Quote:
Originally Posted by wdfifteen
My understanding is the ICE engine in Toyota's PEH has some ability to charge the battery. I may be wrong.
All the Volt ICE can do is maintain the charge level you choose when you manually switch to gas power. I typically use the ICE when I'm on an interstate going a steady speed and save the battery for in-town driving. It would be great if the ICE could bleed off a little of the power it is generating in steady-speed driving to increase the charge level.
After driving on the battery, I find the noise and vibration of the ICE annoying. It's funny that the engine noise in the Volt is annoying, but I love the sounds my Porsches make.
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If you use the gas engine to charge the battery, it'll be less efficient. Volts get around 40 mpg (highway in my experience) and around 100 mpge. Still, it would have been nice to have the option to charge the battery regardless of efficiency so you'd have more quiet miles available before the next plug in. I don't think lacking this feature means "Toyota out-engineered GM," though.