[firehawk618]

Just wanted to post an introduction.

I have previously had a MK4 Golf with the ALH and 5 speed. I averaged about 45 mpg in that.

I have had two first generation Insights both with 5 speeds. I averaged about 55 mpg in those.

More recently I had a MK5 Jetta with the BRM and 5 speed. It averaged around 40 mpg.

A buddy of mine recently expressed interest in my Jetta and made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

My new job now requires me to drive 38 miles each way. Mostly highway drive with some stop and go for a few miles on my way to work and no traffic on my way home.

I went to the local stealer with the intention of buying a new Cruze Hatchback diesel with the 6 speed manual.

I wanted to load it up with comfort options and quickly found that to get the options I had to get an automatic. Shame on you GM.

I was about to pull the trigger on an auto and decided to go give the new Volt a look.

Sitting there with 0 miles battery range left. Another shame on you. You'd think the dealer would keep a charge on this but nope. The 3 used Volts also had zero charge on them.

I drove it a bit and was thoroughly impressed with the interior, options and how it drove.

I always envisioned Volts to be too expensive for me but after figuring the 7500 federal tax credit, the tax exemption on the first 32k purchase price in WA state, the GM incentives and the Costco $700 voucher it made this car come in line with the price of a loaded Cruze. After some thought I went ahead and got the Volt!

The dealer LOST my charging cable so since i picked it up yesterday I have been running with 0 miles range but even at that it's still getting just over 40 mpg. Not bad at all.

Supposedly the new replacement cable will be here tomorrow.

My drive to work is 38 miles so I will be able to get there on all battery. At work there are 110v outlets I can plug in to. I figure if this isn't enough to bring it back to a full charge it should add enough charge to get home on battery or mostly battery with very little engine.

Tomorrow will be my first commute to work but assuming the cable comes tomorrow I won't be able to fully charge the battery until I get home.

If this charger is the right one I will be making a 220v > 110v adapter plug as I do have an air compressor / welder outlet already in my garage.

I absolutely LOVE the interior of this car and the tech that's in it.

Android auto is very nice!

Anyhow glad to be here and looking forward to learning as well as sharing information to help me and others.

 

[firehawk618]

The main reason for considering getting rid of the Jetta and moving into something newer was driver comfort. The Jetta had no heated seats and a primitive nav unit in it. Yeah I could have added both but I am a big fan of stock OEM options.

I am really REALLY looking forward to my first drive on a full charge. The quietness is very nice vs a diesel.

 

[Sheldon]

Just wanted to post an introduction... More recently I had a MK5 Jetta with the BRM and 5 speed. It averaged around 40 mpg... after figuring the 7500 federal tax credit, the tax exemption on the first 32k purchase price in WA state, the GM incentives and the Costco $700 voucher it made this car come in line with the price of a loaded Cruze...

The dealer LOST my charging cable so since i picked it up yesterday I have been running with 0 miles range but even at that it's still getting just over 40 mpg. Not bad at all.

Congratulations! You'll like it even more wants you have your J1772 plug. You may want a 2nd charger, preferably 240v, that stays home if you plan on plugging in at work. Did you get an LT or a Premiere? I guess gen2 LTs sometimes have heated seats too?

 

[firehawk618]

Congratulations! You'll like it even more wants you have your J1772 plug. You may want a 2nd charger, preferably 240v, that stays home if you plan on plugging in at work. Did you get an LT or a Premiere? I guess gen2 LTs sometimes have heated seats too?

Thanks, yes I feel like i'm missing 2/3 of the car by driving around without charging.

I believe it's Premier because it's got Leather, heated front and rear, Bose, parking assist etc etc

 

[wordptom]

Congratulations on the new Volt!

If you can’t wait for the charge cord to arrive and want to take a test drive around home on quiet electric power tonight, just switch into Mountain Mode (can be done even while parked). The ICE will recharge your Gen 2 battery to ~2 bars of power in 10 minutes or less, likely using less than a quart of gas to do it... it uses about as much gas for the recharging as it does to drive on gas just about the same distance you can drive electrically on the ~2 bars of power. Recharging from home is usually much cheaper than the cost of the gas. Turn the car off and back on again, and off you go on battery power!

MM is intended to preserve a buffer of electricity for use in high-power demand conditions when running in Extended Range Mode in case the output of the generator is insufficient (such as when trying to pass while driving up steep hills at freeway speeds, and hence: "Mountain" Mode), and the Gen 1 buffer was ~4 bars of power. Gen 2's engine output is greater, and may not actually need the additional reserve battery power, so the buffer size was cut to ~2 bars in the Gen 2 Volt.

 

[firehawk618]

Congratulations on the new Volt!

If you can’t wait for the charge cord to arrive and want to take a test drive around home on quiet electric power tonight, just switch into Mountain Mode (can be done even while parked). The ICE will recharge your Gen 2 battery to ~2 bars of power in 10 minutes or less, likely using less than a quart of gas to do it... it uses about as much gas for the recharging as it does to drive on gas just about the same distance you can drive electrically on the ~2 bars of power. Recharging from home is usually much cheaper than the cost of the gas. Turn the car off and back on again, and off you go on battery power!

MM is intended to preserve a buffer of electricity for use in high-power demand conditions when running in Extended Range Mode in case the output of the generator is insufficient (such as when trying to pass while driving up steep hills at freeway speeds, and hence: "Mountain" Mode), and the Gen 1 buffer was ~4 bars of power. Gen 2's engine output is greater, and may not actually need the additional reserve battery power, so the buffer size was cut to ~2 bars in the Gen 2 Volt.

Very good info thanks!

I had done some research on these prior to buying it yesterday and learned a little about the various modes.

After I left the stealer I put it in mountain mode and drove around a bit. It did bring it up to ~20% then I went back to normal mode and got to enjoy a brief drive under electric power.

I'm going to like going all electric!

 

[Sheldon]

Thanks, yes I feel like i'm missing 2/3 of the car by driving around without charging.

I believe it's Premier because it's got Leather, heated front and rear, Bose, parking assist etc etc

The gen2 Volt Premier is a fantastic choice if you can live with a small car. The price can be semi-reasonable with rebates. We love ours.

If this charger is the right one I will be making a 220v > 110v adapter plug as I do have an air compressor / welder outlet already in my garage.

You can also make the adapter yourself; http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?218442-2016-Volt-120v-EVSE-is-L1-L2-Conversion-Capable or buy it premade from Chris here https://www.etsy.com/listing/384390...WdWws2CRwumt7HvAJRWo88raQQ9V9ldkaAhU0EALw_wcB.

Eventually you may want a 2nd charger to keep in your car since you also want to plug in at work. The most likely thing that wears out on a J1772 is the wall socket due to plugging and unplugging every day so it is somewhat better to just keep them plugged in. Its also much less of a hassle to do a 5 second J1772 plug in than dealing with the wall socket too ...

 

[ZamboniMan]

I'm going to like going all electric!

Yes. Yes you will.

 

[john34tx]

Congrats on the new Volt. I got mine in July and love it!

 

[jbakerjonathan]

Congratulations! You'll like it even more wants you have your J1772 plug. You may want a 2nd charger, preferably 240v, that stays home if you plan on plugging in at work. Did you get an LT or a Premiere? I guess gen2 LTs sometimes have heated seats too?

Check the P/N of the EVSE with that shown in the following link. You may be able to use the supplied EVSE as both L1 and L2, albeit 12 amps max in L2 resulting in a full charge in 5 hours instead of 4 hours.

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...nversion-to-L2-L1-combo-DONE!&highlight=chris

EDIT: I see that Sheldon beat me to it. 8^)

 

[JRRF]

Thanks, yes I feel like i'm missing 2/3 of the car by driving around without charging.

You are missing 90% of this car if you are unable to charge.

 

[[email protected]]

Congratulations! You will absolutely LOVE your Volt the more and more you drive it! I bought a 220 volt adapter from Chris for my 2017 Premiere, and a 5 hour recharge works great. The car is just so darn comfortable to drive, whether effortlessly in Dallas traffic, or on long trips. I was very surprised by how great a road machine the car is too, even operating mostly on gas. My wife and I took a 2200 mile trip to the Tennessee Smoky Mountains and Florida, and found that even 10 to 12 hours behind the wheel is pretty comfortable (and we're in our 70's). It rides and handles like a much bigger car. Haven't been to the Seattle area since the 1980's -- used to live in Puyallup. You remind me that it may be time for another Volt road trip!

 

[firehawk618]

Thanks everyone. I will definitely be making a 220v > 110v adapter IF the one they deliver me is compatible. If it turns out they order some aftermarket charger I will tell them I want the OE one and insist they order it.

I went ahead and purchased an OE one from Ebay. Someone had a buy it now price of just under $300 for a new one and the pictures showed the correct part number to do some 220v charging with it.

I will want to keep one plugged in at home anyhow so I would have purchased one so if the stealer takes forever to get me the one they owe me that's fine. Rest assured though, they really depend on great reviews on that post sale survey GM sends and at this rate it's not looking good for them..........

 

[Tj1376]

Welcome! I have a 37 mile commute one way. Similar to yours, maybe a bit more traffic. Takes me about 50 mins.

On warmer days (plus 40 degrees) I can get to work only using about 9kwh. I then charge on 110 at 8amps at work and can recover 6-7kWh during my 9-10 hour day. This gives me ample to get home on full electric.

Be aware though. If you really want to maximize this drive on electric, you’ve got to slow down. I’ve found that 60mph is about the sweet spot where you don’t use too much electric. If I drive 70 the whole way home, this same 9kwh drive turns in 13.5ish kWh. Sometimes I make it fully electric. Sometimes I don’t.

When it gets colder, kWh shoots up and I purposely use ERDTT to stay warm and help out. Today (-4 on my way in) my commute was 70% gas and I used just 3.8kwh. Sucks, but I like warmth and the electric heater just doesn’t keep up in this cold.

Good luck. Hope you love this car as much as I do. I bought August 3rd and went until December 20 on 8.2 gallons of gas (6833 miles.) Pretty cool considering I used to spend about 120-150 a month in gas!

TJ


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CurrentEvent]

To fully charge a gen 2 Volt at 110 v takes a l-o-o-ng time. I don't have a level 2 charger and I don't really miss it and don't plan to get one. I think it takes at least 12 hours. Cold temps make it charge slower. Sometimes it takes days to fully charge it. It doesn't bother me. In that situation it acts a lot like a regular hybrid.

 

[Hurricanoday]

Did you get to charge yet? Depending on your commute and highway speeds when it is cold you should be able to make it. But I don't think you will have enough to make it back with charging at work. It takes about 12 hours to fully charge on 110. I drive from Gig Harbor/Purdy area to Boeing Renton and today I got about 43 miles EV.

I would def recommend getting a Level 2, my wifes Bolt and I share it. It is nice getting fully charged in 4.5 hours and is really great to charger faster for multiple trips or going out after work etc.

 

[firehawk618]

Welcome! I have a 37 mile commute one way. Similar to yours, maybe a bit more traffic. Takes me about 50 mins.

On warmer days (plus 40 degrees) I can get to work only using about 9kwh. I then charge on 110 at 8amps at work and can recover 6-7kWh during my 9-10 hour day. This gives me ample to get home on full electric.

Be aware though. If you really want to maximize this drive on electric, you’ve got to slow down. I’ve found that 60mph is about the sweet spot where you don’t use too much electric. If I drive 70 the whole way home, this same 9kwh drive turns in 13.5ish kWh. Sometimes I make it fully electric. Sometimes I don’t.

When it gets colder, kWh shoots up and I purposely use ERDTT to stay warm and help out. Today (-4 on my way in) my commute was 70% gas and I used just 3.8kwh. Sucks, but I like warmth and the electric heater just doesn’t keep up in this cold.

Good luck. Hope you love this car as much as I do. I bought August 3rd and went until December 20 on 8.2 gallons of gas (6833 miles.) Pretty cool considering I used to spend about 120-150 a month in gas!

TJ


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After a 12+ hour charge at work. *limited to 110v @ 12amps* it showed me 43 miles range. My drive home is late night and 95% highway. I set the cruise to 62mph, heat set to 70 degrees and wipers running. I made my 38 mile drive home with about an indicated 5 miles left. I really like driving off the battery only.

To fully charge a gen 2 Volt at 110 v takes a l-o-o-ng time. I don't have a level 2 charger and I don't really miss it and don't plan to get one. I think it takes at least 12 hours. Cold temps make it charge slower. Sometimes it takes days to fully charge it. It doesn't bother me. In that situation it acts a lot like a regular hybrid.

I will definitely be putting the 2nd gen charger to use once I get it. I purchased one off ebay today. First thing I will do is make an adapter so I can plug it into my compressor/welder outlet in my garage. 12+ hours to charge won't work for me when I work 12 hrs a day as of lately. As it sits right now this evening I will not have a full charge on it before I have to go back to work. My commute to work typically got slightly better MPGs in my tdi due to terrain and traffic so the car might just make it to work on pure electric even without a 100% charge. I'll get my first try tomorrow.

Did you get to charge yet? Depending on your commute and highway speeds when it is cold you should be able to make it. But I don't think you will have enough to make it back with charging at work. It takes about 12 hours to fully charge on 110. I drive from Gig Harbor/Purdy area to Boeing Renton and today I got about 43 miles EV.

I would def recommend getting a Level 2, my wifes Bolt and I share it. It is nice getting fully charged in 4.5 hours and is really great to charger faster for multiple trips or going out after work etc.

Without a doubt I will be making that adapter to go level 2 once a freaking charger gets here! I have a feeling the ebay one will be in my hands LONG before the stealership one gets here. ( At this rate when I get the satisfaction survey from GM the dealer isn't going to like what I put down. I will put the truth down.

It does appear the 1st gen Volt charger is working at 110v / 12a though.

 

[Sheldon]

Unfortunately You have to manually set 120v/12 amps instead of 120v/8 amps each time you charge. You can use you the "home location" to default one location to 12amps.

240v/208v is always at the maximum amperage supported; but limited to 12amps for the OEM plugged into 240v instead of 15amps-16amps for other L2 chargers.

I haven't used 120v charging much but 12 hours should be about enough to get a full charge at 12 amps.

 

[Eodguy]

I drive my 2017 volt 50 miles a day, I can not charge at work and usually I drive 65-70 miles per hour from Renton to Fife about 530am and back home at 3:00pm each day. I adapted my factory charger that came with the car to 220 and it has been charging my car in about 5.5 hours each day. When the temps were warm in Sept I got over 50 miles on a charge and could make it home if I didn't drive to fast. Now that the temps are colder and it rains almost every day I get about 43 miles on a charge and have to run the ICE on the way home. I run the ICE for the first few miles to get the engine up to temp as I feel this conserves battery power for the heater later in the commute. I do like the Volt and with lane assist and ACC on the long commute it is much more relaxing.

 

[firehawk618]

I drive my 2017 volt 50 miles a day, I can not charge at work and usually I drive 65-70 miles per hour from Renton to Fife about 530am and back home at 3:00pm each day. I adapted my factory charger that came with the car to 220 and it has been charging my car in about 5.5 hours each day. When the temps were warm in Sept I got over 50 miles on a charge and could make it home if I didn't drive to fast. Now that the temps are colder and it rains almost every day I get about 43 miles on a charge and have to run the ICE on the way home. I run the ICE for the first few miles to get the engine up to temp as I feel this conserves battery power for the heater later in the commute. I do like the Volt and with lane assist and ACC on the long commute it is much more relaxing.

Last night 43 miles is about exactly what I got also commuting from the Sodo area to Marysville.

I work swing shift and either get off at 11pm, 1am or 3am. Virtually no traffic when heading north at those hours.

In my last car the TDI I always got slightly better economy on my drive to work vs home. I figured it was because I was forced into a 5 mile slow roll / stop and go from Northgate to the ship canal bridge.