The tide may be turning for the Chevrolet Volt. Sales are running ahead of last year’s pace by more than 220 percent through the end of May, with dealers in key California markets barely able to keep up with demand. In fact, GM had to shorten the planned summer shutdown on the Volt assembly line to boost volume. And now, for the 2013 model year, Chevy engineers have deployed a number of tech advances that will help the Volt increase both efficiency and sales yet further.
Per the EPA, the 2013 Volt will boast a window sticker featuring grades of 101 MPGe city/93 MPGe highway/98 MPGe combined, reflecting non-negligible increases of 6.3 percent in the city and 4.25 percent in combined travel; the Volt’s highway rating is unchanged. The result, however, is a welcome boost to the car’s all-electric, zero-emissions driving range, which grows to 38 miles on a single charge—a jump of almost 8.6 percent. The changes also extend the Volt’s overall driving range to a full 380 miles, a number achievable thanks to the car’s onboard gas-powered engine/generator. That powerplant can take over if the Volt’s battery pack runs low and can motivate the car to the tune of 37 mpg in combined driving.