[kk07]

I mean it really. We had a long road trip during the weekend. We were on a highway, and had the AC on almost max fan speed. Had my android phone connected with android auto running for the google map. Got a call came in. I picked it up. The car adjusted the fan speed so that I don't have to yell. AND it turned it back up after I ended the call. How cool is that.

The other cars I have owned I had to adjust the fan speed manually. You guys probably already knew about this, but anyway I thought some affectionate posts here and there might help also.

 

[JRRF]

I mean it really. We had a long road trip during the weekend. We were on a highway, and had the AC on almost max fan speed. Had my android phone connected with android auto running for the google map. Got a call came in. I picked it up. The car adjusted the fan speed so that I don't have to yell. AND it turned it back up after I ended the call. How cool is that.

The other cars I have owned I had to adjust the fan speed manually. You guys probably already knew about this, but anyway I thought some affectionate posts here and there might help also.

Not only do I know it, I actually don't really like it. When I get into an oppressively hot car and have to make a call, the last thing I want is the fan turned down. If I can't hear I can do it manually.

 

[obermd]

I recently figured out that if I set the HVAC on Auto ECO and set the temperature down a couple of degrees I get the same cooling effect without the fan running at such a high speed. It also appears to be more efficient this way since the fan is the biggest power drain in the HVAC system.

Most of the time I like having the car slow down the fan but I agree with JRRF that when the call occurs while the car is initially cooling down you really need an override to the fan speed.

 

[JRRF]

Most of the time I like having the car slow down the fan but I agree with JRRF that when the call occurs while the car is initially cooling down you really need an override to the fan speed.

Oh you can override it. It's just that I'd rather make the initial decision to turn it down if I want, rather than being forced to turn it back up if I hadn't planned to do so.

 

[FI Spyder]

I mean it really. We had a long road trip during the weekend. We were on a highway, and had the AC on almost max fan speed. Had my android phone connected with android auto running for the google map. Got a call came in. I picked it up. The car adjusted the fan speed so that I don't have to yell. AND it turned it back up after I ended the call. How cool is that.

I've read that some where (owner's manual? not sure.) Mind you there will always be some people that prefer the sun shine at night and the moon come out during the day.

 

[JRRF]

...and the moon come out during the day.

The moon is out during the day with regularity

 

[FI Spyder]

The moon is out during the day with regularity

That is true but "with regularity" doesn't mean all the time.

 

[lagagnon]

kk07: I agree - we have now owned our 2017 Volt for 13 months and I am still amazed at the technology in it. I am still like a kid with a new toy. Not only that but it drives so well and is SOOO quiet....

 

[JRRF]

That is true but "with regularity" doesn't mean all the time.

Not to burst any bubbles, but the moon is only up at night half the time. The other half of the time it's up during the day

 

[alfon]

The Volt, especially the Gen 2, has more technology per dollar than any other plug in electric vehicle out there. Also, the Volt is a Electric vehicle first, and a hybrid second. The Volt when running on electric will never engage the gas engine for extra propulsion power. Now the only close competitor is the Honda Plug in Clarity which will always engage the gas motor for full power when running on electric even with a fully charged battery.

The Volt, for the price, is not only a smart car, its also the best choice for an electric vehicle with a gas engine for extended range, no other car out there compares with it, and if there is please let us know.

 

[snic]

the fan is the biggest power drain in the HVAC system.

I don't think so. The electric heating element is the biggest (in winter) and the a/c compressor (in summer) should be next in line.

Changing the fan speed just changes the rate at which heat is transferred. If you run the fan at a lower speed, the heat transfer is slower, so the compressor doesn't have to work as hard, so you save energy.

 

[JRRF]

There is no question that the compressor takes more energy than the fan.

In Eco mode, the compressor is limited, and then by definition so is the fan. The temp you set is not necessarily maintained. The system will keep running on low and won't let the temp go below the set point, but it won't do anything extraordinary to get it down to the set point either.

 

[jcanoe]

This may have been previously noted; you can set the maximum fan speed for the climate control automatic climate control setting to be low, medium or high.

 

[Voltaic pile]

I too am impressed with the volt. Granted I have only mine a short time 3 weeks ish, but I am hooked. It is also my first EV.

 

[obermd]

The Volt, especially the Gen 2, has more technology per dollar than any other plug in electric vehicle out there. Also, the Volt is a Electric vehicle first, and a hybrid second. The Volt when running on electric will never engage the gas engine for extra propulsion power. Now the only close competitor is the Honda Plug in Clarity which will always engage the gas motor for full power when running on electric even with a fully charged battery.

The Volt, for the price, is not only a smart car, its also the best choice for an electric vehicle with a gas engine for extended range, no other car out there compares with it, and if there is please let us know.

This ^^^. The fact that all other hybrids switch to gas even when battery is still available is what sets the Volt apart from them. Even my died in the wool anti-EV mom has figured out that the Volt provides the best of both worlds in an environment that isn't EV friendly. She likes the fact that the Volt is an EV until it runs out of battery and only then switches to gasoline. Her comment on other hybrids is that in many situations they simply won't deliver on the electric promise because they use EV capabilities to supplement gasoline, adding drive train complexity without the benefits.

 

[somms]

The electric heating element is the biggest (in winter) and the a/c compressor (in summer) should be next in line.

This is true. In the crazy cold, both the creature comfort cabin heater and separate battery heater will suck more kW combined than the compressor...

 

[JRRF]

... adding drive train complexity without the benefits.

It does have it's benefits, but I wouldn't exactly call the Voltec drive train system not complex

 

[JRRF]

This is true. In the crazy cold, both the creature comfort cabin heater and separate battery heater will suck more kW combined than the compressor...

And then there is the new Jag e-Pace. It uses a heat pump instead of an inductive element. When will the Volt get that?

 

[obermd]

It does have it's benefits, but I wouldn't exactly call the Voltec drive train system not complex

Reread my statement - hybrid drive trains, regardless of design, are far more complex than either a pure ICE or a pure EV drive train (EVs are far simpler than ICE). Hybrids other than the Volt and i3 don't get the full benefit of being an EV because their design uses the EV as a boost to their ICE. The Volt and i3 use their EV until there's no battery left and only then switch to being a hybrid.

The Voltec and the hybrid i3 (which is about $4K more than the BEV i3) are definitely the most complex drive trains on the market, but they also benefit the most from being an EV first and an ICE second.

 

[timoshev]

I would like to see the EPA EV range bumped up to,say, 60 mi. as a sweetener in this newly competitive market. Otherwise, sales are likely to be a disappointment.