"I like that you can think about all this technology and enjoy it, experience it and work through it," Patrick said. And the fact that Patrick has had his Volt for more than a month -- the odometer reads 720 miles -- and he has not yet been to the gas station makes the technology that much more fun. (Ironically, a couple of months ago, Patrick won a $750 gas card, which could take years to redeem.)
Perhaps, most importantly, Patrick loves the way the Volt drives. "The ride has been just fantastic," Patrick said, heaping praise for the car's quietness and smooth linear acceleration.
Patrick has been following the Volt since 2007, and started calling local dealers a full year before production began. He didn't consider a pure electric car, like the Nissan LEAF, because he still makes frequent trips to Cupertino -- about 55 miles from Berkeley -- to visit his family. "A LEAF can cover that distance on a one-way drive, but I usually do those on a single-day trip," Patrick said. "I can't count on having a 240 charger down there."
He gets 33 mpg in charge-sustaining mode. "I'm not excited about (that mileage), but that's not the car's primary operation mode." He has few other complaints -- one being the "tight" space for passengers in the back seat. When passengers are sitting right behind Patrick -- he's 6'2" -- they "better be less than five foot six," he said.
Of the 720 miles driven so far, 470 have been in pure EV mode. (The car was delivered having already clocked 80 gas miles.)
Driving the Volt All the Time in "L"
The young technologist believes he's figured out the best strategy for maximizing the Volt's efficiency, while still enjoying its brisk acceleration. His preferred settings are "Sport" (instead of "Normal") mode -- and he almost always keeps the car in "L" for low instead of "D" for drive.
Patrick likes Sport mode for one simple reason: A quicker response from the accelerator pedal. "I haven't used Normal. It's not fun. After all, it's just throttle mapping. It's not like Sport is actually using more juice -- only if you push the pedal harder," Patrick said. "In all the things I do, when I work on robots, when I work on my computer, I like high sensitivity inputs. In normal, you can get the same performance, you just have to push the pedal harder."
If he chooses Sport mode for greater sensitivity, then his choice of "L" is for more consistency. "I started in "D" mode when I drove off the lot. When I flipped to "L" mode, it's an unusual experience, because as soon as you let off, it has significant regenerative drag," Patrick said. "It's like you're driving with your parking brake on. There's a little bit of training, because it feels wrong at first." But then he learned that using "L" would allow him to control acceleration and deceleration with just the right pedal.
Experienced EV drivers have passionate views about how automakers should best calibrate regenerative braking -- many preferring more grab to maximize regen. By using "L", Patrick gets more regen, and he doesn't have to worry about how hard to hit the brakes. "When you're touching the pedal, the point between regen and disk brakes is hard to measure." Instead he's learned exactly how long it will take to slow down when he approaches a red light, and when to simply pull his foot off the accelerator pedal. That means maximum consistency, one of the keys to efficiency.
Patrick's simple strategy in "L" and Sport:
- If you hold your foot a little bit on, you'll keep your speed
- If you press it more, you'll increase your speed
- If you pull it off, you'll slow down
The use of these settings provides some level of personal configuration, but Patrick wants even more. "I want GM to give me more tools," he said. "Although I know they're building this car for the mainstream, and they provided just enough for the tech enthusiasts." For example, he would like to completely reskin the look and feel of the dashboard displays "just like a desktop background."
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