Note: The 2011 Chevy Volt has an EPA-estimated 35 miles on a single charge; EPA-est. 93 MPGe [electric]; 35 city, 40 MPG hwy [gas]. Actual range varies with conditions.
David Nichols is a recent Volt owner and has owned a few HUMMER vehicles before recently purchasing a Chevrolet Volt. Check out his Q&A with our team below.
What vehicles did you own before the Volt?
I have owned a variety of vehicles over the past 14 years. The last few vehicles have been all been HUMMERs. I have owned a HUMMER H3T, a HUMMER H3 Alpha, and most recently a HUMMER H2.
After owning HUMMER vehicles, what made you interested in the Volt?
I have enjoyed owning Hummers and love to drive them. That said, the pleasure of driving them has been hampered by fuel prices to the point that I was choosing to leave them in the garage rather than take them out for a drive. Making a payment on a vehicle that I was unable to enjoy also got me looking around for options. I have been watching hybrids evolve over the past couple of years and was always interested in purchasing one. I looked at cars like the Ford Fusion hybrid and the Toyota Camry hybrid. The fact that I was still going to have to visit a gas station regularly with these vehicles made them less than appealing, but an all-electric vehicle did not fit our needs either. We are a two-car family and need both cars to be able to go at anytime. I liked the idea of the Volt. It would give me the freedom to choose how often I visited a gas station. The Volt met all of the criteria I was looking for in my next vehicle. My mind was made up long before I ever had the opportunity to purchase one.
When did you get your Volt?I started bugging my salesman back in January (2011) about the Volt. Our area was not scheduled to receive any Volts until 2012, but GM later announced we would have them by the end of the year. The dealer contacted me when they had an allocation and I picked out the options and color. My dealership’s Volt arrived at the end of September, which was much earlier than expected. I had only seen the Volt from a distance (at a car show) and had never actually driven or sat in one until their demo arrived. I test drove it a couple of times and was hooked. It was far better than I anticipated. I took delivery on Oct 6.
What’s your lifetime MPG?
I am currently at 167 MPG. I have a 62-mile commute. I am averaging 43 miles per charge and after that the engine brings me the rest of the way home. I have been able to do all my weekend errands without using any gas.
What do you like best about the car?
That is a hard question to answer. There are a lot of features that I really enjoy. The one thing I could put above the rest is operating the vehicle in electric mode. There is nothing quite like a nice quiet ride with no engine noise. I was surprised about how much more relaxing it is to drive to work! I also really enjoy playing with speed and driving style to maximize the battery range.
What has been the reaction from people that you’ve showed the car to?
I spent my first weekend with the car showing it to family and friends. They all loved the look of the car but didn’t quite understand how it worked. I explained to them how it operates and took them rides. They were all impressed on how well it rode and how easy it was to charge. Most people I have shown the car too assumed you had to have a charging station installed or were only able to charge it off of a 220V charger. My oldest children (10 and 8) were excited about the car and couldn’t wait to tell their science teachers.
Have you taken any long trips in the car?
I haven’t had the opportunity to take any trips up to this point. I plan on taking it on a trip up to visit family in Michigan which will be 1,000 miles round-trip. The ability to run on electric and still be able to take it anywhere was a big selling point to me.
How often do you go in-between filling up?
At this point I only need to fill up once a month. I am working with my employer to get a spot to charge at work. This will essentially eliminate my fuel usage except for the occasional long trip.
