Anyone here have a Volt?

[Doctorbass]

As I'm planing to buy a 2016 Volt, I thought I'd read up on them. Who has the best forum on the Volt?

gmvolt.com

:wink:

Doc

 

[nicobie]

thanks Doc

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

With a 200 day backlog of 2015 models there might be some bargains available:
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/09/six-week-production-shutdown-planned-for-2016-chevy-volt/

Image Credit: General Motors
Sebastian Blanco
It's no surprise that GM is winding down production of the first-gen Chevy Volt as it prepares to start building the second-gen for a launch in the second half of this year, but for now, things are proceeding as planned, according to Chevrolet spokesperson Michelle Malcho. Malcho told AutoblogGreen that GM "is still making first generation Volt" and that there has been no announcement about when that will change. The only details she would divulge is that, "It will be this summer."

"Halting Chevrolet Volt production in anticipation of the all-new 2016 model year is a smart move for GM," Akshay Anand, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, said in a statement. "[The move] allows for less inventory and incentives on the outgoing model. Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicle sales have been declining for some time now, with gas prices well below the summer prices of 2014."

Nationwide, there is about a 200-day supply of Volts on dealer lots (roughly 100 days in California, the car's biggest market), according to the Detroit Free Press, which says there will be a six-week retooling period (twice as long as normal) at GM's Hamtramck plant this summer to get ready for the second-gen model. The 2016 Volt will get an increase in all-electric range to 50 miles and will then get 41 miles per gallon when the battery runs out. It also has a fifth seat that straddles the battery tunnel and a larger li-ion battery.

u

 

[Routybouty]

My range estimator is up to 44mi now! I should be able to hit 50mi soon! I've been getting around 47-48mi .

 

[edventure]

Still loving my 2015. I finally had to refill the gas after 4941 miles. Only cost me $21 to fill the tank and now I am over 6200 miles and only $21 invested in fuel. On top of this, two Charge Point stations have opened up in Golden, CO close to where I work and both of them are completely free . Both of these stations are level two stations so within a couple hours, "by lunch" it is ready to go. I still charge when I get home, but require much less power. Could probably just charge at the charge point station everyday and not have to plug it in at home and may end up doing this, but it is not costing me much at home at the moment. Between March 1st and April 10th drove 1400 miles without requiring one drop of gas. The car has surpassed my expectations and still enjoying it. I am curious to see how the tax credits play out once I finally do my taxes.

My car stats here http://www.voltstats.net/Stats/Details/5725

Ed

 

[Routybouty]

^^Wow very cool! I wish there were some charging stations around here. People around here either haven't heard of a Volt or think it goes 30 miles and then it's dead :lol:. Do you have to subscribe to OnStar to have access to Voltstats?

I have just reached over 7k mi since ownership and am still under the 30 gallon mark. Definitely not as good as some other people but the winter was harsh on me and had an unexpected long distance trip. Now that summer is approaching, I haven't had the engine start in about a month!

 

[dnmun]

Still loving my 2015. I finally had to refill the gas after 4941 miles. Only cost me $21 to fill the tank and now I am over 6200 miles and only $21 invested in fuel. On top of this, two Charge Point stations have opened up in Golden, CO close to where I work and both of them are completely free . Both of these stations are level two stations so within a couple hours, "by lunch" it is ready to go. I still charge when I get home, but require much less power. Could probably just charge at the charge point station everyday and not have to plug it in at home and may end up doing this, but it is not costing me much at home at the moment. Between March 1st and April 10th drove 1400 miles without requiring one drop of gas. The car has surpassed my expectations and still enjoying it. I am curious to see how the tax credits play out once I finally do my taxes.

My car stats here http://www.voltstats.net/Stats/Details/5725

Ed

is this free charging for a trial period and then they will begin charging? free is better than anything imo. there has gotta be a catch, maybe they install a virus in your cars computer while charging and use it to invade the pentagon.

 

[nicobie]

I ordered a 2016 Tuesday. Probably won't get it until Sept. Can't wait. Going to use my solar to charge. F**k the oil companies.

 

[edventure]

Still loving my 2015. I finally had to refill the gas after 4941 miles. Only cost me $21 to fill the tank and now I am over 6200 miles and only $21 invested in fuel. On top of this, two Charge Point stations have opened up in Golden, CO close to where I work and both of them are completely free . Both of these stations are level two stations so within a couple hours, "by lunch" it is ready to go. I still charge when I get home, but require much less power. Could probably just charge at the charge point station everyday and not have to plug it in at home and may end up doing this, but it is not costing me much at home at the moment. Between March 1st and April 10th drove 1400 miles without requiring one drop of gas. The car has surpassed my expectations and still enjoying it. I am curious to see how the tax credits play out once I finally do my taxes.

My car stats here http://www.voltstats.net/Stats/Details/5725

Ed

is this free charging for a trial period and then they will begin charging? free is better than anything imo. there has gotta be a catch, maybe they install a virus in your cars computer while charging and use it to invade the pentagon.

There are three stations that have opened in the last year. Two are run by the City of Golden and I am imagining they get some tax breaks or are looking to better their image by doing this. The third station is at a new apartment complex that was opened last year. I was using this station from last November until about March when they opened the new stations in the parking garages in Golden. The station at the Apartment complex was entirely free too, which amazed me. I could understand for the people who lived there, but I didn't and it was still allowed and free I know the Federal government has significant tax rebates and offers to almost entirely pay for these charging systems, "if they are public accessible" to try and help spread the technology, but they don't cover the power. I don't want to ask too many questions, I am afraid they may catch on to how great a deal this is. I feel like I am almost stealing, but damn it feels good.

Also, most of these Charge Point charging stations are privately owned and the rates are determined by the owner of the station. So every owner may have their own reason why they do this, but I can't believe it is only out of the goodness of their heart. Either Tax benefit or attract more people to your location with this offering.

Here is an image of the map around where I work with the 3 Stations.

 

[edventure]

^^Wow very cool! I wish there were some charging stations around here. People around here either haven't heard of a Volt or think it goes 30 miles and then it's dead :lol:. Do you have to subscribe to OnStar to have access to Voltstats?

I have just reached over 7k mi since ownership and am still under the 30 gallon mark. Definitely not as good as some other people but the winter was harsh on me and had an unexpected long distance trip. Now that summer is approaching, I haven't had the engine start in about a month!

Not sure whether you need to subscribe to OnStar for Voltstats to work. When I purchased my car last year GM gave me 3 free years of OnStar so I don't know if it would work without it or not, I would imagine not, but don't quote me.

Regarding where you live there are some charging stations around, but they may not be anywhere near where you work or live. I attached two images below of Charge Point Stations and another map of PlugShare locations which include some private home outlet locations and all the other commercial locations including ChragePoint. Not sure how the private locations work, because I have never had to use them, but could be helpful in a pinch. On the ChargePoint map the numbers within the circles indicate how many actual charging ports there are in that location. There is a location to the north of Fort Wayne that has 8 charging ports in one place. The following are the two links so you or anyone can check out their maps and be blown away by how fast the charging locations are expanding. You definitely do not have many locations around you, but maybe you can find something.

Good Luck,

Ed
Charge Point https://na.chargepoint.com
PlugShare http://www.plugshare.com

 

[Routybouty]

I do use one of the charge points at the hospital (the one with 8 on the map) sometimes. They're free and I can grab a couple KWh while I eat. The Chevy dealership has some stations. It's easy to convince the woman to walk the extra distance when we go to Costco and park at the dealership :lol:. Luckily, I can never really be in a pinch, which is the whole point of the Volt!

 

[DrInnovation]

^^Wow very cool! I wish there were some charging stations around here. People around here either haven't heard of a Volt or think it goes 30 miles and then it's dead :lol:. Do you have to subscribe to OnStar to have access to Voltstats?
,...

Yes voltstats needs Onstart to remotely access the cars data. Does not need the phone or nav, just basic onstar.
I believe they still come with 3 years basic onstart included.. in 2011 when I bought mine it was 5 years.

My "charging station" is the 110v plug in the garage. SinceI moved and now e-bike to work the Volt is my wife's daily car. Still by far the best car I've ever own.

 

[MitchJi]

Hi Matt,

Maybe you should consider looking for a good deal on a first-gen Volt?


http://www.autoblog.com/2015/09/04/nows-the-time-to-buy-a-cheap-first-gen-chevy-volt/

Would you fork over 18 grand and change for a new Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in vehicle? If so, there are some for the taking. Since the updated Volt is about ready to hit dealerships, current models have become a lot easier to afford.

For some reason, it appears the best deals are in Iowa, recalling some sort of Field of Dreams-style whispering voice luring car shoppers to their first plug-in vehicle, according to EV Obsession. To wit, a couple of 2014 Volts with a sticker price in the $35,000 range are being offered for less than $26,000 in that Midwestern state. Factor in the $7,500 tax credit from the federal government, and the Volt can be had for less than the sticker price of a Toyota Prius C compact hybrid.

Chevy started priming that particular pump earlier this year, though didn't appear to have a ton of success. This past spring, Chevrolet was offering some impressive lease deals on the Volt, with monthly payments dropping to less than $250.

There's a reason buyers will want to wait for the second-generation Volt. The 2016 version will have a 53-mile all-electric range, up from the 38-mile range in the current version, along with 106 MPGe. Some will say that the style is improved as well, and the first-gen's touch-sensitive control panel was discarded for more buttons. Still, if you're more concerned about price than having the newest car on the lot, now's a good time to shop.

 

[markz]

I saw my FIRST electric charging station in a city owned parkade, but I think it was only for the city vehicles.
I was hunting down a Car2Go rental, and they are a real pain to find in parkades. I have learned to reserve my car via their cell phone app.
I heard they have electric ones too in other cities, not here.

I like the looks of the new Volt, but I never buy new or newer vehicles. Its a waste of money to me, others think it saves them money. Most of the money is thrown out the window when you drive it off the stealerships lot.

 

[dnmun]

i agree with mitch. this would be a good time to look around the country to see if you can find a dealer desperate to get the old generation 1 models off their lot and to raise cash. even though it is a battery vehicle you could buy it in a far away state and drive home on the freeway. no need for transporter or other fees.

if you have cash it makes things go fast. i bet there are deals out there you could do under $20k which would get you the full federal credit and maybe you can get state tax credits too. so maybe have a new volt, 2014 even, for less than $13-14k cash.

same is true for the leaf or iMiEV from mitsusbishi. dealers want them gone before they have to mark them down into the winter.

but do it before gas prices begin climbing again. it is low gas prices which has left chevy with the huge inventory of unsold volts and gas will not be cheap forever. maybe not another year. i can see how we can have $4 gas by 2017.

 

[MitchJi]

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/09/08/most-us-wont-get-2016-chevy-volt/

Most of the US won't get 2016 Chevy Volt
Nationwide Availability Will Only Come With 2017 Model Year

If you can not buy a 2016 locally looking for a good deal now on a 2015 seems like a no-brainer?

 

[MitchJi]

Substantial improvements in the 2017 Volt:
http://gas2.org/2015/09/11/2016-volt-beats-model-s-85-to-30-mph/

2016 Volt Beats Model S 85 To 30 MPH

As far as driving a small electric Chevy, probably nothing compares to the 2016 Chevy Volt. Rather than have to rely on claims from GM, though, a “First Test Review” review of the 2016 Volt from Motor Trend adds a lot more to promotions of the next-gen Volt. The nice review makes the car sound agile, quick, and smooth. The title starts off, “Revolution Two.”

http://www.motortrend.com/new_cars/04/chevrolet/volt/#ixzz3l68wxrrB

Chris disappears to the dragstrip and returns with a mild smile; 7.1 seconds to 60. A stomping 1.4 seconds quicker than the last one...

We rearrange the test equipment and I set off to run the figure-eight test. As I silkily accelerate, I slowly sense something interrupting my mind’s distraction with the day’s problems. Who? What? I brake for the first turn—hey, these brakes feel terrific for a hybrid, vastly better than the soupy pedal that mars the current car. Turning into the corner, the nose quickly bites and the Volt swiftly repositions into a driftable cornering stance. I’m not tired anymore. Suddenly, our circus of screwups evaporates. Somebody turns on the happy light. My red-hued world becomes a serene blue, and the sky’s hard, mean desert clouds become white, smiling emoticons. I smile back. “Um, golly, this is a really fun.” I dip in and out of the throttle, ginning and rotating the cornering car exactly so. The steering effort is slightly heavy—I like that. I squeeze the Regen on Demand paddles behind the steering wheel to whoa-down the car with my fingers. Cool. The car moves as a coherent whole, balanced, responsive, reminding me of how suited a properly integrated electric drivetrain is for serious driving (see every story written about Tesla for more information). The original Volt had some real strengths—finger-snap torque off the line being the best. But it heaved heavily over road undulations, and its engine sometimes went into a panicked, roaring regen frenzy when the battery got too low. This one has no vices. I’d forgotten from our press drive along Pacific Coast Highway how nimble it is. How its sense of battery weight now feels more like solid, road-quieting ride motions. Never did the new, bigger engine sweat and scream to redline to recharge the battery—it’s too smart to let itself get painted into an awkward operational corner like that. Although the Volt’s 120-foot emergency stopping distance is so-so, the vastly better brake feel is great for briefly scrubbing speed. I look at the clock. One more lap. Hah! Long day. Gotta do one more lap. With the guard pacing, we hand the keys to Victor and he drives away. Chris and I shake our heads and smile. What a GD day.

 

[nicobie]

It also does the quarter mile in 15.5 sec.

I ordered one back in May. It was built last week. All I have to do now is wait for about a month for it to get from Detroit to CA.

 

[Routybouty]

I have been really enjoying my Volt!

We went ebike riding during MotoGP in Aug. We also went camping/mountain bike riding in Brown County south of Indianapolis:

Too bad I forgot the charger!!


The woman wants a Volt now, woohoo!

 

[nicobie]

Nice setup!

Do you use your Volt to charge the bikes?