Gen 1 GM Volt Plug-In Hybrid (2011-2015)

[Boomer23]

I checked back in on WIN's website this morning. According to it they sold 10 Volts yesterday, including ours, and 13 for the Holiday weekend thus far. But considering that we got a $40,000 car for just $21,500 after incentives, I guess it's not very surprising. I'm glad we got down there when we did.

Very happy with the car thus far. Seats are a bit firm, and I'm hoping that they soften up a bit with use. I didn't drive at the dealership, since I've driven many Volts in the last 3 years and hadn't experienced that before, so I didn't notice it. And Naomi didn't mention it on her test drive. I sat in the back, which seemed fine to me.

Mike, how are you going to handle charging for two EVs? Just trickle charge the Volt using the included EVSE, or some clever arrangement of two Level 2 connectors on a single 40 Amp circuit?

 

[mwalsh]

The number one thing all new Volt owners need to be aware of is to avoid blindly pushing the power button repeatedly when you intended to push the mode button.

Yep. Already knew about that one.

Phil, I get charged first, between 2am and 6am, then I plug Naomi in when I get up in the morning and it charges for however long she can afford to have it go. It takes around 4 hours from empty, so it will generally be done before we roll over to peak rates at 10am. And if it's not, or on the rare occasion she has to leave before 10am, then no big deal to not have a full charge.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

We've found as long as the volt gets plugged in by 9pm it will finish by 7am on the 1200w L1 setting, leaving the L2 to feed the Leaf's bigger appetite. Alternatively put the volt on the L2 and it usually finishes in time to move the L2 to the Leaf before turning in. I had my eye on that clipper creek sale for a 16a 240v solution in addition to the existing 30a L2, that would pretty much have us covered for the foreseeable future, but don't really have the need now.

 

[edatoakrun]

Maybe not so terrific for 2011 Volt buyers who paid ~41K, and are watching their resale values decline.
Or GM leasing, which will have to eat the loss on all the lease returns.

No different than buyers and Nissan who are seeing exactly the same thing for early Leafs...

Since the Volt Price reduction since 2011 is ~twice that for the LEAF, the increased depreciation hit due to the price cuts should be larger for the Volt.

Of course, new car prices (and reductions in them) are only one factor in setting used car prices.

And (IIRC) an even higher proportion of 2011-12 Volt "owners" leased than did LEAF "owners".

So most "owners" of both will be able to return their cars at the end of the lease, and not suffer any loss due to price cuts.

 

[scottf200]

Maybe not so terrific for 2011 Volt buyers who paid ~41K, and are watching their resale values decline. Or GM leasing, which will have to eat the loss on all the lease returns.

No different than buyers and Nissan who are seeing exactly the same thing for early Leafs...

So most "owners" of both will be able to return their cars at the end of the lease, and not suffer any loss due to price cuts.

Same for leasers of early Volt and LEAFs as their monthly lease payments are much higher than todays leasers. There have been entire threads on this in some forums.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

One feature I like on the volt that leaf and all cars should copy is the tire pressure monitoring that displays the individual pressure readings instead of just a single low pressure warning indicator. It's helpful and a bit surprising to see just how fast the tires lose air.

 

[pchilds]

One feature I like on the volt that leaf and all cars should copy is the tire pressure monitoring that displays the individual pressure readings instead of just a single low pressure warning indicator. It's helpful and a bit surprising to see just how fast the tires lose air.

And it would cost them nothing but a few lines of code. Sad that they don't.

 

[planet4ever]

One feature I like on the volt that leaf and all cars should copy is the tire pressure monitoring that displays the individual pressure readings instead of just a single low pressure warning indicator. It's helpful and a bit surprising to see just how fast the tires lose air.

And it would cost them nothing but a few lines of code. Sad that they don't.

But it will cost somebody time (and time is money) every time you rotate the tires. The Service Manual actually describes a "Tire Pressure Sensor ID Registration Procedure", saying, "This procedure must be done after replacing or rotating wheels, replacing tire pressure sensor or BCM." It involves using the Consult computer and either a special activation tool or temporarily setting the tire pressures to four specified values and driving the car at 25 mph or more for at least three minutes. No, I am not joking.

My guess is that the engineers were told that was crazy, and that neither customers nor tire service people would put up with it, so they fed all four distinct signals into the same circuit.

Ray

 

[cwerdna]

One feature I like on the volt that leaf and all cars should copy is the tire pressure monitoring that displays the individual pressure readings instead of just a single low pressure warning indicator.

Nissan even did it on the 03 350Z (w/the right equipment level). I posted about it at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=269750#p269750" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and more details on Priuschat (which somehow is down right now).

 

[Deleted member 9549]

One feature I like on the volt that leaf and all cars should copy is the tire pressure monitoring that displays the individual pressure readings instead of just a single low pressure warning indicator. It's helpful and a bit surprising to see just how fast the tires lose air.

FYI, the Leaf app on Android using OBDII adapter does show individual tire pressure readings. So the Leaf has this information. I don't know why they don't show it. Seems pretty accurate too.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

The number one thing all new Volt owners need to be aware of is to avoid blindly pushing the power button repeatedly when you intended to push the mode button.

Did this happen to you or someone else? Sounded pretty scary to me. Sounded like the car's computer crashed for that guy on the highway. AFAIK, no one has been able to reproduce it.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

The number one thing all new Volt owners need to be aware of is to avoid blindly pushing the power button repeatedly when you intended to push the mode button.

Did this happen to you or someone else? Sounded pretty scary to me. Sounded like the car's computer crashed for that guy on the highway. AFAIK, no one has been able to reproduce it.

I did mistakenly push the power button once when intending to push the mode button but caught myself before pressing repeatedly. As you probably are aware it's four presses to engage hold mode, and you're normally doing that at highway speed with your eyes more on the road. I have no idea whether repeatedly pressing the power button at highway speed shuts down the car but I'm not about to fool around with it trying to find out. I just use a little extra care to avoid the user error perhaps set up by a less than ideal user interface.

 

[scottf200]

The number one thing all new Volt owners need to be aware of is to avoid blindly pushing the power button repeatedly when you intended to push the mode button.

Did this happen to you or someone else? Sounded pretty scary to me. Sounded like the car's computer crashed for that guy on the highway. AFAIK, no one has been able to reproduce it.

I did mistakenly push the power button once when intending to push the mode button but caught myself before pressing repeatedly. As you probably are aware it's four presses to engage hold mode, and you're normally doing that at highway speed with your eyes more on the road. I have no idea whether repeatedly pressing the power button at highway speed shuts down the car but I'm not about to fool around with it trying to find out. I just use a little extra care to avoid the user error perhaps set up by a less than ideal user interface.

It has happened to a few people because they are regularly get to SPORT mode. I do that as well but typically when I backing out of the garage. BTW, just like a normal car you can put it in Neutral and restart it (push power) while coasting. The multiple power button push is related to people in a panic situation and wanting to shut the car off quickly. Think some really strange noise, minor wreck, whatever. Probably some regulation. The typically public/mass would probably just drive the car and not play with the modes. There is generally no real advantage except for MtnMode and actual mountains. Using HOLD (not on my 2011) may give a tiny advantage in some special case for MPGs. Unless you are in London and need to pay a city tax it would hardly make a difference except to the most hard core from what I've seen (ie. 80 mile RT with the middle 40 at highway speed).

Aside: There was an accelerator "stuck" thread on GM-Volt a while back. Turns out after various investigations that the person bought OEM mats and they had slide forward and caught the pedal!! There are pins/holes mechanisms in floor and mats to keep them in place. Not sure if they didn't realize how to install mats or they bought some cheap brand without the manufacturer locking holes.

 

[cwerdna]

One feature I like on the volt that leaf and all cars should copy is the tire pressure monitoring that displays the individual pressure readings instead of just a single low pressure warning indicator. It's helpful and a bit surprising to see just how fast the tires lose air.

FYI, the Leaf app on Android using OBDII adapter does show individual tire pressure readings. So the Leaf has this information. I don't know why they don't show it. Seems pretty accurate too.

Priuschat is back up.

At http://priuschat.com/threads/does-tire-pressure-monitor-indicate-too-high-pressure.91921/#post-1295550" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, I mentioned my former coworker w/the issues of the built in TPMS w/pressures displayed on his 03 Nissan 350Z (I had an 04 w/a trim level too low to include TPMS). If they were in fact true and not due to a faulty gauge, perhaps it's better from a warranty and cost/part specification point of view to only warn of substantial drops in pressure from a given baseline?

 

[Deleted member 9549]

Aside: There was an accelerator "stuck" thread on GM-Volt a while back. Turns out after various investigations that the person bought OEM mats and they had slide forward and caught the pedal!! There are pins/holes mechanisms in floor and mats to keep them in place. Not sure if they didn't realize how to install mats or they bought some cheap brand without the manufacturer locking holes.

The thread I was referring to is at http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?47465-An-Open-Letter-to-GM-Please-Fix-this" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;!

Ok I did a dumb thing today on the freeway, I am used to switching to ICE when I get up on the freeway and switching back to Electric when getting off. So I am getting up onto the freeway in "Sport" mode and so used to switching to ICE that I don't look down at the mode button. (Bad mistake) I don't know why but this time my hand was too low and instead of pressing the Drive mode button four times in succession to switch to ICE, I inadvertently press the Power button four times. By the way the ICE actually came on at that point. The front LCD screen goes nuts and the air conditioning goes off and heat at the highest temperature starts pouring out of the vents. The car starts to lurch forward, like my foot is on the gas peddle slammed to the floor. I put my foot on the brake but when I lift it off the car rushes forward again. Again, my foot IS NOT on the gas peddle! The ICE was revving at it highest point but I finally was able to get the car to the side of the road by slamming my foot on the brake and keep it there till I came to a stop. Then while keeping my foot on the brake, press the Start button again several times until the car finally resets and officially turns off.

I was really lucky that the freeway was light at this time and there was no other car close to me or I definitely would have smashed into it. My car is a MY2013. If the car is moving, you should just get a message saying that you can not do this while the car is moving or at least in an emergency, have the car actually turn off.

Folks attributed this to turning off the car, but it sounds more like the car's computer crashed. Turning off the car wouldn't make the heat come on, nor a lurching forward car.

These cars are completely run by computer so its not unimaginable that a crashing computer could cause all sorts of bad effects. But it is dangerous and the cars needs to be designed to be fail safe. I experienced some flakiness when I rented a Volt. Nothing serious but disconcerting nonetheless especially to a software developer.

 

[GRA]

Aside: There was an accelerator "stuck" thread on GM-Volt a while back. Turns out after various investigations that the person bought OEM mats and they had slide forward and caught the pedal!! There are pins/holes mechanisms in floor and mats to keep them in place. Not sure if they didn't realize how to install mats or they bought some cheap brand without the manufacturer locking holes.

The thread I was referring to is at http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?47465-An-Open-Letter-to-GM-Please-Fix-this" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;!

Ok I did a dumb thing today on the freeway, I am used to switching to ICE when I get up on the freeway and switching back to Electric when getting off. So I am getting up onto the freeway in "Sport" mode and so used to switching to ICE that I don't look down at the mode button. (Bad mistake) I don't know why but this time my hand was too low and instead of pressing the Drive mode button four times in succession to switch to ICE, I inadvertently press the Power button four times. By the way the ICE actually came on at that point. The front LCD screen goes nuts and the air conditioning goes off and heat at the highest temperature starts pouring out of the vents. The car starts to lurch forward, like my foot is on the gas peddle slammed to the floor. I put my foot on the brake but when I lift it off the car rushes forward again. Again, my foot IS NOT on the gas peddle! The ICE was revving at it highest point but I finally was able to get the car to the side of the road by slamming my foot on the brake and keep it there till I came to a stop. Then while keeping my foot on the brake, press the Start button again several times until the car finally resets and officially turns off.

I was really lucky that the freeway was light at this time and there was no other car close to me or I definitely would have smashed into it. My car is a MY2013. If the car is moving, you should just get a message saying that you can not do this while the car is moving or at least in an emergency, have the car actually turn off.

Folks attributed this to turning off the car, but it sounds more like the car's computer crashed. Turning off the car wouldn't make the heat come on, nor a lurching forward car.

These cars are completely run by computer so its not unimaginable that a crashing computer could cause all sorts of bad effects. But it is dangerous and the cars needs to be designed to be fail safe. I experienced some flakiness when I rented a Volt. Nothing serious but disconcerting nonetheless especially to a software developer.

Sounds to me like the easiest fix is to relocate the Mode button, and there should be a separate Hold button (Four pushes? Sounds like some computer game cheat code. Ridiculous).

 

[edatoakrun]

A Texas Volt owner's report of charging efficiency, ~79% (3.31/4.17) over most of a year, but missing a few of the hottest months.

Looks to me like his report indicates Active TM probably imposes a wall to wheels efficiency penalty of roughly ~10%, as compared with reported LEAF 16 A 240 V passive TM charge efficiency results, over ~the same SOC range.

...So here’s what I’ve seen over the first years:
Average miles-per-KwH: 4.17
Average miles-per-gallon (when running on gasoline): 36.7

I have downloaded my charging history data from Blink and see that there is a considerable amount of electricity used conditioning the battery (i.e. keeping it warm in Winter or cool in Summer). This occurs while my Volt is attached to the charger. Also, there is some inefficiency in recharging a battery. In other words, not all the electricity used by my Blink charger gets used by driving. The Volt display shows only how much electricity is used to drive and does not have a way to measure these other electrical usages. I only have the Blink numbers for November through August, so I don’t have a full year of Blink data yet. I used only the electric mileage for the months I have Blink charger data and have extrapolated from that for the full year calculations. Due to this, I am updating the numbers above to this:
Average miles-per-KwH: 3.31 (data from November 3, 2012 through August 3, 2013)
Average miles-per-gallon (when running on gasoline): 36.7...

http://insideevs.com/the-year-of-living-electrically-in-the-chevy-volt-saves-2224-25-in-fuel-costs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[RegGuheert]

A Texas Volt owner's report of charging efficiency, ~79% (3.31/4.17) over most of a year, but missing a few of the hottest months.

I will note that the poster's dash efficiency is quite a bit higher than the average. According to the EV Project's 2013 2nd Quarter Report page D-2, the average dash efficiency for the Volt is 3.225 mi/kWh. Given that, the average wall efficiency for the Volt would appear to be about 2.5 mi/kWh, at least for the climate where that poster lives.

OTOH, the wall losses are likely fixed rather than proportional, so perhaps the real number is around 2.7 mi/kWh.

 

[SanDust]

According to the EV Project's 2013 2nd Quarter Report page D-2, the average dash efficiency for the Volt is 3.225 mi/kWh. Given that, the average wall efficiency for the Volt would appear to be about 2.5 mi/kWh, at least for the climate where that poster lives.

For the last quarter the report says 231 AC Wh/mi overall and 310 AC Wh/mile or 3.22 mi/kWh when running in Electric Mode. Since you get AC Wh from the wall not the battery, the report has to be measuring kWh from the wall, meaning that what you're calling the dash number is probably the wall number. This AC Wh number would include all kWh used, inclusive of AC Wh used for TMS. However, I'm not sure it makes sense to count energy used for TMS purposes as part of charging efficiency. They seem like separate expenditures. Charging efficiency losses would seem to be part of the energy expenditure. TMS would be another. Energy needed to accelerate another. The radio another. Etc etc.

Interestingly enough the report breaks out the metropolitan areas, giving some idea of the scale of the TMS expenditure. For Phoenix the numbers are 251 AC Wh/mile overall and 328 AC Wh/mile when running in electric mode. I'd assume the 18 AC Wh/mile difference (6%) was due to TMS cooling, though it's possible that Volt drivers in Phonix just go faster than Volt drivers anywhere else.

 

[RegGuheert]

Since you get AC Wh from the wall not the battery, the report has to be measuring kWh from the wall, meaning that what you're calling the dash number is probably the wall number.

Thanks for the correction! The "AC" part should have been my clue!