Buyers are still paying a premium for the $40,000 Volt, which is the equivalent of a $20,000 compact car. Chevrolet sold 1,519 Volts in November.
General Motors said today that Chevrolet Volt owners collectively have driven more than 100 million all-electric miles since the hybrid went on sale two years ago this month. The average Volt owner travels more than 65% of the time in pure electric mode, using the gasoline-engine generator for longer trips.
For the first 38 miles, the Volt can drive using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16.5-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gasoline engine/generator can increase the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank.
GM calculates that Volt owners drive approximately 900 miles, or a month and a half, between fill-ups based on an EPA-estimated 98 MPGe that puts electric-only range at 35 mpg city and 40 mpg on the highway.
Fewer trips to the gas station mean Volt drivers continue to save money on the $40,000 four-seat car. Based on EPA estimates owners are saving about $1,370 a year in fuel costs. So GM estimates that The 5 million gallons of gasoline have been saved, equivalent to $21 million in gasoline costs averted overall based on $4 per gallon of premium, or more than two supertankers of gas. (Read Chevrolet Volt Leads New Owner Satisfaction Report. Again)
