Issue link: http://pfmmag.epubxp.com/i/113376
BLACK & GOLD AND GREEN olice offcers with the Purdue University (Indiana) Police Department put about 150 miles on the Volt over a four-day period. It was driven on routine admin and investigative tasks by six different offcers, from detectives to Chief John Cox. As much as possible, it was used as any other admin vehicle, including taken home at night, driven to meetings on campus, etc. ���Driving the Volt dispelled many misconceptions of electric vehicles...very responsive and nimble,��� Lt. John Moore said. Purdue University has two 240-volt charging stations donated by General Electric. When these were not in use by the faculty and staff, 240 volts was used to charge the Volt. Otherwise, 120-volt household current was used. When the Volt returned to the police department, it was plugged into the 120-volt outlet for a trickle charge. However, even at the higher 12-amp setting, the 120-volt charge took so long to almost make the few hours of trickle p The Volt can be recharged with a 120-volt household charge not worth current, but it may take up to 16 hours. Everything the effort. needed to charge the Volt is under the hatchback, below ���The charge the load foor. (Photo courtesy General Motors) time on 120-volt is an issue. Perhaps an adaptor that would accept two 120-volt inputs could be developed,��� Capt. Eric Chin offered. The detectives and senior police admin flled out a questionnaire based on their time with the Volt. For room in the front seat, either in plain clothes or in full uniform, the Volt was rated a 6.7 (where 1 is too small and 10 is very roomy). This ranged from 4 to 8. Not enough legroom and not enough headroom were cited by a few. However, the area noted by almost all as needing more room was the hip room. That is a signifcant issue since most reviewers were in plain clothes, i.e., without a full duty belt. Ratings for the room in the rear seat were predictable. It averaged 2.0 out of 10 with four of the six offcers giving the minimum score of 1. The rear seat of the Volt has virtually no legroom, period. Whether an admin police sedan needs a rear seat at all is the question. No one other than a child will ft in the rear seat. How easy or diffcult was it to enter and exit the front seat of the Volt? With 10 as very easy, the Volt got a 6.8, ranging from 4 to 9. Some of the rating depended on the physical size of the offcer, of course. However, the lowest score came from an offcer in full uniform. Either the car is simply too small or the front seat adjustment (back-forth, up-down) is not enough. The Volt, after all, is a Compact sedan. Visibility? How well can you see out of the Volt? The Volt is at its best in heavily urban, stop-and-go scenarios. By defnition, this means crowded situations. So, can the driver see all those cars and people? With a 10 as easy to see everything, the Volt got an 8.3, P q Putting the Volt into your feet essentially requires the installation of 240-volt charging stations. More than any other vehicle, the fuel economy depends on the number of miles between charging, an informed use of the modes, driving terrain, and ambient temperature. (Photo courtesy Sgt. Matt Wietbrock) ranging from 5 to 10. (The majority were 8, 9 or 10.) The one area that needs better visibility? The rear. In terms of performance, the Volt got a 9.2 out of 10 for acceleration, a 9.2 out of 10 for brakes, and a 9.3 out of 10 for steering and handling. ���The overall performance of the Volt changed a lot of minds about electric cars,��� Capt. Eric Chin said. ���This is a great innovation.��� The operating range? The Volt is an electric car. Depending on ambient temperature, it has a fully charged, driving range in normal use of around 38 miles. Is that enough? With 10 being plenty in this campus environment, the Volt was rated 5.8. Except for the rear seat room, this was the lowest average score of the evaluation. It was also the one with the widest range of opinions: literally from 1 to 10. Just like the general public���s polarized opinion on the Volt itself, the driving range of the Volt was rated as either ���not enough��� or ���plenty.��� If 38 miles is not enough, and a 5.8 out of 10 certainly indicates it is not enough, how much battery-only range is enough? The consensus is 50 miles. During the four-day, 150-mile evaluation, the PUPD averaged 109 mpg. ���I am impressed with the responsiveness of the electric motor. The issue is the price,��� Chief John Cox stated. q The Volt changes minds. In police admin use, the front seat room of the Volt was rated at 6.7 out of 10. The rear seat really can���t be used. The visibility in crowded scenarios got an 8.3 rating. The overall driving performance in admin roles was rated at 9.2 out of 10. (Photo courtesy Sgt. Matt Wietbrock) www.pfmmag.com 27