Reason #1:

The Boston Globe recently had a good story about how cold weather reduces tire pressure. And low tire pressure reduces gas mileage. Or, in the case of my Volt, wind mileage.

That’s a great reminder to check our tire pressure. For my Prius, I’ve got a tire pressure gauge. But the Volt is way cool on this. As I drive, I can see a display on my dashboard with the tire pressure of each tire. Even cooler – the Volt comes with an app that gives me all kinds of information on my cell phone, including the tire pressure of each tire. That technology is not unique to electric vehicles. Every car should have this technology – and we should all use it. 

On the morning of November 20, I saw on my phone that the tire pressure was low in one tire. So I stopped at my friendly gas station, which I don’t see very often anymore, and filled up – my tire, not my tank! I got in the car and saw from the dashboard that my tires were properly inflated. Off I went, using less battery power to propel the car than when the tire pressure was low.

Can you imagine this as a required feature of every new car? Isn’t that a simple way to boost mileage?

Reason #2:

Kelly’s Blue Book has named the 2015 Volt: “Best Buy of 2015 for an Electric / Hybrid”. Read here for why the Volt came out on top in a market with several good cars to choose from.