So, it is a conundrum that when I look at my energy screen in my 2014 I see, after a 6752 mile road trip, that I have gone 42.5 miles on battery, but used 20.4 kWh to do so. What you have described is what I also believe. It could be that while adding heat to the cabin while in Hold Mode caused the regen to be applied to the battery expenditure calculation.or something. My thinking has been that that energy capture was used to (in effect) increase the MPG. When in Hold Mode, I would sometimes see a green bar or two in the grayed-out battery symbol that indicated regen adding electons to the battery (after going down hills). I did start out in Hold Mode and gradually used up the battery by forgetting to select Hold mode when starting up and driving a few miles after visiting gas stations, as well as when going through towns. I have to conclude that some of the regen while in CS mode was attributed to electric side of the tally, while the balance was put in the ICE side (increasing the MPG).
Braking the car by recharging the battery provides additional fuel for the electric motor, increasing overall efficiency.Ĭlick to expand.What you have described is what I also believe.
The car’s kinetic energy can be used to slow the car, using the rotating wheels of the coasting car to crank the motor/generator to create electricity. An electric car’s propulsion motor is connected via the drivetrain to the wheels, making an alternative to friction braking possible. Regenerative braking is another interesting topic. Of course, those cars don’t have the ability to game their stats by switching into gas-assisted driving modes when driving uphill or when driving at highway speeds to save the battery for slow speed driving.
#20198 CHEVY VOLT RANGE PLUS#
Trying to understand the energy usage display led to the observation (it’s also mentioned in the manual) that the Electric Mode stats (Electric Miles / kWh Used) reflect driving done on battery power put there from the wall plug (i.e., grid power), and Extended Range Mode car stats (Gas Miles / Gas Used) reflect driving done using gas-generated power.Įlectric Mode stats reflect the same conditions experienced by any all-electric car (the only fuel is the grid power from the wall that was stored in the battery, plus any regen obtained while driving on grid power). The Wikipedia article on the Chevy Volt also provides an accumulation of information, and I particularly like one of the earlier videos in which Pamela Fletcher, who was then the Chief Engineer, Volt Powertrain, explained how the 2011 Volt works to provide "electric-like" driving in Extended Range Mode ( ). I’ve learned lots about my Volt from following and participating in many discussion threads on this forum. Each time you drive far enough to fully deplete the battery, the kWh Used number should remain about the same, representing the amount of grid power you stored in the fully charged battery.Ĭlick to expand.I’ve been driving my 2012 Volt for 5+ years now, so I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to understand how Volts operate. Presenting the kWh Used as a net calculation of grid power used removes the influence of regen on the fully depleted number. In Extended Range Mode, regen battery power is used to drive Gas Miles.
If you’re driving in Hold mode or with a fully depleted battery, the regenerative braking system is still working, recharging the battery as it brakes the car. If you’re driving in Electric Mode, that regen will recharge the battery (sometimes while driving down a long hill you may observe the kWh Used number getting smaller), allowing you to re-use that amount of charge to drive Electric Miles. (Downhill regen captures gravitational-sourced energy.) Whenever you slow down on level terrain (coasting in D or L or using the paddle or the brake pedal), the regenerative braking system will brake the car by cranking the motor as a generator, recapturing some of the energy used earlier to accelerate the car. How far you can drive using that grid power depends on your driving habits, and the environment and terrain encountered during the driving. IOW, a fully charged Volt battery contains a fairly consistent amount of usable power each time you fully charge it. Regen doesn’t influence the fully depleted kWh Used number. My understanding is the kWh Used number on the energy usage screen shows a net calculation of the amount of grid power used from the battery less the amount of regen put back into the battery while driving on grid power.
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