[Steverino]

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20054356-48.html

"Chevy Volt vehicle line director Tony Posawatz has lots of practice ekeing the most out of his Volt's 16 kWh battery, and says that even during Michigan's cold winter months he's achieved high mileage using battery power alone. While he won't share his actual fuel economy numbers, he did share a few of his battery-power maximizing tips."

 

[Noel Park]

Very interesting. Thanks.

 

[Adarondax]

Regarding Tip #6: "Keep the car plugged in for automatic battery conditioning (and low cost off-peak electricity)."

Just what is 'battery conditioning'? I don't see it mentioned in the owner's manual. Is it a good idea to keep the Volt's charge cord plugged in whenever the car isn't in use?

 

[petefoss]

Yes it is. The battery temperature control system will pull power from the grid when you are connected rather than the battery itself to keep the battery happy.

 

[Noel Park]

petefoss,

It's actually pretty amusing to hear the noises the Volt makes while plugged in waiting for the off peak charging time to arrive. A fan comes on quite often and a few relays seem to click every so often as well. It sounds like it's talking to itself, LOL.

 

[Rusty]

Is it a good idea to keep the Volt's charge cord plugged in whenever the car isn't in use?

Others have said "yes", and I agree. The Volt likes to run with its battery in a fairly narrow temperature range. It does this to optimize range and battery life. If plugged in it keeps the battery at that temperature (it's very well insulated, so it's not much power). That way you don't have to spend battery power to bring it up or down to temp when its running.

If you're going to store your Volt for a long time (like, weeks) it's best to run the battery down to less than 50% SOC (slightly less is fine) and just leave it unplugged. The battery only needs to keep temps down when the SOC is greater than 50%.