Filed under: Technology, Electric
Watts Your Mileage?
Expect to hear the words, “range anxiety,” a lot in the months to come, what with the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and an assortment of other battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids ready to hit the market.
The first generation of battery cars, like Leaf, will likely deliver an average of only about 100 miles on a charge – not much more than the range at which the typical motorist starts to look for a gas station in a conventional automobile.
Actually, that figure is only a rough approximation, as I learned recently while getting ready for my first drive of the 2011 Leaf. Under ideal conditions, I was advised, Nissan engineers have traveled as many as 140 miles. But on a cold and dreary day, creeping along in traffic with the heater on full, the little battery car might barely clock 70 miles before its batteries are fully discharged. (Similarly, General Motors now cautions that Volt will typically get somewhere between 25 and 50 miles, rather than the oft-quoted 40 on battery power.)
Sure, driving conditions and driver habits have always had a big impact on mileage. Slam the throttle at every light and you might get less than half the fuel economy your new Ford Mustang will deliver on the highway. But while that may cut into your budget, the only other downside is having to fuel up more often.
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com, and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.
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