Living with a Chevrolet Volt

[uscitizen]

Can you run the air conditioner during the summer months while the Volt is on battery power?

The Prius does run it's AC on battery power.
Ever hear of electric powered Air Conditioners?
How much gas does your home AC use?

 

[martinjlm]

How much longer do you figure an electric motor will last than a reciprocating piston engine (an antique design from the 1880s)?

Probably longer since there are fewer moving parts (less friction) and a LOT less heat. But that's sort of immaterial since in almost all cases, the vehicle either becomes obsolete or the body and chassis non-functional long before the drivetrain. Except in cases of poor maintenance.

 

[martinjlm]

What are you rambling about Leftytoon? In order for my per mile to be $3.86 gas would have to be $115 a gallon. $4 would be a couple of cents. If you gotta quibble over that you can't afford a car.

Not sure who your post was responding to since you reference a non-existent screen name, but since you also reference my number, please note that I said 3.86 CENTS per mile....as in PENNIES, not $.

If you were responding to someone else......then nevermind.

 

[Politico]

Well you wrote it out incorrectly so I saw dollars. Still like I said earlier. A few cent difference is not enough difference to change what I'm doing.

 

[martinjlm]

Well you wrote it out incorrectly so I saw dollars. Still like I said earlier. A few cent difference is not enough difference to change what I'm doing.

I did? Really?

As a result, she often went weeks without burning any gas. So our total energy cost for the car are $344.50 for 8+ months. That's $320 in electricity cost (we have a flat $40/mo deal with DTE Energy) + $24.50 in gas. That amounts to 3.86 cents per mile driven.

And I agree....if you're happy with what ya got, GREAT! So am I, so allow me that.

 

[Foxfyre]

Again the information I posted yesterday suggested that the average cost per mile for an electric vehicle was around 7 cents while at 3.85 gallon and 32 mpg the average cost per mile for a gasoline powered vehicle is around 11 cents. And if that information is correct, I agree that the 4 cents per mile savings would take an unacceptably long time to justify $20k or more in the price of the car, most especially when government subsidies are required to keep the car affordable at all.

But hey I love my Subaru and some people wouldn't touch one. Whatever floats somebody's boat, power to the.

 

[martinjlm]

Again the information I posted yesterday suggested that the average cost per mile for an electric vehicle was around 7 cents while at 3.85 gallon and 32 mpg the average cost per mile for a gasoline powered vehicle is around 11 cents. And if that information is correct, I agree that the 4 cents per mile savings would take an unacceptably long time to justify $20k or more in the price of the car, most especially when government subsidies are required to keep the car affordable at all.

But hey I love my Subaru and some people wouldn't touch one. Whatever floats somebody's boat, power to the.

I so agree with the idea of allowing everyone to be happy with their choice of vehicle. What tends to piss me off is when people use distorted "facts" in an attempt to demonize a particular vehicle because their politician or talking head of choice has provided enough fact-devoid sound-bites to give them "ammunition" to do so.

I started this thread because I am truly in awe of how my wife's Volt has over-achieved our expectations. No political intent whatsoever. But within a handful of posts, all the far-right wacko bullshit "facts" come flying out from under the woodwork. I am not accusing you personally, Foxfyre, even though some of your information was questionable, because in similar threads on this topic you have shown the ability to at least listen to facts. I'm just a little tired of this thread bending toward political ideological positioning instead of discussion on a really cool car. (Hint....that's why I posted it in Automotive instead of Politics).

I do, however, have this nasty habit of responding to bullshit with facts.

 

[Foxfyre]

Again the information I posted yesterday suggested that the average cost per mile for an electric vehicle was around 7 cents while at 3.85 gallon and 32 mpg the average cost per mile for a gasoline powered vehicle is around 11 cents. And if that information is correct, I agree that the 4 cents per mile savings would take an unacceptably long time to justify $20k or more in the price of the car, most especially when government subsidies are required to keep the car affordable at all.

But hey I love my Subaru and some people wouldn't touch one. Whatever floats somebody's boat, power to the.

I so agree with the idea of allowing everyone to be happy with their choice of vehicle. What tends to piss me off is when people use distorted "facts" in an attempt to demonize a particular vehicle because their politician or talking head of choice has provided enough fact-devoid sound-bites to give them "ammunition" to do so.

I started this thread because I am truly in awe of how my wife's Volt has over-achieved our expectations. No political intent whatsoever. But within a handful of posts, all the far-right wacko bullshit "facts" come flying out from under the woodwork. I am not accusing you personally, Foxfyre, even though some of your information was questionable, because in similar threads on this topic you have shown the ability to at least listen to facts. I'm just a little tired of this thread bending toward political ideological positioning instead of discussion on a really cool car. (Hint....that's why I posted it in Automotive instead of Politics).

I do, however, have this nasty habit of responding to bullshit with facts.

Well I didn't intend any offense, but I did question the cost of the electricity you had calculated. That's why I went looking for some information on it, and the links I have posted to back up the 'facts' I have cited are not fly by night, obscure, or wingnut sites, so I felt my information was probably as good as anybody else's.

The point is, if you like your Volt, power to you. I don't blame you for buying one at all, and I made that perfectly clear earlier too. I am happy for you that you are happy with it.

But I'm not yet ready to agree that the Volt is some shining example of great technology, economy, greenness, or any of that stuff because I think the socioeconomic factors and government involvement make that questionable. And I too have a nasty habit of wanting the facts of the debate to be as accurate as possible.

 

[martinjlm]

Again the information I posted yesterday suggested that the average cost per mile for an electric vehicle was around 7 cents while at 3.85 gallon and 32 mpg the average cost per mile for a gasoline powered vehicle is around 11 cents. And if that information is correct, I agree that the 4 cents per mile savings would take an unacceptably long time to justify $20k or more in the price of the car, most especially when government subsidies are required to keep the car affordable at all.

But hey I love my Subaru and some people wouldn't touch one. Whatever floats somebody's boat, power to the.

I so agree with the idea of allowing everyone to be happy with their choice of vehicle. What tends to piss me off is when people use distorted "facts" in an attempt to demonize a particular vehicle because their politician or talking head of choice has provided enough fact-devoid sound-bites to give them "ammunition" to do so.

I started this thread because I am truly in awe of how my wife's Volt has over-achieved our expectations. No political intent whatsoever. But within a handful of posts, all the far-right wacko bullshit "facts" come flying out from under the woodwork. I am not accusing you personally, Foxfyre, even though some of your information was questionable, because in similar threads on this topic you have shown the ability to at least listen to facts. I'm just a little tired of this thread bending toward political ideological positioning instead of discussion on a really cool car. (Hint....that's why I posted it in Automotive instead of Politics).

I do, however, have this nasty habit of responding to bullshit with facts.

Well I didn't intend any offense, but I did question the cost of the electricity you had calculated. That's why I went looking for some information on it, and the links I have posted to back up the 'facts' I have cited are not fly by night, obscure, or wingnut sites, so I felt my information was probably as good as anybody else's.

I recognize that you did not intend to offend. That's why I tried to emphasize that I wasn't accusing you in particular. You and I only have a difference of opinion wrt government subsidies, but hey, your opinion, my opinion. I get the impression that we could have a cup of coffee and agree to disagree.

The point is, if you like your Volt, power to you.

No pun intended?

I don't blame you for buying one at all, and I made that perfectly clear earlier too. I am happy for you that you are happy with it.

But I'm not yet ready to agree that the Volt is some shining example of great technology, economy, greenness, or any of that stuff because I think the socioeconomic factors and government involvement make that questionable. And I too have a nasty habit of wanting the facts of the debate to be as accurate as possible.

You and I will get along just fine.

 

[VFanRJ]

Let's talk subsidies. The tax credits for these types of EV vehicles are a tiny fraction of the subsidies that go to the oil companies. Also, various types of oil investment funds have aggressive tax credits that also contribute to the deficit. This criticism of the EV subsidies is quite hypocritical.

Now let’s talk about an entirely different level of expense to U.S. tax payers who have shelled out $1.4 trillion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to quit sending all of our money over their; first for oil and second for wars to protect access to oil. My Volt consumes electricity produced in U.S.A; I throw pennies to OPEC for the 500 mpg that I’m getting.

 

[VFanRJ]

My electricity is .10 per kilowatt hour. I spend about $30 per month charging my Volt. You have multiple methods to track this: You can record the kilowatts consumed on the dash, access the charging history off OnStar, or buy a meeter for the charging outlet.

 

[VFanRJ]

With tax credit the Volt is around $32k. People buy cars all the time without an expecting ROI; however, the money I save in gas covers almost all of my lease payment. This all about not sending money to OPEC and Chavez

 

[VFanRJ]

Hey Mad Scientist, according to J D Powers and Consumer Reports, the Chevy Volt is #1 in customer satisfaction; beating out the 911 Porsche and Dodge Challenger.

 

[Foxfyre]

Let's talk subsidies. The tax credits for these types of EV vehicles are a tiny fraction of the subsidies that go to the oil companies. Also, various types of oil investment funds have aggressive tax credits that also contribute to the deficit. This criticism of the EV subsidies is quite hypocritical.

Now let’s talk about an entirely different level of expense to U.S. tax payers who have shelled out $1.4 trillion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to quit sending all of our money over their; first for oil and second for wars to protect access to oil. My Volt consumes electricity produced in U.S.A; I throw pennies to OPEC for the 500 mpg that I’m getting.

Are they? The tax subsidies for the Volt not only iinclude massivve tax credits for those who buy them--remember that the average income of the average Volt buyer is around $175k--so these are NOT subsidies who help the poor--but also direct cash grants right out of the U.S. treasury and therefore each one of us who pays federal taxes is paying for a portion of every Volt manufactured.

The oil companies aren't getting any direct grants and almost all of the tax credits they get are in the area of green energy production that theyare all doing now via government mandate.

But from a recent excellent Forbes article re why there are still oil company subsidies, it is because most of those 'subsidies' don't benefit the oil companies but are for other purposes, mostly favored by people probably such as yourself:

But look at the breakdown. The single largest expenditure is just over $1 billion for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is designed to protect the U.S. from oil shortages. The second largest category is just under $1 billion in tax exemptions for farm fuel. The justification for that tax exemption is that fuel taxes pay for roads, and the farm equipment that benefits from the tax exemption is technically not supposed to be using the roads. The third largest category? $570 million for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. (This program is classified as a petroleum subsidy because it artificially reduces the price of fuel, which helps oil companies sell more of it). Those three programs account for $2.5 billion a year in “oil subsidies

Oil Subsidies that Liberals Love
So why do we still have fossil fuel subsidies? Because almost nobody — not even Bill McKibben — wants to get rid of all of the programs that are classified as fossil fuel subsidies. I suspect McKibben would not advocate eliminating the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Two of the most outspoken Democratic opponents of oil subsidies have strongly defended this particular program — even though it is classified by the OECD as the 3rd largest petroleum subsidy. When Republicans tried to cut funding for the program, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the proposal an “extreme idea” that would “ set the country backwards.” Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass, states on his website that he is a “longtime Congressional champion of providing assistance to low-income families to heat and cool their homes.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/energys...dies-persist-even-liberals-love-them/.”

In short things are not always what they seem. And it pays to do some digging for real information rather than just accept the assigned talking points and politically correct one-liners designed to demonize some industry.

 

[Nova78]

Living with a chevy volt.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KUiqoZcdQc&feature=player_embedded]Barkhamsted garage fire - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Slapshot28]

Living with a chevy volt. <snip>

Nice FUD-work, Nova78. What, no plagiarizing this time? Your are only good for posting a 2-year-old video, and a 2008 stock photo of some random car fire? You can do better...

How about a sizzling-hot video from a Volt Pool Party? Much more entertaining!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE3PqOz46zQ&feature=player_embedded]Voltchella: The Chevy Volt Pool Party - YouTube[/ame]

Or a picture of the Volt surrounded by all of the awards it's collected?

The Volt just won #1 in customer satisfaction for the second year in a row: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.d...-ranked-by-consumer-reports-as-most-loved-car

"DETROIT -- The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid landed atop Consumer Reports' annual owner-satisfaction ranking for the second straight year.

Ninety-two percent of responding Volt owners in a poll of the magazine's subscribers said they definitely would buy a Volt again, tops among 240 models, the magazine said today.

Several other fuel-efficient models also scored highly, including Toyota's Camry Hybrid, Prius, and Prius C as well as Nissan's Leaf electric car.

The Volt's two-year reign "points to the continuing trend of owners' enthusiasm for cars that are fuel-efficient cars, especially as we see more and more hybrid and electric models hitting the market," Rik Paul, Consumer Reports' auto editor, said in a statement.

It's also affirmation for GM executives who've battled bad press from early soft sales, scathing criticism from opponents of green-car subsidies, and a late 2011 federal safety probe into battery fires that turned up no significant risks."

I'm sure that last paragragh resonates with you.

 

[Foxfyre]

Living with a chevy volt. <snip>

Nice FUD-work, Nova78. What, no plagiarizing this time? Your are only good for posting a 2-year-old video, and a 2008 stock photo of some random car fire? You can do better...

How about a sizzling-hot video from a Volt Pool Party? Much more entertaining!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE3PqOz46zQ&feature=player_embedded]Voltchella: The Chevy Volt Pool Party - YouTube[/ame]

Or a picture of the Volt surrounded by all of the awards it's collected?

The Volt just won #1 in customer satisfaction for the second year in a row: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.d...-ranked-by-consumer-reports-as-most-loved-car

"DETROIT -- The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid landed atop Consumer Reports' annual owner-satisfaction ranking for the second straight year.

Ninety-two percent of responding Volt owners in a poll of the magazine's subscribers said they definitely would buy a Volt again, tops among 240 models, the magazine said today.

Several other fuel-efficient models also scored highly, including Toyota's Camry Hybrid, Prius, and Prius C as well as Nissan's Leaf electric car.

The Volt's two-year reign "points to the continuing trend of owners' enthusiasm for cars that are fuel-efficient cars, especially as we see more and more hybrid and electric models hitting the market," Rik Paul, Consumer Reports' auto editor, said in a statement.

It's also affirmation for GM executives who've battled bad press from early soft sales, scathing criticism from opponents of green-car subsidies, and a late 2011 federal safety probe into battery fires that turned up no significant risks."

I'm sure that last paragragh resonates with you.

Good for the Volt! I'm sure the folks who can afford one are quite happy with them as is the author of the OP. But, based on the average $175k incomes of Chevy Volt buyers, and given the apparent great success of the product among these buyer, perhaps we soon won't need government subsidies to produce them and to persuade people to buy them?

 

[Slapshot28]

Good for the Volt! I'm sure the folks who can afford one are quite happy with them as is the author of the OP. But, based on the average $175k incomes of Chevy Volt buyers, and given the apparent great success of the product among these buyer, perhaps we soon won't need government subsidies to produce them and to persuade people to buy them?

I agree. Personally, my wife and I did not qualify for the Volt tax credits (federal or state), and actually quite a few Volt owners are in the same situation. (The credit only applies to reducing your tax bill. It's not a hand-out per se.) While I do not necessarilly advocate this, most developed countries offer stronger incentives than those in the US (Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Over the years, my wife and I have paid a LOT of taxes, both personally and at the corporate level. Our tax dollars have gone to some questionable activities (like drilling subsidies and dubious wars); however, we are happy to be supporting advanced research, better education, and green initiatives. The latest permafrost observations are frightening, to say the least.

 

[KissMy]

Yes you can. The Volt is ALWAYS on electric power. The wheels are always turned by an electric motor. The only purpose the gas engine serves is to power the electric motor if/when you run out of battery power.

The AC never draws off of the gas engine as is the case in conventional cars. Running the AC full blast will reduce your battery range, but otherwise, nothing is different.

I don't believe that is true. The wheels are driven by both gas & electric power. You can run on all electric, gas drive & charge or gas & electric together for max horse power. It uses a planetary, ring & sun gear setup. It also may be possible that the electric motor spins the engine to start it.

It is absolutely true. That was the center point of the Volt concept. It does not have any aspect of a planetary step gear transmission in the vehicle (ironically, early in my careers was responsible for writing service procedures for planetary transmissions....even earlier for manufacturing sun gears). What you are describing is how some traditional hybrids work, but not an EREV like the Volt.

From one of the early Chevrolet Press Releases when the car was launched in late 2010......

Electric drive supplies power to the wheels
A 111-kW (149-hp) electric drive unit powers the Volt’s wheels at all times. Positioned under the hood next to the engine, it packages a pair of electric motors and a multi-mode transaxle with continuously variable capability. Unlike a conventional powertrain, there are no step gears within the unit, and no direct mechanical linkage from the engine, through the drive unit to the wheels.

Chevrolet Volt Drivetrain - Electric Vehicle or Just a Hybrid?

 

[Slapshot28]

Chevrolet Volt Drivetrain - Electric Vehicle or Just a Hybrid?

OMG, what rock are you living under? That "controversy" is two years old--same vintage as the Volt "fire" stories.

Have you driven a Volt? Obviously not, or you would know that the Volt's engine never turns on for the first 30-40 miles. Read my lips: It's electric!

After the Volt's battery is depleted, at higher speeds the Volt can clutch-in its gasoline engine to help drive the wheels and improve efficiency. But at lower speeds the gas engine simply is an on-board electric generator, nothing more. That's why the Volt is so quick and so silent.

From Wikipedia (Chevy Volt Drivetrain):

"The drivetrain platform permits the Volt to operate as a pure battery electric vehicle until its battery capacity has been depleted to a defined level, at which time it commences to operate as a series hybrid design where the gasoline engine drives the generator, which keeps the battery at minimum level charge and provides power to the electric motors. The full charge of the battery is replenished only by loading it on the electrical grid.

While in this series mode at higher speeds and loads, (typically above 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) at light to moderate loads) the gasoline engine can engage mechanically to the output from the transmission and assist both electric motors to drive the wheels, in which case the Volt operates as a power-split or series-parallel hybrid. After its all-electric range has been depleted, at speeds between 30 to 70 miles per hour (48 to 110 km/h), the Volt is programmed to select the most efficient drive mode, which improves performance and boosts high-speed efficiency by 10 to 15 percent."

Move along. There's nothing to see here...