no pre-heating. I got in the car, put Climate in comfort and cranked the heat up to 72 degrees, turned on the seat heater, put it in Sport (I always do-like the feel), and L (not for efficiency, I like the engine braking rather than the coasting of D), and drove to work just like I would have in my old Lincoln. I went through the Starbucks as always, but left the car window down while at the drive thru window, with cold air wafting in that battery power would have to heat up.

AND EFFICIENCY WENT DOWN THE TOILET, BUT I DON"T CARE!!!! Even in cold weather, I used to get to work (11 miles) and the car would estimate it had 27 - 28 miles of range left. Last Monday, the first day of my "I don't care" routine: it said I had 18 left. Fine - I'll get home on electric and if not, there's a full tank of this stuff called gasoline. .

After a week of this, the car is entirely satisfactory - finally. I get in, I start it, and I drive to work -- the errands and home in the eveing. I never ran out of battery. I never worry or focus on the car. It's doing just what I bought it for - finally.

I love it.

[saghost]

This is one of the wonderful things about the Volt...

There are lots of things a person can do to optimize their usage if they want to (as you no doubt know,) but it really can be dropped into your life and used like any other car without a second thought - and even then, it'll deliver lower running costs than pretty much anything else you can buy right now. It's a real car with unreal efficiency, and anyone can drive it without knowing anything about it or worrying.

[Roadburner440]

If I have days/thoughts like that I just drive our Prius.. The heater in that car is fantastic even when it is rediculously cold outside, and it is available within maybe a minute or so of pressing the power button. I myself am perfectly fine driving the Volt in EV only and sacrificing what I have to sacrifice. That is the beauty of the Volt is that you can use it however you wish either for maximum efficiency or maximum comfort. I only have a 9.9mi drive to work so I too could use the heater in the Volt on max the entire drive and still max it home on EV. I just chose not to.

[WVhybrid]

If it okay with you I will keep my obsessions with the Volt.

[volt11]

I'm with you, Lee. I still make the occasional slight sacrifice, like if I can get away with Fan Only, to extend my electric range, but in general I'm not really willing to sacrifice comfort and convenience on the altar of the numbers game. And it's still nice to know I'll use less gasoline than 99.9% of drivers out there, no matter how I drive it.

[Jim I]

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am only laughing because a few weeks ago, I was sitting in my car freezing my butt off (daytime driving lamps off, and climate control off), because I wanted that range as high as possible. Then I realized, that like you, I was going to get home with plenty of battery range left anyway. So on went the heat, and now I don't turn off those lights every time I get in the car.

So what if the range is only 31 miles. I still don't use any gas, except on Tuesday, when I am on the road for 70 miles. And that huge 8.5 gallon tank of gas will still last me two months!

And I have to say that it is a lot more fun to drive when my feet aren't cold.............



C-5277

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

[Tumblebug]

I when through the same thing last week. I charge at home and at the office, and I am getting to work with 18 mile left (+- 5 depending on the weather). So, I said what the heck, and I turned the climate control on confort and forgot about all of the braking etc., and the car still does great. However, it is fun to try to get the most out of the car.

[black88mx6]

When I can charge at work I will do the same. As I am 42 miles roundtrip, I need to make the car work for me, as the less gas I use, the more it justifies the high cost of the car. Its just who I am.

[Dogfather]

A lot of posts on this forum revolve around the efficiency of the Volt and getting the most out of the car's range. The 40-Mile club . . . Posts on if, how, why, and when running in Mountain Mode improves CS efficiency or not, and how to use it best . . . should you or shouldn't you drive in L to gain a few tenths of mile per kWhr . . . "games" you cam play with the Climate settings to improve range.


The nature of the car, and its displays, promotes awareness of and efforts to improve energy efficiency. I suppose the nature of the drivers has something to do with it, too.

And I dove into that whole energy efficiency thing for the past two months since I got the car: I worked at it until I got up to 47 miles on a charge back when it was warmer (43 miles in a day with an estimated 4 left when I got home), etc. Calculated mpg equivalent and miles per kWhr and all that . . .

IT GOT REALLY ANNOYING after a while. I was paying more attention to the car, not to my errands and other, more important things. Whenever I went everywhere I kept obsessing on whether driving this way or that would save a few watt-hours of energy. ENOUGH!!!!

Last Monday it was really cold (for NC). I did no pre-heating. I got in the car, put Climate in comfort and cranked the heat up to 72 degrees, turned on the seat heater, put it in Sport (I always do-like the feel), and L (not for efficiency, I like the engine braking rather than the coasting of D), and drove to work just like I would have in my old Lincoln. I went through the Starbucks as always, but left the car window down while at the drive thru window, with cold air wafting in that battery power would have to heat up.

AND EFFICIENCY WENT DOWN THE TOILET, BUT I DON"T CARE!!!! Even in cold weather, I used to get to work (11 miles) and the car would estimate it had 27 - 28 miles of range left. Last Monday, the first day of my "I don't care" routine: it said I had 18 left. Fine - I'll get home on electric and if not, there's a full tank of this stuff called gasoline. .

After a week of this, the car is entirely satisfactory - finally. I get in, I start it, and I drive to work -- the errands and home in the eveing. I never ran out of battery. I never worry or focus on the car. It's doing just what I bought it for - finally.

I love it.

I couldn't agree more. Someday we'll read about specialized therapy for EV range syndrome sufferers. I was doing the same thing even though I get done with my day with plenty of range left. I haven't gone cold turkey but I'm working on reducing range thoughts. As a note, my engine came on the other morning for maintenance. It ran for maybe 5 minutes and used .07 of a gallon. I was pissed...

[wainair]

LOL! I hit that wall the other day when in the real cold weather the car started the ICE to provide heating not energy. That's the great thing about the Volt, if you want to go all super efficiency you can, if not just enjoy the car like you did all your other cars! It's fun to drive both ways. No need for EV-OCD!! LOL