http://gm-volt.com/forum/ The place to discuss buying, owning, driving and living with the Chevy Volt. en Sat, 25 May 2013 06:32:13 GMT vBulletin 60 http://gm-volt.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png http://gm-volt.com/forum/ http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46993-How-many-gallons-left-in-my-tank&goto=newpost Sat, 25 May 2013 05:41:22 GMT Hi,

I'm showing 224 miles to go on fuel but need to find how many gallons that equates to. Went through all of the icons and couldn't find an answer. Since I only used 1.1 gallons in 6 months I wonder how that miles left is calculated?

Thanks for any help on this,
John ]]> Volt Ownership Forum Electra http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46993-How-many-gallons-left-in-my-tank http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46985-anyone-with-folding-bike-experience&goto=newpost Sat, 25 May 2013 05:33:38 GMT I am considering buying a folding bike (for example Citizen Gotham1) to use in conjunction with my Volt. The electric company in my city is a under... I am considering buying a folding bike (for example Citizen Gotham1) to use in conjunction with my Volt. The electric company in my city is a under 1.5 miles from where I work, and the recently installed 10 additional (they had 3 previously) level 2 solar powered charging stations with 24 hr access. I imagine maybe 2 or 3 times a week taking advantage of the free charge, especially in July in Aug between 2 and 7 when under the plan I chose the rate is much higher than other times.

Anyone have any experience with these folding bikes, or recommendations. A cursory glance shows these range from around $200 to $1000. For me this would only be practical at a lower price range, though I see maybe willing to spend in the 3-400 range over just the cheapest.

Thanks. ]]> Volt Ownership Forum rnumrich http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46985-anyone-with-folding-bike-experience http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46969-Only-20-Heh&goto=newpost Sat, 25 May 2013 04:13:09 GMT I had a little chuckle earlier today as I stopped in the gas station. I think everyone was filling up for the holiday weekend (me as well) because... I had a little chuckle earlier today as I stopped in the gas station. I think everyone was filling up for the holiday weekend (me as well) because the gas station was pretty busy.

Anyway, I need to fill up because I'm leaving tomorrow on a long trip, and I walked in and asked the clerk to put $20 on my pump. I heard him mutter, "Just twenty?" I chuckled as I walked out because I wasn't sure if I was going to need change. :p ]]> Volt Ownership Forum Ladogaboy http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46969-Only-20-Heh http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46905-got-less-than-40-miles-on-battery-in-huge-traffic-jams-due-to-tornado-damage&goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 22:18:11 GMT So I live in Norman OK. and work in Oklahoma City OK. so I have to drive through Moore OK. on the way to the office and back home. After the big... So I live in Norman OK. and work in Oklahoma City OK. so I have to drive through Moore OK. on the way to the office and back home. After the big tornado the other day, Moore is a total traffic nightmare.

I've been able to just work from home a couple of days, but I did try the commute, with some alternate detours. Right after the tornado, it took me 3 hours just to drive home. Another day it took an hour and a half, each way, trying 2 different detours.

I noticed that in the stop-and-go-but-mostly-stop bumper to bumper traffic, I didn't get such great battery driving range; under 40 miles!?

Probably because I needed to have the air conditioning on, at least in ECO mode, and just sitting there in traffic would eat some kw's? although the energy screen in the DIC (mine's a 2013) usually only showed 0.5 kw being used, sometimes maybe 1 kw, occasionally 2 briefly, but still, they add up, when you only inch along over a couple of hours....

Anyway it's interesting to observe that going slower may get you better battery driving range, but only up to a point..... !!!

Reminds me of how "dark energy" works in the universe, apparently (my wife's a cosmologist/astrophysicist) -- it's a cosmological constant, linear with distance (for dark energy, at galactic scales) or with time (for the Volt, with A/C on)...... so it predominates, if you go far enough (with dark energy) or slow enough (with the Volt).... ]]> Volt Ownership Forum ckk http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46905-got-less-than-40-miles-on-battery-in-huge-traffic-jams-due-to-tornado-damage http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46881-Chevrolet-Volt-Drive-Simulation&goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 20:28:36 GMT Ran Across this today, Thought it was a good explanation of whats under the hood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX5ZwzNwTc4 Ran Across this today, Thought it was a good explanation of whats under the hood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX5ZwzNwTc4 ]]> Volt Ownership Forum aes256 http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46881-Chevrolet-Volt-Drive-Simulation http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46857-Chevy-Volt-causes-dead-battery...in-your-now-unused-other-car!&goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 15:55:10 GMT in my Honda Pilot due to no use in the last 4 months b/c of the volt. It's rather inconvenient that I can't just jump in my ICE car and take off :p . Chevy should have issued a warning in the owner's manual of the Volt something to the effect of "remember to put a trickle charger on your ICE vehicle b/c you probably won't want to ever drive it again". So I even have to plug in my other vehicles when I want to use them...my Plug-In Pilot.

Love this car.

Anyone else not driving their ICE car and needing a jump? ]]> Volt Ownership Forum xmountaineer http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46857-Chevy-Volt-causes-dead-battery...in-your-now-unused-other-car! http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46849-Serial-refundable-tax-credits&goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 15:38:26 GMT I had this diabolical idea. Having bought a 2012 Volt and received the federal tax credit, perhaps I should trade it on a 2013 Volt, and collect... I had this diabolical idea. Having bought a 2012 Volt and received the federal tax credit, perhaps I should trade it on a 2013 Volt, and collect another tax credit next year. Has anybody done this? Is the Volt credit limited to once-in-a lifetime, or can you get successive credits by trading in? ]]> Volt Ownership Forum tedbe http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46849-Serial-refundable-tax-credits http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46841-1-Year-18-000-miles...working-great!&goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:30 GMT I bought my 2012 a year ago, 18,000+ miles later it's working great and have no complaints.

The problems have been small...the rubber gasket around the driver's door has a hole worn in it, no way to get in the car with the seat all the way back (hey, I'm tall) and not drag your leg on the rubber. Which reminds me, I need to hit the dealer to have it replaced.

The mystery electrical oddity where the battery went dead all by itself hasn't shown itself in 6 months...Woohoo!

I've been very happy with the car and the mileage. I do a lot of driving so I'm down to 90 or so miles a gallon, but it's nice to have the electric range into the 40's again now that it's warming up. ]]> Volt Ownership Forum Trakehner http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46841-1-Year-18-000-miles...working-great! http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46833-amperage-question&goto=newpost Fri, 24 May 2013 14:39:15 GMT Just bought our second Volt, and am looking at a new 240V charger. Our old one is an SPX Power Express, which has worked great. But there are much... Just bought our second Volt, and am looking at a new 240V charger. Our old one is an SPX Power Express, which has worked great. But there are much less expensive ones out there now.

What I don't quite understand is, what is the advantage/difference between a 240V charger at 30 amps (or 25, like the Clipper Creek), and 16 amps, like the Voltec, or the Bosch. Bosch has a 30 amp model but it's not available yet. My understanding is that amperage doesn't affect charge time. So what's the difference?

Can anyone illuminate me? ]]> Volt Ownership Forum maggiesfarm http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46833-amperage-question http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46801-The-One-Mile-Feeling&goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 23:46:26 GMT We have all been there I am sure, and even though we all love the extended range I think that we all strive to see how long we can go without using... We have all been there I am sure, and even though we all love the extended range I think that we all strive to see how long we can go without using gas. So today I get home from work with about 7 EV miles, and instead of charging a bit at home I said lets push this and see how far I can go and I had to drive to my daughters soccer practice which I knew was not to far from home.

When I got to my daughters practice I was at 4 EV miles, what I had going against me was today in Michigan we had temps of 40 degrees after 80 plus the past few days. As I am pulling away I see my EV getting lower I pull into my subdivision and I am at 1, driving about 25 I pull into my house with one mile to spare!

Whew that was a close one, but ended the day going another day not using gas! What a feeling :) ]]> Volt Ownership Forum bluevoltjay http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46801-The-One-Mile-Feeling http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46793-Pulled-over-in-the-HOV-lane&goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 23:16:11 GMT Here in Ontario we Volt owners are issued a "Green Vehicle" license plate that allows access as single drivers to the HOV lanes. I've been stopped and waved on a few times in HOV police spot checks but this morning I was pulled over, made to hand over my license, registration, and insurance certificate while the officer verified my green vehicle "story". After about seven minutes of humiliation being gawked at by the occupants of passing multi-passenger vehicles as an "HOV cheat", the officer returned my documents and apologized for the inconvenience, telling me that he had "learned something new".

It is a sad commentary that the Ontario Provincial Police aren't better trained with regard to green vehicles (especially when the signs on the HOV lane clearly shows the special license plate as a criterion) and that Volts are such a novelty that the officer had "never seen one before"! ]]> Volt Ownership Forum Electrodan http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46793-Pulled-over-in-the-HOV-lane http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46785-Why-does-my-local-utility-ask-to-be-informed-if-I-install-a-220V-charger&goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 22:35:03 GMT As I continue my research before jumping in this pool, I found out a few things. Looks like the electricity to generate a charge is "dirtier" than the comparable gas burned here in Wisconsin. The state offers squat to incentivize ownership and when I dug into the local electric company's website, the only thing they offer was very Orwellian. They want to be notified if I install a high voltage charger into my home. They pass it off as an informative measure, but man, feels very Big Brother to me. Just looking for another reason to raise rates? ]]> Volt Ownership Forum blastersix http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46785-Why-does-my-local-utility-ask-to-be-informed-if-I-install-a-220V-charger http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46777-VoltStats-1-Year-Driving-Without-Gas&goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 20:31:15 GMT Well, I was able to make it a whole year without using any gasoline for driving. My streak really goes back to 2/11/12 but this did not show up on... Well, I was able to make it a whole year without using any gasoline for driving. My streak really goes back to 2/11/12 but this did not show up on VoltStats due to the battery enhancement fix and the tech driving my Volt beyond its range. In my book, that doesn't count as I was not driving :). Anyway, here are the 1 year stats.

EV Miles: 18,549
Total Miles: 18,549
Gallons Used: 0.43
EMMs: 9
Satisfaction: Priceless

I am able to go beyond a year as my first FMM was back in November 2012 and I had burned most of my gasoline in Dec 2011, so I had just under a 1/2 tank when FMM #1 came around. I will not be so lucky this coming November.

Before any one asks, no I do not use another vehicle to pad my stats. I simply use public charging stations. I plan accordingly. If I go into DC, I make sure there is a charging station near where I am going. Actually, I find the nearest one, and simply walk a bit.

My commute is 40 miles r/t and there is no place to charge at my office. However, there is a free charger on my route and an alternate one a mile out of my way. If temperatures drop to the upper 20s, it is almost impossible to make the 40 miles, without having to "cheat" and use a charger for 20 min or so. Colder than 26, I really cheat and use remote desktop from home as I am trying to avoid the dreaded ERDTLT. I only had to do this 4 days or so last winter. Only problem with the warmer temperatures is that there isn't a challenge anymore on my commute. I liked trying to milk every last 0.1 kWh out of the battery trying to make it home 100% EV.

I do have a challenge this Memorial Day with the 2013 Electric Sociability Run. My r/t will be almost 70 miles, so I will need to be creative with charging to make it 100% EV

I know I should just drive the Volt like a car, but honestly I am having way too much fun with this. If I am going to drive, mine as well make it enjoyable. I have to say, the Volt is more fun to drive than my '95 RX-7 with its twin turbos and 18 mpg :(.

]]> Volt Ownership Forum ari_c http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46777-VoltStats-1-Year-Driving-Without-Gas http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46769-List-comparison-of-currently-available-level-2-chargers&goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:05 GMT I'm considering getting a level 2 charger for my Volt plus future BEV/PHEV. I recall that there was a list of available L2 chargers plus possibly a comparison chart in some other thread. I've tried every search I can think of without success. Can anyone please direct me to the earlier thread(s) or tell me if I'm just not remembering correctly?

Thanks,

Dan ]]> Volt Ownership Forum dgruber http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46769-List-comparison-of-currently-available-level-2-chargers http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46753-Onstar-app-Unable-to-determine-status-error&goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 16:46:16 GMT Hey, I have been having more and more issues with Onstar lately. I am using the app with an iPhone, and whenever I try to do anything, I get a... Hey,

I have been having more and more issues with Onstar lately. I am using the app with an iPhone, and whenever I try to do anything, I get a message that says "Unable to determine the status of the "whatever I was trying to do" command. Nothing is working I cant refresh info, start the car or send a destination to my nav. Also, when I log onto myvolt.com it can not refresh the information either. Anyone else having the same issue? ]]> Volt Ownership Forum voltpilot http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?46753-Onstar-app-Unable-to-determine-status-error