[semperego]

According to manual the vehicle should be plugged in all the time to allow for battery conditioning (temperature control) for below freezing and above 95F. However, there are circumstances where the power is off or the vehicle is in a place where there is no available power while the temperature is outside the range (say Northern Territories in Canada, Minnesota and Upper Peninsula in Michigan). Does the battery provide the power to maintain the heating/cooling battery fluid required to keep it at optimal temperature when wall power is not available and the car is idle for long periods of time (one or more days)?. There must be some Volt specification sheet somewhere clarifying this issue but I do not seem to find one. Common sense says that GM must have addressed this circumstance when designing the battery conditioning system.

 

[freshcut]

I believe it's minimal at best, but pretty sure none without plugging in. The battery pack on the Volt does a pretty good job at insulating the cells, but for extended periods of extreme temperatures (days/weeks) it should be turned on periodically at the very least since temperature control is active when the car is on as well as when connected to power. I believe the above scenario is partially why GM never really clarifies except in their long term storage recommendations.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

According to manual the vehicle should be plugged in all the time to allow for battery conditioning (temperature control) for below freezing and above 95F. However, there are circumstances where the power is off or the vehicle is in a place where there is no available power while the temperature is outside the range (say Northern Territories in Canada, Minnesota and Upper Peninsula in Michigan). Does the battery provide the power to maintain the heating/cooling battery fluid required to keep it at optimal temperature when wall power is not available and the car is idle for long periods of time (one or more days)?. There must be some Volt specification sheet somewhere clarifying this issue but I do not seem to find one. Common sense says that GM must have addressed this circumstance when designing the battery conditioning system.

Hi semperego,

We've taken the time to review your post and wanted to weigh in with some information. We only require the vehicle to be plugged in when the outside temperature is below -22F for a Gen2 Volt, which guarantees a successful system start. We do recommend keeping it plugged in at other times to keep the pack thermally conditioned, using the electrical grid, so that more electrical energy can be used for propulsion while driving.

We hope this helps offer some clarification. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please don't hesitate to send us a private message!

Lauren E.
Chevrolet Customer Care