Miles showing on charge indicator

[rmalzo]

How many miles should show on the batery meter after a full charge on the average. I have never gotten over 36 miiles showing, ever. GM says it is the way I drive. I drive at 55 to 60 MPH every day and never go over 40 miles in one day. I have had my batery replaced already after having a complete failure while driving. Can I get some feedback from some members as to there meter readings after a complete charge and how you drive. Thanks Ray

[voltage692]

From my reply to your other message about the same topic:

Try an experiment:

Full charge the battery
Take the car out at night on a cool day that you don't need the AC, just open the front windows and crack a back window
Drive on roads with no traffic that are no more than 40 miles an hour and don't have a lot of stops, accelerate very gently in "normal"
See how far you can go on battery either until the battery runs out and it switches to ICE or you just get tired of the experiment
If you didn't go all the way to 0% battery, then use the smart phone app to check your final battery percentage before you plug in at home again and do a cross multiply (remember 6th grade Algebra) to calculate what you would have gotten for total battery mileage if you went all the way to 0% battery

I almost never show above 34 miles, and I did this experiment. I drove for 17 miles until I was tired of the experiment, but with the remaining 65% battery percentage, I was on track to do close to 49 miles on that charge. The route I took ended up having a lot of stop signs, so I am sure it would have been over 50 on more rural roads.

It put my mind to rest.

I think the calculation for the miles on the battery is complicated and conservative, and what really matters is how many miles can you actually get on a charge, not what it predicts you will get.

How many miles should show on the batery meter after a full charge on the average. I have never gotten over 36 miiles showing, ever. GM says it is the way I drive. I drive at 55 to 60 MPH every day and never go over 40 miles in one day. I have had my batery replaced already after having a complete failure while driving. Can I get some feedback from some members as to there meter readings after a complete charge and how you drive. Thanks Ray

[rmalzo]

Thank you for your quick reply. People on the site always talk about miles on a batery charge and never talk about what shows on the meter.

[voltage692]

You're welcome.

Oh, and pay attention to the screen that shows your driving style and climate efficiency. In normal driving, I am almost never over 70% driving style, and around 45% on climate.

When I did my experiment, I was at 100% on both numbers by the end of the test. Even if you drive super efficiently, it takes quite a few miles before you will be rewarded with 100% score on efficiency.

[SharkVolt]

The range on mine "seems" to be more dependent on the temperature when I charge it then my driving style. At around 50-60 degrees overnight it seems to show a range of 36 to 38 miles. when the overnight temp stays over 60-65 it is getting a charge range at about 39-40 miles. I am assuming when we get our "real" summer weather at 70-85 degrees overnight it will get 45 or more. It seems like it will show this slightly conservative range on purpose, but if you reset one of your trip odometers at the start of your day, you will probably see it actually get quite a bit better actual miles then the initial range estimate, if you are driving conservatively. It seems to "stretch" out the range remaining when you drive at slower steady speeds especially.

Jerry, #536 in Fresno

[Noel Park]

My trip to work is about 25 mils with an elevation loss of about 800 feet. If I drive to work fairly conservatively, I show about 29 miles of range left. After charging during the day, the meter show 46-47 miles of range available. When I drive home the exact same route and gain the elevation back, I end up with 10-12 miles of available range showing. After charging at night, the range in the AM shows something on the order of 42 miles. So it's pretty variable depending on your driving patterns.

[Steverino]

I have had the battery number change, and it sure seems related to prior drive style and conditions. Doing all electric, around town driving in the 25-45 mph range using slow starts and drive set on L for regen braking, the battery shows 41 miles or so the next day after an overnight charge. More highway driving brings it down to 38 or so.

I try to keep the green ball centered at all times, and I have stopped racing to a stop light as well as more actively anticipating stops in advance so the regen braking can slow me down instead of the brake pads. Using no fan, Fan, Fan + AC will also affect range differently, and the battery's next day estimate. At least those are my observations.

[AZ EV Driver]

People on the site always talk about miles on a batery charge and never talk about what shows on the meter.

The mileage is a "best guess" projection, so I think eveyone takes it with a grain of salt. Mine is usually in the 45 to 50 range, yet I always get more than that (may be due to my wife's heavy foot). I haven't heard of anyone reporting more than 50, so I think that may be an upper limit set in the software.

I would do the experiment that another poster recommends, with the exception of not opening the window - this may get more fresh air into the car, but it ruins the aerodynamics no matter the speed. Vehicles now-a-days are designed to run with the windows closed, use the fresh air setting in the climate controls. The vehicle most likely has the usual hidden air vents for that flow through effect.

VIN # 0985

[captbently]

Iwas told by my dealer that the range shown after a full charge is an average of the last 20 charges (regardless of how long the Volt was on charge). The highest that I see has been 45 miles. It's always over 40. The greatest range seems to be at speeds of under 40 mph. I use low frequently when traffic is slowing ahead, a traffic light is turning red, or on a highway exit ramp. You can go into Low at any (forward) speed. On the way to work, it is alot of down hill and my range increases even after going three or more miles. Using brakes lightly puts energy back into the battery too but Low seems to be more efficient if applicable. About six miles of my commute is highway and I try to stay below 65 but the Volt has no trouble doing 85. Turn the select know and check your tire pressure. My dealer put Nitrogen in the tires and I was showing about 36 in each tire. Yesterday, I took the car to the dealer and had them bring the pressure up to 45 psi to see how that affects range. I still trying to break 50 miles on one charge and have come close. You can see on this site that one Volt owner has broken 70!

[maynard]

I usually show 42 miles after a full charge, less when it was cold outside. We always drive in low even for our 1,000 mile drive to Florida from Michigan last week. Around town we open the windows, use no air or fan, and usually get about 57 miles before the battery is done. We try to accelerate slowly, keeping the green ball happy, and feather the pedal when slowing down. We almost never step on the brake pedal except for a light tap to let the guy behind know that we are slowing. I do seem to keep bumping things on that *&%*@center console. I am especially good at turning on full seat heat. I usually realise the problem late enough that I am kinda uncomfortably warm for awhile.