Topic: Day-by-Day Review: 2012 Chevrolet Volt; Day 1

[Autos_Editor]

James has challenged himself to get to and from work this week without using any gasoline. No, he hasn't bought a bicycle - he's driving the 2012 Chevrolet Volt.
Read More...

[Ex-airbalancer]

$1.40, he has it in the story

I found the drive seating area to be roomy for the size of the car, much nicer then the cruze

[tpl]

I presume you have 240V charging Wing?       Anyway a couple of -20 days will soon sort you out 

[wing]

120V charging it requires a special charging box / setup so obviously for 3 days I have the car I'm not going to put one in.  It takes 10hours to charge on 120v

[Ex-airbalancer]

I presume you have 240V charging Wing?       Anyway a couple of -20 days will soon sort you out 

I would think he is just plugging into 110 v,
does not volt have a built in charger just like an electric lift on a job site?

I really don't think you have go into detail how the car transfers power from engine to battery, I would think just like a tv , how it gets the signal, I do not really care, just care about the picture

So I think you should explain how you ass feels in the seat  

[wing]

Actually it uses a special plug.  Comes with a charging block, it think it is really jut a ground fault detector and maybe a fuse, but it has lights on it.

[Mike]

Actually it uses a special plug.  Comes with a charging block, it think it is really jut a ground fault detector and maybe a fuse, but it has lights on it.

I was getting 10 hours a charge as well. 

we have been advised that if you do not have a covered garage that you should not really charge the Volt outside to protect it from the elements

I was told it is ok to charge outside.  I charged it outside four nights.  One was even during a rain storm. 

[tpl]

Actually it uses a special plug.  Comes with a charging block, it think it is really jut a ground fault detector and maybe a fuse, but it has lights on it.

IIRC the car interrogates the "charging block" via a couple of wires in the cable so that the onboard charging gear can determine the speed of charging etc etc.  For 110v the answer to the car is just take all you want but for 240V and the rather more special high voltage chargers that may be installed in gas stations in the future  then the car will set to take current depending on battery charge, temperature ( of the battery) etc.   If that info which IIRC was on one of the GM Volt blog sites is correct that that a clever system.

The cable and plug should be pretty much proof against rain I'd think.   Just imagine the liability suits if it had even the tiniest chnace of frying someone.

[Mike]

Actually it uses a special plug.  Comes with a charging block, it think it is really jut a ground fault detector and maybe a fuse, but it has lights on it.

IIRC the car interrogates the "charging block" via a couple of wires in the cable so that the onboard charging gear can determine the speed of charging etc etc.  For 110v the answer to the car is just take all you want but for 240V and the rather more special high voltage chargers that may be installed in gas stations in the future  then the car will set to take current depending on battery charge, temperature ( of the battery) etc.   If that info which IIRC was on one of the GM Volt blog sites is correct that that a clever system.

The cable and plug should be pretty much proof against rain I'd think.   Just imagine the liability suits if it had even the tiniest chnace of frying someone.

Also, the Volt allows to program when you want it to grab a charge when it is plugged in.  This way you can set it up to only take a charge on off peak hours

[wing]

Yeah, we were told do not charge it outside.  But I agree it's probably bunk.  

[Neromanceres]

Keep in mind to extend the battery life of the Volt it does not use the full 16KWh's of the battery.  A full charge is 12.3KWh's (Volt uses 10.6KWh's the rest is charging loses).  This value could go up in low temperature because while plugged in the Volt uses energy from the grid to keep the battery warm for optimum performance.

Also keep in mind if it gets colder than -5C the engine may come on (due to temperature) for short periods of time.  Not for power or electricity but just to generate heat to keep the battery in it's optimum performance.  

This is one extreamly smart car and a fantastic masterpiece of engineering.  It's an electric car.  The gas engine extends the vehicles range so it doesn't have the limitations of just an electric car.  But they also engineered the vehicle to take advantage of the gas engine when its best for performance and efficency.

The Volt is an extreamly efficient electric car.  The electric heater can consume more power than the electric motor and is what really affects range. If you want to extend the electric range keep the heat on low (use eco mode) and use the seat heaters (main heater draws more than 2KW while the seat heaters only use 40W on full).

[Neromanceres]

Yeah, we were told do not charge it outside.  But I agree it's probably bunk.  

What by who?  Hopefully not by GM Canada marketing.  But if thats the case it wouldn't suprise me.  GM Canada's marketing department are not the brighest people I've met.

The Volt's charging cord is fully outdoor rated.  GM do recommend not using an extention cord but if you need to use a 3 wire 12AWG extension cord.

Also the Volts charging cord is a standard NEMA 5-15 plug that goes into a standard 120V 15A receptical.  The other end is a standard SAE J1772 plug that goes into the car (New standard and will be the same plug on the Fisker Karma and Focus electric).  Vast majority of electric cars in the future will be using this SAE J1772 plug.

The charging cord has ground fault protection and comunicates with the car to ensure a proper and safe connection.  So it's not just any basic cord.

[Ex-airbalancer]

Actually it uses a special plug.  Comes with a charging block, it think it is really jut a ground fault detector and maybe a fuse, but it has lights on it.

can you take a picture?

[wing]

GM PR Representative.

airbalancer, there is one in the gallery.

[wing]

Here's the cable.


Here's the plug

[Mike]

[JohnM]

I hope the range testing is done in the spirit of someone who bought the car with the idea of reducing energy consumption in mind and wanting to learn to be more efficient.  Not some auto journalist who thinks climate change is BS and flogs it as though it was an Audi S8 at Nerembergring (sp?).  Too many of those reviews have been published already. (Wheels and National Post)

Let the hypermiling begin!


Cheers,
John M.

[Ex-airbalancer]

thanks for the pictures

[dewey9315]

I had the chance to drive a Volt this summer....in my opinion, the most amazing thing about this vehicle is how un-remarkable it was to drive. If you were not told that it was an electric vehicle, you would have no idea. Seemless transitions between gas and electric power. A pretty amazing piece of engineering!

I laugh at the people saying that it's a death trap and poorly engineered because of the NHTSA reports of the battery fires. Who knew that a fully charged battery could catch on fire if it is sitting in the elements for three weeks after a severe crash?

In other news, gasoline cars catch on fire too......

[Spec5]

Be interested in your final opinion James if you find in the end if its "worth it" to get such a vehicle. This thing is pretty much the pinnacle of fuel efficiency right now so I shall read on in anticipation!