2013 Chevy Volt Gets Electric Range Boost to 38 Miles

Chevrolet has announced that the 2013 Volt is getting a boost in electric range. 

With a total of 38 miles on a single charge, that marks a three mile upgrade in range from last years Volt. The mpge of the 2013 Volt also jumps from 94 to 98 with an upgraded overall range of 380 miles.

The improved stats are thanks to engineers making minor changes to the material composition of the battery cell chemistry. “The best way to explain what we’ve done at the cell level is to compare it to a cake batter recipe.  Sometimes if you use more sugar and less vanilla you get a better tasting cake. We’ve done some work at the cell level to modify the ‘ingredients’ to make a better end result,” said Bill Wallace, GM director of global battery systems engineering.

While all of this may seem impressive, Chevy also says that the charging time has also increased slightly; 12.5 hours on a 120V plug, and 4.25 hours with a 240V charging unit. While the new numbers are more impressive, the added time will no doubt be a serious consideration for prospective Volt owners.

Read our Chevy Volt review here.