Featured if you are looking at a new plugin or EV which is more important, range or MPGe?

That's one of the reasons I didn't move up to a Gen II Volt, even with my runs to Pennsy, Virginia, etc., I'm currently running 73% EV and would only improve by a few percentage points.

 

The car you already own is usually the best bet, all this new technology coaxed me out of my ancient EV and ancient MT diesel.

I bought a new ev because of want not need. (Besides the old insight no new cars interested me until this recent 2011+ group of EVs came to market, oddly Tesla never interested me, go figure)

The new stuff is all cool but the energy use to make a new car and monetary reasons to switch are weak justification unless your currently in a guzzler or your car is worn/unreliable.

Not saying much aftermarket exists for the pip but Gen I volts have folks actively developing tuning packages to add better fuel economy and e85 capability. 50mpg highway without hypermiling is now possible on the gen i volt with simple tuning changes.

Inspired by a Gen ii insight mini range extender... I myself made a mini range extender out of an old 14.4 volt NIMH battery stack that turns off the D.C.-DC and adds about 5 city miles to my volts range,
(it fuels all cabin loads)
I was planning on adding 200watts of flexible stick on solar to the roof and a solar charger but the battery during charge exceeds the volts 16.5 volt limit and throws a CEL making this project more complex than I want and now I mostly abandoned it but it's still in the back of my head.

I guess what I am saying is that you could focus a small amount of cash on mods to your PIP. Money better spent enjoying what you have than the outlay for a new car with marginal gains for your situation.

 

does the retuning increase pollutants?

 

You change almost anything at all in CARB states & you're pretty much hosed.
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They haven't sniffed the car yet but based on the fact the tune code is copied valve timing from a newer GM vehicle I have to believe it's likely better than stock.
The volts low pollution rating comes more from the type of pollution controls over the valve timing in the engine. (AFR is left at stock values)

The former GM engineer working on the tune says the Volts engine tune appears to have been hurried and is from the old GM 2008 era or so. (Pre bankruptcy) the engines variable timing was not really used much in the original tune, so it's ability to run semi akinized wasn't utilized as it just ran WOT at a few different RPMS.
The engine also supports e85 which they have only recently enabled also using OEM code.

They are not finished optimizing the tune yet but generally using GMs own newer OEM tune from a newer model to an older but similar GM motor should be a fairly bulletproof way to reduce fuel consumption and pollution.

The tune was good on their first try and they are now on the 2nd or 3rd version based on increasingly newer GM platforms.

Now if it were me doing the tune, I would want to add lean Cruze but I am of the camp that less CO2, Sulphuric, VOC and monoxide along with all the immense amounts of pollution from the refinery, (like lead, mercury and cadmium)Trumps a 20% increase in NOx at my rural tailpipe.

Ah well a discussion for another day.

 

how close is 50 mpg to volt II?

 

The Gen ii volt gets much better real world gas MPG than the Gen I
Many Gen ii s get 50mpg despite its 42mpg rating.

Both cars are heavily effected by ambient temperature and climate control use.

My particular volt easily gets around 50mpg with climate controls off, tires fully inflated, at 90F at low highway speeds, if I condition the car before leaving I can maintain 50mpg down to freezing but at low speeds,
below freezing things fall off a cliff, I can't exceed 35mpg at zero F on my usual 100 mile trip (though I sometimes can maintain my EV range)

I don't own a Gen ii but my goal was to retune ev and gasser to get my gen i close to gen ii levels.

Sad part is I exceed many Gen II cars ev range in the real world with my 2013 volt.

I always figured the driver is more important than the car.

Also remember when I quote MPG I am talking only the real gas mpg on the miles traveled using the gas engine, EV miles i tally separately, that combined number some folks quote... to me is useless.

 

agreed. i can only get it by filling up, and it looks like prime doesn't track hv miles properly.

 

If the Prime's comfort is as good as they say, it could replace your Camry for the Florida trip.

My assumption regards to tunes, is that the manufacturer would optimize the stock one for power, efficiency, and longevity. Changing one of those areas will lead changes in the others.

But it comes down to specifics.

The gen1 Volt's engine could very well be the same as the one in the Sonic. The only recall I had for the car was placing a sticker over one claiming the engine was flex fuel. The E85 fuel trim maps are already in the ECM, but the car lacks an alcohol sensor, and 15 inches of fuel line isn't ethanol compatiable.

 

we test drove the prime, it's nothing like the hycam in seat comfort, quietness and ride. and of course, we could only fit our bathing suits for the trip.

 

that's why i said this, people care about range more than anything else. buyers will determine the best range for their average use. everything else will follow.

 

why's that ?
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toyota changed things on gen 4. on the lift back, they added hv/ev percentage of miles. then they carried this methodology to the prime. so hv miles are only when the engine is running, and ev miles contain both wall charge and regen, both in ev and hv mode.
so, your hv miles reported might as well not have a battery on board.

 

Given the depreciation costs of any new vehicle, how do most buyers ever justify on increased fuel savings a new car no matter its better MPG/MPGe? Especially at today's gas prices (or even 50% more).

My new car's depreciation has been several times the fuel costs in every year of ownership. Not to mention the additional cost of insurance. The total of the old car's depreciation could not have exceeded even one year's of the new car even if the old car was now valued at zero.

 

they use statistics to convince themselves.

 

It's not just fuel savings. It's lots of extra safety features & /or new Styles & /or more comfort, etc. Then when you factor some people are replacing 10+ year old cars instead of just 2 or 3 year old cars - it becomes much more understandable. Our 11 year old Lexus hybrid for example fits nicely into the last category. Sometimes it's just time.
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Hyundai is just doing damage control, because their EV only gets HALF the range of a Tesla. I think an unbiased study would reveal:

- Customers want range. They want to be able to drive the car as far as possible, before having to stop & recharge.

 

I think most people want convenience and familiarity. When electric vehicles have comparable range to gasoline cars and can be recharged as quickly as gasoline can be refueled, and when they are priced similarly to most gasoline cars, then they'll be in a position to gain significant market share.

For currently released cars, Teslas & the Chevy Bolt are close to the range needed. The Bolt is close to pricing. Tesla is getting closer for charging time. Tesla's upcoming Model 3 may hit the trifecta after a few improvements to battery tech and the Supercharger network, but nothing is quite there yet.

 

700 miles? why ...
If you drive for 3hrs/200+ miles, & nature calls - it's no big tragedy to plug in for 35/45 minutes while you pee & stretch & grab a bite. Even so tesla - before they even had their newest long range pack went from west coast to East Coast in under 59 hours.
They Drove A Tesla From LA To New York In A Record 58 Hours 55 Minutes

it's not just range - gm is undermotivate (as is Hyundai) to build out a nationwide quick charge network whereas tesla already had multiple routes across the US. That mindset towards 'unnecessary' quick charging will slow their products' acceptance down by YEARS.
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