- The 2013 Chevrolet Volt gets a three-mile EV range increase to 38 miles over the 2012 model, GM announced on Thursday, but the improved range capability will result in "slight increases" to the Volt's charge times.
- GM said the miles-per-gallon equivalent on the 2013 Volt will increase from 94 miles to 98 miles.
- The total range of the 2013 Volt will be 380 miles.
DETROIT ? The 2013 Chevrolet Volt hybrid gets a three-mile EV range increase to 38 miles over the 2012 model, GM announced on Thursday, but the improved range capability will result in "slight increases" to the Volt's charge times.
GM said the miles-per-gallon equivalent, or MPGe, on the 2013 Volt will increase from 94 miles to 98 miles. The EPA has not yet posted official numbers for the 2013 Volt.
The total range of the 2013 Volt will be 380 miles.
Announcement of the improvements in the Volt's pure-electric range and MPGe follows by a day the release of official numbers on the 2013 Honda Fit EV, a battery-electric car that is rated by the EPA at 118 MPGe and has a range of 82 miles.
The Volt is a plug-in hybrid that runs on either electricity or gasoline, or a combination of both.
GM engineers were able to squeeze more EV range out of the 2013 Volt at a time when the term "range anxiety" has entered the lexicon. The Urban Dictionary offers two definitions of range anxiety: 1) Fear that your electric car won't be sufficiently charged to safely reach an intended destination/return trip/next charging station or 2) fear of driving to places in your electric car as you are convinced your battery will run out en route."
GM said engineers "made minor changes to the material composition of the (Volt's) battery cell chemistry, resulting in improved performance and durability."
"The best way to explain what we've done at the cell level is to compare it to a cake batter recipe," said Bill Wallace, GM director of Global Battery Systems Engineering, in a statement. "Sometimes if you use more sugar and less vanilla, you get a better tasting cake. We've done some work at the cell level to modify the 'ingredients' to make a better end result.
"This attention to detail will allow our customers to experience more pure EV range, which is the true benefit of owning a Volt."
GM said the improvements mean slight increases to the Volt's charge time. A full recharge using a 120-volt outlet could take 10.5 hours.
The Volt's improvements come at a time when gas prices are on the decline in the U.S. The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report on Thursday pegged the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline at $3.56 versus $3.76 a month ago.
But the EPA says on its Web site that gas prices are up 14 percent from $3.29 in mid-December 2011 to $3.75 by mid-May. The EPA notes that the annual fuel cost for a 2012 Volt in electric-only mode is $650. That number is based on 45 percent highway and 55 percent city driving and 15,000 annual miles at current gas prices.
Inside Line says: GM offers a modest antidote to range anxiety on the 2013 Chevrolet Volt ? but the Volt's gas tank is still the real security blanket.
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