We love our two Volts.. We both had 2013 versions but I recently traded mine in for a 2019. These are reliable, low maintenance vehicles! GM put a lot of effort into the Volt program. They had only a couple of minor software update recalls. The cars were not cheap to build, so weren't very profitable. This led to the end of production in 2019. We especially appreciate the fact that our driving patterns lead to hardly ever buying gas, yet if a long trip is needed, there's no range anxiety! I get 55 miles on a charge with the "new" 2019.
I stumbled onto the Volt in 2016, at about the same time as I was starting to be paid by the NJ State Credits to put solar panels on the roof of our house. I first fell in love with my white 2014 Volt, and have since traded up to my current electric blue 2017 Volt. I had a trade in value of $8k for my 2014 Volt, through Carvana, and bought my 2017 Volt with 17k miles for $18.3k. Oh, and there's this. Carvana came to my house, took away the old car, and delivered the new one. I am saving 80-90 gallons of gas per month with my Volt. I drive around 150 miles a day for my IT job in NJ. I plan on keeping a sucession of Volts for the next few years or so then get a Tesla or Bolt. I love driving my Volt. It's the coolest car that I have owned.
So it is to be dropped in 2019. Time to get one right now. I think it’s stupid for GM to do this. This the best hybrid available, by all accounts I’ve seen.
GH1618 I agree. I went out and got a new '19, and it's a fantastic car. Damn, I wish they'd keep them, as they're better than an electric car with no gasoline engine.
@@patrickflohe1193 I ordered my 2019 Volt from a dealership in FL, I was a little late trying to get the 2019, but too busy trying to pay down my 2016 Volt! I can't wait to try out the Advanced Auto Cruise Control! That's gonna make driving in traffic so much nicer.
GH1618 My lifetime average is up to 108 MPG, and have gotten over 1,000 miles on the last three tanks of fuel! I drive at least 48 miles each way, on my commute. Nearly or over 100 miles each way, depending upon whether I make any stops along the way. Love the heck outta my Volt!
the very best option, and well worth looking for, is the Adaptive Cruise Control. It is definitly handy on the freeway but also works at low speed, even bringing the car to a full stop in stop and go traffic.
I own 2013 with 120k. If I need another sedan I pull the trigger on a 2019. Sad Chevy didn't market this correctly. A car that doesn't need any maintenance is even hard for my friends to understand, right in front of them. PMs; Oil change, plugs, air filters, tires is all I've had to do. Only maintenance was a transmission fluid gasket leak. I still get the same mileage on battery with no degradation.
@Ivan Vojt I disagree. I can charge at work only on level 1. My Volt sits for 8.5 hrs and I'll only need at max a 60% charge. Level 1 at home and work is well worth the effort.
Standard charging 9 hrs @ 12 amp setting and the car remembers location of 12 amp charging. 53 miles is NOT the max distance of the battery, more like a yearly average. The charge can be as high as 80 miles. There's allot more to the Volt then this review highlights. This is not a good review cause this guy obviously doesn't know the car. Search for reviews by Volt owners.
There are plenty of Volt owners on fb page Chevy Volt Owners showing 80 miles range. Hyper miling? Maybe, that's gen 2 but it's possible in summer months. Either way 53 miles is not the max.
@@InSaN3ViSioN I have a 2013 model and drive in sport mode and in D for the most part and average 50 miles per charge. Mostly depends on weather and tire pressure for me
53 is a good average. 65+ in the warmer months and 35-40 in the Minnesota winters. I would assume we could get 70+ miles on a nice day with all stop and go traffic.
I rented this car for a road trip over three states.. I fill the car up only four times. One thing I didnt like was the way it drains pretty fast when using full electricity but the hold mode saved the electricity and uses gas combined with electricity. I still think the car is excellent! the gas was only 20 bucks or 23 bucks maxed to fill up and it drove smoothly and its a quiet car, if you really listen it sounds like a spaceship (not that the way it sounds is a factor). was a smooth drive, does have a few bad blind spots, the automatic lights is something that is a problem (Was accidently brighting people at night) but Im sure if I had one personally I can figure the settings out.
I like the second gen due to its tech, longer range and faster charging but can't get over how much it looks like a Cruze. still love the body style of my gen 1 more than gen 2.
Smitty Rock Yes, but you leave them plugged-in during cold or hot weather, to keep the battery at temp. All electric cars are more susceptible to charge loss in cold weather.
The Volt may be dropped after 2021, probably to be replaced by another ugly “crossover.” Now is a good time to get one if you like the classic hatchback look.
fento r - Of course it’s the same powertrain. It is normal for one powertrain to be used throughout one generation of a vehicle and this is only the fourth year. It’s the best plug-in hybrid design. What would you change?
fento r The leaf isn't as good, in my opinion. One reason I went with the Volt, and not a leaf or Bolt, is that it has the gasoline engine of fall back on, so you don't have to stop and find a charger, and then wait until it's done before you can proceed....assuming you can use the charging station, that someone isn't already there. -The Volt allows you to take the roads less traveled, and go anywhere that a normal car could....on your own schedule. You can stop and charge it, or just keep driving and charge when you get there, or get home. Even just running on gasoline, it gets over 40 MPG. I went 704 miles on my first tank, and it still wasn't empty. By the way, that's only an 8 or 9 gallon tank. -Pretty impressive car!
Here's a weird one. When I turn on 2017 Chevy Volt I get a "check engine light and message that says "unable to charge". On the main display I see a battery level of 0. This after chatging all night. The outside temp is 27 f. After a while about 30 minutes of driving I would get a battery level of 41 miles, but the check engine ligh is still on. Then after other 15 minutes the light would go off and the car would work normally. This problem so occurs also when preconditions gets t the car.
The problem is that all the electric and plug-in are all in the $30,000 price range. How are they expect to buy this if all the jobs are paying like crap?
For those people who own older EVs or rechargeable batteries that are losing their capacity. Watch my videos and learn how to make them last for decades longer than they normally would. Some of the battery capacity does come back by using my discovery.
The Volt is very cool car, I like driving it. But seriously how many billions of dollars in bailouts does GM need to not be total failures? 15,000 layoffs
Chevy Volt uses less gas than Tesla, Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt In March 2019 General Motors will stop producing the Chevy Volt forever. Please help spread the word by sharing and retweeting this article hopefully to convince GM to continue the production of this legendary car, or to convert the Bolt from an All-Electric to an Electric Gas Hybrid plug in The state of California gives a larger rebate to Tesla owners than to Chevy Volt owners because the Tesla is a “Zero Emission” car. In reality the Chevy Volt is closer to zero emission than the Tesla. This may not make sense to you so please read on to see my reasoning. As an owner of three different Chevy Volts Plug in electric / gas hybrid cars since 2011, I can affirm you that my experience with those three cars and my experience with the Chevy Volt is that they use much less fossil fuel (Gas) than Tesla, Nissan leaf or Chevy Bolt. This may sound as an absurd statement but if you let me explain to you why, then it may make more sense, When a person owns an all electric car (Tesla, Leaf, Bolt) it is never a primary car. The owner must own a second car as the primary car. This is usually a regular gas car that in the long run it uses much more fossil fuel than a Chevy Volt. In other words the total fossil fuel usage for this household is much more than that for a person who owns a Chevy Volt. The Chevy Volt for this household is the primary car (no range limit) and there is no need for a second (more long distant) reliable car. Also should note the environmental impact of owning two cars over one car which would include parts that needs to be replaced and those used parts will eventually end in the dump, 4 additional rubber tires to care for, oil changes, transmission oil, brake pads, tune ups, cost for the additional insurance etc. As soon as a person purchases an all electric car he develops a (RAD) range anxiety disorder, it is a disease I invented in my head to explain to you how a new owner of an all electric car starts to thinks shortly after purchasing the car ( sort of similar to buying a Boat: as the saying goes: the two happiest days in a man’s life is the day he buys a Boat and the day he sells it). Most of the general public (even most owners of the Chevy Volt) are not aware of this “RAD”. When an owner of a Chevy Volt travels any distant he will always be going from point A to point B. When an owner of a Tesla, Leaf, Bolt travel any distance that is close to the 50% range of the car’s battery capacity or more, he or she no longer can travel from point A to point B. It will always will be point A to point C. The reason is point B will HAVE TO BE a stop to use some form of a commercial charger thus diverting from A to B path (travel distance increased so is the fossil fuel usage) and the commercial charger uses of (fossil fuel) to charge the car. Example if a Tesla owner lives in Pasadena, Ca. wants to visit relatives in San Diego, Ca.. This Tesla owner will be very apprehensive that his or her car my not make the round trip and they could get stranded somewhere in between putting their life on the line. They have to stop at some Tesla charging station in between to get the Tesla charged or the battery switched while the relative who lives in San Diego will use their gas guzzling (fossil fuel) car to pick them up at the Tesla charging station to bring them to their house and when they are done visiting, this relative will have to take them back to the charging station using the same gas guzzling car, that is four trips. When owners of an all electric car taking any extended trip they must be on their toes learning and knowing the whole network that they can use to recharge their car (Point B to point C). If those charge stations are busy charging other cars then they must wait possibly buying foods and drinks (that used fossil fuel to make, and produce more trash to fill landfills). If the car is completely discharged then they will have to stay at a hotel overnight, because those All- Electric cars can take as much as 18 hours to fully recharge. Boy think about the amount of fossil fuel used to keep a person in a hotel overnight, electricity to operate AC / Heater, watching TV, hair drying, washing sheets and towels, laundry, food and the trash generated by such a one night stay. They also will need some form of transportation from the charging station to the hotel and back (more fossil fuel). Those all electric car companies may use sells gimmicks like DC charging where you can get quick charging in a short period of time. I say nonsense, you have to find a charging station with such a DC charging capability and hopefully there is nobody else ahead of you waiting to use it. Some people might thing in the back of their head that some hotels may have a one or two charging station for customers to use, I can guarantee you that those charging station will charge you an arm & a leg (more direct and indirect fossil fuel use) before you charge your car. In other word they: CHARGE LOTS OF MONEY TO CHARGE YOUR CAR. My experience with hotels chargers is that they either don't work or you can not charge your car with them (Tesla requires a special charger). If Tesla owners think that they can knock on peoples doors and ask them if they would allow them to use their electrical outlet in their garage to charge their car while they are sitting in their car, they better think again. It is not only unpractical, not workable and damn right dangerous. In some areas around the country if you knock on peoples door to recharge your car then you could end up on some TV true crime show. When I was a child my father told me the following saying “Good health is like a crown on the heads of healthy people, only sick people can see”. Chevy Volts drivers wear a crown (No Range Anxiety Disorder) only owners of Tesla, Leaf & Bolt drivers can see this crown. The state of California calls those all electric cars as “Zero Emission” while in fact they either directly or indirectly use more gas than the Chevy Volt. The Chevy Volt should be the car that gets the White pool lane sticker and should get more state rebate than the Tesla. People who have never owned a Chevy Volt have no idea how little gas it uses. Over the past almost 8 years of using my Chevy Volts most of the times I can not even remember the last time I purchased gas. Chevy Volt is also a great maintenance free car, I can write a real long article about all the benefits of owning a Chevy Volt but not this time. I think Mr. Bob Lutz (the person who forced GM to make the Volt) against all odds i.e. “GM engineers” should receive the Nobel prize for his idea and persistence. Had GM added a gas generator in the Chevy Bolt the same size as the gas generator in the Chevy Volt then the Chevy Bolt would have become (BVOLT) and would have become the greatest selling car in the world. Unfortunately Mr. Bob Lutz no longer works for GM and GM executive are now forced to listen to “GM engineers” to make their decisions. Even if I lived in an apartment building with no electric outlets in the parking section I will still purchase a Chevy Volt to use it as a gas only car. On gas only, without ever being plugged in for charging, it gets more than 40 miles per gallon. This mileage combined with almost no maintenance and the incredible torque this car has, makes this car better than the gas cars made by Honda, Toyota, Nissan combined. The 100% electric drive makes the main function of the gas engine is to charge the battery or run the electric motor. This means this gas engine is under no stress to propel the car which make this engine run under little mechanical degradation, which means it can easily run half a million to one million miles without much of a problems. Until someone makes an All-Electric car that is powered by a super-capacitor (or other means) that can be fully charged in minutes AND those charging facilities are present at all gas stations, then All-Electric cars are not “Zero Emission” and not even close to being the lowest emission cars on the market. Super-capacitor cars I do not envision to be around anytime soon and until such a car becomes a reality then I say to the whole world that is watching : “The Emperor's New Clothes, he hasn't got anything on,". To all the auto industry CEO's with visions, missions of a “Zero Emission” cars : the jig is up because it is not in the All-Electric cars. The Volt has the lowest emission of most if not all (including All-Electric) cars and should receive the Nobel prize for being the greatest car ever built. Owner of 3 Chevy Volts for 8 years.
Sad that they pulled the plug they should have had the 1.6 ecotec as an option you can't do engine swaps for motors that are supposed to be range extenders for any hybird cars including the type like the Volt
@@ThreeGreenthumbs Very true. They only built 177,000 in 8 years. Tesla is building 1,000 TM3s a day. Tesla will surpass the 8 years of Volts in 6 months. This car was never built. Compliance car. Also they took a loss on every one they sold and can not repair them at the dealerships. No parts, not service.
@@marcol869 not true. There are no parts because there are no cars. I can get a headlight for my Mazda for $25, today. How much for a headlight in a Volt? $315? Shipped next week? Delayed twice? Wrong part when you get it?
For L2 charging, 7.2kW is quite good. Most EVs top out at 6.6kW. I wish this feature had been offered in earlier generation Volts (and in the ELR too). Charging at 120kW would be a ~7C rate of charge on the Chevy Volt battery. That simply wouldn't happen. For reference, Tesla usually charges at 1.2-1.5C but quickly tapers back as the SoC increases due to thermal limits and concern for the longevity of the pack. GM struck a nice balance with this new option.
From totally dead to 100% at the lowest setting (8 amps) it does take 11 or 12 hours, but why would anyone run the battery to zero, and why not charge at 12 amps if time is an issue?
@@richardalexander5758 That's definitely at 12 amps. The first generation Volt with its smaller battery takes 10 hours to charge at 12 amps and 16 hours at 8 amps.
@@DustinDawind I agree with that …. but why on earth would anyone charge at 8 amps??? I currently own two 2017 Volts, and we previously owned a 2013. I'm not being critical of your math, I'm only commenting on reality. First, I've never charged at 8 amps, unless you live in a tee-pee, and own a Volt, you should be charging a Volt at 12 amps. that said, assuming 12 amp charging, it has never taken more than 10 hours to charge our cars @ 120v. I have one 240v charge station for my wife's car, and I use the wall outlet. My original comment assumed 12 amp charging, because for anyone who owns a Volt, 12 amp charging is gonna be perfectly safe, versus the "default" to 8 amp. Dustin … do you have a Volt? Just curious.
The reason Chevy dropped the Volt is because A) Competition - Same MSRP gets you a Standard Range Plus Model 3 B) All electric is better and more affordable production wise C)Technology has improved D) Once you drive Electric you dont go back
KEFA 78 i would gladly take this over a model 3. I don’t need my car spending half of the year at the tesla service department. I would rather trust someone who has been doing cars, for about 100 years now
Shahaan Saleem considering that the base Model 3 isn’t yet available and will likely not be for about half a year, I would call it more of a theoretical alternative at this time. You should also remember to factor in the Federal Tax credit. You can still buy a Volt and apply for the full $7,500 tax credit. While by the time that the Base Model 3 goes into production the credit for Tesla will have entered its phaseout period and at best will be $3,750 and more likely be $1,875. So if you want to compare the Volt to the Model 3, you should look at what is currently available. With the least expensive Model 3 being the Mid-range Rear Wheel Drive that starts at $46,000.
The Model 3 isn't an option. I drive long distances, and to areas where charging stations don't exist. The Volt is an excellent stop-gap until the time when electric vehicles become mainstream. By then I'll be ready to go all electric, until then I'm loving the 2nd gen. Volt.
@@richardalexander5758 Model 3 is DEFINITELY a better, faster car... but most people will not spend the extra 5 to 10K for one. Volt is great car as you say, a stop-gap. It will replace 90% of your daily gas use for 90% of owners and has good power. I have one, but prefer all-electric.
Actually I have done the math.I was just offered a 2017 Premier with 4,300 miles on it from my local Chevy dealer for 24K, taxes,tags, out the door. Flawless, clean, Certified warranty. $15,000 is a LOT of gas. Economically for me, no, brand new. Save the planet? Probably yes.
If I keep up this same cycle, in 5 years I will have paid 14,400 dollars in gas. The volt will minimize that amount tremendously. I need a new car and the next one im going to get is probably the volt. Its alot of money but in the long run you will end up saving money anyways.
We love our two Volts.. We both had 2013 versions but I recently traded mine in for a 2019. These are reliable, low maintenance vehicles! GM put a lot of effort into the Volt program. They had only a couple of minor software update recalls. The cars were not cheap to build, so weren't very profitable. This led to the end of production in 2019. We especially appreciate the fact that our driving patterns lead to hardly ever buying gas, yet if a long trip is needed, there's no range anxiety! I get 55 miles on a charge with the "new" 2019.
I stumbled onto the Volt in 2016, at about the same time as I was starting to be paid by the NJ State Credits to put solar panels on the roof of our house. I first fell in love with my white 2014 Volt, and have since traded up to my current electric blue 2017 Volt. I had a trade in value of $8k for my 2014 Volt, through Carvana, and bought my 2017 Volt with 17k miles for $18.3k. Oh, and there's this. Carvana came to my house, took away the old car, and delivered the new one. I am saving 80-90 gallons of gas per month with my Volt. I drive around 150 miles a day for my IT job in NJ. I plan on keeping a sucession of Volts for the next few years or so then get a Tesla or Bolt. I love driving my Volt. It's the coolest car that I have owned.
RIP Volt... I hope the Voltec drivetrain ends up in a newer platform. I'd hate to see the millions of dollars and man hours just go to waste.
So it is to be dropped in 2019. Time to get one right now. I think it’s stupid for GM to do this. This the best hybrid available, by all accounts I’ve seen.
GH1618
I agree.
I went out and got a new '19, and it's a fantastic car.
Damn, I wish they'd keep them, as they're better than an electric car with no gasoline engine.
@@patrickflohe1193 I ordered my 2019 Volt from a dealership in FL, I was a little late trying to get the 2019, but too busy trying to pay down my 2016 Volt!
I can't wait to try out the Advanced Auto Cruise Control! That's gonna make driving in traffic so much nicer.
Streeknine
I use that ACC every day!
GH1618
My lifetime average is up to 108 MPG, and have gotten over 1,000 miles on the last three tanks of fuel!
I drive at least 48 miles each way, on my commute. Nearly or over 100 miles each way, depending upon whether I make any stops along the way.
Love the heck outta my Volt!
the very best option, and well worth looking for, is the Adaptive Cruise Control. It is definitly handy on the freeway but also works at low speed, even bringing the car to a full stop in stop and go traffic.
Yes, it's the one biggest reason why I would prefer a 2017 over a 2016.
Plus its the only way to add OpenPilot to make it a fully self driving car!
I love the SD card slot for music in the 2019. But 39,000? I'll wait for it to be a few years older and get a 2019 used
I own 2013 with 120k. If I need another sedan I pull the trigger on a 2019. Sad Chevy didn't market this correctly. A car that doesn't need any maintenance is even hard for my friends to understand, right in front of them. PMs; Oil change, plugs, air filters, tires is all I've had to do. Only maintenance was a transmission fluid gasket leak. I still get the same mileage on battery with no degradation.
@Ivan Vojt I disagree. I can charge at work only on level 1. My Volt sits for 8.5 hrs and I'll only need at max a 60% charge. Level 1 at home and work is well worth the effort.
Standard charging 9 hrs @ 12 amp setting and the car remembers location of 12 amp charging. 53 miles is NOT the max distance of the battery, more like a yearly average. The charge can be as high as 80 miles. There's allot more to the Volt then this review highlights.
This is not a good review cause this guy obviously doesn't know the car. Search for reviews by Volt owners.
80 miles ya right. Only if you hyper mile. I drive my Volt normally with pedal stomps and AC etc. and get roughly 50 miles each charge.
There are plenty of Volt owners on fb page Chevy Volt Owners showing 80 miles range. Hyper miling? Maybe, that's gen 2 but it's possible in summer months. Either way 53 miles is not the max.
@@InSaN3ViSioN I have a 2013 model and drive in sport mode and in D for the most part and average 50 miles per charge. Mostly depends on weather and tire pressure for me
53 is a good average. 65+ in the warmer months and 35-40 in the Minnesota winters. I would assume we could get 70+ miles on a nice day with all stop and go traffic.
We have 2, 2017 Volts. Cold weather we get 47-50 miles range, warm weather, 58-65. Hyper milers can get more. I cannot hyper mile
I rented this car for a road trip over three states.. I fill the car up only four times. One thing I didnt like was the way it drains pretty fast when using full electricity but the hold mode saved the electricity and uses gas combined with electricity. I still think the car is excellent! the gas was only 20 bucks or 23 bucks maxed to fill up and it drove smoothly and its a quiet car, if you really listen it sounds like a spaceship (not that the way it sounds is a factor). was a smooth drive, does have a few bad blind spots, the automatic lights is something that is a problem (Was accidently brighting people at night) but Im sure if I had one personally I can figure the settings out.
I like the second gen due to its tech, longer range and faster charging but can't get over how much it looks like a Cruze. still love the body style of my gen 1 more than gen 2.
Personally, I hate how my 2019 looks like a Hyundai or some other inferior car. My wife's 2013 still looks unique and cutting edge.
So great news about the level 2 7kwh hour charger, nice how you packed that information in 2:30 good job.
skipsteel
Love mine!
It has that charger, and this will reach a complete charge in 2.2-2.3 hours.
My next car will be an EV .But I live in Minnesota and this Volts are really good in a winter .( no problems with range) .
Smitty Rock
Yes, but you leave them plugged-in during cold or hot weather, to keep the battery at temp.
All electric cars are more susceptible to charge loss in cold weather.
The Volt may be dropped after 2021, probably to be replaced by another ugly “crossover.” Now is a good time to get one if you like the classic hatchback look.
One of the very few PHEVs that has a single speed similar to a full EV. Most PHEVs have traditionally transmissions.
That new porcelain blue interior is really nice
Excellent review, I want to buy one. Oh, GM, the company America bailed out discontinued the car.
Forgot to mention the power seat
Tom Zito
What about it?
What's the mile range with the electric engine. Let's say Im at 100 percent. How many miles can I go until it gets to 0%?
Is better than before but still too small and same power train lol , great reviewer dude by the way ..
fento r - Of course it’s the same powertrain. It is normal for one powertrain to be used throughout one generation of a vehicle and this is only the fourth year. It’s the best plug-in hybrid design. What would you change?
@@GH-oi2jf make it rommier, that's why I got a leaf it fits 5 passengers easy. But your right
Too small? How fat are you? Volt has plenty of room
I thought it was kind-of a lame review.
Not a lot of information, and some was misleading.
fento r
The leaf isn't as good, in my opinion.
One reason I went with the Volt, and not a leaf or Bolt, is that it has the gasoline engine of fall back on, so you don't have to stop and find a charger, and then wait until it's done before you can proceed....assuming you can use the charging station, that someone isn't already there.
-The Volt allows you to take the roads less traveled, and go anywhere that a normal car could....on your own schedule.
You can stop and charge it, or just keep driving and charge when you get there, or get home.
Even just running on gasoline, it gets over 40 MPG.
I went 704 miles on my first tank, and it still wasn't empty. By the way, that's only an 8 or 9 gallon tank.
-Pretty impressive car!
Here's a weird one. When I turn on 2017 Chevy Volt I get a "check engine light and message that says "unable to charge". On the main display I see a battery level of 0. This after chatging all night. The outside temp is 27 f. After a while about 30 minutes of driving I would get a battery level of 41 miles, but the check engine ligh is still on. Then after other 15 minutes the light would go off and the car would work normally. This problem so occurs also when preconditions gets t the car.
Did you take it to a mechanic to have it diagnosed? What was the problem?
The problem is that all the electric and plug-in are all in the $30,000 price range. How are they expect to buy this if all the jobs are paying like crap?
Nice..The care that broke GM..Even with gov subsidies..
Douglas Adams
That's bull crap.
It didn't break GM.
It's truly a great car....too bad GM didn't market the car, as thy should've.
For those people who own older EVs or rechargeable batteries that are losing their capacity. Watch my videos and learn how to make them last for decades longer than they normally would. Some of the battery capacity does come back by using my discovery.
Does it comes with panoramic sunroof?
Lola Diaz
Who the hell needs that?
Review is too short. Not much info.
The Volt is very cool car, I like driving it. But seriously how many billions of dollars in bailouts does GM need to not be total failures? 15,000 layoffs
Chevy
Volt uses less gas than Tesla, Nissan Leaf or Chevy Bolt
In
March 2019 General Motors will stop producing the Chevy Volt forever.
Please
help spread the word by sharing and retweeting this article hopefully
to convince GM to continue the production of this legendary car, or
to convert the Bolt from an All-Electric to an Electric Gas Hybrid
plug in
The
state of California gives a larger rebate to Tesla owners than to
Chevy Volt owners because the Tesla is a “Zero Emission” car. In
reality the Chevy Volt is closer to zero emission than the Tesla.
This
may not make sense to you so please read on to see my reasoning.
As
an owner of three different Chevy Volts Plug in electric / gas hybrid
cars since 2011, I can affirm you that my experience with those three
cars and my experience with the Chevy Volt is that they use much less
fossil fuel (Gas) than Tesla, Nissan leaf or Chevy Bolt. This may
sound as an absurd statement but if you let me explain to you why,
then it may make more sense,
When
a person owns an all electric car (Tesla, Leaf, Bolt) it is never a
primary car. The owner must own a second car as the primary car. This
is usually a regular gas car that in the long run it uses much more
fossil fuel than a Chevy Volt. In other words
the
total fossil fuel usage for this household is much more than that for
a person who owns a Chevy Volt. The
Chevy Volt for this household is the primary car (no range limit) and
there is no need for a second (more long distant) reliable car. Also
should note the environmental impact of owning two cars over one car
which would include parts that needs to be replaced and those used
parts will eventually end in the dump, 4 additional rubber
tires to care for, oil changes, transmission oil, brake pads, tune
ups, cost for the additional insurance etc.
As
soon as a person purchases an all electric car he develops a (RAD)
range
anxiety disorder, it is a disease I invented in my head to explain to
you how a new owner of an all electric car starts to thinks shortly
after purchasing the car ( sort of similar to buying a Boat: as the
saying goes: the two happiest days in a man’s life is the day he
buys a Boat and the day he sells it). Most of the general public
(even most owners of the Chevy Volt) are not aware of this “RAD”.
When
an owner of a Chevy Volt travels any distant he will always be going
from point A to point B.
When
an owner of a Tesla, Leaf, Bolt travel any distance that is close to
the 50% range of the car’s battery capacity or more, he or she no
longer can travel from point A to point B. It will always will be
point A to point C. The reason is point B will HAVE TO BE a
stop
to use some form of a commercial charger thus diverting from A to B
path (travel distance increased so is the fossil fuel usage) and the
commercial charger uses of (fossil fuel) to charge the car. Example
if a Tesla owner lives in Pasadena, Ca.
wants
to visit relatives in San Diego, Ca.. This Tesla owner will be very
apprehensive that his or her car my not make the round trip and they
could get stranded somewhere in between putting their life on the
line. They have to stop at some Tesla charging station in between to
get the Tesla charged or the battery switched while the relative who
lives in San Diego will use their gas guzzling (fossil fuel) car to
pick them up at the Tesla charging station to bring them to
their house and when they are done visiting, this relative will have
to take them back to the charging station using the same gas guzzling
car, that is four trips. When owners of an all electric car taking
any extended trip they must be on their toes learning and knowing the
whole network that they can use to recharge their car (Point B to
point C). If those charge stations are busy charging other cars then
they must wait possibly buying foods and drinks (that used fossil
fuel to make, and produce more trash to fill landfills). If the car
is completely discharged then they will have to stay at a hotel
overnight, because those All- Electric cars can take as much as 18
hours to fully recharge. Boy think about the amount of fossil fuel
used to keep a person in a hotel overnight,
electricity
to operate AC / Heater, watching TV, hair drying, washing sheets and
towels, laundry, food and the trash generated by such a one night
stay. They also will need some form of transportation from the
charging station to the hotel and back (more fossil fuel).
Those
all electric car companies may use sells gimmicks like DC charging
where you can get quick charging in a short period of time. I say
nonsense, you have to find a charging station with such a DC charging
capability and hopefully there is nobody else ahead of you waiting to
use it. Some people might thing in the back of their head that some
hotels may have a one or two charging station for customers to use, I
can guarantee you that those charging station will charge you an arm
& a leg (more direct and indirect fossil fuel use) before you
charge your car. In other word they: CHARGE LOTS OF MONEY TO CHARGE
YOUR CAR. My experience with hotels chargers is that they either
don't work or you can not charge your car with them (Tesla requires a
special charger). If Tesla owners think that they can knock on
peoples doors and ask them if they would allow them to use their
electrical outlet in their garage to charge their car while they are
sitting in their car, they better think again. It is not only
unpractical, not workable and damn right dangerous. In some areas
around the country if you knock on peoples door to recharge your car
then you could end up on some TV true crime show.
When
I was a child my father told me the following saying “Good
health is like a crown on the heads of healthy people, only sick
people can see”. Chevy Volts drivers wear a crown (No Range
Anxiety Disorder) only owners of Tesla, Leaf & Bolt drivers can
see this crown.
The
state of California calls those all electric cars as “Zero
Emission” while in fact they
either
directly or indirectly
use
more gas than the Chevy Volt. The Chevy Volt should be the car that
gets the White pool lane sticker and should get more state rebate
than the Tesla.
People
who have never owned a Chevy Volt have no idea how little gas it
uses. Over the past almost 8 years of using my Chevy Volts most of
the times I can not even remember the last time I purchased gas.
Chevy
Volt is also a great maintenance free car, I can write a real long
article about all the benefits of owning a Chevy Volt but not this
time. I think
Mr.
Bob Lutz (the person who forced GM to make the Volt) against all odds
i.e. “GM engineers”
should
receive the Nobel prize for his idea and persistence. Had GM added a
gas generator in the Chevy Bolt the same size as the gas generator in
the Chevy Volt then the Chevy Bolt would have become (BVOLT) and
would have become the greatest selling car in the world.
Unfortunately
Mr. Bob Lutz no longer works for GM and GM executive are now forced
to listen to “GM engineers”
to
make their decisions.
Even if I lived in an apartment
building with no electric outlets in the parking section I will still
purchase a Chevy Volt to use it as a gas only car. On gas only,
without ever being plugged in for charging, it gets more than 40
miles per gallon. This mileage combined with almost no maintenance
and the incredible torque this car has, makes this car better than
the gas cars made by Honda, Toyota, Nissan combined. The 100%
electric drive makes the main function of the gas engine is to charge
the battery or run the electric motor. This means this gas engine is
under no stress to propel the car which make this engine run under
little mechanical degradation, which means it can easily run half a
million to one million miles without much of a problems.
Until
someone makes an All-Electric car that is powered by a
super-capacitor (or other means) that can be fully charged in minutes
AND
those
charging facilities are present at all gas stations, then
All-Electric cars are not “Zero Emission” and not even close to
being the lowest emission cars on the market. Super-capacitor cars I
do not envision to be around anytime soon and until such a car
becomes a reality then I say to the whole world that is watching :
“The
Emperor's New Clothes, he
hasn't got anything on,".
To all the auto industry CEO's with visions, missions of a “Zero
Emission” cars : the jig is up because it is not in the
All-Electric cars.
The
Volt has the lowest emission of most if not all (including
All-Electric) cars and should receive the Nobel prize for being the
greatest car ever built.
Owner
of 3 Chevy Volts for 8 years.
Boy nothing escapes you
@Danigeh Hucood Tesla doesn't use gas?? You are kidding?? I get range anxiety just thinking about it! lol
Sad that they pulled the plug they should have had the 1.6 ecotec as an option you can't do engine swaps for motors that are supposed to be range extenders for any hybird cars including the type like the Volt
And they discontinued them......
Great
For that price you could get a Honda Civic Type R!
Lukeamania
BAHAHAHAHAHA
That's funny.
No thanks, I don't want one.
the previous cameras were NOT terrible.
U forgot to mention the Standard Power Driver Seat on the Premier. 😎
This car is not being built. The factories have closed. That is the number 1 Thing you need to know.
Not yet. They will be closed in early 2019.
Not true. Being build through March 2019.
@@ThreeGreenthumbs Very true. They only built 177,000 in 8 years. Tesla is building 1,000 TM3s a day. Tesla will surpass the 8 years of Volts in 6 months. This car was never built. Compliance car. Also they took a loss on every one they sold and can not repair them at the dealerships. No parts, not service.
@@marcol869 not true. There are no parts because there are no cars. I can get a headlight for my Mazda for $25, today. How much for a headlight in a Volt? $315? Shipped next week? Delayed twice? Wrong part when you get it?
@@davidbeppler3032 Autozone with free next day shipping $26.
Since when did baby Mario do car reviews ?
It's being discontinued.
GM, please export this car to Europe.
Isn't it the Vauxhall Ampera over there?
미국 산업의 4분의 1은 저임금 노동국가에 외주화 할 수 있지만 미 정부가 경험한 무자비한 경쟁과 지금은 국가 안보 위협까지 왔다고 하는군요
🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺🏴🇩🇰🇲🇫🇨🇳🇧🇷🇩🇪🇳🇴🇮🇹🇸🇬🇸🇯🇮🇱🇸🇪🇺🇸🇰🇷🇯🇵🍌🎗⚓🌇🌅🌄👍👌🙏🍔🧋
For 38k the Tesla looks much better
Tesla Model 3 is unrivaled. Class of its own. Superior EV.
“Fast charging”? The volt charges at 7.2 Kw, while the model 3 does 120Kw.
For L2 charging, 7.2kW is quite good. Most EVs top out at 6.6kW. I wish this feature had been offered in earlier generation Volts (and in the ELR too).
Charging at 120kW would be a ~7C rate of charge on the Chevy Volt battery. That simply wouldn't happen. For reference, Tesla usually charges at 1.2-1.5C but quickly tapers back as the SoC increases due to thermal limits and concern for the longevity of the pack.
GM struck a nice balance with this new option.
All the hybrid cost a lot and so slow and boring, why can’t they at least match Tesla 300 miles juices.
This goes 420 miles.
GM deserved to fail in 2008. Elon Musk is kicking their ass.
No Volt takes 13 hours to charge.
From totally dead to 100% at the lowest setting (8 amps) it does take 11 or 12 hours, but why would anyone run the battery to zero, and why not charge at 12 amps if time is an issue?
@@richardalexander5758 That's definitely at 12 amps. The first generation Volt with its smaller battery takes 10 hours to charge at 12 amps and 16 hours at 8 amps.
@@directorjustin They did a great job of taking a good car and making it even better.
On level 1 it does.
8 amps *120 volts = 960 Watts/Hour. 18.4 KW battery capacity (or 18,400 Watts) / 960 Watts = 19.16 hours
12 amps * 120 volts = 1440 Watts/Hour. 18.4 KW battery capacity (or 18,400 Watts / 1440 Watts = 12.77 hours.
@@DustinDawind I agree with that …. but why on earth would anyone charge at 8 amps??? I currently own two 2017 Volts, and we previously owned a 2013. I'm not being critical of your math, I'm only commenting on reality. First, I've never charged at 8 amps, unless you live in a tee-pee, and own a Volt, you should be charging a Volt at 12 amps. that said, assuming 12 amp charging, it has never taken more than 10 hours to charge our cars @ 120v. I have one 240v charge station for my wife's car, and I use the wall outlet. My original comment assumed 12 amp charging, because for anyone who owns a Volt, 12 amp charging is gonna be perfectly safe, versus the "default" to 8 amp. Dustin … do you have a Volt? Just curious.
PHEV = a L2 home charger otherwise don't bother.
The standard OEM charger can easily be adapted to 220 volts. Works great.
My mom's Volt has averaged 80 mpg using a level 1 EVSE.
I drove mine for 6 months with a level 1 and used no gas. I have since bought a level 2 on amazon for $169 and it plugs into my clothes dryer plug.
The reason Chevy dropped the Volt is because A) Competition - Same MSRP gets you a Standard Range Plus Model 3 B) All electric is better and more affordable production wise C)Technology has improved D) Once you drive Electric you dont go back
Automated Future
That is not why.
Don't pretend you know.
Chevy dumb why they cancel their best car
Good review but the bolt is a waste of money and time.
Andrae Edwards this is a video on the volt, not bolt lol
Andrae Edwards
You're lost in space.
Go back to sleep.
Someting wong with this video.
Slanted eyes
The only thing buyers need to know is that the car is dead.
Move on and order a Tesla Model 3 already
KEFA 78 i would gladly take this over a model 3. I don’t need my car spending half of the year at the tesla service department. I would rather trust someone who has been doing cars, for about 100 years now
Or just don't even look at those hyper overpriced engineering abominations and get a TypeR or Stinger or G20 3series or Giulia etc etc
It depends on your budget. The Volt is much cheaper (nobody pays MSRP for a Volt).
@@frankmagana1408 Volt exists because of Tesla. And my Dad's Tesla has only been to service 2 times in the last year. Nice try.
@@tahsin28 All of those are old technology. It's almost 2019. We're off gas.
$35K model 3 a better option
Shahaan Saleem considering that the base Model 3 isn’t yet available and will likely not be for about half a year, I would call it more of a theoretical alternative at this time.
You should also remember to factor in the Federal Tax credit. You can still buy a Volt and apply for the full $7,500 tax credit. While by the time that the Base Model 3 goes into production the credit for Tesla will have entered its phaseout period and at best will be $3,750 and more likely be $1,875.
So if you want to compare the Volt to the Model 3, you should look at what is currently available. With the least expensive Model 3 being the Mid-range Rear Wheel Drive that starts at $46,000.
Ya, but it's not out yet
It's not an option.
The Model 3 isn't an option. I drive long distances, and to areas where charging stations don't exist. The Volt is an excellent stop-gap until the time when electric vehicles become mainstream. By then I'll be ready to go all electric, until then I'm loving the 2nd gen. Volt.
@@richardalexander5758 Model 3 is DEFINITELY a better, faster car... but most people will not spend the extra 5 to 10K for one. Volt is great car as you say, a stop-gap. It will replace 90% of your daily gas use for 90% of owners and has good power. I have one, but prefer all-electric.
That’s a no from me dawg
Way better off buying Honda Civic financially
Or even a Honda clarity
It's obvious you haven't actually done the math...
True, but the Volt is a much nicer car than the Civic.
Actually I have done the math.I was just offered a 2017 Premier with 4,300 miles on it from my local Chevy dealer for 24K, taxes,tags, out the door. Flawless, clean, Certified warranty. $15,000 is a LOT of gas. Economically for me, no, brand new. Save the planet? Probably yes.
If I keep up this same cycle, in 5 years I will have paid 14,400 dollars in gas. The volt will minimize that amount tremendously.
I need a new car and the next one im going to get is probably the volt. Its alot of money but in the long run you will end up saving money anyways.