I bought a volt, what next?

4072 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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llninja

· #21 · Feb 27, 2017 (Edited)

werdup said:
WOW such a great response! I thought this would become yet another newbie thread and get lost in the shuffle, but these tips have been very helpful.

Here's a link of a few shots of my ideas for using the Volt www DOT icloud DOT com/sharedalbum/#B0C5nhQSTebhJc (prefix https, the forum is preventing from sharing a link)

Btw, 8ft is the maximum for this car. I actually had it on the lip of the center screen to get it in there, got it slightly off the lip by adjusting the angle. I have a kid and one on the way in the 2nd row, so the dog is stuck in the trunk. He's too tall for the Volt Screen, so I'm looking for a blanket of some sort to keep his hair out of the car. I'll check out the ones mentioned before.

Thanks for the tips on the 220volt, I didn't realize it had two lines to manage that amount of power. AFAIK, the car has never remembered my 12amp settings, so I have to set it ...every...single...time. So far I have been leaving my car 1.5miles from home to take advantage of Public L2 chargers, but this is quite the disadvantage compared to my old gas car.

I live in Austin, where we are afforded certain benefits for using EV like discounted up front cost and flat rate for power usage. My other question is the amount of power it takes to get a full charge. I drive 20miles round trip to work which has 2 free chargers that are constantly in use by numerous EV cars so it's not likely I will get a charge every day. I'm only getting 23-31miles on a battery (31 under super ideal scenario) in this car. A full charge (13kwh) runs an estimated $1-$1.25 at our power rates. In Austin, for $30/month we get unlimited charging up to 10kw. That price seems high considering I would need to drain the battery nearly every day to get value out of it. Is it worth going with the program with a Volt's 17kwh battery?

Most newbie threads just say "they i got a new car" but don't ask any pertinent questions. You had a line of questions that we could easily answer.

I don't have charging at work either, but with a 65 mile per day commute, I still get 70 mpg lifetime - blows away any Prius. Once the hypermiling bug wears off (it took me two years) you'll still enjoy driving the car like a car and not go too much out of the way for that free charge.

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srmarti

· #22 · Feb 27, 2017

llninja said:
I still think the level 2 EVSE is well worth the cost. I never have to think about the 12 amp setting any more. Life is much simpler this way. And I justified the purchase with the money I wasn't spending on fuel.

Sure I have L2 at home too. It's nice to get a full charge full from empty in 4 hours instead of 10. I'm just saying that for Gen 1 switching to 12 amps by a few screen touches isn't so tough and it's significantly faster than 8 amps.

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Scarlett1

· #23 · Mar 1, 2017

Hi werdup! Welcome to a better way of driving. I'm the VoltShelf and VoltScreen guy that ll and edk mention below. I couldn't help but notice about your dog. I've got a couple of things that may meet your needs. You can check out the VoltMat2 on my website, as well as the Rear Seat Panel that comes with the VoltShelf g1 for the Gen 1 cars. I do sell the RSPs separate on request. This will close out the gap between the rear seats.

And definitely check out a VoltScreen for your car. You really don't want to deal with a punctured radiator in a Volt!! If you aren't sure about that, search "Punctured radiator" for the number of threads and details. Not worth taking the chance.

Steve

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werdup

Discussion Starter · #24 · Mar 1, 2017

Thanks for the reply Scarlett1! I didn't see a picture of the two piece VoltMat2, is there one I can take a look at?

By the way, your site is awesome! I might just get one of each thing. I had thought about going to Home Depot to build something that looks a lot like the VoltPhone 2. VP2 is way better, great ideas on your site.

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Scarlett1

· #25 · Mar 1, 2017

Glad to help, Werdup! I'm glad you like the VoltStuff. We are trying to make Volts a better place to be, and make it easy for you at the same time.

The 2 piece VM 2 won't really look any different in pictures. It is the same materials, look, and cut as the one-piece version. The spilt is right at the base of the rear seat, widthwise across the car. I do add about 5" of material to the piece that covers the seatbacks. This overlaps the trunk floor when the rear seats are up and it covers the extra area when the seats are lowered. Because the material is so black, you really don't see it in pictures. The only real functional difference between the one and two-piece versions is that the two-piece one is a little easier to put in and take out because of the smaller pieces. Most folks won't be likely to do that more than once or twice a year, so it isn't really a big thing as I see it.

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