Chevy Volt - What is GM doing?

[RGR]

Volt would work just GREAT! for us, which, based on a 40-mile or less commute, is 75% of the commuting public.

Except that those figures will vary GREATLY in the Winter time with the heater on. Especially if you're in dense traffic..

Maybe. Some people, under those conditions, have had their Volt EV mileage drop from 40 to 30 miles! This is pretty horrifying! Certainly my hybrids have a temperature sensitivity, but it has to get pretty cold before it shows up, and even then it isn't all that bad. A couple of MPG or so.

THe deal is that you can't run it down to idiot light like you can with an ICE engine. You should always leave a margin in it. And with only 70 miles or so banked, leaving a 10 or 15mile "cushion" is asking a lot..

The Volt is only an EV until it runs out of juice. Then it runs on gasoline for a couple hundred miles. So the "bank" is as large as the gas in your tank, and the distance it will carry you just like any other car.