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2013 Power output / regen not as much as others

10K views 102 replies 19 participants last post by  scottf200 
The tires are the same rated size as per the door jam. They were purchased at Sams Club but they won't install tires in sizes that are not on the sticker.

As for revs per mile or weight, I did not compare at the time except for a visual inspection. However I'm checking the web sites right now:

Neither factory web site had full information but Tirerack does:

View attachment 134401

It seems that the Pirillis are 1 pound heavier and 2/10ths of an inch taller and a bit more contact patch. Close enough for my book, and I am satisfied with their handling and quietness.

As for dragging components, yes, that I one thing that I did check. While I had it on the lift at my regular dealership, I checked for a dragging caliper but couldn't feel anything. I haven't checked using an IR thermometer but honestly, I'm not expecting anything unusual.

Even the dealer when they changed the pads said that the hardware was fine, clean and working correctly. I specifically request the check as I suspected a dragging caliper, as well.

As for the parking brake, I have tested it but frankly, I don't like an electric "emergency" system.

But then again, I'm not suspecting brake drag, especially when my EV range is so good.

Thanks for your reply!
Sam's club tires. That's the culprit (at least one of them). Give us the the brand and the model name of the tire. My Goodyear assurance tires were great at low rolling resistance, but grippiness was lacking. I switched to Yokohama Ascends and my mileage dropped (i.m lucky to get 30 miles of EV range on a good day) but I also stopped driving like a grandpa and more like Jeff Gordon.

Secondly, I suspect you are driving the car like a jackrabbit, probably at or above the speed limit. That kills range.

best techniques to increase your ev range and gas mileage, slow down, drive like a grandpa, and avoid the brakes or regen as much as possible while being safe. The brake lights will turn on as soon as you press the brake pedal. but that doesn't mean the friction brakes are engaged.

To prove to yourself that a brake isn't dragging, drive for a long stint (3-5 miles at high speed where you don't have to brake much, regen in L until you are almost to a stop, then stop with the brakes. Get out and carefully touch the calipers. If they are all cold, then you are fine, but if one is warmer than another, you have a brake pad dragging.
 
I just ran (drove) up the street to check something. I just got up to 50 mph and put it into Low. The car began regenerating at -11 kW and kept counting -10, -9, -8, -7 and then straight to 0.5 kW at about 35 mph at which point the car just kept rolling for about a mile and a half until I had to stop for a traffic light. This segment of road had a light decline but not much. I've ridden it on a bicycle and it didn't go downhill enough! haha

Anyhow, I tried a few more times, the car discontinue regen in Low at the slower speeds, but the point is variable at some point between 30 and 40 mph.

I am assuming that it should regen all the way to a stop... Is that correct?

Oh, one more question about Volts.

If I'm in Drive and let off the throttle, a 'normal' car will decelerate using engine braking.

Should a Volt do the same thing?

My car feels like it is coasting in neutral or with the clutch disengaged.
Well, what you describe sound like something really wrong with your car. And the dealership doesn't have any ideas? It sound like a volt repair guy needs to look at this drivetrain. Remember the drivetrain warranty is longer than the bumper to bumper. I'd argumtil you are blue in the face that regen is part of the drivetrain.
 
glad to hear they made progress. Sounds like the car performs much better than expected. Just keep an eye on the actual charging times. And treat yourself to getting an L2 EVSE. Not having to wait 8-10 hours is liberating. Well worth the money even though the spreadsheet never shows a return on investment.
 
As for the 12A charging in 5 hours, I'm guessing the reset might have mangled thencalculations. If you're lucky, it might fix itself after a few charges, just like the guessometer adjusts to you recent driving habits. Take it back to the dealership if it is still off after a few weeks of charging regularly.
 
I'm sure that's the the case. I temporarily put my power meter on it and it's pulling the expected 1.21 gigaw... I mean 1211 watts.
Just don't drive it over 88 mph. Or if you do, go back in time to 2002 and buy a ton of Apple stock, then come back a multimillionaire.
 
Sorry I can't help you there. I've always charged immediately because my electric rates are low and there are no peak or off peak times for me. At 8 to 10 cents per kWh, I'm not willing to switch to a plan that bumps up the rate during daytime hours and reduces it for the nighttime hours. If I was paying California rates, well, then I'd have a bank of solar panels by now as the RaoI would be there.
 
I haven't worried about it much, either but since I do get a 2c per kWh discount at night, I'll use it. Thankfully the EV discount doesn't increase the day rate.

My experience has been that if the battery were discharged below a point that the car calculates it could charge during the discounted rates that it would start charging immediately until that point and resume when the rates drop. I thought that was pretty smart and took advantage of it. On the other hand, when it suspended the charge, OnStar always email me saying that "charging was interrupted" and to check the power source.

I'll give it a few days to settle down.




Hey, we've had electricity here in Alabama for years. Heck, most counties will be covered by 2030 ! (Now indoor plumbing is another subject...)

Actually, it starts out at a higher wattage and then settles down in the 1250 to 1350 range. Seems like I have seen higher when it is a bit cooler. I think warm temperatures have something to do with it as when I went to the car to figure out the settings and test the CD player for the first time (sounded pretty good), I had it on "Fan Only" but the compressor was clearly running, I'm guessing due to a high battery temperature.

I have good voltage at the charger, usually around 124 to 126 VAC and my charge times have always beat the estimates such that I have had to fudge the times a bit to to maximize the off-peak charging changing the on-peak time form 5:00 AM to 5:45 AM. Even with the fudge factor, it still beats the time a pretty good bit.
Exactly. The car will run the AC or the resistive heater to keep the battery at optimal temps. It does make the garage mighty warm in the summer. But I've been known to turn on the car (with the setting to start the ice while plugged in switched off of course) with the windows down, hatch open to heat and cool the garage when the weather gets extreme. I no longer use space heaters in my garage any more - the volt is a mighty fine space heater.
 
If you really want to coast like the dickens, just pop the volt into N and you will coast. Just realize that when you press the brakes in N, it will all be friction brakes. My advice is to stop looking at all the telemetry (I know it's hard not to with new car infatuation) and just drive. Then hop into an older ICE vehicle once in awhile to truly understand what's not in the volt. No gear shifts of the automatic transmission. No engine noise. Mashing the accelerator just pulls and pulls no pulls.
 
Oh, I do have other toys that I enjoy, nothing exotic and a couple are more nostalgic than anything, but I really do "get it" and each definitely has their appeal.

I was thinking about the smoothness this evening doing up and down short and rather steep hills with a pickup modified in the wrong direction beside me that was dropping two or three cogs up each hill and his loud exhaust popping and splatting away. The Volt may not be "fast" but it is (now) quick enough.

I hadn't tried to coast in Neutral but I think that is what the car felt like, just a ICE with the clutch disengaged.

Anyhow, I drove the Volt all day today, used 18.9 kWh of battery and 3.1 gallons of gas according to the gas pump and only covered 77 miles gas-only. Those 77 miles were almost 100% at 55 mph, never passed a car or anything, so my CS MPG is still in the mid 20's. That is still a severe disappointment.

(I used Exxon fuel for this test, same pump, partly for convenience.)

Oh, and on the way to the gas station the first time, just before my 90 mile drive out of town, the battery was discharged already so I engaged the Mountain Mode to see if it would add a charge, and now it does, adding three bars in under 10 minutes while driving at 45 mph. That was a success at least.
I was about to say, mid 20's seems low for a volt, even if you are driving 55mph, but then you mentioned mountain mode. yeah, that's what did it. When you use the car to charge the battery, there are losses involved 9soem estimate 70% efficiency. Unless you are driving in mountains, it's better to use hold to keep your state of charge, and normal D to let the generated electrons to go the wheels, rather than go to the battery then back out to the wheels in mountain mode. But as you said, you were testing to make sure mountain mode was working and charging the battery. Next time you go on a long trek, avoid Mountain mode and you should see your ICE MPg go up a bit... unless you drive like Jeff Gordon to get fro m0 to the speed limit like I do. The car can be hypermiled to do wonderful things, and it can be driven hard to do wonderful fun things.
 
Just a quick addendum with evidence that the car is working better. In the first four months, with good to ideal conditions, 38 to 40 mile AERs were pretty easy in reasonable conditions and upwards of 45 miles not out of reach.

Today I got 49.9 miles on a charge, a new record for me. The irony is that I wasn't really trying as I was just running my typical errands and such. In fact, I sat with the car "on" for about 20 minutes waiting for someone enjoying a the air conditioning and testing the CD player.

And my weekend trip will now require the truck so no extended CS test for now. Maybe I will reach 2,000 miles on this tank!

Cheerios!
Has your charging time estimator improved to be more like reality?
 
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