General Motors has revised the expected range its upcoming Chevy Volt will get on battery power alone. For months, the company has said the Volt would have a range of 40 miles before a gasoline engine would kick on to keep the battery charged. Now the company has confirmed that the range will be between 25 and 50 miles.
The 50-mile figure will be for those who drive the Volt gingerly and lower range figures would come about from using power-sapping systems such as air conditioning or heat and driving in cold weather or on hilly terrain, GM spokesman Rob Peterson said. GM revised the figure after extensive tests of the Volt as it nears its on-sale date in December, he added.
This wider range should be expected as traditional hybrids’ range — and yes, regular cars, too — for the exact same reasons. It just now seems the 40-mile figure we heard for so long wasn’t the floor … or the ceiling of the Volt’s range.
GM Now Says Volt Can Go 25-50 Miles on Batteries (Yahoo News)
