I have a 2014 Volt and LOVE IT! It is by far the best car I have ever owned and is the first one where I had no buyer's guilt after I left the dealer. A couple things for those that may be considering the VOLT. The spoiler air dam under the bumper does rub when going up and down driveways at times. It is flexible and is designed to do so, therefore, its not that big of a deal. However, if you don't like hearing it rub against the ground when going up a driveway, etc., GM will install a shorter one for free if the warranty is still good on the car. Also, some complain about road noise with the windows down. It does get a lot of buffeting noise if the wiondows are down and you do over 30 mph. However, GM has a fix for that as well if you ask the dealer about the anti-buffeting kit that is installed for free (as long as it is still under warranty). I had mine done and I have noticed no reduction in electric range (still get between 41-49 miles per charge) and it is nice to drive with the windows down and not have to yell over the noise to the person sitting next to you. the car is AMAZING and is well worth the consideration to get one.
Great video. I am one of those people that gets over 1000 miles per gallon! A tank of gas last me 6 months! I considered a Tesla, but it is my only car, and I didn't want a range limit, as I do go on long trips in the summer. Compared to my old car, which drank like a fish, I am saving about 4,000 a year on fuel, so my payback just in fuel savings I have figured at 7 years. You are right on the hate on by some ignorant people. I have been lambasted a few times by "stupid" people that sound off without knowing a thing about the car, and they are so ignorant they won't even listen to reason.
I have a 2011 Volt with 65,000 miles on it. I haven't noticed any significant battery degradation and I still love driving it each and every day. I average around 122 miles per gallon. So far I've only needed one oil change, washer fluid and two sets of tires. The electric torque gives it strong acceleration and plenty of passing power. I use a regular 110 volt outlet at home and enjoy always waking up to a "full tank". It's truly a marvel of engineering and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try electric drive but needs unlimited range for long distance travel. ...and you're right, I'm not a fan of Bose either but the Bose stereo in the Volt totally rocks!!!
Great review. I absolutely LOVE my 2012 Volt. I use it exclusively as a commuter car and almost never use gas. Never had a single problem with it and it's really fun to drive. If any of you ever want to know how good of a car a Volt is, just talk to an owner. The naysayers will never understand...
Electricity costs on average about $0.11 per kWh in the U.S., and in some places, off-peak costs are $0.08 or lower. If you drain it fully and charge it fully at $0.11, that's about $1.81 per 38 rated miles-- and some drivers are known to get about 50 miles out of that 16.5 kWh (for the 2013 model). That's about $0.036 - $0.047 per mile. My 2008 Prius which gets about 50-65 MPG costs me about $0.06 - $0.069 per mile for gas. I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of Chevrolet, but the Volt is a very compelling car and is probably one of the smartest things GM has ever built and sold in modern history.
I recently took a long trip and spoiled my 6,231 mpg average on 2012 Volt. I'm also former Prius. I may buy a 2013 Volt for the Hold Mode, and give away the 2012 to a needy family. On the Model 3 reservation list; looking forward to see how that plays out.
I fill my battery for 4 or 5 kms left to full with in 1hr free while i am having a $5 lunch at IKEA.. Thats 85 kms on "Just"* electric power My work is 12kms from my house IKEA is 4kms The great thing about the Level 3 charging unit (480amp) is Most of them are on exits just off the highways and a full charge is 45 to 1hr Level 2 is (240Amp) 4.5 hours.. Level 1 or home wall plug in is 120amp = 13hrs So bottom line If your looking for a cheaper way to get from A to B and your in the subs or city You can find free charging and do it in 30mins to 1hr depending on what you have in the car ..Did i mention..FREE My last 445Km trip cost me i think just over $12 ..2 coffees 1 dounut 1 cookie 1 muffin And just to see how much fuel was uses ..$2.11 as we dont use the penny anymore $2.10 ....My Electric bill has been the same as before i bought the car
Good review and even though it is from 2013 it is still relevant. I have a 2014 Volt with 65k miles on it. I also have 7.5MW/yr solar. A Volt (or any EV) complements solar and vice versa, especially here in San Diego with the highest kwh rates in the country. There are many days one of us will drive almost the full battery range early in the day, then recharge some to drive on battery by evening. The solar fully powers our house, including some AC in the summer and all our EV battery needs of about 10k miles a year. We only use the gas mode on long trips, maybe 1.5k miles a year or just ~50 gallons of gas. Too bad Chevy is discontinuing the Volt but they just don't make money on it. No profit when sold and they rarely need any service. Just tires and three oil changes so far for us.
This is one of the better reviews of the Volt. GM dropped the ball and didn't advertise this car aggressively enough, so people don't know how great it is, as you pointed out. It's safe, reliable, economical, and stylish. One drive will convince you that this is something special, and it's made in Detroit. I'm averaging 153 MPG in my Volt after 22k miles, with zero issues! I haven't even changed the oil yet; just rotated tires twice. People forget about lower maintenance on EV's, and dealers don't like that. The car is estimated to save owners over $6k in gas and in the first five years of driving, and Edmunds.com True Cost to Own for the Volt is lower than a Honda Civic HF or Hybrid! Volts ROCK!
Volt is an incredible car. I will soon be getting a Tesla and cannot wait for that. But overall the Volt is one of the best cars you can buy. Its a really cool looking car too. 20k miles on mine and only about 400 miles of gas used, the rest all electric!
+Mr Cars Sounds awesome, have you had anyone ride in the back seat and how is the ride quality? Throw in whatever else you like as I would appreciate it. My family is looking at the volt or a prius :)
I've had two Prius and now have a 2012 Volt. Prius is great for what it is designed to do, but the Volt wins hands down for me. The Volt is like a Prius on steroids. Acceleration is great and all-electric. Prius will start out on electric only if you don't mind a zero-to-35mph time of 30 seconds. My aunt and uncle, 5'11" and 5'8", said the back seat area was great for them; they love the bucket seat arrangement. I personally think the leg room in back is small, but they both said no and that it's roomy for them. Ride quality and handling are very good; choose Sport mode for more responsiveness. There is a guy you can read about online who already has 300,000 trouble-free miles on his Volt - 100,000 on battery and 200,000 on gasoline generator - so durability is not an issue. Traction battery life is not an issue. Brakes? I almost never touch the brake pedal above 4 mph; drive in L, which is not a low gear, but is a higher setting of regenerative braking. A good used 2012 or 2013 Volt is $11k to $12k and still in Warranty. All three of the cars I mentioned above were bought used. Happy electric motoring, Wolf.
You're right about the inline 4. I was thinking of Via Motors. Secondly, the generator is a generator. It only provides electricity to the battery and the electric motor. This is a series hybrid, not a parallel hybrid like the Prius. Unlike the Prius, only the electric motor spins the wheels. These batteries are fully warrantied for 100,000 miles or 8 years. They are warrantied for no less than 30% degradation.
Congrats on having two Volts. I can't brag enough about my '13 and find it amusing how clueless the general public (that haven't driven one) jump on the hater bandwagon. That's alright.. it will be our little secret!
Talking about the burden put on the utility companies. It takes 79 billion kilowatt hours of electricity to produce gas every year in the USA. The electricity not used to not produce the gas that I don't use gets re-allocated through the grid to my house. You see, it's a fair trade. You use electricity to produce gas for your car at 25 mpg. I use electricity to produce power for my car at 140 mpg. Who's wasting electricity? Hmmmm.
hah at 4:18- driving with the charging port door open (i've done that a couple times already)- Nice review (i know I am late to the game, but I just bought my first Gen 1 used)
I like your review. I positively love my '19 Volt. What a fantastic car! Every person I know that's had one, has loved it. I count myself among those people.
Great review. I also had 2 Passat TDIs ... they were both new ideas at the time (96 and 97) ... people just did not understand why I'd want a diesel (49mpg ... that's why) ... the new ones are not at good on the mpg ... so I figured I'd try a Volt.
If I paid he national average for electricity, I would be pay $1.46 for 44 miles of driving. I live in Santa Clara, CA where our rates are much less than PG&E. I pay $1.14 per 44 miles. Even at 42 miles, and gas at only $3.90, that's 143 mpg. Did you know that PG&E E9A rates are less than 4 cents at night? My son charges his Volt for less than 50 cents. Do you honestly think the Volt owners would be the most satisfied in history, two years in a row if it cost too much to charge? Wow.
One thing that I have never seen any review of the Chevy volt is that even though the battery gets depleted it doesn’t get completely depleted 100% when you come to a stop after using gas say that you’re in town you will use the battery all the way around the town for the most part because it has that much reserve left in it and of course the engine has been charging the battery the whole time you’ve been using gas quite nice actually
Very very good video. Well written. I too get frustrated at the ignorance and fear people have about new technologies. I am very attracted to this car but don't do much city driving, so can't reap the benefit it was designed for. My TDI, so far, has served me very well. Enjoy your 2013 Volt. Very nice.
Search "Old electric car batteries can be reused on the power grid", and "Expensive Hybrid Car Battery Replacements Are Unnecessary". You'll read that Toyota has replaced only 500 batteries out of 1.1 million used in 10 years. That is a .0005% failure rate. Also, you'll read about taxi co.'s getting up to 300k mi.'s on their hybrids. A SF cab co. saves $1 mil. a year on gas. Please refer me to an article about NYC co's hating them cuz in this article, they love them.
Hands down the best car I have even owned. Love it! It is as nice inside as my Acura CL or my BMW 3-Series was, handles great due to the low center of gravity and gets me back and forth from work (40 miles) on zero gas. I could not be happier.
Ahhh I really wanted the Volt as my first new car but, I ended up getting a Sonic. BUT I will be trading in my sonic for a volt in a year or two. Plus by then the technology of the volt will be more advanced and more experienced for sure.
Owning a q5 tdi (40 mpg highway + towing) and a 2014 Volt is the best of both worlds.... other pluses: brakes last longer, oil changes less frequent, A/C works OK.. Negatives... winter elec range cut in half from 40 to 20 miles. not all volts equipped with heated seats (which would help mirage). Overall glad I purchased car, still running strong for my son in med school... low cost vehicle for him!
I went from a 2012 CJAA TDI Jetta, to a 2012 Chevy Volt, The Volt is the best car ever! I've put ~15,000 miles on it in a little over a year and averaged 145mpg doing it, not even had to change the oil yet.
It is BOTH (something people cannot grasp)...... for the first 40 miles it is a pure EV, and after the battery runs down, it becomes a serial hybrid (gasoline-to-engine-to-electricity-to-motor) . For people with short trips the Volt never becomes a hybrid. It operates as a pure EV.
I am a Toyota Prius (no plug in) driver and they say Prius ist the best hybrid so far, but your video is pretty convincing. Under some circumstances like city driving is the Volt more suitable and runs with zero exhaust, so when I think about the air quality in towns, the Volt makes more sense to me. I had some doubt about the reliability of a Chevy, but more people report that this Volt is just doing every day the job it was designed for. When I compare it to other hybrid systems from toyota or honda it looks a lot simpler because the engine doesn't turn the wheels through some complicated hsd or cvt, but still provides power to move the car efectively forward. I like it.
Also, if you buy a generator from a store, it is called a generator. Just because it has a gasoline motor connected to an electric motor doesn't make it a generator. The Volt's gas engine is connected to an E motor. Both constitute the generator. Didn't think I would have to explain that. So, for your benefit, "when the gas part of the generator runs, it spins the E part of the generator. Both make E. One can not function without the other". The gas engine does not spin the wheels.
It was good to see a new video from you. I have some concern how you knocked diesel engines are getting more complicated because of emission controls. While true, gasoline engines are getting more complicated because of emission controls as well. Also, you failed to mention the cost of replacing the battery packs or the generator in the car. And they will have to be replaced if you intend to keep the car as long as a VW TDI.
Interview failed to report (as other UA-cam ones have), that on long haul highway driving (when the battery is depleted), real life highway MPG was about 31 mpg which is much less than the higher mid to high 40s that the TDI can get.
keithrig I've completed 3 road trips ranging from 200 to 1000 miles. My MPG range in extended range mode is about 38 to 40 mpg and that is at 75 mph speed limits running the AC.
My highway mileage after battery depletion, and averaging 65-68 mph, is 42-46 mpg in a 2012 Volt. This is using a few simple hyper-miling techniques, but does not involve sacrificing average mph for me. Drivers who like to go 75-85 mph will naturally get lower mpg, a simple result of increased air resistance. But by going 75+ they are simply making the statement that mpg is of much less importance to them than is going fast. Anyone can do the math and see that the time savings are negligible on trips less than 450 miles and the extra money spent on gas is significant.
The generator is a V6 motor. Same as in most V6 cars. Only difference is that the motor runs at a constant rate, lower rpm's than a gasoline powered car. And it only runs once in a long while. The battery will last longer than the V6 motor will. Hybrids have been around for a long time. Cab companies using plug in hybrids have logged over 300,000 miles on their batteries. I've had my Volt for almost 2 years. I get 44 miles on my charge right now. It will go up to about 45 soon.
My Chevy Volt just turned 12,000 miles after 8 months of driving. I have a 145 mpg lifetime average since I bought it new. It goes 45-51 miles on electricity, then the gas generator kicks in for limitless range. Most owners who drive less than 40 miles per day get 900 mpg lifetime ave. I have never changed my oil (75% oil life left), and rarely use my brakes due to the instant regenerative brakes as I let up off the throttle (totally awesome in heavy traffic). It hasn't had a single problem since I bought the car, not even a single rattle. The maintenance schedule up to 120,000 miles is basically rotate tires and check fluid levels. Virtually no maintenance. I have 274 lbs of torque at 0 rpm, so leaving cars at lights is easy. 0-60 in about 8.5 secs, a very low center of gravity for good handling, and looks better than most cars. The Volt will be like the EV1... People will cry when it's gone because they didn't know enough about what a phenomenal car it truly is. I paid $21,195 for my new 2014 Volt after Fed tax credit and Ca. rebate.
I average 43 mpg in cool weather in mixed driving and have achieved as high as 48 mpg . However , @75 mph or with heavy A/C usage , I only get around 38 mpg . I average 34-43 miles on battery when I use A/C . In cooler weather with no A/C , I average 42-48 miles .
Humorous to see at 4:19 the Volt being driven down the road with the charge door open. There is a message on the driving console as well as a beep alerting the driver that they left the door open.
question for any volt owners-how is the leg room in the shotgun seat of the volt? My friend is 6 8" and we're thinking of taking a road trip up to Oregon.
Find one on Craigslist or cars.com and take your friend with you when you test drive. Or use a Chevy dealership if you can find one who has either a new or used Volt in stock. The manual seat adjustment does go back quite far, but I don't have friends that tall, so can't positively say.
Any updates on how your Volt is behaving? Please SHARE!! I like it concept a lot but also read many 1 star reviews about this car going to auto works or dealership for some kind malfunction. Some reviews were describing malfunction warning came out on the way out from dealership with brand new Volt. So impression that the car is not well build and often causes issues and its not reliable.
Highest owner satisfaction ratings of ANY car for two consecutive years. Mine has been in the shop once. The messages made it sound serious, but if I had studied the 12 volt section of the manual more thoroughly and read more on the Volt forums I could have cured it myself at home by simply charging or jumping the 12 volt batt. Covered under warranty and a free loaner car also paid by warranty.
You can read NY Post 11/11/12, "Cabbies Fume Over High Cost Of Hybrids." And in a related subject on Hybrids, the MTA is replacing hybrid buses with diesel engines because of their high cost of operating them. NY Post 6/30/13. Operating cabs in San Francisco is a lot different than operating them here in NYC. San Francisco has beautiful weather year round while we live in the snow belt where we use rock salt, lots of it. It degrades a cars electrical systems with corrosion.
I don't think the ICE provides any propulsion in normal driving modes, I think only under very heavy acceleration or going up a pass...other than that, I don't think it ever kicks in, I have never noticed anything so far...
@laughridge, I am one of those guys that because of my job I keep a car for +10years and put >300k miles on it. I drive about 33-35k per year. For this reason hybrids don't work for me. The Honda Insight/Civic or Toyota Prius cost apron $4000 to replace the battery which quits at around 150k miles. That's on top of regular maintenance. No, I pretty much drive the wheels off my cars. I think I'm better suited to a VW TDI. I'll just keep getting the best non-hybrid that I can..
The Chevy Volt is 100% electric even if you floor it, as long as the battery has charge left in it. The engine can connect directly to the wheels at some speeds (highway) if the battery is depleted, because it's more efficient to directly drive the car with the engine, rather than going through the motor middle man. So 100% electric always unless the battery isn't charged, or the car is running engine/fuel maintenance. Versus a Prius in that if you floor it the engine kicks on always.
My uncle drives 200 plus a day to work and back. He asked me what car do I recommend and I said the Volt. He said he would not get a Volt because it could only go 40 miles on a charge and that was it. LOL! I told him it had an onboard generator and could drive on gas all the time if he wanted it to. He quickly changed the subject to hybrids that he could understand like the Prius. He doesn't like to be wrong about anything.
These are not power tool batteries. Unlike power tool batteries, these batteries can not be fully discharged. They are 16 kwh batteries. Only 12.5 kwh's can be used. They are also liquid cooled, which extends their life. The buffer protects them from a memory. Easy to find on the net. I am getting 44 mile charge during summer and my car is almost 2 years old. Power co.'s are looking into using old E car batteries as grid back ups. 33 old Volt Batts. will pwr 50 homes for 1 hour.
I own a 2014 volt, 5K miles and it has been in two different dealer service departments for CELs related to charging system not operating properly. 11 days in the shop and counting. Love the car when it is not in the shop but as usual chev customer support is poor. However good luck to you, and your volt.
try "Hybrid Battery Life: Good for the Long Haul?" There are dozens of others. Wow. You pick cab companies in the snow belt. I have news for you. Most hybrids are sold in California. So, why is it unfair to use CA as an example? Most of the country is not in the snow belt. That's like saying surfing sucks in Alaska. Here's an example, 12,850 miles. 28 gallons of gas. My battery is now giving me 44 miles full charge after almost 2 years. Volt. I don't care about snow .... or gas.
2. Each tax payer paid $5 for the entire Voltec system, per Fox News. As of todays total sales, that comes to $0.00012 per tax payer per Volt. As the sales numbers increase, that will come down. However, unless you were old enough to pay taxes in 1992, you didn't pay a cent. There are no more subsidies being paid for the Voltec system today. Once again, those subsidies were for all ev's.
Charge time ... great question. My Volt can charge from a regular 110V outlet at either 8 amps (the default) or 12 amps. The corresponding charge times from empty are about 15 hours and 10 hours, respectively. If you buy a 220V charger (around $800), the charge time is about 4 hours, but I don't have one. A full charge costs me about $1 and is good for 30 to 50 miles, then it seamlessly starts the gas generator. No range concerns. :-)
First couple of model years the default charge rate is 12 amps, so 9 or 10 hours to charge on 120V 15 amp (or better) circuit. In 2016, there are many 240V chargers available for well under $500. I concur with the rest of the info MrXtraconservative provides. Well, except 40-52 is my battery range on 2012 model.
The battery absolutely is a fire hazard, it's a flat or lie to say it isn't. Batteries rupture and catch on fire. So do gas tanks filled with gas, if you want to stick with facts, just say it's no greater fire hazard than any other car dragging around 16+ gallons of fuel
good review. I will buy a 2016 or 2017 Volt. I heard it will be more range, cheaper and FIVE SEATER. not FOUR. :) I currently driving a Prius C. get 47-53MPG combine. 50000 miles and saved me $2700 gas and more $$ for maintenance. the car has not driving belt, AC,power steering,water pump are electrical. when first the i-phone came out, people thing it was crazy to make a cell phone without keypad and changing battery. look at the cell phone we are using now.
The break even point is between 100 and 130 miles per day in terms of cost in cents per mile. If a person's lifestyle involves driving over 130 miles per day with no interim charging, the Prius is more economical. For most of us, the vast majority of us, the Volt is more economical. The highest miles on any Volt just passed 300,000. He may have lowered his total cost by getting a Prius, but he loves the Volt. In fact he has two, one for him and one for the wife.
Just to be clear the volt's gas engine does not power the wheels it only acts as a generator. So stomping on the gas does not use both engines to power the wheels.
Certain circumstances allow Gen 1 Volts to have engine driving the wheels. 2016-2017 Volts designed so engine routinely drives the wheels when computer says that this is more efficient.
I drive a 2013 Volt and was actually thinking of going to the 2015 Golf TDI when my lease is up. I love the electric drive but I've been to the dealer 11 times now for stupid little problems and it's really starting to aggravate me.
+D Gatewood Chevy wound up buying my Volt back as a lemon. This is my service log: 1: alignment off. Toe fixed. 2: Service Parking Brake and calendar ahead issue. 3: Service Parking Brake not fixed and vibration in brake pedal and grinding from front end. 4: Vibration and grinding not fixed. 5: Clunk when engaging parking brake and no heat. 6: Check engine light. OnStar states is for the electrical propulsion and charging system not performing as expected. P0D22 P1E00 Charge door not opening correctly Rear armrest rattle 7: Rear parking brake clunk returned. When playing USB Nav screen goes to now playing whether using directions or just looking at map. Climate control issue morning of 3-11-13. See photo. PIC5796A for no heat issue. May fix this one. - appears to be fixed. Alignment. Rear armrest rattle returned. 8: Brought Volt in for tire rotation and software update. Update fixed bluetooth issue, but the tire rotation wasn't completed correctly. Had to return for recalibration of TPMS right front sensor. - 7-20-13. 9: Lost communication with high voltage charging system - Energy. Climate control lost most buttons. Radios stations lost. No startup or shutdown sounds. Error codes: none. 10: Vehicle integration control system. Charge port door not working as expected. Vehicle electric system HPCM error. 2nd trip for faulty charge doors. Parking brake pads sticking when disengaged. Tire rotation. Updates. Oil change 11: Clunking in rear. Clunk when transitioning in L. Regen noisy. Wind noise drivers door. Brake pads grinding when wheel turned to lock. Shock replaced. 12: Same as above, nothing fixed completely. 13: Clunk when transitioning in L is now louder and is happening in D when braking and accelerating at low speed (noticeable at low speed, most likely occurring at all speeds). Center stack crashes and restarts. 3 days to fix clunk. No fix for center. On Pickup: Service Brake AssistService StabilitrakABS light Another loaner issued. Day 2. Solution: Relearn on brake module required. Performed. USB playback resets when answering phone. Plays first song on USB drive. If USB is playing when car is shut off, drive is lost on reset/restart. Have to remove and reinsert. Front end making noise in L. Again. Send to in dash nav on star not working. Selecting vent on climate stopped working. See video. Water in left taillight.
+D Gatewood Not to this extent on a new car. I had a few older Chevy's (95 Camaro Z28, 95 Jimmy) that were just garbage, and a late 80's Ford that just kept blowing head gaskets. Found out later it was a design defect, but by then it was too late to do anything about it. I've had 16 cars in my life to date and by far the Volt was the one that gave me the most trouble.
Has been released in UK now , however the price of electricity in Uk is so high that Diesel will still be cheaper. I get 55mpg from my Common Rail Turbo diesel and btw its not a heavy engine unlike old American diesel units
Yeah, electricity is pretty cheap here in the US. I've calculated that to charge it from completely empty to full will cost me around $0.45 based on my current rates, or about 1/7 the cost of gasoline here.
A lot of people don't know this but the British gallon is a larger unit than the United States gallon. Any given car gets better mpg in the U.K. on paper .That is another reason why European mpg numbers look so good comparatively. Don't forget to figure in VW oil changes transmission fluid, antifreeze changes and more frequent brake jobs than the volt. E.V.s are cheaper to maintain. I have been an auto technician for 20 years and don't own an E.V. yet but will because of the lower cost of maintenance and fuel.
Wow, just looked it up, the British gallon is about 20% larger than the US gallon. Did not realize. Also, I have owned my volt for over a year and put about 15k miles on it, and haven't needed an oil change yet. The brakes are also in excellent condition :).
Ya it's crazy so you figure a car that gets 40 mpg in the US gets 48 mpg in the UK . The higher the number the more you notice it. 40 mpg US = 48 mpg UK 50 mpg US = 60mpg UK 60mpg US = 72 mpg UK .
Great review. Well explained from an informed position. Also being a TDI owner, you know impressive efficiency when you see it. Its a shame that diesel engines are being restricted with so many emission devices. VW made a simple TDI LUPO that got 200mpg, but remained a concept because there was " no demand for such a vehicle." If you don't believe me do a little research, information is out there. Unfortunately the automobiles sold here in the states are drastically less efficient than their counterparts in other countries. We need to stop accepting this insufficient progression in our automotive industry, as it has been proven time and time again that 200mpg is easily attainable with todays technology.
200 MPG is 190 watt hours per mile assuming 100% efficiency from diesel #2. You can't get that kind of efficiency without sacrificing safety significantly. The vehicle would have to be extremely lightweight, exceptionally aerodynamic (coefficient of drag under 0.10), and have very skinny tires which would be awful for cornering. Is it possible with today's technology? Yes. Is it possible to do it AND make it driveable on normal roads among normal traffic AND make it safe in the event of an accident? No, it's really not. And certainly not at speeds of much over 15-20 MPH. Physics doesn't allow for it-- diesel doesn't contain enough energy.
that's changed now that the diesel scandal is in light. I own a 06 tdi which is not claimed to be clean and I'm considering a used 2012 volt. for long time I was considering electric conversion. it would have cost me as much or more. I'm test driving it today.
Tareek Anson For me.. almost any speed. I often drive mine at 70mph plus, and get around 45 mpg (US). I think it's because the main job of the gas engine is maintaining the battery charge level and not normally turning the driving wheels. That's my guess anyway. Brilliant car.
Those are my taxes. Taxes I paid. Don't you even know what a tax credit is? Also, we spend $50 billion a year out of our military expenditure to protect oil rich countries that hate us and donate money to Al Qaeda. My tax credit is not even a dust particle compared to what I pay to protect your gas. Also, all foreign cars made in this country receive US subsidies. Bet you didn't know that. Who is the rest of us? Subsidized oil burners or subsidized foreign cars? Look up tax credit
Well, you can find some high mileage ones for that price. But you can also spend ~15K and get one with >40K and still under factory warranty (and likely being sold as a certified pre owned with an additional warranty) . There are great deals around because people would much rather buy a new version, for both battery anxieties and the fact that the newer volts are getting an extra 25 miles of range. Not to mention that the price gap closes up with the tax credit.
No, I site publications like Diesel Car who named the Volt "Best Eco Car". I site the SAE, who named the Volt "Best Engineered Car". European Car Of The Year. North American Car Of The year. Did you know that the Volt is the most awarded car in history? No, of course not. You're too busy visiting hater sites.
Here's a hint. The net is full of reports by Volt owners using a Kill-A-Watt meter to monitor their charging. Click your mouse. It takes 13 kwh's to fully charge a Volt, per my Kill-A-Watt meter (and everybody else's). 13 times your power rate is what it takes to fully charge the car. Very simple. Most Volt owners are averaging 40 miles per charge year round. It's not a bundle, like you think it is. Again, most of the country is not in snow belt. Even so, search snow + Volt on YT.
Now I have to take issue with you! First, the Volt doesn't have a V-6 engine. It is an inline 4!. Second, the engine is NOT the generator! That is like saying an engine that is attached to a transmission is a transmission! It is not! Third, the batteries will wear out before the engine. Anyone who owns a cell phone or cordless power tools will readily attest to that! And finally, I don't know where you live, but here in NYC, the cabbies are complaining about the high cost of operating hybrids.
I have a 2014 Volt and LOVE IT! It is by far the best car I have ever owned and is the first one where I had no buyer's guilt after I left the dealer. A couple things for those that may be considering the VOLT. The spoiler air dam under the bumper does rub when going up and down driveways at times. It is flexible and is designed to do so, therefore, its not that big of a deal. However, if you don't like hearing it rub against the ground when going up a driveway, etc., GM will install a shorter one for free if the warranty is still good on the car. Also, some complain about road noise with the windows down. It does get a lot of buffeting noise if the wiondows are down and you do over 30 mph. However, GM has a fix for that as well if you ask the dealer about the anti-buffeting kit that is installed for free (as long as it is still under warranty). I had mine done and I have noticed no reduction in electric range (still get between 41-49 miles per charge) and it is nice to drive with the windows down and not have to yell over the noise to the person sitting next to you. the car is AMAZING and is well worth the consideration to get one.
Great video. I am one of those people that gets over 1000 miles per gallon!
A tank of gas last me 6 months! I considered a Tesla, but it is my only car, and I didn't want a range limit, as I do go on long trips in the summer.
Compared to my old car, which drank like a fish, I am saving about 4,000 a year on fuel, so my payback just in fuel savings I have figured at 7 years.
You are right on the hate on by some ignorant people. I have been lambasted a few times by "stupid" people that sound off without knowing a thing about the car, and they are so ignorant they won't even listen to reason.
This is one of the best Volt reviews I've ever seen. Well done.
I have a 2011 Volt with 65,000 miles on it. I haven't noticed any significant battery degradation and I still love driving it each and every day. I average around 122 miles per gallon. So far I've only needed one oil change, washer fluid and two sets of tires. The electric torque gives it strong acceleration and plenty of passing power. I use a regular 110 volt outlet at home and enjoy always waking up to a "full tank".
It's truly a marvel of engineering and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try electric drive but needs unlimited range for long distance travel.
...and you're right, I'm not a fan of Bose either but the Bose stereo in the Volt totally rocks!!!
Great review. I absolutely LOVE my 2012 Volt. I use it exclusively as a commuter car and almost never use gas. Never had a single problem with it and it's really fun to drive. If any of you ever want to know how good of a car a Volt is, just talk to an owner. The naysayers will never understand...
Former Toyota Prius driver here, I love 2013 Volt had it for one year I'm getting 188 miles per gallon
yer but how high is your Electric bill ?
***** 25$ more
Electricity costs on average about $0.11 per kWh in the U.S., and in some places, off-peak costs are $0.08 or lower. If you drain it fully and charge it fully at $0.11, that's about $1.81 per 38 rated miles-- and some drivers are known to get about 50 miles out of that 16.5 kWh (for the 2013 model). That's about $0.036 - $0.047 per mile.
My 2008 Prius which gets about 50-65 MPG costs me about $0.06 - $0.069 per mile for gas.
I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of Chevrolet, but the Volt is a very compelling car and is probably one of the smartest things GM has ever built and sold in modern history.
I recently took a long trip and spoiled my 6,231 mpg average on 2012 Volt. I'm also former Prius. I may buy a 2013 Volt for the Hold Mode, and give away the 2012 to a needy family. On the Model 3 reservation list; looking forward to see how that plays out.
I fill my battery for 4 or 5 kms left to full with in 1hr free while i am having a $5 lunch at IKEA.. Thats 85 kms on "Just"* electric power My work is 12kms from my house IKEA is 4kms The great thing about the Level 3 charging unit (480amp) is Most of them are on exits just off the highways and a full charge is 45 to 1hr Level 2 is (240Amp) 4.5 hours.. Level 1 or home wall plug in is 120amp = 13hrs So bottom line If your looking for a cheaper way to get from A to B and your in the subs or city You can find free charging and do it in 30mins to 1hr depending on what you have in the car ..Did i mention..FREE My last 445Km trip cost me i think just over $12 ..2 coffees 1 dounut 1 cookie 1 muffin And just to see how much fuel was uses ..$2.11 as we dont use the penny anymore $2.10 ....My Electric bill has been the same as before i bought the car
Good review and even though it is from 2013 it is still relevant. I have a 2014 Volt with 65k miles on it. I also have 7.5MW/yr solar. A Volt (or any EV) complements solar and vice versa, especially here in San Diego with the highest kwh rates in the country. There are many days one of us will drive almost the full battery range early in the day, then recharge some to drive on battery by evening. The solar fully powers our house, including some AC in the summer and all our EV battery needs of about 10k miles a year. We only use the gas mode on long trips, maybe 1.5k miles a year or just ~50 gallons of gas. Too bad Chevy is discontinuing the Volt but they just don't make money on it. No profit when sold and they rarely need any service. Just tires and three oil changes so far for us.
This is one of the better reviews of the Volt. GM dropped the ball and didn't advertise this car aggressively enough, so people don't know how great it is, as you pointed out. It's safe, reliable, economical, and stylish. One drive will convince you that this is something special, and it's made in Detroit. I'm averaging 153 MPG in my Volt after 22k miles, with zero issues! I haven't even changed the oil yet; just rotated tires twice. People forget about lower maintenance on EV's, and dealers don't like that. The car is estimated to save owners over $6k in gas and in the first five years of driving, and Edmunds.com True Cost to Own for the Volt is lower than a Honda Civic HF or Hybrid! Volts ROCK!
Volt is an incredible car. I will soon be getting a Tesla and cannot wait for that. But overall the Volt is one of the best cars you can buy. Its a really cool looking car too. 20k miles on mine and only about 400 miles of gas used, the rest all electric!
+Mr Cars Sounds awesome, have you had anyone ride in the back seat and how is the ride quality? Throw in whatever else you like as I would appreciate it. My family is looking at the volt or a prius :)
I've had two Prius and now have a 2012 Volt. Prius is great for what it is designed to do, but the Volt wins hands down for me. The Volt is like a Prius on steroids. Acceleration is great and all-electric. Prius will start out on electric only if you don't mind a zero-to-35mph time of 30 seconds. My aunt and uncle, 5'11" and 5'8", said the back seat area was great for them; they love the bucket seat arrangement. I personally think the leg room in back is small, but they both said no and that it's roomy for them. Ride quality and handling are very good; choose Sport mode for more responsiveness. There is a guy you can read about online who already has 300,000 trouble-free miles on his Volt - 100,000 on battery and 200,000 on gasoline generator - so durability is not an issue. Traction battery life is not an issue. Brakes? I almost never touch the brake pedal above 4 mph; drive in L, which is not a low gear, but is a higher setting of regenerative braking. A good used 2012 or 2013 Volt is $11k to $12k and still in Warranty. All three of the cars I mentioned above were bought used. Happy electric motoring, Wolf.
You're right about the inline 4. I was thinking of Via Motors. Secondly, the generator is a generator. It only provides electricity to the battery and the electric motor. This is a series hybrid, not a parallel hybrid like the Prius. Unlike the Prius, only the electric motor spins the wheels.
These batteries are fully warrantied for 100,000 miles or 8 years. They are warrantied for no less than 30% degradation.
I like your oldskool narrative style!
Congrats on having two Volts. I can't brag enough about my '13 and find it amusing how clueless the general public (that haven't driven one) jump on the hater bandwagon. That's alright.. it will be our little secret!
Just purchased this car this year for 9k. Thank God for depreciation otherwise I would never be able to purchase this amazing car
Talking about the burden put on the utility companies. It takes 79 billion kilowatt hours of electricity to produce gas every year in the USA.
The electricity not used to not produce the gas that I don't use gets re-allocated through the grid to my house.
You see, it's a fair trade. You use electricity to produce gas for your car at 25 mpg. I use electricity to produce power for my car at 140 mpg. Who's wasting electricity? Hmmmm.
Thanks for the information, I really like your take and concern about people learning how cars work before judging and just making assumptions.
hah at 4:18- driving with the charging port door open (i've done that a couple times already)- Nice review (i know I am late to the game, but I just bought my first Gen 1 used)
Thought it was a GoPro camera lol
Outstanding review ! Straight to the point, thorough, and informative from start to finish 👍
I like your review.
I positively love my '19 Volt.
What a fantastic car!
Every person I know that's had one, has loved it.
I count myself among those people.
Great review. I also had 2 Passat TDIs ... they were both new ideas at the time (96 and 97) ... people just did not understand why I'd want a diesel (49mpg ... that's why) ... the new ones are not at good on the mpg ... so I figured I'd try a Volt.
If I paid he national average for electricity, I would be pay $1.46 for 44 miles of driving. I live in Santa Clara, CA where our rates are much less than PG&E. I pay $1.14 per 44 miles. Even at 42 miles, and gas at only $3.90, that's 143 mpg.
Did you know that PG&E E9A rates are less than 4 cents at night? My son charges his Volt for less than 50 cents.
Do you honestly think the Volt owners would be the most satisfied in history, two years in a row if it cost too much to charge? Wow.
Great review.... We have a TDI and love it for highway but in the city not so good. The Volt would be my next purchase.
Nice review. I am considering the Volt
I hope you get a chance to look at the new Chevy Bolt and would be interested to know what you think of it compared to the Volt
One thing that I have never seen any review of the Chevy volt is that even though the battery gets depleted it doesn’t get completely depleted 100% when you come to a stop after using gas say that you’re in town you will use the battery all the way around the town for the most part because it has that much reserve left in it and of course the engine has been charging the battery the whole time you’ve been using gas quite nice actually
It reduces battery range since it uses energy. Anything that uses energy reduces battery or fuel range just like regular cars.
Acceleration on my dads ampera is pretty decent. It does throw you back in your seat
Very very good video. Well written. I too get frustrated at the ignorance and fear people have about new technologies. I am very attracted to this car but don't do much city driving, so can't reap the benefit it was designed for. My TDI, so far, has served me very well. Enjoy your 2013 Volt. Very nice.
Thinking of buying a used one. Very informative . Thanks
Funny thing is I own a 13 jsw tdi and I am thinking of purchasing a volt after diesel gate. I also live near Milford where this was shot lol
Search "Old electric car batteries can be reused on the power grid", and "Expensive Hybrid Car Battery Replacements Are Unnecessary".
You'll read that Toyota has replaced only 500 batteries out of 1.1 million used in 10 years. That is a .0005% failure rate. Also, you'll read about taxi co.'s getting up to 300k mi.'s on their hybrids. A SF cab co. saves $1 mil. a year on gas.
Please refer me to an article about NYC co's hating them cuz in this article, they love them.
Hands down the best car I have even owned. Love it! It is as nice inside as my Acura CL or my BMW 3-Series was, handles great due to the low center of gravity and gets me back and forth from work (40 miles) on zero gas. I could not be happier.
Ahhh I really wanted the Volt as my first new car but, I ended up getting a Sonic. BUT I will be trading in my sonic for a volt in a year or two. Plus by then the technology of the volt will be more advanced and more experienced for sure.
Owning a q5 tdi (40 mpg highway + towing) and a 2014 Volt is the best of both worlds.... other pluses: brakes last longer, oil changes less frequent, A/C works OK.. Negatives... winter elec range cut in half from 40 to 20 miles. not all volts equipped with heated seats (which would help mirage). Overall glad I purchased car, still running strong for my son in med school... low cost vehicle for him!
Does it use a whole lot of electricity per month to charge?
I went from a 2012 CJAA TDI Jetta, to a 2012 Chevy Volt, The Volt is the best car ever! I've put ~15,000 miles on it in a little over a year and averaged 145mpg doing it, not even had to change the oil yet.
Happy to see you jump on the Volt bandwagon! Are you still driving one?
It is BOTH (something people cannot grasp)...... for the first 40 miles it is a pure EV, and after the battery runs down, it becomes a serial hybrid (gasoline-to-engine-to-electricity-to-motor)
.
For people with short trips the Volt never becomes a hybrid. It operates as a pure EV.
So do you dislike Bose because of the great sound they produce?
Great video.... The VOLT it a fun car to drive too!
I am a Toyota Prius (no plug in) driver and they say Prius ist the best hybrid so far, but your video is pretty convincing. Under some circumstances like city driving is the Volt more suitable and runs with zero exhaust, so when I think about the air quality in towns, the Volt makes more sense to me. I had some doubt about the reliability of a Chevy, but more people report that this Volt is just doing every day the job it was designed for. When I compare it to other hybrid systems from toyota or honda it looks a lot simpler because the engine doesn't turn the wheels through some complicated hsd or cvt, but still provides power to move the car efectively forward. I like it.
Also, if you buy a generator from a store, it is called a generator. Just because it has a gasoline motor connected to an electric motor doesn't make it a generator. The Volt's gas engine is connected to an E motor. Both constitute the generator.
Didn't think I would have to explain that. So, for your benefit, "when the gas part of the generator runs, it spins the E part of the generator. Both make E. One can not function without the other". The gas engine does not spin the wheels.
Where is the scenic viewpoint at 07:20? That's New Haven, right?
It was good to see a new video from you. I have some concern how you knocked diesel engines are getting more complicated because of emission controls. While true, gasoline engines are getting more complicated because of emission controls as well. Also, you failed to mention the cost of replacing the battery packs or the generator in the car. And they will have to be replaced if you intend to keep the car as long as a VW TDI.
Nice detailed review
What effect does running the air conditioning have on battery range?
Did you know that if you dont use gas at all. The car turns on the engine when you are not using gas in a long time.
Interview failed to report (as other UA-cam ones have), that on long haul highway driving (when the battery is depleted), real life highway MPG was about 31 mpg which is much less than the higher mid to high 40s that the TDI can get.
keithrig I've completed 3 road trips ranging from 200 to 1000 miles. My MPG range in extended range mode is about 38 to 40 mpg and that is at 75 mph speed limits running the AC.
My highway mileage after battery depletion, and averaging 65-68 mph, is 42-46 mpg in a 2012 Volt. This is using a few simple hyper-miling techniques, but does not involve sacrificing average mph for me. Drivers who like to go 75-85 mph will naturally get lower mpg, a simple result of increased air resistance. But by going 75+ they are simply making the statement that mpg is of much less importance to them than is going fast. Anyone can do the math and see that the time savings are negligible on trips less than 450 miles and the extra money spent on gas is significant.
In the 6 years of owning the Volt, highway mileage has been about 39 mpg.
How long will the battery's last and how much does it cost to replace it!
The generator is a V6 motor. Same as in most V6 cars. Only difference is that the motor runs at a constant rate, lower rpm's than a gasoline powered car. And it only runs once in a long while.
The battery will last longer than the V6 motor will. Hybrids have been around for a long time. Cab companies using plug in hybrids have logged over 300,000 miles on their batteries.
I've had my Volt for almost 2 years. I get 44 miles on my charge right now. It will go up to about 45 soon.
My Chevy Volt just turned 12,000 miles after 8 months of driving. I have a 145 mpg lifetime average since I bought it new. It goes 45-51 miles on electricity, then the gas generator kicks in for limitless range. Most owners who drive less than 40 miles per day get 900 mpg lifetime ave. I have never changed my oil (75% oil life left), and rarely use my brakes due to the instant regenerative brakes as I let up off the throttle (totally awesome in heavy traffic). It hasn't had a single problem since I bought the car, not even a single rattle. The maintenance schedule up to 120,000 miles is basically rotate tires and check fluid levels. Virtually no maintenance. I have 274 lbs of torque at 0 rpm, so leaving cars at lights is easy. 0-60 in about 8.5 secs, a very low center of gravity for good handling, and looks better than most cars. The Volt will be like the EV1... People will cry when it's gone because they didn't know enough about what a phenomenal car it truly is. I paid $21,195 for my new 2014 Volt after Fed tax credit and Ca. rebate.
I average 43 mpg in cool weather in mixed driving and have achieved as high as 48 mpg . However , @75 mph or with heavy A/C usage , I only get around 38 mpg . I average 34-43 miles on battery when I use A/C . In cooler weather with no A/C , I average 42-48 miles .
I have a '06 TDI 5 spd and my last repair bill will be the $1000 clutch because the DMF failed. I will be buying the 2019 volt in three years.
Humorous to see at 4:19 the Volt being driven down the road with the charge door open. There is a message on the driving console as well as a beep alerting the driver that they left the door open.
Very good review and your voice sounds little like Ira Glass from this american life!
question for any volt owners-how is the leg room in the shotgun seat of the volt? My friend is 6 8" and we're thinking of taking a road trip up to Oregon.
Find one on Craigslist or cars.com and take your friend with you when you test drive. Or use a Chevy dealership if you can find one who has either a new or used Volt in stock. The manual seat adjustment does go back quite far, but I don't have friends that tall, so can't positively say.
update: 6 foot 8 dude doesn't like it, but it doesn't suck for him because the leg room is great
Any updates on how your Volt is behaving? Please SHARE!! I like it concept a lot but also read many 1 star reviews about this car going to auto works or dealership for some kind malfunction. Some reviews were describing malfunction warning came out on the way out from dealership with brand new Volt. So impression that the car is not well build and often causes issues and its not reliable.
Highest owner satisfaction ratings of ANY car for two consecutive years. Mine has been in the shop once. The messages made it sound serious, but if I had studied the 12 volt section of the manual more thoroughly and read more on the Volt forums I could have cured it myself at home by simply charging or jumping the 12 volt batt. Covered under warranty and a free loaner car also paid by warranty.
You can read NY Post 11/11/12, "Cabbies Fume Over High Cost Of Hybrids." And in a related subject on Hybrids, the MTA is replacing hybrid buses with diesel engines because of their high cost of operating them. NY Post 6/30/13. Operating cabs in San Francisco is a lot different than operating them here in NYC. San Francisco has beautiful weather year round while we live in the snow belt where we use rock salt, lots of it. It degrades a cars electrical systems with corrosion.
I don't think the ICE provides any propulsion in normal driving modes, I think only under very heavy acceleration or going up a pass...other than that, I don't think it ever kicks in, I have never noticed anything so far...
Good review! hopefully my office will install a charging station.
Nice review
I agree with your opinion of Bose OEM audio. The 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT had a horrible sounding Bose system in it.
Hey there, Wonderful! superficial shape What's your opinion about !!
Nicely Done!
Nice video. Thanks for the info.
Just bought a used 2013 for 10k and it qualified for a 4k tax credit plus additional California tax credit. So far its a fantastic car.
@laughridge, I am one of those guys that because of my job I keep a car for +10years and put >300k miles on it. I drive about 33-35k per year. For this reason hybrids don't work for me. The Honda Insight/Civic or Toyota Prius cost apron $4000 to replace the battery which quits at around 150k miles. That's on top of regular maintenance. No, I pretty much drive the wheels off my cars. I think I'm better suited to a VW TDI. I'll just keep getting the best non-hybrid that I can..
Review starts at 1:16
The Chevy Volt is 100% electric even if you floor it, as long as the battery has charge left in it. The engine can connect directly to the wheels at some speeds (highway) if the battery is depleted, because it's more efficient to directly drive the car with the engine, rather than going through the motor middle man.
So 100% electric always unless the battery isn't charged, or the car is running engine/fuel maintenance. Versus a Prius in that if you floor it the engine kicks on always.
My uncle drives 200 plus a day to work and back. He asked me what car do I recommend and I said the Volt.
He said he would not get a Volt because it could only go 40 miles on a charge and that was it. LOL!
I told him it had an onboard generator and could drive on gas all the time if he wanted it to.
He quickly changed the subject to hybrids that he could understand like the Prius. He doesn't like to be wrong about anything.
that was a pretty good review.
You should get that gas cap checked. Mine fits perfectly.
These are not power tool batteries. Unlike power tool batteries, these batteries can not be fully discharged. They are 16 kwh batteries. Only 12.5 kwh's can be used. They are also liquid cooled, which extends their life.
The buffer protects them from a memory. Easy to find on the net. I am getting 44 mile charge during summer and my car is almost 2 years old.
Power co.'s are looking into using old E car batteries as grid back ups. 33 old Volt Batts. will pwr 50 homes for 1 hour.
I've driven my Volt 1,500 miles (312 MPGe) so far and haven't spent a dime on GAS...so I don't give a FUC* what you call it.
Help !!!! If u charge ur car at home!! How crazy ur electric bill will be ? Does it really increase?
Sy Colombian Volt uses I believe 13kwh per full charge... so 13 x your electric rate (generally between .09 cents and .15 cents per kwh
about 37 hwy, 35 city for mine.
The engine is an inline 4 cylinder engine, not a V6.
I own a 2014 volt, 5K miles and it has been in two different dealer service departments for CELs related to charging system not operating properly. 11 days in the shop and counting. Love the car when it is not in the shop but as usual chev customer support is poor. However good luck to you, and your volt.
try "Hybrid Battery Life: Good for the Long Haul?" There are dozens of others. Wow. You pick cab companies in the snow belt. I have news for you. Most hybrids are sold in California. So, why is it unfair to use CA as an example? Most of the country is not in the snow belt. That's like saying surfing sucks in Alaska.
Here's an example, 12,850 miles. 28 gallons of gas. My battery is now giving me 44 miles full charge after almost 2 years. Volt.
I don't care about snow .... or gas.
2. Each tax payer paid $5 for the entire Voltec system, per Fox News. As of todays total sales, that comes to $0.00012 per tax payer per Volt. As the sales numbers increase, that will come down. However, unless you were old enough to pay taxes in 1992, you didn't pay a cent. There are no more subsidies being paid for the Voltec system today.
Once again, those subsidies were for all ev's.
how much time it takes to get the baterry fully charge??
Charge time ... great question. My Volt can charge from a regular 110V outlet at either 8 amps (the default) or 12 amps. The corresponding charge times from empty are about 15 hours and 10 hours, respectively. If you buy a 220V charger (around $800), the charge time is about 4 hours, but I don't have one. A full charge costs me about $1 and is good for 30 to 50 miles, then it seamlessly starts the gas generator. No range concerns. :-)
First couple of model years the default charge rate is 12 amps, so 9 or 10 hours to charge on 120V 15 amp (or better) circuit. In 2016, there are many 240V chargers available for well under $500. I concur with the rest of the info MrXtraconservative provides. Well, except 40-52 is my battery range on 2012 model.
The battery absolutely is a fire hazard, it's a flat or lie to say it isn't. Batteries rupture and catch on fire. So do gas tanks filled with gas, if you want to stick with facts, just say it's no greater fire hazard than any other car dragging around 16+ gallons of fuel
Personally I like the C-Max but the Chevy Volt isn't that bad either I just wish Chevy would have a compact wagon version like the C-Max...
thanks for breaking it down . people should know facts not hear say , and what a perfect review
4:23 you left the charge door open lol
good review. I will buy a 2016 or 2017 Volt. I heard it will be more range, cheaper and FIVE SEATER. not FOUR. :)
I currently driving a Prius C. get 47-53MPG combine. 50000 miles and saved me $2700 gas and more $$ for maintenance. the car has not driving belt, AC,power steering,water pump are electrical.
when first the i-phone came out, people thing it was crazy to make a cell phone without keypad and changing battery. look at the cell phone we are using now.
I think a car like the Volt makes a bit more sense than a Hybrid Like the Prius - engine is the back up to the battery
The break even point is between 100 and 130 miles per day in terms of cost in cents per mile. If a person's lifestyle involves driving over 130 miles per day with no interim charging, the Prius is more economical. For most of us, the vast majority of us, the Volt is more economical. The highest miles on any Volt just passed 300,000. He may have lowered his total cost by getting a Prius, but he loves the Volt. In fact he has two, one for him and one for the wife.
Just to be clear the volt's gas engine does not power the wheels it only acts as a generator. So stomping on the gas does not use both engines to power the wheels.
Certain circumstances allow Gen 1 Volts to have engine driving the wheels. 2016-2017 Volts designed so engine routinely drives the wheels when computer says that this is more efficient.
+Dave Riley it is physically not connected to the driveline. But yes it will come on when needed.
I drive a 2013 Volt and was actually thinking of going to the 2015 Golf TDI when my lease is up. I love the electric drive but I've been to the dealer 11 times now for stupid little problems and it's really starting to aggravate me.
+Tommy C. It would be interesting to know the problems you have experienced.
+D Gatewood
Chevy wound up buying my Volt back as a lemon. This is my service log:
1: alignment off.
Toe fixed.
2: Service Parking
Brake and calendar ahead issue.
3: Service Parking
Brake not fixed and vibration in brake pedal and grinding from front end.
4: Vibration and
grinding not fixed.
5: Clunk when
engaging parking brake and no heat.
6: Check engine
light. OnStar states is for the electrical propulsion and charging system not
performing as expected.
P0D22
P1E00
Charge door not
opening correctly
Rear armrest rattle
7: Rear parking
brake clunk returned.
When playing USB Nav
screen goes to now playing whether using directions or just looking at map.
Climate control
issue morning of 3-11-13. See photo.
PIC5796A for no heat issue. May fix this one. - appears to be fixed.
Alignment.
Rear armrest rattle
returned.
8: Brought Volt in
for tire rotation and software update.
Update fixed bluetooth issue, but the tire rotation wasn't completed
correctly. Had to return for
recalibration of TPMS right front sensor. - 7-20-13.
9: Lost communication with high voltage charging
system - Energy. Climate control lost most buttons. Radios stations lost. No startup or shutdown sounds. Error codes:
none.
10: Vehicle integration control system. Charge
port door not working as expected. Vehicle electric system HPCM error. 2nd trip for faulty charge doors.
Parking brake pads
sticking when disengaged.
Tire rotation.
Updates.
Oil change
11: Clunking in rear. Clunk when transitioning in L. Regen
noisy. Wind noise drivers door. Brake pads grinding when wheel turned to
lock. Shock replaced.
12: Same as above, nothing fixed completely.
13: Clunk when transitioning in L is now louder
and is happening in D when braking and accelerating at low speed (noticeable at
low speed, most likely occurring at all speeds).
Center stack crashes
and restarts.
3 days to fix clunk.
No fix for center.
On Pickup:
Service Brake AssistService StabilitrakABS light
Another loaner
issued. Day 2.
Solution: Relearn on
brake module required. Performed.
USB playback resets
when answering phone. Plays first song on USB drive.
If USB is playing
when car is shut off, drive is lost on reset/restart. Have to remove and
reinsert.
Front end making
noise in L. Again.
Send to in dash nav
on star not working.
Selecting vent on
climate stopped working. See video.
Water in left
taillight.
+Thomas Capasso .. Curious have you had troubles with any other make?
+D Gatewood
Not to this extent on a new car. I had a few older Chevy's (95 Camaro Z28, 95 Jimmy) that were just garbage, and a late 80's Ford that just kept blowing head gaskets. Found out later it was a design defect, but by then it was too late to do anything about it. I've had 16 cars in my life to date and by far the Volt was the one that gave me the most trouble.
Has been released in UK now , however the price of electricity in Uk is so high that Diesel will still be cheaper. I get 55mpg from my Common Rail Turbo diesel and btw its not a heavy engine unlike old American diesel units
Yeah, electricity is pretty cheap here in the US. I've calculated that to charge it from completely empty to full will cost me around $0.45 based on my current rates, or about 1/7 the cost of gasoline here.
A lot of people don't know this but the British gallon is a larger unit than the United States gallon. Any given car gets better mpg in the U.K. on paper .That is another reason why European mpg numbers look so good comparatively. Don't forget to figure in VW oil changes transmission fluid, antifreeze changes and more frequent brake jobs than the volt. E.V.s are cheaper to maintain. I have been an auto technician for 20 years and don't own an E.V. yet but will because of the lower cost of maintenance and fuel.
Wow, just looked it up, the British gallon is about 20% larger than the US gallon. Did not realize. Also, I have owned my volt for over a year and put about 15k miles on it, and haven't needed an oil change yet. The brakes are also in excellent condition :).
Ya it's crazy so you figure a car that gets 40 mpg in the US gets 48 mpg in the UK . The higher the number the more you notice it. 40 mpg US = 48 mpg UK 50 mpg US = 60mpg UK 60mpg US = 72 mpg UK .
+PaulEssexUk It cost me a pound to fill the battery which equals 46 miles how is diesel cheaper? Also if I use solar its free.
Great review. Well explained from an informed position. Also being a TDI owner, you know impressive efficiency when you see it. Its a shame that diesel engines are being restricted with so many emission devices. VW made a simple TDI LUPO that got 200mpg, but remained a concept because there was " no demand for such a vehicle." If you don't believe me do a little research, information is out there. Unfortunately the automobiles sold here in the states are drastically less efficient than their counterparts in other countries. We need to stop accepting this insufficient progression in our automotive industry, as it has been proven time and time again that 200mpg is easily attainable with todays technology.
200 MPG is 190 watt hours per mile assuming 100% efficiency from diesel #2. You can't get that kind of efficiency without sacrificing safety significantly. The vehicle would have to be extremely lightweight, exceptionally aerodynamic (coefficient of drag under 0.10), and have very skinny tires which would be awful for cornering.
Is it possible with today's technology? Yes. Is it possible to do it AND make it driveable on normal roads among normal traffic AND make it safe in the event of an accident? No, it's really not. And certainly not at speeds of much over 15-20 MPH. Physics doesn't allow for it-- diesel doesn't contain enough energy.
that's changed now that the diesel scandal is in light. I own a 06 tdi which is not claimed to be clean and I'm considering a used 2012 volt. for long time I was considering electric conversion. it would have cost me as much or more. I'm test driving it today.
I own two Chevy Volts , but there are no " middle east subsidies " . We buy most of our oil from Mexico and Canada and we refine it domestically .
Well done and spot on. The best car i have ever owned too.
I get 45 or so on the highway. Never got below 40.
on gas. On the battery its about 50 in 50+ degrees, and 37 in the cold.
The 45 or so mpg you get on the highway, at what speed are you going? I'm really thinking about buying one of these.
Tareek Anson For me.. almost any speed. I often drive mine at 70mph plus, and get around 45 mpg (US). I think it's because the main job of the gas engine is maintaining the battery charge level and not normally turning the driving wheels. That's my guess anyway. Brilliant car.
45mpg on the highway? the best I have ever seen at sea level while using the gas engine, 65 mph is 37 mpg... you must drive downhill alot
Those are my taxes. Taxes I paid. Don't you even know what a tax credit is? Also, we spend $50 billion a year out of our military expenditure to protect oil rich countries that hate us and donate money to Al Qaeda. My tax credit is not even a dust particle compared to what I pay to protect your gas.
Also, all foreign cars made in this country receive US subsidies. Bet you didn't know that. Who is the rest of us? Subsidized oil burners or subsidized foreign cars?
Look up tax credit
You should be upset at the Obama voters. They wanted more taxes and we all got em. The people who got taxed didn't even get helped by them. lol
I want to buy a volt for 6500$....I am using the element of time to my advantage... but if i wait too long...shid....
Well, you can find some high mileage ones for that price. But you can also spend ~15K and get one with >40K and still under factory warranty (and likely being sold as a certified pre owned with an additional warranty) .
There are great deals around because people would much rather buy a new version, for both battery anxieties and the fact that the newer volts are getting an extra 25 miles of range. Not to mention that the price gap closes up with the tax credit.
east rock park!
It's not a hybrid , it's an electric car . You do not have to stop station if you run it on electric battery power .
No, I site publications like Diesel Car who named the Volt "Best Eco Car". I site the SAE, who named the Volt "Best Engineered Car". European Car Of The Year. North American Car Of The year. Did you know that the Volt is the most awarded car in history? No, of course not. You're too busy visiting hater sites.
4:19 you forgot to close your charging port
Here's a hint. The net is full of reports by Volt owners using a Kill-A-Watt meter to monitor their charging. Click your mouse.
It takes 13 kwh's to fully charge a Volt, per my Kill-A-Watt meter (and everybody else's).
13 times your power rate is what it takes to fully charge the car. Very simple. Most Volt owners are averaging 40 miles per charge year round.
It's not a bundle, like you think it is.
Again, most of the country is not in snow belt. Even so, search snow + Volt on YT.
Now I have to take issue with you! First, the Volt doesn't have a V-6 engine. It is an inline 4!. Second, the engine is NOT the generator! That is like saying an engine that is attached to a transmission is a transmission! It is not! Third, the batteries will wear out before the engine. Anyone who owns a cell phone or cordless power tools will readily attest to that! And finally, I don't know where you live, but here in NYC, the cabbies are complaining about the high cost of operating hybrids.