[hpcsac]

My 2007 Accord just hit 250k miles and it's time to find a new commuter car. My commute is 40 miles each way, about 80% at 78 mph on the freeway (cops don't mess with you under 80 mph). I live at 1800' elevation and work at 100' elevation, so some mild hills on the way back home.

My work just installed a free EV charging station, so that got me thinking about the Volt. In addition to my work commute, I drive to 75 miles each way Tahoe (6500' elevation) about 2-3 times per month. I'm looking at used 2013 Volts, with around 40k miles on the clock for under $15k.

Here are my concerns:

1. I'm guessing I'll be all EV on the downhill trip to work, but wonder when the gas engine will kick in on the 40 mile uphill commute home. The last 3 miles home is a fun, twisty, hilly road. My goal is to reduce or eliminate my commute gas costs. If I'm on gas the last 10 miles home, what kind of gas mileage can I expect? Will running the heater in the winter and a/c in the summer significantly affect EV and gas mileage?

2. I need to put a bike rack on the car to load my mountain bikes. I see that there are trailer hitches available for the Volt, so i can use my Yakima HoldUp rack (bike tires sit on the rack). But - how much will the bikes affect my gas mileage via wind resistance? I might have to put a roof bike rack on also, for three bike weekends. Anyone tried this and saw how much it affects the mileage?

3. It looks like the Volt tires are somewhat specialty tires. Can you get them with mud/snow rating?

4. I do a few 500 mile trips each year. What kind of mileage do the Volts get at 70-80 mph on the gas engine?

5. I've got a 220v outlet in my garage, presumably for a dryer. Can I use this to plug in the Volt for quicker charging than 110v, without purchasing a special charger?

6. Anything special I should look for when looking at used Volts?

My old Accord gets 30 to 33 mpg and has been trouble free, even at 250k miles. I think I'm going to need a clutch and cv axle soon, so I'm starting to lose my confidence in it. I can get a newer accord with 60k to 90k miles for the same price as the Volt, and I think they are getting about 35 mpg with straight freeway driving. The accord has better truck and storage space and more power. Plus, my old accord is more zippy and handles better then the 2013 Volt I test drove today, so I expect a newer accord to have the same traits. Will I get 200k trouble free miles from a chevy? The last chevy I had (2001 Malibu company car) had lots of issues at under 100k miles.

I'm really interested in the Volt - I guess I'm looking for you folks to sell me on the car!

 

[countach711]

My 2007 Accord just hit 250k miles and it's time to find a new commuter car. My commute is 40 miles each way, about 80% at 78 mph on the freeway (cops don't mess with you under 80 mph). I live at 1800' elevation and work at 100' elevation, so some mild hills on the way back home.

My work just installed a free EV charging station, so that got me thinking about the Volt. In addition to my work commute, I drive to 75 miles each way Tahoe (6500' elevation) about 2-3 times per month. I'm looking at used 2013 Volts, with around 40k miles on the clock for under $15k.

Here are my concerns:

>>>I just got mine and LOVE it! I'm not an expert but here is some of what I've learned. BTW before I forget, I went out of state to get mine because in Colorado, if the car has never been registered in Colorado before, you get a State tax credit, which will land me a $2,500 refund next year. I don't know what Calif does but it's worth checking into.

1. I'm guessing I'll be all EV on the downhill trip to work, but wonder when the gas engine will kick in on the 40 mile uphill commute home. The last 3 miles home is a fun, twisty, hilly road. My goal is to reduce or eliminate my commute gas costs. If I'm on gas the last 10 miles home, what kind of gas mileage can I expect? Will running the heater in the winter and a/c in the summer significantly affect EV and gas mileage?
>>> I got 34.5 mpg driving it back from Kentucky doing 82 most of the way. If you know you are headed into the mountains, you want to use the "Hold" mode which saves battery power for the climb and runs the engine. If you are already low on juice, use "Mountain" mode at least 15 minutes prior and it will charge the batteries along the way.

2. I need to put a bike rack on the car to load my mountain bikes. I see that there are trailer hitches available for the Volt, so i can use my Yakima HoldUp rack (bike tires sit on the rack). But - how much will the bikes affect my gas mileage via wind resistance? I might have to put a roof bike rack on also, for three bike weekends. Anyone tried this and saw how much it affects the mileage?

3. It looks like the Volt tires are somewhat specialty tires. Can you get them with mud/snow rating? Yes

4. I do a few 500 mile trips each year. What kind of mileage do the Volts get at 70-80 mph on the gas engine? 35

5. I've got a 220v outlet in my garage, presumably for a dryer. Can I use this to plug in the Volt for quicker charging than 110v, without purchasing a special charger? I believe so

6. Anything special I should look for when looking at used Volts? Stock stereo is pretty lame in my opinion, Bose is not great but it is good. Maybe look for the safety packages 1 &2, leather and heated seats are also available

My old Accord gets 30 to 33 mpg and has been trouble free, even at 250k miles. I think I'm going to need a clutch and cv axle soon, so I'm starting to lose my confidence in it. I can get a newer accord with 60k to 90k miles for the same price as the Volt, and I think they are getting about 35 mpg with straight freeway driving. The accord has better truck and storage space and more power. Plus, my old accord is more zippy and handles better then the 2013 Volt I test drove today, so I expect a newer accord to have the same traits. Will I get 200k trouble free miles from a chevy? The last chevy I had (2001 Malibu company car) had lots of issues at under 100k miles.
>>> If you take care of it it should last, these are very well built and have the highest customer loyalty of any Chevy made. After owning mine a whole week and a half, I can see why. The Volt you tested was likely running on the ICE (Internal combustion Engine) When you run it on battery in the Sport mode these things are just plain zippy! Handling is a bit touchy in my opinion but this is probably because of no or little tow-in on the alignment to increase mileage would be my guess. You could add some in if you don't mind a drop in the range. Hope this helps.

I'm really interested in the Volt - I guess I'm looking for you folks to sell me on the car!

Apparently I have to write here too or the message won't post!

 

[hellsop]

My 2007 Accord just hit 250k miles and it's time to find a new commuter car. My commute is 40 miles each way, about 80% at 78 mph on the freeway (cops don't mess with you under 80 mph). I live at 1800' elevation and work at 100' elevation, so some mild hills on the way back home.

My work just installed a free EV charging station, so that got me thinking about the Volt. In addition to my work commute, I drive to 75 miles each way Tahoe (6500' elevation) about 2-3 times per month. I'm looking at used 2013 Volts, with around 40k miles on the clock for under $15k.

Here are my concerns:

1. I'm guessing I'll be all EV on the downhill trip to work, but wonder when the gas engine will kick in on the 40 mile uphill commute home. The last 3 miles home is a fun, twisty, hilly road. My goal is to reduce or eliminate my commute gas costs. If I'm on gas the last 10 miles home, what kind of gas mileage can I expect? Will running the heater in the winter and a/c in the summer significantly affect EV and gas mileage?

The gas engine will come on. When and at what mileage you get will will depend on where the hills are. The climb will cost about 10-12 miles of AER all by itself, or about an extra 0.2-0.3 gallon of gas. At 80, with that climb, I'll be surprised if you burn less than half a gallon on the trip home, though.

2. I need to put a bike rack on the car to load my mountain bikes. I see that there are trailer hitches available for the Volt, so i can use my Yakima HoldUp rack (bike tires sit on the rack). But - how much will the bikes affect my gas mileage via wind resistance? I might have to put a roof bike rack on also, for three bike weekends. Anyone tried this and saw how much it affects the mileage?

Reports from others with CURT hitch-mounted racks is that it doesn't hit the milage as much as one might fear, but is noticeable.

3. It looks like the Volt tires are somewhat specialty tires. Can you get them with mud/snow rating?

They're just low rolling resistance. It's helpful, but not essential. You can get Ice-X and Blizzak tires in the right size, though, and it just costs a little efficiency/miles of range.

4. I do a few 500 mile trips each year. What kind of mileage do the Volts get at 70-80 mph on the gas engine?

mid 30s at 70, low 30s at 80. The Volt's peak efficiency speed is 24 MPH. The faster you go from there, the worse it gets. At 55-60, you'll see about 50 MPG with gentle driving and a clean configuration. Slower than than about 60, and the engine won't even run all the time on flat ground.

5. I've got a 220v outlet in my garage, presumably for a dryer. Can I use this to plug in the Volt for quicker charging than 110v, without purchasing a special charger?

Depends on the charge. The ones that come with the Gen 2, yes (so far), with a physical adaptor. The ones that come with the late Gen 1, only with small electrical modification of the unit. The ones that come with the early Gen 1 don't seem to be easily modifiable. You've got the expensive part done already -- the charger part can be bought for $350-400 for a 220 approved model, and you'll be able to leave the portable charger in the storage well at home. Less fussing is nice.

6. Anything special I should look for when looking at used Volts?

For your situation with hills and a long highway-based commute, you'll want Hold Mode, which was introduced with the 2013 model. Other than that? Nothing special really. Usual used car stuff: clean record from collisions, lower miles mean more warranty left, etc.

My old Accord gets 30 to 33 mpg and has been trouble free, even at 250k miles. I think I'm going to need a clutch and cv axle soon, so I'm starting to lose my confidence in it. I can get a newer accord with 60k to 90k miles for the same price as the Volt, and I think they are getting about 35 mpg with straight freeway driving. The accord has better truck and storage space and more power. Plus, my old accord is more zippy and handles better then the 2013 Volt I test drove today, so I expect a newer accord to have the same traits. Will I get 200k trouble free miles from a chevy? The last chevy I had (2001 Malibu company car) had lots of issues at under 100k miles.

Gen 1 are largely pretty trouble-free, or at least are so by the time they get to the used market. And the lack of routine maintenance will largely make up for it. (Electric driving won't save people the cost of the car, but cutting your oil changes and transmission flushes in half helps...)

 

[16513]

Did I miss what your budget is? Find the lowest cost Gen 2 with or without subsidies, depending on the car, if you can afford it, especially if you are planning to drive the car for 200k mi. You should attain 40 mpg in Hold at 75 mph. Report back what you buy.

 

[hpcsac]

Thanks for the input. What is the cost to charge the Volt from empty to full charge? My current elecrical cost is about 19 cents per KW. Are there hi speed chargers that I can plug into my 220v plug in the garage, that don't cost $500 or more?

My budget is $15k. Even with incentives a new Volt seems to be in the $25k range here in California.