[effxz]

hello are there any volt owners in alberta and saskatchewan out there? i am looking at purchasing one and was wonder how it does in the pairies for all year round driving?

 

[limbery]

I moved to Vancouver Island from Regina about 8 years ago....I just bought a new Volt a month ago as the lower mainland and Vancouver Island have the perfect climate for EVs as well as a rapidly growing charging station network. I wouldn't consider an EV including a Volt if I still lived on the prairies...too damn cold and too many miles between charging stations.

 

[llninja]

Expect your ev miles to drop tomhalf or more when winter comes. When snowageddon hit the states, we saw Canadian-like weather. It was miserable, but that's why having an IcE is wonderful. I wouldn't want a leaf in this cold.

 

[PrivatePilot]

I wouldn't consider an EV including a Volt if I still lived on the prairies...too damn cold and too many miles between charging stations.

Irrelevant with the Volt - that's what the ICE is for.

Yes, the extreme cold the prairies deal with will kick the bejesus out of the EV range, but on the flipside during the summer months an EV in the prairies would almost certainly achieve ranges that many of us with actual terrain to deal with could only dream of.

So, in the end, it's a give and take, and OP, it really depends a lot on how you're planning to use it - local commuting or distance? Are you buying it just because you want an EV, or are you buying it with intention of saving money? New, or used? Gen 1, or Gen2? Lots of variables.

Regardless, compared to our cost of gas here in Canada vs comparatively cheap electricity, every Kilometer you drive on electricity is a win from a savings standpoint, but of course it can be outweighed by higher initial cost, do we need to understand your goals better.

 

[effxz]

I wouldn't consider an EV including a Volt if I still lived on the prairies...too damn cold and too many miles between charging stations.

Irrelevant with the Volt - that's what the ICE is for.

Yes, the extreme cold the prairies deal with will kick the bejesus out of the EV range, but on the flipside during the summer months an EV in the prairies would almost certainly achieve ranges that many of us with actual terrain to deal with could only dream of.

So, in the end, it's a give and take, and OP, it really depends a lot on how you're planning to use it - local commuting or distance? Are you buying it just because you want an EV, or are you buying it with intention of saving money? New, or used? Gen 1, or Gen2? Lots of variables.

Regardless, compared to our cost of gas here in Canada vs comparatively cheap electricity, every Kilometer you drive on electricity is a win from a savings standpoint, but of course it can be outweighed by higher initial cost, do we need to understand your goals better.

i have a 50km drive to my office daily. I am thinking the volt would be great. i also do some travel on the weekends 200-400km. I currently have a truck and the fuel consumption is allot for short commutes like my daily drive.

with the ev range drop in the cold i figure the gas range extender would be allot less that my traditional v8 engine.

i am thinking the volt is a viable option is there anything i am not thinking off or any suggestions?

 

[Jmaj]

Also need to mention the main battery has a low temperature operating limit - I've run into that a couple of times where the car sat overnight outdoors and unplugged- the ICE engine has to run at startup to help thaw the main battery, and in Central Canada it gets cold enough where it could freeze the battery and brick the car. Nothing to do except plug into a charger till the battery thaws.

There's a youtube video of someone driving a Volt at -50F, Fairbanks AK if I recall correctly.

 

[llninja]

Also need to mention the main battery has a low temperature operating limit - I've run into that a couple of times where the car sat overnight outdoors and unplugged- the ICE engine has to run at startup to help thaw the main battery, and in Central Canada it gets cold enough where it could freeze the battery and brick the car. Nothing to do except plug into a charger till the battery thaws.

There's a youtube video of someone driving a Volt at -50F, Fairbanks AK if I recall correctly.

In those cold climates almost everyone has engine block heaters anyway. So the volt isn't very different. Plug it in to keep the battery from freezing.

 

[Neromanceres]

i have a 50km drive to my office daily. I am thinking the volt would be great. i also do some travel on the weekends 200-400km. I currently have a truck and the fuel consumption is allot for short commutes like my daily drive.

with the ev range drop in the cold i figure the gas range extender would be allot less that my traditional v8 engine.

i am thinking the volt is a viable option is there anything i am not thinking off or any suggestions?

You have a good commute for a Gen II Volt. Below -10C air temperature the car will cycle on and off the gas engine to maintain the coolant temperature above a threshold (we call this ERDTT "Engine running due to temperature"). But with a 50km commute you will be able to make that round trip no problem on a charge even in deep winter using only a bit of gas for ERDTT.

I don't run the heater much in my Volt but above the ERDTT threshold (-10C) I can still get 70kms of range (heated steering wheel and seats use very little power).
Last winter in temperatures down to -25C (below the -10C ERDTT threshold) I run the heater on max but turn the fan speed low (too keep the coolant temperature up). This produces a little heat and and makes the gas engine cycle less. On those days I was still doing nearly 70Km's EV and using very little gasoline.

Also doing a couple 10 min remote starts in the morning while plugged into 240V charging pre-conditions the car and makes it nice in warm to start your day (while pulling most of the energy to do so off the grid).

 

[darock999]

nothing to worry about...

Checking in from Regina, SK here. My wife and I have had a 2013 as our sole vehicle since the summer of 2012. It has just about 80,000km on it now. It has performed absolutely perfectly in all conditions. We purchased a second set of proper winter tires for it immediately and it crushes winter driving. I will say you have nothing to be concerned about and provide the following tidbits:

- plug-ins are everywhere in the winter, have a nice set of gloves in the car and plug in at will. Start the car with your phone 20 mins prior to leaving work if you have to park outside and its toasty warm.
- I would recommend a 240v charger at home, it is a big help in the winter for lots of short trips that burn tons of energy.
- i have installed a modification from this forum for ERDTT bypass as my daily commute is only 6km each way, plenty of room on battery on even the coldest of days. With your 50km commute, I probably wouldn't bother. ERDTT will be your friend at that distance as the extra motor propulsion will turn your winter range closer to 50km.
- the low clearance has been an annoyance, the car scrapes on everything. if that will bother you, get the short air dam, i just sort of got used to it.
- Average range in winter is around 35km, in summer 75km.
- right now my lifetime economy is hovering around 3.3L/100 on the dash readout.

edit- also SaskPower has a decent net metering rebate plan active right now to new solar installs which helps offset the energy usage, id recommend a look at that. We have done that as well!