Chevy Volt

Ours looks just like this. At least when it's clean.

Our Pacifica hybrid story is incomplete without mentioning our other car - a Chevy Volt. I don't think we'd have gone through the trouble and expense of getting the Pacifica Hybrid over the gasoline Pacifica if it weren't for our Volt. After living with a range extended electric car for the past couple years, we appreciate the concept as a practical way to solve most of your transportation needs without using gasoline.

We really love visiting gas stations only rarely, and with solar panels on the roof of our house, electricity is cheap for us. Driving an electric car is also just a superior experience - the instant torque makes even routine errands more fun, and it's quiet and smooth. So when we heard about the Pacifica hybrid, which has a lot of similarities to the Chevy Volt, but in a big, practical minivan package, we were interested.

After our first year of Volt ownership, I found the following: During the year, I paid an extra $350 in electricity compared to the year before. Let's assume all that extra cost was for driving. I also paid $162 in gasoline, for a total of $512 to fuel the car for a year. Overall MPG: 192.

My prior car (a Chevy Cruze Eco) averaged 30.2 MPG on the same commute, and cost $1018 to fuel for a year.

So, I saved about $500 that year on fuel expenses, although that number would go down if I adjusted for varying gasoline prices over the years.

I also reduced my carbon emissions:

My prior car used 257.8 gallons during the year, which is 2.29 metric tons of CO2.

My Volt used 3.24 MWh of electricity and 46.83 gallons of gas. Since I use PG&E, thats 0.61 metric tons of CO2 from electricity, and 0.42 metric tons from gasoline, for a total of 1.02 metric tons.

This means I reduced my carbon emissions by 2.25X, which matters to me because I am worried about global warming and ocean acidification.

I also bought 5.5X less gasoline, thereby sending less money to the fossil fuel market (parts of which cause conflict, environmental damage, and oppression around the world). I'd much rather buy electricity from PG&E than oil from Putin, the House of Saud, the Chavistas, or the Canadian oil sands.

Bonuses: commuting in the carpool lane, 100% torque at 0 RPM, quiet, ice-cream smooth electric motors.

Over the 2 years I owned that first Volt, I averaged 184 MPG. Then I upgraded to a 2016 Volt, which has a bigger battery and a more efficient engine, as well as being faster and having an extra seat belt. I've had that one for about 6 months, and so far am averaging 288 MPG. During the summer, the electricity for driving my Volt is free, because the solar panels on the roof of my house produce more electricity than we use. This is not true during the winter, since the sun doesn't shine very much then. ;)

Our Volt experience has been very positive, to the point where every time I get in a gas powered vehicle, I'm always bothered by the engine noise, because I've gotten used to the idea that cars should be completely silent and smooth. At the same time, having the freedom to go on a road trip anywhere you'd like, without having to worry about finding a quick charger, is also really important, especially for our family's main car. So the Pacifica Hybrid's design is exactly what we're looking for. (Mostly) fully electric for the first 30 miles or so (as long as you don't floor it), and then good gas mileage afterwards sounds like a great combination. I still have a lot of questions as to how it will work out in real life - and I'll let you know how it goes. I don't expect the efficiency to be as high as my Volt, after all, it's a much larger and more capable vehicle. But I do expect a superior driving experience. The Volt has spoiled me for that.