Here's what happens when you don't use your Chevy Volt gas engine "enough"

[MetroMPG]

From: My Chevy Volt: After 4 months of driving my Volt, these are my numbers...

Notice my EV percentage is nearly 100%. In fact, I went over 45 days without burning a drop of fuel. When you go 45 days without fuel, this is what the Volt wants to do:

Engine Maintenance

Due to low use, your engine needs to run for approximately 10 minutes to perform engine maintenance.

Once started, if the vehicle is shut down before completion, engine maintenance will run again on the next trip. You may delay engine maintenance for up to 24 hours. See Owner's Manual for further detail.

Start engine maintenance now?

Yes/No

[MetroMPG]

Makes me wonder if a Volt owner who strives for 100% EV usage wouldn't have been better off choosing a Leaf: since he's clearly able to manage with the Volt's ~40 mile electric range, shallower discharges on a larger Leaf pack in similar usage = longer battery life in the long run.

CORRECTION: my comment on cycle life may not be valid, given GM's strategy of building a buffer/reserve capacity into the Volt's pack and not permitting deep discharges in order to ensure acceptable (ie. warrantied) pack life.

[user removed]

I wish I could get the wife to trade her Sorento for a Leaf. Until then I will just putt around on my bikes.

regards
Mech

[HydroJim]

I wonder what the so called "maintenance" is?

[GRU]

Originally Posted by HydroJim

I wonder what the so called "maintenance" is?

moving fuel around so it doesn't "gum up"

[MetroMPG]

I wondered the same thing...

At first I thought it was to use fuel, just for the sake of using it (so it doesn't go stale). But 10 minutes of idling every 45 days isn't enough running for that.

[gone-ot]

...yeah, but here in Arizona, the Leafs have been "wilting" in the summer heat (pun intended)! Apparently cutting battery "life" the half or less!

[MetroMPG]

Yeah - I've read the stories of the disappearing "capacity bars". (Nissan must be kicking itself for including those on the display.)

But I think this Volt owner lives up north.

PS: I think the "cut by half" tidbit comes from one news story that isn't quite accurate.

[ecomodded]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...yeah, but here in Arizona, the Leafs have been "wilting" in the summer heat (pun intended)! Apparently cutting battery "life" the half or less!

It may well be worth the electrical consumption to power a cooler for the battery pack, or use a heat exchanger / cooler to cool the batteries.

[Daox]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Makes me wonder if a Volt owner who strives for 100% EV usage wouldn't have been better off choosing a Leaf: since he's clearly able to manage with the Volt's ~40 mile electric range, shallower discharges on a larger Leaf pack in similar usage = longer battery life in the long run.

Meh, I wouldn't worry about it. If it stops him from needing another vehicle he is ahead (for that 1x a year long trip), unless he wants to do a rental for that trip.

Originally Posted by ecomodded

It may well be worth the electrical consumption to power a cooler for the battery pack, or use a heat exchanger / cooler to cool the batteries.

The Leaf's pack is air cooled with a fan. I'm with Darin that its just being over exagerated. The most recent greencarreports article says .3% of leafs have reported that first bar lost. They also have said from the beginning that:

Nissan has projected that Leaf batteries will generally have 80 percent of their capacity under normal use after 5 years, and 70 percent after 10 years

Assuming that the 9 white bars on that display represent the 20% loss, loosing one bar this far into ownership isn't really anything abnormal.