E85ChevroletVolt

I have owned a 2013 Chevrolet Volt since February 2016. Bought my Gen-I Volt used at 67,000 miles and 45 Lifetime MPG. Only costed $11k from Cadillac of Las Vegas. The car was sitting up front for some time in the lot since it automatically entered engine maintenance mode at the start of the test drive. The Chevy Volt can fully perform to its top speed without the use of its extended range gasoline motor if the drive battery is adequately charged. It runs the tiny 1.4 liter engine for a few minutes every 9 weeks if not used at all. There is no demand for these vehicles - people just don’t know…
Now my Volt is at 193,000 miles and 102 Lifetime MPG. I usually get 40 miles per battery charge. If there’s not a lot of traffic to be pushed around by it’s possible to get 50 miles a charge. Less usage of the brakes and accelerator = better range.

June 3rd 2019, I software tuned my Volt to be Flex-Fuel capable using HPTuners. While running on Flex-Fuel my MPG city/highway is about 27/36 miles per gallon. It will vary on driving distance/style and HV battery level. I love to drive conservatively, it’s the best in the Volt. Without a Flex-Fuel tune for the Volt, you can still run up to about 50% Flex-Fuel to gasoline without issue. GM-Volt Forum member, Fuelverine informed me the Gen-I Volt can operate correctly on E85 by just mixing 50/50 E85 to Regular Unleaded Gas. So not truly 85% ethanol but about 40%-55% ethanol. E85 is great to keep the intake valves free from carbon buildup. It smells better too. Absolutely runs just fine if you know what you’re doing.
Fuelverine was apart of a 2017 documentary - PUMP - The Movie.

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I added some extras to make my Volt special. Two years into ownership, I added a rear anti-sway bar by Whiteline. Helps with reducing body-roll while cornering. I also added a metal mesh protector to the front of the radiator to protect from heavy debris. It’s called the VoltScreen from the VoltShop website. I have also upgraded my base model interior with a leather heated steering wheel, rimless rear-view mirror, 8” subwoofer next to the 12v battery underground, and backup camera (without grid lines) all thanks to Anthony Vigil. He has videos about DIY Volt upgrades on YouTube.

March 2022 I saved up to buy a full-size OEM spare tire for emergencies and for 5-wheel tire rotations. Also, just got a TESLA charger adapter for all non-TESLA electric vehicles. A TESLA plug to J1772 plug adapter, will only work at AC Tesla Destination chargers, not DC fast chargers aka “Tesla Supercharger”.

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I have taken my Volt from Santa Barbara, California to New York City and back to Las Vegas, NV. What a way to spend 5,000 miles. I love how affordable E85 is in the Midwest. Even when I wasn’t tuned for Flex-Fuel, I would blend of approximately half E85 and half regular E10 without a check engine light and the 1.4 liter engine would run just fine. I have also driven from Las Vegas to Redding, CA in February 2020. Near Redding it was 20° Fahrenheit and was forced to use tire chains going 20 MPH in the snow for several miles. Had to move very slowly but ended up fine, no concerns.

March 2022 I drove from Las Vegas, NV to Reno, Nevada and back within 19 hours. I only stopped to refuel and stopped at public charging stations when I had to eat/stretch etc. Overall, 896 miles were driven and 36.9 MPG. However, 70.2 of those miles were electrically driven and used 20.1 kWh. While 825.3 miles were in hybrid mode, using approximately 24.24 gallons of ethanol/gasoline. I used E85 to get all the way to Reno (brought a 5 gallon tin of E85) and Premium fuel to return home. About $120 fuel cost for 900 miles.

Now that my Volt is tuned for Flex-Fuel, I'm looking forward to going cross-country -again- in the Volt. Would be a spectacular tour using fuel mostly made in the USA. I have found a website that list plenty of E85 Ethanol stations. About 4,000 of them in continental US…
E85 Ethanol (Flex-Fuel) Station Locator

April 2022 - Las Vegas, NV to Providence, RI and back. About 6,000 miles with the Volt. Used E85 Ethanol as the primary fuel source. Used approximately 230 gallons of E85 Ethanol and got about 26 MPG. I did not make charging a priority and did not drive conservatively on the interstate freeways. It was a rather speedy cross-country expedition. I saw E85 fuel prices as low as $2.68 in a time where E10 Unleaded is well over $3, $4, and $5…
For a 6,000 mile road trip the oil life meter went from 97% to only 71% to my surprise.

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In late December 2021, the cheapest gas station (non Costco) in Las Vegas is $3.55 for a gallon of regular E10 (Rainbow Blvd @ Russel Rd). It did reduce cost for 2 weeks in the winter, then went back up! That same station in March 2022 is $4.75 and remains there currently May 2022.
E85 fuel in Vegas is just pennies cheaper than E10 gas unfortunately. We can now thank ourselves for sticking to our PHEV’s while fuel prices soar. With sky-high inflation that's never ending, it’s dreadful this is what Biden’s America looks like…
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Occupation
Security
Bike
Currently Desiring a Zero SR Model; Owner of a 2013 Chevrolet Volt, E-Flex, 193k mi

Signature

I want a Zero Motorcycle.
Typical Commute: 37 miles | Chevrolet Volt Owner Since Feb 2016
2013 Chevrolet Volt Summit White, Flex-Fuel | ODO: 193,000 mi - Combined Gas/Electric Only MPG: 102 MPG
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