I bought a volt, what next?

4065 Views 24 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Scarlett1, Mar 1, 2017

werdup

Discussion Starter · Feb 25, 2017

I was hoping for a good rundown of things to get for my Volt as a sticky thread. As for what I bought, it's a used 2014 volt 42k miles. I accidentally used the sealant in the air compressor so will be replacing that. A dog will be in the trunk so any recommendations on all weather mats or a pet blanket for the trunk are appreciated. Also, something to keep him from pushing his way into the cab maybe see through net? The visibility out the back is terrible so not too excited about obscuring the view anymore that it already is.

For power, I have a 120v 30amp at one house (can this be stepped up to 240volt 15amp?) and just regular outlets 120v ~15amp at the other house. I'm thinking about getting a level 2 charger, but also may want to get something beefy enough to be more future proof ie. Tesla supercharger. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

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saghost

· #2 · Feb 25, 2017

The easiest way to future proof is a NEMA 14-50 50A rated outlet in the garage/carport. This will then let you plug in whatever EVSE you need now or in the future.

Unless you have very unusual driving habits, any of the ~30A 240V EVSEs will probably be ample for any future cars - that would give any modern EV ~200 miles of EPA range overnight, and future cars will likely be more efficient than current ones. It'd also be perfectly safe and suitable for your Volt, though the Volt can only use about half the power the EVSE could deliver.

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saghost

· #13 · Feb 26, 2017

Kraven said:
This is not true. You set your home location and the car "remembers" that every time it arrives at your home location, to use 12 amps over 8.

Also, depending on the OPs ability to upgrade to a higher capacity level 2 EVSE, he should consider that. "Future" proofing is tricky as you don't really know when that future time will be. Their spouse could get a new Bolt after driving the Volt, and that could be in a matter of weeks or months.

I'm pretty sure that the geotagged memory for charge rates is a gen 2 only feature.

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saghost

· #17 · Feb 26, 2017

TheBlueFlash said:
Can confirm, 2011-2015 Volts have to go into the energy menu EVERY TIME and override the slower 8 amp charge when using the portable EVSE supplied with the Volt. 2016 and beyond fixed that with GPS enabled location based charging. It automatically switches to the faster 12 amp setting when you arrive at your designated home location.

Actually only 2013-2015. The 2011s and 2012s have the 8/12A setting on the EVSE instead, and it's persistent - it stays at 8 until it is switched to 12, and stays at 12 until switched to 8. There were a couple incidents in 2012 related to faulty house wiring and GM changed the setup during the midcycle refresh in 2013.

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