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Is there a kWh meter built into the car?

2566 Views 15 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  fjdiazg
Is there a meter somewhere in one of the menus that shows the amount of kWh the car used during the most recent charging session? I'm trying to figure out an easy way to track my energy usage and reimburse my homeowner's association without the need for an actual meter on the circuit which apparently is quite costly to install.
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i have a 2013- when i return home- if i hit the 'leaf' button- it tells you how much gas and how many kwH i've used as well as how many miles i've traveled (gas and electric) since the last full charge- would that be what you are looking for?
I actually need one that shows how many kWh were used on the latest charge, so when I get in the car after unplugging it I can note how much electricity my last charge used. This way I can tally up all the charges each month and reimburse my home owner's association for the usage.
OP - I think you meed to change your terminology. The Volt doesn't use kWh while charging, except for a small amount in efficiency losses, battery cooling, preconditioning, etc. Most of the electricity is just transferred from the grid to the Volt's battery. I think you want to know how many kWh are transferred (& used) during a charging session, right?

The answer to your question though, is that there isn't a meter built into the Volt's information system. The best thing to do if you want to be transparent on your end is to install a meter. I don't think they're that expensive. Or if you're just using the 120V EVSE, maybe even a Kill A Watt device will work for you.
Correct, I need to meter how much is being transferred (and thus "used" as far as whoever paying the bill is concerned). Right now I'm using a Kill A Watt meter with the EVSE but am thinking about getting a L2 charger installed. Initially I was going to see if the electrician could add a meter to the new circuit but he informed me that the meter is fairly expensive compared to the $20 I paid for the Kill A Watt, so I was trying to see if there was an easier and cheaper way to meter the new circuit.
The MPGe figure combined with miles driven is the only in car metric I believe. This info might be available through third party and OnStar using Voltstats.net.

1 gallon of gas for MPGe is 33.4 kwh, so if you drove 100 miles and had 100 mpge, that would mean you used 1 gallon equivalent or 33.4 kwh electricity from the wall. However, this number shifts if you burn gas so the gas miles would also need to be recorded and factored out. Messy.

If you just want a ballpark figure, look at your kwh used display when you plug in, and divide by 0.8 to figure in charging losses.

The Voltstats method might be best if a power meter isn't an option at the charger.
Thanks. I don't think looking at the "used" amount is good though because there may be times when I just charge for an hour or so and don't completely top off the battery. I really need a way to meter what's coming out of the EVSE rather than measuring what's been used by the car. I might have to just go the external meter on the circuit route after I research some pricing on those.
There is no built-in meter in the car but you can log into www.myvolt.com and look at your charging history, if your OnStar account is active
I logged into myvolt.com but it seems every section of the website says it failed to update or has some other kind of error for me. Is Chevy still supporting that site?
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