Volt Engine Operation in Cold Ambient Temperatures

[scottf200]

Brian, you likely can make it run just once by using COMFORT setting.

See: COMFORT-setting-limiting-quot-Engine-Running-due-to-low-temperature-quot-ERDTLT
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread....re-quot-ERDTLT

I drove the car this morning and had the ICE/temperature experience. My garage temperature is 55 deg F, the outside temperature is about 15 deg F today.

I jumped in and backed it out of the garage and the ICE fired up with the "Engine running due to temperature" warning within 50 yards of my house. It ran for about 1.5 miles (2-3 minutes), then shut off. It came on two other times during the drive, each time stating the same warning - "engine running due to temperature". I finished my errands with 14.3 miles on the battery and 2.7 on the engine and 143 mpg.

The battery claimed 26 miles of range when I began driving and 17 remaining when I quit. Based on the rate of drain per mile I was driving I think the whole battery would have delivered about 40 miles today. I used the heated seats for a few minutes and listened to Siamese Dream loudly the entire time. I accelerated hard once. I'm pretty impressed by the range.

I really wish that they would give us a "short trip" button so the ICE could just stay off on my twice-daily 7 mile round trips taking kids to school and picking them up. I will not be getting infinite mileage around town in the winter. Too bad, that would be fun!

[Brian Loves Cars]

Scott, thanks. I'm having some trouble posting in this thread for some reason. Here is attempt #3.

I think you're onto something with comfort mode. I drove 15 minutes in "fan only" mode and the ICE started 3 times. 15 minutes immediately thereafter in "comfort" mode and the ICE did not start. Air temp was 24 deg F. My son and I went on a drive just now to check out the car, used comfort mode, and the ICE did not start over 24 miles and at least 40 minutes.

The comfort mode trick looks like a winner to me, nice work.

[PeterHC]

The way the controls for the ICE cold weather start-up seem to be set by coolant temperature as documented by Scott above, you would wonder if the 135- 175°F that a lower coolant hose heater can provide would do for those who want to suppress cold weather starts for short trips.

Does this make sense and any experience with engine heating devices for the Volt?

[kickincanada]

Peter,

Welcome to the forum! Where exactly are you in Northern Ontario (maybe you could be more specific on your profile)? There is a Canadian thread here:
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread....THREAD/page178

I'm afraid you will be disappointed this winter, especially for short trips. I'm in Ottawa and even with the relatively mild winter my ICE frequently cycled when the temp gauge hit -4 (even if it was sitting in a +22 garage all day so I know to a certain extent it is not about coolant temp). The 2013 model will have the ability to select the outside temperature level at which the engine may run to assist heating in Electric Mode (it was explained in page 5-56 of the 2012 owners manual but we never got the functionality). http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread....-for-2013-Volt

And if it is not available to us 2012 owners in a software upgrade, there is a thread around here somewhere about a hack. here it is
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread....due-to-..-quot

[kaybee]

I just got my Volt last week. In my config options, I have a few settings I have not seen anyone mention before:
1: enable/disable use of the ICE while conditioning when plugged in
2: a toggle between using the ICE for assisted heating when COLD out, or VERY COLD out.
I'm not sure what the temperature difference is between COLD and VERY COLD.
Anyone know?

[saghost]

I just got my Volt last week. In my config options, I have a few settings I have not seen anyone mention before:
1: enable/disable use of the ICE while conditioning when plugged in
2: a toggle between using the ICE for assisted heating when COLD out, or VERY COLD out.
I'm not sure what the temperature difference is between COLD and VERY COLD.
Anyone know?

You've actually seen this on the car, not just in the owner's manual? What's the last part of your VIN? Do you know your car's build date?

I ask because the 2012 owner's manual has included those options since the beginning, but we haven't had a car with them in it reported before.

[gieso]

I just got my Volt last week. In my config options, I have a few settings I have not seen anyone mention before:
1: enable/disable use of the ICE while conditioning when plugged in
2: a toggle between using the ICE for assisted heating when COLD out, or VERY COLD out.
I'm not sure what the temperature difference is between COLD and VERY COLD.
Anyone know?

Welcome to the club. I am sure that you will love your Volt.

Will you please confirm that you are actually seeing this on your Volt and not just in the manual. Having just received your Volt, I am assuming that you might have one of the most recently produced Volts, so I am hopeful that yours has newer SW that was maybe put in during the plant shutdown. If GM has implemented this much requested functionality on the 2012's, there is hope that other MY12 Volt owners (like me) might be able to get this functionality via a SW upgrade.

PS: You might also consider including the last part of your VIN in your signature. We have started a convention to include the model year (B=2011, C=2012) and then the last 4 or 5 digits of your VIN.

[kaybee]

Yes, I saw it in the car! My car was built the week of May 14th, 2012. I'll try and take a pic, and post it.

Ok, this is my first time trying to attach something. hopefully this works:

The "Engine Assisted Heating (Plugged-in)" is a check-mark item (which I un-checked):
VoltConfig1.jpg
The other one looks like it controls the temp when the engine turns on, but gives no detail as to the difference:
VoltConfig2.jpg

The last part of my VIN is CU125204 - not sure what code you'd make out of that (C125204?)

[gieso]

Yes, I saw it in the car! My car was built the week of May 14th, 2012. I'll try and take a pic, and post it.

Ok, this is my first time trying to attach something. hopefully this works:

The "Engine Assisted Heating (Plugged-in)" is a check-mark item (which I un-checked):
Attachment 5968
The other one looks like it controls the temp when the engine turns on, but gives no detail as to the difference:
Attachment 5969

The last part of my VIN is CU125204 - not sure what code you'd make out of that (C125204?)

Ooh..... I want it!

As for your signature, I would think you are C25204. The 1 between the C and 2 is always there. When they build more than 100,000 Volts in a year, I bet it will change, but for now, it is always a 1.

[saghost]

Very interesting. Thank You.

So now there are three discrete blocks of 2012s, with subtle changes between them. This is another change I hope we see in a firmware update (though the effect here in Delaware will be small, and last week we got enough information together to build a simple ERDTLT defeat if there isn't an update.)