Now that GM has sold a thousand of their Volt plug-in hybrids, they're starting to get feedback from owners about how the cars are performing in day-to-day use, and here's the number you care about: people get an average of 1,000 miles between fill-ups.
The Volt comes with a plug-in battery that has a range of up to 35 miles, plus a nine gallon gas tank that can add another 344 miles through a small engine. According to the EPA, if you run the Volt on electricity only you'll get the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon, whereas if you run the Volt on gas only (not like you would) you'd get 37 miles per gallon. That's great and all, but the question is really what these numbers are going to turn into when average people start using the Volt as their daily driver, and GM has provided the answer: most people who own Volts only have to put gas in the tank once every 1,000 miles.
The number suggests that the majority of Volt owners are taking substantial advantage of the Volt's all-electric mode, which is good news, 'cause there was some amount of concern that with a range of only 35 miles, you'd end up having to rely a lot more on the gas engine, which would partially negate the whole point of having a plug-in hybrid in the first place. At between $30k and $40k (depending on tax incentives), the Volt is still an expensive first crack at a mainstream plug-in hybrid, but at least it's good to hear that so far, it's living up to a little bit of the hype.
Via Bloomberg
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