[Mr X]

So how exactly would you go about jump starting another gas car using your Gen 2 Volt?


My friend's car needed a jump today and I wasn't able to help. Couldn't find out how to do it and didn't want to risk damaging my own car based on the things I quickly read about attaching the jumper cables in the wrong place so I just told them that I couldn't do it since my car is electric lol


I've also never had to jump start another car so this was my first time

 

[Arcanox]

So how exactly would you go about jump starting another gas car using a Gen 2 Volt?


My friend's car needed a jump today and I wasn't able to help. Couldn't find out how to do it and didn't want to risk damaging my own car based on the things I quickly read about attaching the jumper cables in the wrong place...

In the trunk of your Volt, under the carpet (pull up near the very rear of the car) is the 12V battery. Connect the cables there. If you're not familiar with the procedure for jumping another car:

Connect the red clip to the (+) side of the battery of the dead car (the (+) terminal on every battery will be somehow covered by a flap or similar device).

Connect the other red clip to the (+) side of the battery of the live car (in this case, your Volt's 12V battery).

Connect the black clip near the live car to the (-) side of the live car's battery

Connect the other black clip near the dead car TO AN UNPAINTED PIECE OF BODY METAL, such as a bracket, hinge, etc. It has to be a grounded unpainted piece of non-moving metal. You don't want to make the last connection directly to the battery, because if a spark occurs, it could ignite battery gasses.

Turn your Volt on (engine does not need to run) and let it sit for ~10 minutes and then try starting the other car. The Volt will charge the other car's battery from its high-voltage battery (using its low-voltage battery as a buffer).

 

[firehawk72]

The easiest way and safest way is to simply purchase a battery booster like the Noco Genius. I realize that I can jump start another car with my car or vice verses, but geez, to me it really isn't worth the risk anymore with all the electronics on a car.

 

[Joe67]

So how exactly would you go about jump starting another gas car using your Gen 2 Volt?


My friend's car needed a jump today and I wasn't able to help. Couldn't find out how to do it and didn't want to risk damaging my own car based on the things I quickly read about attaching the jumper cables in the wrong place so I just told them that I couldn't do it since my car is electric lol


I've also never had to jump start another car so this was my first time

Page 305 of the 2017 (298 in the 2016) manual has the information you are looking for.

 

[Norton]

Plus is that AGM battery even made for cranking an old school ICE?

The most amp draw this battery ever sees is during boot up, which is what?, a brief 20 amp peak?

The size of that AGM is to meet the legal requirements of keep the headlights and flashers working for X minutes when the car is powered down.

And if you have the Volt powered up during this Good Samaritan gesture, the APM now has to deal with a + 100 amp draw when the dead car tries to start.

Let them use AAA...

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Plus is that AGM battery even made for cranking an old school ICE?

The most amp draw this battery ever sees is during boot up, which is what?, a brief 20 amp peak?

The size of that AGM is to meet the legal requirements of keep the headlights and flashers working for X minutes when the car is powered down.

And if you have the Volt powered up during this Good Samaritan gesture, the APM now has to deal with a + 100 amp draw when the dead car tries to start.

Let them use AAA...

The procedure for jumping another car is in the owner's manual. If it doesn't say not to do it, it's fine.

 

[snic]

to me it really isn't worth the risk anymore with all the electronics on a car.

What, specifically, is the risk?

Plus is that AGM battery even made for cranking an old school ICE?

I'm guessing it can put out enough amps to start most normal engines. After all, it starts the Volt's 4 cylinder engine routinely.

 

[Arcanox]

What, specifically, is the risk?



I'm guessing it can put out enough amps to start most normal engines. After all, it starts the Volt's 4 cylinder engine routinely.

The Volt's engine is started by MGA, one of the two drive motors. The AGM is only used to keep the low-voltage system going, but it's quite a large battery and should be able to handle jump-starting an ICE, especially since part of the current is coming from the other car's partially-charged battery and the Volt's APU.

 

[Norton]

The Volt's engine is started by MGA, one of the two drive motors. The AGM is only used to keep the low-voltage system going, but it's quite a large battery and should be able to handle jump-starting an ICE, ...

Correct. The engine is only started by the HV battery and one of the 3ph AC motors in the transaxle.
That's why you don't hear a starter motor.

The 12V AGM battery only boots up the computers in the car. Once the HV battery is online 12V power comes from the APM.

Does this AGM 12V battery have a CA rating on its data tag? The 'Reserve Capacity' is the rating that the Volt uses for power when the HV battery is not online.

 

[firehawk72]

What, specifically, is the risk?



I'm guessing it can put out enough amps to start most normal engines. After all, it starts the Volt's 4 cylinder engine routinely.

The risk is damaging the electronics/computer(s). This is easier done than one might think. Connected wrong, or simply accidentally brushing a connection against something other than what was intended or should have been used can wreak havoc on a modern car. Jump start another at your own risk (or theirs)...personally, I use a the Noco Genius. Back in the day, this wasn't a concern. It is also safer and easier to just boost your own car than depending on the mercy of someone else. Just top off the charge every 4-6 months.

 

[Dutch]

The easiest way and safest way is to simply purchase a battery booster like the Noco Genius. I realize that I can jump start another car with my car or vice verses, but geez, to me it really isn't worth the risk anymore with all the electronics on a car.

Absolutely this.

Or more in depth
"Why you shouldn't jumpstart a car"

The trusty jumper leads that a handy motorist would once have kept in the boot in case of a flat battery have become taboo for modern cars, and NRMA technical trainer Darrin Tucker says that’s with good reason.

“The big change from then to now is computers and it’s not as if a modern car has just one – a Mercedes-Benz S-Class from a few years ago has 64 ECUs (Electronic Control Units),” he said.

“Jaguar warned us that you could damage the whole wiring harness if you try to jump-start one of their cars, and quite frankly that warning is probably applicable to most vehicles built within the past five years.

full article here.

 

[Arcanox]

Absolutely this.

Or more in depth
"Why you shouldn't jumpstart a car"


full article here.

I would have to say the electrical configuration of a car is very poorly engineered if it can't be jump-started or provide a jump-start for another vehicle. The 12V battery should always act as a buffer to prevent surges from occurring with more delecate electronics.

My family jump-started our older Hybrid several times, and used it to jump another car once. Once was because my mom didn't close her door all the way and the lights killed the 12V. The other two times were because of an aging 12V battery. That car was probably more electronic than gasoline (as is the Volt), and jump-starting it was always instant because the computer only needed 12V to close the HV contactor. No electrical damage was done from any of these times.

In my opinion, manufacturers are being lazy with the 12V systems, not realizing how easy it is to get in a situation requiring a jump (especially with an old battery). The BMW i8's 12V is under the hood, which requires two individuals to open, and cannot be propped open. It also requires the power doors to slide up to open the hood, so if your 12V is completely dead, you're out of luck unless there's some sort of emergency hood release mechanism somewhere. (oh, and the EV charging port is electronically operated as well, and the emergency release is...you guessed it...behind the power sliding doors, so you can't just plug it into an EV charger to charge the 12V).

 

[flyingsherpa]

Absolutely this.

Or more in depth
"Why you shouldn't jumpstart a car"


full article here.

To be fair... that article is written by (what looks like) the British version of AAA, and their advice instead of jump starting is... wait for it... to be a member and call them! No conflict of interest here. What are they going to do when they arrive? Jump start it with their truck, I assume? Note that they also say to not use those booster packs.

Maybe jumping modern cars is more dangerous, but I'd like to hear it from a less biased source (the end of that article even claims you need a modern battery charger to charge modern batteries... what is a "modern" battery? Lead acid hasn't changed much, unless they mean AGM, in which case they should say so, since not even close to all "modern" batteries are AGM). And owner's manuals should be updated. I checked my 2013 manual, and it does warn damage could occur if you do it wrong (well, duh, that was always true). Actually the end of that article admits jumping is fine if you have half-decent equipment and follow the correct procedure...

 

[Coppersnowboarder]

I always carry a separate power supply with jumper cables. I can jump my own vehicle or another stranded vehicle and conveniently use the power pack under the hood of the vehicle being jumped. For $100, I have been able to help many drivers and be independent for self-rescue in remote areas where cell phone coverage does not exist. The 12-volt power supply can also be used for many camping uses, such as powering a small electric motor for a camp shower or charging electronic devices.

 

[hellsop]

Correct. The engine is only started by the HV battery and one of the 3ph AC motors in the transaxle.
That's why you don't hear a starter motor.

The 12V AGM battery only boots up the computers in the car. Once the HV battery is online 12V power comes from the APM.

Does this AGM 12V battery have a CA rating on its data tag? The 'Reserve Capacity' is the rating that the Volt uses for power when the HV battery is not online.

It's just a group 47 AGM, nothing particularly special aside from the "AGM" part. Most of 'em are 500-600 CCA, with 85-100RC

 

[srmarti]

What, specifically, is the risk?



I'm guessing it can put out enough amps to start most normal engines. After all, it starts the Volt's 4 cylinder engine routinely.

Nope. The High Voltage Li- ion battery and motor/generator start the ICE. The Volt does not have a traditional 12 volt starter motor.

 

[jcanoe]

Some years back I was advised by a friend, an electrical engineer, not to use jumper cables to jump start another vehicle. The reason they gave at the time was that modern alternators were not designed for the additional load that jump starting a second vehicle could create and there was a risk of blowing the diodes in the alternator of my vehicle resulting in an expensive alternator repair. After that I gave away a nice set of 16 ft heavy gauge jumper cables and purchased a lead acid 12V battery booster pack. Today I carry a much smaller and lighter lithium battery booster (similar to the NOCO Genius unit noted in this thread) that weighs less than 2 lbs and can be used to jump start the computer and electronics in my Volt as well jump start a conventional vehicle. The only downside of the lithium battery booster units is they should not be left inside the vehicle during the warmer months as high temperatures can damage the lithium cells. So in the summer I leave the battery jump pack at home unless I am taking a road trip and don't leave it inside the vehicle.

 

[Dutch]

The only downside of the lithium battery booster units is they should not be left inside the vehicle during the warmer months as high temperatures can damage the lithium cells. So in the summer I leave the battery jump pack at home unless I am taking a road trip and don't leave it inside the vehicle.

It's funny how things tie together. A number of years ago in a photography group there was a lot of intense discussion about the affects of heat in a car on camera equipment. Several people undertook to test methods of insulating gear and then monitoring temperatures.

It was discovered that simply wrapping a camera in a cotton towel, and keeping it out of direct sunlight was enough insulation to keep temperatures down far below the damage point.

In my case with the Volt, and my booster pack, the unit came with a nice carry case which I wrapped in a hand towel and stuck in the center console in between the back seats. It fits fine, it's out of the way, I can still get to it if the power were out, and it's pretty temperature controlled.

Just a thought

 

[jcanoe]

Consumer Reports reviewed lithium battery jump starters. Here is the article: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/jump-starters/buying-guide.htm

[If They Can't Stand the Heat…

All of the jump starters we tested had a maximum recommended operating/storage temperature, ranging from 120 degrees Fahrenheit for the Pilot InstaBoost up to 185 degrees for the Bolt Power D28. While some manufacturers cautioned only against operation at high temperatures (with reduced performance as a consequence), others specifically warned not to store the units at high temperatures--and that included the Pilot InstaBoost with its 120-degree rating.

That's a major concern: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the temperature inside of a car parked in direct sunlight can reach between 131 and 172 degrees Fahrenheit when the temperature outside is between 80 and 100 degrees. In hot desert areas, the inside temperature can rise even higher.]

 

[MikeyCVolt]

Hate to "jump start" an old thread, but...

I jumped my daughters 2013 Kia Soul using my 2017 Volt last weekend. I followed the instructions in the owner's manual and all went fine. Was able to jump her and she drove home while I drove to WalMart and got her a replacement battery for her Soul. Replaced her battery when I got home.

Just thought I'd report.

Mike