One drawback of some electric hybrid vehicles is what is called “range anxiety.” It’s the worry drivers feel that their car won’t go far enough on its electric battery. The Toyota Prius Plug-In can travel only 10-15 miles on a fully charged battery; the Ford Fusion Hybrid Plug-In, only 19 miles; and Ford’s C-Max Energi Plug-In, 21 miles. The 2015 Chevy Volt has turned those numbers on their head by creating an electric car that offers 50 miles of EV (electric) range per fully-charged battery.

The 2015 Volt was unveiled last week in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show (full disclosure: I was a guest of General Motors, but under no obligation to give any of their vehicles a favorable review). I haven’t had a chance to test drive it yet, so I can’t speak to how it performs on the road. But I did take a look at the specs and get behind the wheel, and I liked a lot of what I saw.

My first priority is fuel efficiency. I want to use the least amount of gasoline possible, given the impact burning gas has on climate change and air pollution. In that regard, the Volt offers the distinct possibility of never having to buy gasoline unless you’re taking it on a long trip. “Volt owners complete more than 80 percent of their trips without using a drop of gasoline,” said Andrew Farah, vehicle chief engineer. Even when gas is used to extend the vehicle’s range (which is how a plug-in hybrid works), drivers are expected to be able to travel more than 1,000 miles on average between gas fill-ups, for an average fuel efficiency of 41 mpg.

After fuel efficiency, I want a car with uncomplicated technology and enough performance to make highway driving uncomplicated. The Volt seems to deliver. It is easy to recharge the battery using a standard 120 Volt outlet; the battery can be recharged any time it’s needed, but most drivers recharge it overnight and on the weekends when their electricity rates are particularly low. A 120V portable cord conveniently stores on the left side of the Volt’s rear cargo area for easy accessibility. It’s also easy to keep track of how much charge is left in the battery, so the driver knows in advance when the car will switch over to gasoline mode. As for performance, the car can go from zero to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds, which seems plenty fast to me.

Safety is also on my priorities chart. A standard rear-vision camera now comes with the Volt to help drivers avoid backing into hard-to-see objects. The vehicle also comes with ten standard airbags, including driver and front-passenger knee air bags. Additional active safety features offer lane keep assist with lane departure warning, side blind zone alert with lane change alert, front automatic braking, and advanced park assist, among several other benefits.

What about design? If you’re looking for something with a sleek, sporty design, the Volt looks the part. It seems to have an easy-to-read display panel on the dashboard, and there’s a small third seat in the back to make it possible to carry a total of 5 people in the car. I’ll have a better sense of the design features once I give it a test drive later this year.

Cost and Availability

The Volt goes on sale in the second half of 2015. It is expected to retail for around $30,000. Check state and federal rebate options to help reduce the price by a few thousand dollars.

 RELATED ELECTRIC CAR POSTS

My Test Drive of the 2011 Chevy Volt

Ford Fusion Hybrid Review 

My Test Drive of the Nissan Leaf

The post New Chevy Volt Electric Car Can Go 50 Miles on a Single Battery Charge appeared first on Big Green Purse.

The problem isn’t just “foreign” oil. Using any kind of fossil fuel to meet our transportation needs is a losing proposition. Drilling for oil wrecks the planet, or have we already forgotten the Gulf Oil disaster? And burning oil generates climate-changing carbon dioxide and nasty particles that create asthma-inducing smog.

If you’re in the market for a new car, take a look at electric options like the Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf. Gas-electric hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius or Ford Fusion merit consideration, too. Aim to buy the most fuel-efficient vehicle in your price range; this site maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy, will help you compare your choices.

But most of us can’t just go out and buy a new set of wheels (unless they’re on a bicycle). These ten tips offer the fastest, easiest ways you can save gas and money, no matter what kind of car you drive.

1. Drive smart – Avoid quick starts and stops, use cruise control on the highway, and don’t idle.

2. Drive the speed limit – Remember – every 5 mph you drive above 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas.

3. Drive less – This should be a no-brainer. Walk, bicycle, use a scooter or moped, combine trips, and telecommute to work.

4. Drive a more fuel-efficient car – Consider one of the new hybrids; at the very least, choose from among the EPA’s “Fuel Economy Leaders” in the class vehicle you’re considering.

5. Keep your engine tuned up – Improve gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent by maintaining your vehicle in top condition.

6. Carpool – According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 32 million gallons of gasoline would be saved each day if every car carried just one more passenger on its daily commute.

7. Use mass transit and “Ride Share” programs – Why pay for gasoline at all?

8. Keep tires properly inflated – Improve gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Replace worn tires with the same make and model as the originals.

9. Buy the cheapest gas you can find – Buy gas in the morning, from wholesale shopper’s clubs, and using gas-company rebate cards. Track neighborhood prices on the Internet.

10. Support higher fuel-efficiency standards and the development of alternative fuels – Ultimately, our best hope for beating the gas crisis is to increase fuel efficiency while we transition to renewable and non-petroleum based fuels. Endorse efforts to boost average fuel efficiency to at least 40 mpg. Support programs that promote research and development of alternatives to transportation systems based on oil.

If you do want to get rid of an existing vehicle, here’s how you can recycle it.

The post Top Ten Ways to Use Less Gas appeared first on Big Green Purse.

The Chevy Volt is electrifying the car market – especially in the wake of the oil disasters in the Gulf of Mexico and now, Lake Michigan. Every one of us needs to stop using oil so the Volt, which can drive 40 miles on a battery powered by electricity rather than an engine fueled by oil, has a lot of appeal. General Motors, which is taking orders on the car for delivery this fall, claims the vehicle is “designed to move 75% of America’s daily commuters without a single drop of gas. That means for someone who drives less than 40 miles per day (which is most Americans), Chevy Volt will use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions.” After 40 miles, a smaller, 4-cylinder internal combusion engine uses premium-grade gasoline to produce more electricity, extending the car’s range an additional 300 miles.

I’d already been on Fox News talking about the Volt; now I jumped at the chance to do a test drive. I regularly get 45 mpg on my 2002 Prius, which I love. And last summer I test drove the Ford Fusion Hybrid for a week and loved it (even though its mileage, while better than a regular sedan, is still lower than the Prius.) But a car I can drive that gets 0 mpg – and still covers 40 miles? That sounded pretty good.

I drove over to nearby University of Maryland, where test drives were being conducted. I waited around for a few minutes until it was my turn to get behind the wheel. I slid into the driver’s seat, and turned the car on. Like the Prius, the car is very quiet – if you don’t know it’s coming, you won’t hear it, that’s for sure.

The car has a state-of-the-art dashboard so you can back-up without looking over your shoulder; constantly monitor how much fuel you’re using; stay connected to your Bluetooth technology if you use it; and enjoy the high-quality BOSE sound system.

It comfortably seats four people of average height. The seat sits low because the vehicle is so stream-lined, but consequently, it can be a little hard to see out the back or over your shoulder when you’re changing lanes.

Driving the car is simple as pie. I could only take it for a short spin around the campus, so I don’t know if it is as tricky as the Prius when it comes to achieving promised benefits: the Prius is supposed to get as much as 50 mpg, but it takes a very light foot on the pedal, and a lot of coasting downhill, to achieve those gains driving in the city. Most people speed rather than drive the limit; a lot of us race between stop signs and street signals, too, all of which reduce average fuel efficiency. I couldn’t drive the Volt long enough to know if personal driving style will prevent a driver from actually covering 40 miles on the single electrical charge as promised. That’s something worth paying attention to.

One added benefit of the Volt is that you can recharge it at home, with a standard 120-volt cable. And if you plug it in at night, the electricity you buy from your power company to pump into your car will be a bit cheaper.

Is the Volt an improvement over gasoline-powered vehicles? Absolutely.

Still, I can’t help but think that we’d all be better off not owning cars at all. We could walk and bicycle more in our neighborhoods, telecommute one or two days a week to work, carpool, shop online, use ZipCar or other car membership sites, or rent the new electric Nissan Leaf from Enterprise.

I don’t think I’ll be shelling out $40,000 for a Volt any time soon. It makes more sense, at least for right now, to drive less and follow these money-saving suggestions for saving gas when I do drive.

The post Test Drive the New Chevy Volt With Me appeared first on Big Green Purse.

If the battery does run down, the 1.0-liter, three-cylinder gas engine acts as a generator to charge the battery and provides enough power for up to an additional 600 miles. Says Chevy, the Volt will get 50 mpg with the generator running in what’s called “extended range” mode. If you drive 60 miles, with the last 20 miles in this mode, you’ll enjoy a 150 mpg equivalent for the trip.

Does the car’s high fuel efficiency rating mean it’s “good” for the environment? That begs the question, is ANY car good for the environment?

After all, manufacturing a car is still a polluting, resource-intensive process. Fom an environmental perspective, driving a car is still inferior to using mass transit, biking, walking, and telecommuting,  Americans need better transportation options, not necessarily better cars.

However, I think it’s fair to say that the Volt is “better” for the environment, in several ways:

It shows that any company – even one like General Motors, maker of one of the world’s most polluting, least efficient vehicles, the Hummer – can make great strides in creating new products to protect the planet and human health.

It demonstrates to consumers that their demands for more environmentally-responsible products create a powerful incentive to businesses to clean up their act.

It fuels competition. General Motors may be the first to market with its electric car, but it won’t be the last. It has set a standard other manufacturers will now be in a race to emulate.  Remember the history of hybrids in the U.S.? In 1998, there were virtually no hybrids being sold. In 1999 Honda introduced its first hybrid model, followed by the Tyotoa Prius hybrid in 2000. The wild popularity of these cars, especially the Prius, inspired a frenzy of re-design among all car companies. These days, every automobile manufacturer has at least one hybrid in its showroom – and over a million hybrids are being sold every year.

Should we all get out of our cars more?

Absolutely.

But when we drive, should we drive cars like the Volt (especially when their price comes down) that generate the least amount of pollution possible?  You bet.

For more commentary, take a look at my recent conversation with Neil Cavuto on Fox News.

Don’t have a Volt but still want to get great gas mileage?  Look here.

The post Is the Chevy Volt Good for the Environment? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

I asked Joanne Helperin, Senior Features Editor at the expert
car site Edmunds.com, if she had any advice for women who value
fuel-efficiency in their vehicles. Here’s her reply:

“One of the best ways to impact the environment positively is to buy a
fuel-efficient car. Fortunately, cars are offering greater fuel
efficiency than ever before, and the outlook for the future is even more
promising.

“In 2008, expect to see more hybrids from a wider variety of carmakers, as well as a smattering of new “clean diesels” from Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen. By the end of 2010, the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt (left) is expected to shake up the automotive industry.”

Joanne says you can find an abundance of helpful advice on the Edmunds.com’s Green Car Guide, Women and Family Car Guide and The Driving Woman blog. Meanwhile, here’s a short course on finding the fuel-efficient car that’s right for you, courtesy of www.edmunds.com.

(c) Edmunds Inc.  All rights reserved.  Reprinted with permission from
www.edmunds.com.

The post Finding the Right Fuel-Efficient Car appeared first on Big Green Purse.