Hello from the Chevy Volt team

[DonC]

Great to have you available as a resource Doug! Thanks.

[K Newman]

Hi Doug

Welcome to the Forum, I just test drove the Volt at the Arizona Jackson Barrett Auto Auction in Scottsdale last weekend and was favorably impressed. (I have already placed an order in California where I am waiting to recieve a call in 2-3 months that my Volt is being built.) In my numerous questions to the GM Rep, I learned that the Volt gas engine comes on once the outside heat reaches 110 degrees (I was told that this is automatic in order to keep the Volt battery pack cool). Can you verify this? **My main concern is that the Volt engine will be on all the time during the summer months and the gas mileage/electric range will suffer as a result**. I am assuming that the GM Rep refers to Volt engine running once the Volt is started, not while the Volt is parked in a Garage which temperatures easily reach 120+ degrees. Does having the Air Conditioner "on" have any direct effect of the Volt engine turning on (like placing the Volt in the "Mountain Mode")?

Also, can you tell me if the Volt engine stops running when it is stopped at a stop light, even if the 40-50 mile electric range has been depeated?

Thanks for your time!

[SharkVolt]

Hi Doug

Welcome to the Forum, I just test drove the Volt at the Arizona Jackson Barrett Auto Auction in Scottsdale last weekend and was favorably impressed. (I have already placed an order in California where I am waiting to recieve a call in 2-3 months that my Volt is being built.) In my numerous questions to the GM Rep, I learned that the Volt gas engine comes on once the outside heat reaches 110 degrees (I was told that this is automatic in order to keep the Volt battery pack cool). Can you verify this? **My main concern is that the Volt engine will be on all the time during the summer months and the gas mileage/electric range will suffer as a result**. I am assuming that the GM Rep refers to Volt engine running once the Volt is started, not while the Volt is parked in a Garage which temperatures easily reach 120+ degrees. Does having the Air Conditioner "on" have any direct effect of the Volt engine turning on (like placing the Volt in the "Mountain Mode")?

Also, can you tell me if the Volt engine stops running when it is stopped at a stop light, even if the 40-50 mile electric range has been depeated?

Thanks for your time!

I have driven mine for a few days now, and can tell you that the engine always seems to stop running when you stop at a light, except if you have put it in mountain mode, which keeps it running (at a higher RPM) to build up a higher level of charge than the normal mode does. Even then, once it reaches that higher level of charge it then slows down to normal operation, and shuts off at lights. However, I did notice that after this occurs, and if you switch back to normal or sport mode while driving, it doesn't show the extra range miles you have accumulated, unless you shut off the car and restart it, then it will show (in my case) about 7-9 miles of EV range left.

As to the first part of your question, I can't imagine why the motor would start for hot weather, as this would just create even more heat under the car. The battery pack is supposed to have a self contained liquid cooling system, with it's own circulating pump, and I don't see how the gas engine could contribute to that. The (electric) air conditioning system maybe could contribute to cooling the battery, though. Just guessing here though. And, the electric air conditioning doesn't require the gas engine to run for operation either.

I am a long ways from fully educated on all the specifics of the Volt operation yet, so If I am way off base, I hope someone with more accurate info can correct me.

Jerry, #536

[adamsocb]

I am 70 and have never seen GM, or any other car manufacturer, take so much interest in their products or in the people that are buying these products. Congratulations to GM, to you Doug, and to all of our Volt advisors. I am very impressed.

They do take interst in their customers with some marques Maynard, most people just never see it.

Chevrolet and GM know how to build a brand loyal community. They have been doing it with Corvette for almost 60 years. They support things like the National Corvette Museum and on-line forums as well as offering regular tours of the assembly plant to the general public. They also send line marketing and engineering executives to club events around the country to speak and mingle with customers. The result... many Corvette owners are repeat customers and own more than one GM product. I think the add-men cal this a halo effect.
I am glad to see GM put the same kind of a winning effort into the Volt. It will certainly join the Corvette as a halo car.

[Slapshot28]

Regarding the ICE coming on in hot weather, there is a TON of good information in this site regarding battery temperature control. You might start here, and follow the various threads:

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread....6529#post56529

In a nutshell, putting significant electrical load on the Volt's battery when the battery is either too hot or too cold may shorten the battery's life. That's a bad thing. Battery temperature control is managed by two electrically-operated components: a compressor/chiller and a high-voltage heater. That battery itself can indeed power these two components; however, if the battery is either too hot or too cold to begin with, the ICE is started so that the ICE can generate the electricity needed to "condition" the battery. Once the battery has reached the target operating temperature (been conditioned), then the ICE can turn off, and the battery can start taking care of itself.

Make sense?

Chris

[Steverino]

Welcome Doug,

My wife and I took advantage of the test drive program when it swung by in December. I was so "buzzed" by this electric car that I would have bought one then and there had I been given the opportunity. In 40 years, I have never bought an American made car. The Volt will be my first. I see the Volt as a whole new beginning for GM, a chance to reinvent the car and itself.

[Steverino]

Come to think of it, I do have a question, Doug. When will the NHTSA crash test ratings for the Volt be available?

[j92131]

Welcome aboard, Doug! I've noticed that the charging station maps for San Diego on the DOE website and sites like http://electric.carstations.com/ show chargers available at all the local Nissan Dealers but none of the Chevy ones. As a happy Volt owner, its kind of annoying.

[WVhybrid]

Hello everyone,

I'm Doug Wernert from the Chevy Volt team. Some of you might know me as the community manager on http://www.chevroletvoltage.com and I just joined the GM-Volt forums. I'm here as another resource for you to answer your questions (if I don't know the answer, I'll work with our larger team to help you out), listen to your feedback and hear your stories. I read these forums all the time and love your passion for your cars.

Looking forward to chatting with you all more. Thanks!

Welcome, Doug. I hope you know some of the history of this web site. It was started within days of the 2007 announcement that GM would build a plug-in electric car. Dr. Lyle has published an article almost daily over that time frame, and has basically kept feeding raw meat to the hungering first adopters over that time to keep our interest. Many here think this site played an instrumental role in keeping GM's toes to the fire to produce the Volt in spite of the difficultiies faced by our economy and GM in particular.

[CMull]

Doug, I would like to echo the above. I'm 43 and have never owned a Chevrolet/GM product. The Volt has brought me to you.

I, like Scott and others, am in a similar situation. I am 44, never owned a GM product and cannot wait to own a Volt when it comes to the ATL market! I would not have a deposit down on a car I have never seen or touched if it were not for Lyle and the vast amount of knowledge people contribute each and every day on the Volt.
Welcome!