[wantavolt]

I live in a condo in Seattle. We do not have a lot of electric charging infrastructure-- but there is a level 2 charger at a supermarket across the street (but not free). I have a plug near my garage space-- but not enough amps (even at 110 V) and the HOA would not let me use it even if it did. (Please don't suggest move to another building that will let me charge-- the Seattle real estate market is generally considered the hottest in the country. There is no right to charge WA state; Plugshare has been contacted, but the one member that was sympathetic has left).

I don't need my car for commuting (use public transit) but need my car for weekends as well as to loan to my parents in the summertime. Since my parents are older, my next car will need the 2 driver confidence packages (and if possible ACC) or the equivalent.

WA state allows cars that gets 30 miles or more by electric will have the first 32,000 not charged the high (almost 10%) sales tax. So Prius Prime is not eligible. Unclear if the Ioniq PHEV will be eligible.

I don't like the looks of the Prius. The Ioniq has gotten mixed reviews (and the PHEV has not been released, but has gotten mixed reviews from the European mags). Should I buy a Volt Premier or a Honda Civic Touring (Honda sensing is the same as the 2 driver confidence packages and ACC)?

Given these circumstances, which would you buy?

 

[Fred_B]

Given those circumstances, I would buy the Honda. If you can't charge at home then you would be burning gas most of the time. Forget about the pay charger across the street, it will be more expensive than burning gasoline. Too bad you can't charge in your garage as electricity is very cheap in Seattle.

 

[BAZINGA]

Unfortunately the EV charging infrastructure still doesn't support widespread EV adoptation. Yes there are pockets in the US that make switching from gas to electric easy. But even with a progressive city like Seattle there are "no go" zones for owners. If you can't own your own home and charge in your garage/driveway a Volt is still a viable alternative even to a so called economy car. You could still take advantage of opportune charging until the situation changes.

Good luck.

 

[Coppersnowboarder]

I face the same problem as you. I live in a condo. The HOA refuses to allow electric vehicle charging. I walk a few blocks every night to charge my Volt. Convenience and costs favor a conventional internal combustion engine vehicle. Without the savings of short commutes on electricity, there is little benefit to driving a Volt. Your use will be primarily long trips that are not assisted much by the small battery pack. However, the battery pack is useless weight added to your vehicle that reduces efficiency.

 

[jbakerjonathan]

<snip>Without the savings of short commutes on electricity, there is little benefit to driving a Volt. <snip> However, the battery pack is useless weight added to your vehicle that reduces efficiency.

...unless good handling and ride are also considerations. With the added weight of the battery, the car is a solid road car at speed. Driven in a sedate manor, the Volt will consume gasoline in a frugal manner.

 

[rmay635703]

I live in a condo in Seattle. We do not have a lot of electric charging infrastructure-- but there is a level 2 charger at a supermarket across the street (but not free). I have a plug near my garage space-- but not enough amps (even at 110 V) and the HOA would not let me use it even if it did. (Please don't suggest move to another building that will let me charge-- the Seattle real estate market is generally considered the hottest in the country. There is no right to charge WA state; Plugshare has been contacted, but the one member that was sympathetic has left).

I don't need my car for commuting (use public transit) but need my car for weekends as well as to loan to my parents in the summertime. Since my parents are older, my next car will need the 2 driver confidence packages (and if possible ACC) or the equivalent.

WA state allows cars that gets 30 miles or more by electric will have the first 32,000 not charged the high (almost 10%) sales tax. So Prius Prime is not eligible. Unclear if the Ioniq PHEV will be eligible.

I don't like the looks of the Prius. The Ioniq has gotten mixed reviews (and the PHEV has not been released, but has gotten mixed reviews from the European mags). Should I buy a Volt Premier or a Honda Civic Touring (Honda sensing is the same as the 2 driver confidence packages and ACC)?

Given these circumstances, which would you buy?

There are 110vac EVSEs that will limit charge to 6 amps,
If the outlet can't provide 6 amps I would think there is a code violation.
Seems to me a legal precedent needs to be set to force hoas and condos to provide on a pay to play basis cheap 110vac
Requiring a station is rather harsh given the high price plus profit on top you will need to pay.

 

[bjrosen]

I live in a condo in Seattle. We do not have a lot of electric charging infrastructure-- but there is a level 2 charger at a supermarket across the street (but not free). I have a plug near my garage space-- but not enough amps (even at 110 V) and the HOA would not let me use it even if it did. (Please don't suggest move to another building that will let me charge-- the Seattle real estate market is generally considered the hottest in the country. There is no right to charge WA state; Plugshare has been contacted, but the one member that was sympathetic has left).

I don't need my car for commuting (use public transit) but need my car for weekends as well as to loan to my parents in the summertime. Since my parents are older, my next car will need the 2 driver confidence packages (and if possible ACC) or the equivalent.

WA state allows cars that gets 30 miles or more by electric will have the first 32,000 not charged the high (almost 10%) sales tax. So Prius Prime is not eligible. Unclear if the Ioniq PHEV will be eligible.

I don't like the looks of the Prius. The Ioniq has gotten mixed reviews (and the PHEV has not been released, but has gotten mixed reviews from the European mags). Should I buy a Volt Premier or a Honda Civic Touring (Honda sensing is the same as the 2 driver confidence packages and ACC)?

Given these circumstances, which would you buy?

It's a fine hybrid and for you that's all it will be. However because you have no access to an EVSE you need to look at it's costs vs a conventional hybrid. The Volt Premier is about $40K, subtract the $7500 Fed credit and the $3.2K of sales tax and you are at $29K, that's what you have to compare it to. The Malibu Hybrid uses the Voltec drive train, it just doesn't have the big battery. I'd also look at Honda and at the Ionic. I wouldn't consider a Toyata product because they don't support Android Auto.

 

[Dutch]

I certainly don't think the OP would be -disappointed- with a Volt, but I don't think it's the -best- vehicle for his circumstances.

 

[Sean-a-Tron]

Sometimes HOA's require that you pay to have separate metered circuits installed for EVSE's. Ask your HOA about that. It may be expensive, probably to the point that the tax reduction wouldn't be worth it.

You could also just not charge the Volt often. It runs as a decent hybrid, though not as efficient as a Prius would be due to the large battery. I checked out Plugshare for the Seattle area and there're tons of J1772 charging stations all over the city. So you could just charge up when you're running errands. The Volt fully charges from 0-100% in 4 1/2hrs at 3.3kW.

 

[srmarti]

It's ultimately up to you, but if I couldn't charge at home, I wouldn't have bought the Volt. My Volt replaced my 9 y.o. 90k miles econocar.

 

[bjrosen]

I live in a condo in Seattle. We do not have a lot of electric charging infrastructure-- but there is a level 2 charger at a supermarket across the street (but not free). I have a plug near my garage space-- but not enough amps (even at 110 V) and the HOA would not let me use it even if it did. (Please don't suggest move to another building that will let me charge-- the Seattle real estate market is generally considered the hottest in the country. There is no right to charge WA state; Plugshare has been contacted, but the one member that was sympathetic has left).

I don't need my car for commuting (use public transit) but need my car for weekends as well as to loan to my parents in the summertime. Since my parents are older, my next car will need the 2 driver confidence packages (and if possible ACC) or the equivalent.

WA state allows cars that gets 30 miles or more by electric will have the first 32,000 not charged the high (almost 10%) sales tax. So Prius Prime is not eligible. Unclear if the Ioniq PHEV will be eligible.

I don't like the looks of the Prius. The Ioniq has gotten mixed reviews (and the PHEV has not been released, but has gotten mixed reviews from the European mags). Should I buy a Volt Premier or a Honda Civic Touring (Honda sensing is the same as the 2 driver confidence packages and ACC)?

Given these circumstances, which would you buy?

Have you asked your condo association if you could install an EVSE?

 

[jsmay311]

Unless you could change the HOA's mind on using the 120V outlet, I wouldn't buy a Volt or any other plug-in vehicle.

 

[Mister Dave]

I certainly don't think the OP would be -disappointed- with a Volt, but I don't think it's the -best- vehicle for his circumstances.

Ditto this. I don't know about a Civic touring, but with "older" parents a Volt isn't a great choice. It's not the easiest car to get in and out of. I wonder if the Civic is any better though. Maybe think CUV.

 

[El Dobro]

I'd go with the Malibu Hybrid myself.

 

[wantavolt]

Yes, I have contacted the HOA. The answer was no.

 

[Mister Dave]

I'd go with the Malibu Hybrid myself.

An excellent suggestion.

 

[Patronus]

An excellent suggestion.

I second that.

 

[Barry]

Without being able to charge regularly where you live, the Volt is not an obvious choice. It would be fine without charging, but is more expensive than non-plug-in alternatives. I think the Civic would be a great option, or one of the hybrids if you can get the safety features.

Any ordinary 120V outlet is perfectly fine and safe for charging the Volt. There is no truth to the board's claim that the outlet is not up to the task. If it meets code and is not in deteriorated condition, it will work. If it is deteriorated, it could be easily fixed. The board is probably worried about you "taking" free electricity. In that case, you could work out an arrangement to pay for the electricity you use. This is really the best option. But it sounds like you would have to overcome some stubborn resistance. Too bad about that.

But if you don't commute in the car, I am going to guess that you drive few miles and therefore use very little gas anyway. In that case, the benefit of owning a more efficient car is less valuable to you than it would otherwise be.

 

[Upper5Percent]

Since you don't need it for commuting...buy a marauder MPV...at least it will be safe in the parking lot since the body of the Marauder is completely, and totally bulletproof, EID proof, and hardened enough to take a shell from a 50mm cannon....

the Marauder MPV will be able to move 10 people to any destination within 435 miles before needing to refill the fuel tanks.

 

[BillG]

Just charge it at your parents' house.