There it is, right on the EPA sticker, arguably the most important metric by which the second-generation Chevrolet Volt will be judged: The EPA-estimated distance that the car can travel on electricity alone per charge. Yes, we know the EPA sticker is a mess of numbers, disclaimers, and scale graphs, but right in the middle, highlighted in yellow, is the 2016 Volt’s electric driving range of 53 miles. By Chevy’s measure, that just-released figure marks a 40-percent improvement over the previous-generation Volt’s range.
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So how did Chevrolet pull off a 15-mile improvement in the Volt’s electric-only driving range? Besides stripping weight from the battery and drivetrain, the automaker also packed more energy capacity into fewer battery cells. The result is a leaner, more efficient machine that can go nearly as far on electrons as a few full-electrics such as the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive (68 miles) and the Ford Focus Electric (76 miles). Of course, when the electrons run dry, the Volt still has a 1.5-liter gasoline-fed four-cylinder engine that kicks in to recharge the battery and provide motivation to the drive wheels.
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Even acting as a mere plug-in hybrid, the 2016 Volt improves in the EPA’s eyes, with a 42-mpg combined rating and a 106 MPGe figure, up from 37 mpg and 98 MPGe. By comparison, the outgoing Toyota Prius plug-in turned in a 50-mpg combined EPA score in hybrid mode and 95 MPGe when running on electricity, as well as a humble 11-mile EV-only driving range. A new Prius is due to be revealed soon, and we expect the plug-in version’s stats will improve—but likely won’t include a 53-mile EV range. If all this talk of electric driving range and MPGe is boring to you and us, it isn’t to Chevy, who claims that most Volt owners diligently plug in every chance they get so as to use their vehicle like an electric.
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