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Hello all! New 2017 Volt owner here

4K views 41 replies 10 participants last post by  hellsop 
#1 ·
cliffs of this thread that i made are:

-found a "used" '17 with almost 24k miles (its 14 months old though)
-started out at $24k
-haggled back and forth online and got down to $21k
-visited dealer saturday and for them down to $20,500
-im happy as a lark so far!

just a couple things i've noticed so far that maybe someone can answer for me.....

1. when connected to BT i don't hear my phone when texts come through. what am i missing?
2. i've seen older threads so my apologies if its been answered....can i change my default charge to 12amps over 8?
3. what is your level 2 charger of choice for home?
4. is there any way to turn the electronics on without starting the car? (my FFE would be just to push the start button without your foot on the brake)

and last but not least (i couldn't find a definitive answer on GDOTS website)......

5. can i get the AF tag and use the HOV lanes in GA still?!? ;)
 
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Discussion starter · #3 · (Edited)
Also, do I have to be setup with onstar before I can get the most out of the chevy mylink app? If so, will that show me current status when at the house?

If not, how can I check the charging status while plugged in at my house?
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
is the 12 amp worth it that much even on a 220?

or what about if im at my folks 40 year old house with shady wiring and need a quick top off. will 12amps burn their house down?!?
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
I was mainly be facetious about charging at their house mainly cause they do have old ass wiring. No flip style breakers, still the old screw in type!

But good to know the 8/12 doesn't matter On a 220.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
The least expensive Clipper Creek LCS-20 charges up in 4 hours 30min; 240v@15amps, but there is an Etsy Volt Level 2 Charge Adapter, that will charge in 5 hours 40min using the OEM charger, 240v@12amps http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?280033-Gen-2-Volt-Tricks
wait, so the basic wall plug that came with the car....i can use that with his ~$60 adapter and it turns it into an l2 and it is just as good as a $300 one? i glanced at the 79 pages, but is any disassembly required for it?
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
wait, so the basic wall plug that came with the car....i can use that with his ~$60 adapter and it turns it into an l2 and it is just as good as a $300 one? i glanced at the 79 pages, but is any disassembly required for it?
There is no assembly. The ChrisTx OEM 240v plug adapter changes the OEM charger that came with the car to 240v 12amps. So that's 2.88kw, or 9.5 miles/hour instead of 12miles/hour with the 3.6kw charger, which is as fast as the gen2 will go. You will need a 240v outlet though. Then the ChrisTx adapter plugs into the 240v outlet, and has what looks like a normal 120v outlet at the other end. That is what you plug the Volt's OEM adapter into! Don't plug anything else into it, because its 240v, not 120v.
Pardon my ignorance since I'm no electrician.....but the end of the plug is currently a basic 3 prong wall outlet plug. Are you saying that I plug the 3 prong into the adapter which would then be plugged into my newly installed 240 outlet and it will work at 240v?!?
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Bear with me here.....the adapter that plugs on to my current 3 prong stock charger.....is it also a typical 3 prong (the pic on his etsy doesn't clearly show it)?

either way I assume I will still need that outlet wired for 240. Just checking to see if a new outlet is needed (i.e dryer outlet).
 
Discussion starter · #21 ·
Yep. If you don't have a spare 240 (I had an unused dryer outlet in the garage), then you'll need to have one installed. That's the case regardless if you use the ChrisTX adapter or purchase a dedicated charger.
i must be having a slow day today! so will i need to change out the current 3 prong 120v outlet to a different outlet, or just the wiring in the wall to the breaker that will need to be changed?
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
cool. so i'd just need to find my 240 outlet of choice and then order the adapter based on that. why so many choices? is that for people that already have outlets in place?

what would be the outlet of choice?
 
Discussion starter · #26 ·
my current house is only a year old and not maxed out. not sure what i'd be able to run as far as breakers though.

i wanna say when i had a plug dropped for my FFE years ago it was a nema 14-30. so i might just go with that adapter again.
 
Discussion starter · #30 ·
Got it. So you know the drill, have an electrician let you know if you can install a 30 amp circuit and outlet such as 14-30 or even greater amperage dedicated circuit and outlet in your garage. If you have the electrical capacity and think you will be in the home for some time then it may be worth getting a 50 amp circuit and a 14-50 outlet even though all the Volt requires is a 20 amp circuit, your next vehicle might be able to charge at 240V and 32 or 40 amps so a 40 amp (minimum amperage circuit required for 32 amp EVSE) or 50 amp (minimum amperage circuit required for a 40 amp EVSE) circuit would be required. The permit, labor, breaker and outlet cost would be about the same for a 50 amp circuit as for a 30 amp circuit. The wire for the 50 amp circuit would be a thicker gauge so it would cost a little more. Most of the cost for the 240V circuit would be for the labor and permit so if you can you should install the 50 amp circuit so it is ready for whatever EV comes next.
i got a friend who is an electrician so he's gonna help me out. fortunately the outlet is less than 5 feet away from the box so not a lot of labor involved.

i'll probably just go with my stock 3 prong evse, this wall outlet, this breaker, and the nema 14-30/50/60 adapter from Chris.
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
Finally got onstar connected and talking to the app so that's a go!

Still not able to get notifications when on BT about texts. I've checked my iPhone and all the settings someone suggested above but it's still silent and nothing pops up.

Ideas?
 
Discussion starter · #36 ·
i've also noticed that i have some options that are available on certain packages but not all.

so would i still be considered to have a base lt with the following.....

-bose speakers
-heated steering wheel
-heated seats
 
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