My Volt has rolled over 4200 miles, and I’m loving it. We use it for all our area errands because I generally keep it charged. I also use it as my everyday driving car which means the Volt takes some longer trips. I often work from home a couple of days a week but travel to SE MI, Lansing, etc the other days.
What happens on those days is a source of conversation with everyone. When the battery runs out around mile 40 (I’m getting a better charge right now because the weather is mild), the car switches over to gas with really no notice to the driver. If I’m paying attention, I can see the change, but more often than not, I’m focused on the road. On the battery alone, the Volt drives from Howell to: 1. downtown Ann Arbor (and I charge at the DTE stations on Main St when I can), Novi (and switches to gas the rest of the way, I try to charge at NextEnergy in Detroit), and to Lansing (I charge there at the MI Public Service Commission). I drive often on gas because I’m not willing to change my driving style or trips to accommodate the battery. My philosophy is to use my Volt like I would any other car and so far, I’m thrilled with the performance.
That being said, I’m not above tricks like this to use the battery better. Haven’t tried it yet but I will tomorrow! http://green.autoblog.com/2011/05/24/take-control-of-your-chevy-volt-with-mountain-mode/