The first Volt on VoltStats.net to drive past 200,000 miles (72,000+ miles on battery charge). Change oil every 38,000 miles Rotate tires, replace as needed Only, failure was a front wheel bearing. Almost no noticeable battery range loss. First Chevy Volt To 200,000 Miles
I'd say 36% EV is pretty good for someone whose commute is over 200 miles per day in a PHEV although 97.6% of VoltStat drivers had a higher EV percentage. As you should remember, the VoltStats MPGe calculation is based on EPA estimates since actual electric charging data is not made available to them through GM's OnStar web api. Still, 50 MPGe is much better than the vast majority of cars on the road. His car has been pretty reliable so far.
I'm surprised GM was able to make a decent car. My current usage pattern precludes my Prius reaching 200,000 miles or dropping to 50mpg. We'll see how long the wheel bearings last.
Sounds good but the guy with 99.8% EV has 63.5k miles on the battery. What would happen if he approaches 100k or 150k miles? Also his gas fuel economy is in single digit. A pure EV would have been better for him and a regular Prius would for the first guy.
We'll just have to wait and find out how the battery does over longer time periods and EV driving range. When the degradation does begin taking a hit on range then the gas engine will be there to back him up on his commute. His 9 mpg on gasoline is largely from the car running engine maintenance every 6 weeks automatically for a few minutes to keep things lubricated. It's an insurance payment of sorts and has minimal impact to his overall results since the amount of gas is so small. At the time he bought his car there weren't many other options. If you look at his detailed monthly averages you see that he is driving 70-90 miles a day on average: Volt Stats: Details for Volt #2012-10318 (PLUG1N) In a LEAF that would have meant sometimes depending on the existence and availability of charging during his daily trip (charging at work etc.). Charging stations lose power sometimes during an occasional brief outage or equipment fails for a few days and needs repair. Requiring some added charge during a routine daily commute is risky.
If he had a Leaf, it wouldn't do that. If he can get 99.8% EV with 37 miles range battery, Leaf with 75 miles range would work for him. He would use less electricity per mile without having to lug the gas powertrain around for 63.5k miles. That's all I am saying.
And where he lives, it could be a lot cheaper to burn that gas than to rent or pay insurance on another car. Or he simply was more comfortable driving a Volt over a Leaf. Going by the complaints about Prius seats, comfort is an important consideration.
Update: Erick has now reached 100,000 EV miles and over 280,000 total miles on his Chevy Volt. Erick Belmer’s Chevy Volt Traveled Its 100,000th All-Electric Mile Today
The problem with the leaf is that after 36k miles the range drops down to 70 miles,and continues to drop as mileage goes up.Master certified leaf service advisor.
