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New 2017 Volt Owner Here With Questions!

6K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  mbsmd 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I am the proud owner of a 2017 Volt. I came from a 2014 Prius plugin and this car is a totally different animal. It actually feels like a sporty car with plenty of pep. The electric actually is useable, versus the Prius which claimed to see 11 MPG on a charge (actually was far less it seems).

I did peruse the forums a bit, but I wanted to ask a couple of basic questions. I apologize if some of these have been asked before.

-In the 50 miles I have owned the car, its clear that the approach of the Prius and the Volt are quite different. While they both have extended range modes, the Prius really serves its purpose well in this realm. I typically got 49mpg with mixed driving. The bar was easy to read and it would show just when I was about to exit the EV and have the ICE turn on. I still have not figured out how to read the display in the Volt. Maybe my approach to this is wrong, but it seems difficult to tell when I am about to exit the EV and have the ICE kick in. If i could figure out when the transition happens, I would try to keep the car in EV. I am starting to think thats not how the Volt works.

-I have seen alot of threads about the savings with electric power. I live in So Cal, and based on the stations i've seen here, it doesnt seem like theres any savings at all. At the cheapest, I can find a 0.15/kWh station, but most are 0.25-0.30. Based on rough calcs, that seems to be more than the 2.69/gal of gas I can buy at the local gas station. For my home, the two options I am exploring are TOU and tiered. I explored TOU options and peak is north of 0.30/kWh. With my tiered pricing, it is 0.16/kWh for tier 1, 0.28/kWh for tier 2. Most of my charging would occur in the tier 2 range since my tier 1 is eaten up by my daily home usage. At this rate, gas would be significantly cheaper, would it not?

Any input would be appreciated.
 
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Discussion starter · #12 ·
Thank you all for the great advice! Your responses have provided me with a lot of insight. And now that I have had more time to use the infotainment system, I have a better understanding of how the Volt works, relative to the Prius. Definitely is a fun car to get to learn.

The one frustrating thing I am finding with electric cars in general is the fragmented market for charging stations. I have signed up for a Chargepoint account as this is the most popular in Southern California, but it seems like Siemens is also popular. Are there any sights or universal accounts I should sign up for which will allow me to use any station? Thanks again!
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
Thank you the information is really useful. My commute is right around 50 miles. My work parking lot will have a charging station installed in the next month, but the cost is TBD.

Sheldon- You mention that 0.30/kwh is around $4/gal of gas. What numbers are you using to calculate that?
 
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