I really could not go slower since it was an active road. Average speed for the entire run was 23 MPH. My speed varied from 19 MPH up to as high as 25 MPH. When going down these hills, I use neutral to coast as much as possible. There are a few small little hills on the ring road around FedEx Field. I had both front windows cracked about 1.5 inches due to the heat. I did not want any precious electrons wasted on a Bluetooth connection. I turned off my daytime running lights and made sure Bluetooth was off on my phone. This drive will go way beyond that.Īt 6:25pm I started my run. Really efficient driving is 5 miles / kWh. My 2012 Volt has an EPA rated range of 35 miles on 10.0 kWh, or 3.5 miles / kWh. The Volt only allows 65% of the battery to be used, this trick bought me another 2%.Ī key metric for measuring efficiency of how one drives is miles per kWh. This raised the actual state of charge from 87% to 89%. About 10 minutes later, the battery was charged to the maximum allowed. I will not go into details here, subject for another article. This allows the Volt to charge an additional buffer. I let the battery rest for 30 minutes, then turned on the Volt while it was still plugged in. About 2 1/4 hours later I had a full charge. I used around 60% of battery to get to FedEx Field from Northern Virginia. Early afternoon I set out for FedEx Field. It was a nice warm day, upper 80s Fahrenheit and I could spare a good chunk of my day for this "exercise". Newer tires with more tread create more friction with the road, reducing EV range and MPG. Do not try this at home! Another factor in my favor is that my tires are pretty worn as they have 52,000 miles on them. For this test, I went way beyond that and set my tires to 60 PSI. A few hyper milers (me included) go with 50 PSI. Really too low, many owners go with 42-45 PSI. Recommended tire pressure by GM is 38 PSI. I will be using no climate control, of course. Optimal temperature for efficiency is around the mid 80's Fahrenheit, which is warm, but not hot enough to engage thermal management of the battery. The key factors affecting range are speed (lower the better), ambient temperature, tire PSI, driving style, elevation change, and climate control. Surrounding FedEx Field is a giant traffic circle, and right next to the road are 12 free solar powered level 2 chargers compliments of NRG eVgo. I succeeded in finding the perfect location, FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins. In addition, there needs to be nearby access to a level 2 charger. The best choice in my case would be a large traffic circle. A long country road would work, but last time I checked no such road exists near metro Washington DC. I do not have a test track to use, so I had to locate a public road very much like a test track. To achieve a very long range, one must almost never stop, in essence a test track should be used, or a road as much like a test track as possible. I will be using none of these methods to charge the battery after my initial charge. Theoretically, hundreds of miles can be achieved on one charge via regenerative braking. ![]() I've seen ranges as high as 141 miles using regenerative braking through large elevation changes. ![]() There are three ways to charge a Chevy Volt: plugging in via J1772 connector, using Mountain Mode, or reclaiming electricity via regenerative braking. Sign up for CR’s Cars email newsletter to be notified when we post our latest road tests.FedEx Field Was The Perfect Base OF Operations As a CR member, you also get access to our exclusive ratings and reviews for every product that we buy and test, including cars, grills, mobile phones, and flat-screen TVs. ![]() If you’re not a CR member, click below to join and see the full list of vehicles that can go more than 250 miles on a charge. CR members can also have full access to the results of our Annual Auto Surveys first-drive reviews of the newest cars, SUVs, and trucks and our full reviews and exclusive ratings for each vehicle we buy and test. If you’re a Consumer Reports member, the list below is available to you. Models that have been announced but don’t yet have an EPA rating aren’t included, such as the BMW i7, Kia Niro, and Nissan Ariya. The model pages always reflect our latest ratings. Be aware that the Overall Scores change over time as new information, such as reliability data and the addition or removal of safety features, becomes available. That’s why some don’t have an Overall Score. While all of them are available to purchase, we have not tested every one. The models below are listed alphabetically by automaker, and are broken into three buckets: more than 400 miles of range, 300 to 350 miles of range, and 250 to 300 miles of range. All of these models have CR’s Green Choice designation, which highlights the vehicles with the cleanest emissions.
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