Gen 1 GM Volt Plug-In Hybrid (2011-2015)

[scottf200]

yeah, its $2499 or $2999 for a new battery. (customer pay)

Google search for the battery and part number: https://www.google.com/search?&q=20979876+battery" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"BATTERY. Drive Motor Battery."
$2,994.64 - http://www.tonkinonlineparts.com/p/Chevrolet__/BATTERY-Drive-Motor-Battery/6424745/20979876.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
$2,994.64 - http://parts.nalleygmc.com/products/BATTERY-Drive-Motor-Battery/2949468/20979876.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
$2,594.74 - http://www.gmpartsgiant.com/parts/gm-battery-20979876.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
$2,410.69 - http://www.parts.com/parts/2011/CHEVROLET/VOLT/?siteid=2&vehicleid=1447713&section=HYBRID%20COMPONENTS&group=HYBRID%20COMPONENTS&subgroup=BATTERY&component=BATTERY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

side tracking the battery pricing issues since we should all know where its headed...

but a very cool article on a regen test. they got 83% efficiency? not sure i agree with the results but has lots of details

http://gm-volt.com/2013/01/01/a-detailed-look-at-regeneration/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GRA]

Motor Trend does a comparison test of the 2012 Volt and PiP:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1302_2012_chevrolet_volt_vs_toyota_prius_plug_in/viewall.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Summary: The Volt is for your right brain, the PiP for your left brain.

 

[DrInnovation]

Motor Trend does a comparison test of the 2012 Volt and PiP:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1302_2012_chevrolet_volt_vs_toyota_prius_plug_in/viewall.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Summary: The Volt is for your right brain, the PiP for your left brain.

The PiP is only for the left brain of people with very short commutes and long weekenders or those with mussy left brains.
After tax credits the PiP not that much more economical and in some states is more expensive. Especially for the Boulder plug-in-dirvers he mentioned.. with the CO rebate the 2012 Volt was net 2K cheaper than the Prius Plug-in, so even far left wingers from Boulder would see the rational choice.

 

[GRA]

Motor Trend does a comparison test of the 2012 Volt and PiP:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1302_2012_chevrolet_volt_vs_toyota_prius_plug_in/viewall.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Summary: The Volt is for your right brain, the PiP for your left brain.

The PiP is only for the left brain of people with very short commutes and long weekenders or those with mussy left brains.
After tax credits the PiP not that much more economical and in some states is more expensive. Especially for the Boulder plug-in-dirvers he mentioned.. with the CO rebate the 2012 Volt was net 2K cheaper than the Prius Plug-in, so even far left wingers from Boulder would see the rational choice.

Many people who can afford the PiP but not the Volt don't qualify for some or all of the federal tax credit, so the difference in price is much greater, and state subsidies vary. No question that the Volt is a more desirable car if you don't need a fifth seat, but the MSRP is just too high to be mainstream affordable if you don't qualify for most of the federal credit.

I think the PiP, at least how it's currently implemented, is a bit too short ranged, and that PHEVs with true 15-20 mile AER are at the current sweet spot. That's what Ford, Honda etc seem to be aiming at, although I think Honda's MSRP for the Accord is way too high - why not just buy a Volt instead? Ford has got the price right, but the lack of cargo space really hurts them.

 

[scottf200]

I think the PiP, at least how it's currently implemented, is a bit too short ranged, and that PHEVs with true 15-20 mile AER are at the current sweet spot. That's what Ford, Honda etc seem to be aiming at, although I think Honda's MSRP for the Accord is way too high - why not just buy a Volt instead? Ford has got the price right, but the lack of cargo space really hurts them.

Those range are not likely good in any state that has colder than 40 degree weather --- not for the typical masses who want to drive comfortable (ie. reasonable use of heat). People complain regularly if the Volt gets below 30. Of course if you use COMFORT heat and high fan your mileage will drop significantly (close to half in worst case when it is pretty cold (high 30s)).

The Ford Fusion Energi is right there with the Volt as far as cost. Also do not forget that the Volt gets the full $7,500 possible credit (for those applicable) because of the 16kWh battery. Really needs to be a good chart with sales data and MSRP and net price after max credit. Then you may be able to draw some relationships. I suggested this to InsideEVs and they may do it.

 

[DrInnovation]

Motor Trend does a comparison test of the 2012 Volt and PiP:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1302_2012_chevrolet_volt_vs_toyota_prius_plug_in/viewall.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Summary: The Volt is for your right brain, the PiP for your left brain.

The PiP is only for the left brain of people with very short commutes and long weekenders or those with mussy left brains.
After tax credits the PiP not that much more economical and in some states is more expensive. Especially for the Boulder plug-in-dirvers he mentioned.. with the CO rebate the 2012 Volt was net 2K cheaper than the Prius Plug-in, so even far left wingers from Boulder would see the rational choice.

Many people who can afford the PiP but not the Volt don't qualify for some or all of the federal tax credit, so the difference is price is much greater, and state subsidies vary. No question that the Volt is a more desirable car if you don't need a fifth seat, but the MSRP is just too high to be mainstream affordable if you don't qualify for most of the federal credit.

I think the PiP, at least how it's currently implemented, is a bit too short ranged, and that PHEVs with true 15-20 mile AER are at the current sweet spot. That's what Ford, Honda etc seem to be aiming at, although I think Honda's MSRP for the Accord is way too high - why not just buy a Volt instead? Ford has got the price right, but the lack of cargo space really hurts them.

True in general about the tax credit.. not everyone qualifies (which is why leases are also popular).

But if they bought a PiP and live in Boulder CO, it means they bought it in another state and drove it back, to a state where there is no certified servie for it. Probably not the actions of someone in the tax bracket that does not qualify for the full credit -- they would probably wait a year for it. Tax credit in CO for the 2012 Volt was 6K.. and it rolls forward if you don't have all the state tax liability.

 

[CarZin]

My one year review on the Volt. Lots of good stuff here.

http://voltowner.blogspot.com/2013/01/one-year-of-volt-ownership-costs-of.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[edatoakrun]

The more gas-guzzling the vehicle, the more economic sense of electrifying it.

I actually think Lutz is a little hard on GM here, as you could just as well point out that Toyota got it just as ass-backwards emphasizing hybrid technology in small "economy" cars.

And ultimately, you have to blame the American consumer, some of whom will demand the most complex technology in their small car to get a few more miles to the gallon (or a few miles of range on kWh) and be utterly insensible to the far greater energy savings that could be had be applying hybrid/PHEV technology to their ICEV trucks, SUVs, and performance cars.

Bob Lutz, one of the masterminds behind the Chevrolet Volt, has said that he now considers the ground-breaking range-extender technology to be wasted in a family car-sized vehicle...


“Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, and we shouldn’t forget that the Volt and sister car Opel Ampera are the world’s best-selling electric car, but the truth is that even then it’s not meeting sales expectations, and that’s because most customers don’t want to pay out a major expense for the technology to make minor savings.

“Frankly, unless that customer is philosophically, religiously or economically affiliated to buying an electric vehicle, then they can’t be convinced. The first two types of buyer will buy whatever’s built, but the latter is a harder case. The obvious answer is to electrify as big a vehicle as you can, because that’s where the fuel and running cost savings make the most sense.

“If I had my time again at GM then I would have started with the Cadillac Escalade for the range-extender technology, and brought the Volt in later. The more gas-guzzling the vehicle, the more economic sense of electrifying it. Car companies need to get their minds on that: electrifying an Opel Corsa that uses virtually no fuel anyway and then lumping a huge premium on it to cover the battery costs is nonsensical. Why bother? It uses virtually no fuel anyway.”...

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/detroit-motor-show-2013/electric-tech-small-cars-nonsensical" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GRA]

The more gas-guzzling the vehicle, the more economic sense of electrifying it.

I actually think Lutz is a little hard on GM here, as you could just as well point out that Toyota got it just as ass-backwards emphasizing hybrid technology in small "economy" cars.

And ultimately, you have to blame the American consumer, some of whom will demand the most complex technology in their small car to get a few more miles to the gallon (or a few miles of range on kWh) and be utterly insensible to the far greater energy savings that could be had be applying hybrid/PHEV technology to their ICEV trucks, SUVs, and performance cars.

Bob Lutz, one of the masterminds behind the Chevrolet Volt, has said that he now considers the ground-breaking range-extender technology to be wasted in a family car-sized vehicle...


“Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, and we shouldn’t forget that the Volt and sister car Opel Ampera are the world’s best-selling electric car, but the truth is that even then it’s not meeting sales expectations, and that’s because most customers don’t want to pay out a major expense for the technology to make minor savings.

“Frankly, unless that customer is philosophically, religiously or economically affiliated to buying an electric vehicle, then they can’t be convinced. The first two types of buyer will buy whatever’s built, but the latter is a harder case. The obvious answer is to electrify as big a vehicle as you can, because that’s where the fuel and running cost savings make the most sense.

“If I had my time again at GM then I would have started with the Cadillac Escalade for the range-extender technology, and brought the Volt in later. The more gas-guzzling the vehicle, the more economic sense of electrifying it. Car companies need to get their minds on that: electrifying an Opel Corsa that uses virtually no fuel anyway and then lumping a huge premium on it to cover the battery costs is nonsensical. Why bother? It uses virtually no fuel anyway.”...

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/detroit-motor-show-2013/electric-tech-small-cars-nonsensical" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Actually, I'd say he's being hard on himself, since he was the main high-up at GM pushing the Volt. And I'd say he's right, given the number of GM customers who cross-shop the Volt and Cruze and opt for the latter in much greater numbers. Not many people who (as Lutz' says) aren't philosophically or religiously inclined can see the point of paying twice as much for a Volt compared to a Cruze, while losing a seat. Economically, you'll probably never make back the difference given how long the average new car is kept by the original buyer, even if you qualify for the maximum incentive.

 

[Boomer23]

My one year review on the Volt. Lots of good stuff here.

http://voltowner.blogspot.com/2013/01/one-year-of-volt-ownership-costs-of.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Congratulations on some very open minded critical thinking and for being an influential advocate for EVs. Very nice blog.

 

[jspearman]

So we finally traded our ICE Honda Fit for a Volt on Saturday. Silver Topaz (love the color), with tinted windows and the base model wheels. We had planned to do it during the crazy lease deals last year, but decided at the last minute to hold off to see what happened with the Leaf. We thought about getting two Volts if we got a buyback, but that was before the equally crazy Leaf leases that are available right now.

Anyway, absolutely love my Volt. The Leaf was always my wife's car that I got to drive at night and on the weekend, so I was ICE'd on my commute, but no longer!

While we lost the sales tax benefit, we sold our car to Carmax. It was my first time dealing with Carmax, but I was REALLY impressed. Brought the car in, a lovely salesperson chatted with us while they test drove our car, and an hour later we walked out with a check for $1,000 above KBB book value. I hate adding a trade-in to the mix when dealing with new car dealers, since they generally try to use the trade-in as a place to shift value around. I feel like it's a shell game that I always lose.

For anyone with a GM card, now is the time to buy. My 84-year-old mother-in-law lives with us and has had a GM card for years. They sent her a top-off certificate for $3,000, plus another $1,000 toward a new car, and the Volt is eligible for every dollar of that right now, unlike a few months ago. We were able to use the money for our down payment and we banked the money from our Fit for our next car.

A few thoughts on the Volt.

I like that when you hit a speed bump it doesn't feel like the batteries will fall out of the floor.

I like the sportier feel and look of the car.

I don't like the user interface. Too many buttons, wacky touch-sensitive surface (from the eighties), and just too complicated. The Leaf does a better job here That said, I do like the tire pressure monitor, and I love the ball that tells you how you are doing with regen/acceleration. It feels like biofeedback and like it much better than the equivalent on the Leaf.

I like the quick access to drive modes.

I didn't think I would, but I like the reassurance of having the little gas motor. I've spent a few too many hours of my life at charging stations because I didn't have enough juice to get home. Also had to drive to my wife's work in my ICE car to pick up the Leaf, take it to a nearby QC station at Bell Ford and bring it back so she could make it home. That wouldn't happen in the Volt. Also forgotten to plug her car in a couple of times and had to take it to the QC at Camelback Toyota. Things would be different if she had charging at work, but the parking lots at her job are a separate entity and so far calls for a charger have fallen on deaf ears.

Don't like the goofy start-up noise that sounds like a spaceship. It was cute the first two times, but on day 4 it's no longer cool.

Don't like the clunky seat belt attachment. Feels like something from an old, old Chevy truck, not a futuristic battery-powered car.

Like the seats. They are firm, but very comfortable. They are way, way more comfortable than the last Chevy car I remember driving. American cars have definitely gotten better.

Don't like the visibility. The side and rear-view mirrors feel like they came off a Barbie car, they are so small. The Leaf definitely wins here. I feel like I have to be much more careful in this car with lane changes and such.

While I like having a hatchback, the hatch of the Leaf is much more useful and easy to access. I can't imagine doing much more than some minor grocery shopping in the Volt. It reminds me of the hatch on my '88 Scirocco: heavy, high gate.

Finally, I love the fact that I drove well over the advertised range on the first day. I drove 45 miles, and I'm not a hypermiler. I had the AC on about half the trip (not on ECO), and half of the trip was at 60-65 mph. Weather was about as perfect as you can get, so I'll give some credit to the weather. It was a very, very pleasant surprise to go so far, but I was bummed when it finally kicked over to gas!

For anyone wondering, we are still waiting for the buyback to be complete on the Leaf. The check has apparently been cut, but a third-party actually completes the repurchase and I haven't been contacted yet.

 

[IBELEAF]

Owned Volt for 6 month and over 5k miles now... I few observations over the time:

My range in winter has been in the low 20s for the most part. (Leaf was about mid 40s) It's not bad because that usually covers my commute anyway.

Onstar status updates from the app seem to lock up too often. I had to call onstar at least 4 times to have resolve error codes I was getting

I can't seem to quickly turn off climate control with one button click. I have to click and hold the fan down button for couple of seconds

I regret not getting backup camera, the rear view visibility is not so great.

Rear trunk space turned out to be better then Leaf. I could fit stroller much better by laying flat and not blocking the view.

There is no way to lock/unlock the doors from the trunk, like I could in Leaf

Rear trunk door is difficult to open.

Car lock button has a delay and not always locking the doors. Unlock works fine though

Even though I rarely use gas (filled up once, but now I keep only quarter tank full), it's been comforting to know that it's there. With Leaf it was just too stressful.

The front lip is too low, hate going over bumps or elevated driveways

Most importantly I am glad to get rid of Leaf before the value took the dive and also opting for 2 year lease on Volt instead of buying it. Just like Leaf it still feels like an early adopter car.

 

[MTNRanger]

Congrats on the new Volt. To disable the start-up sound, just turn the volume know to the left while starting up. It will now remember that setting.

If the front lip is too low, they offer a shorter replacement.

Enjoy.

 

[jspearman]

Congrats on the new Volt. To disable the start-up sound, just turn the volume know to the left while starting up. It will now remember that setting.

If the front lip is too low, they offer a shorter replacement.

Enjoy.

Thanks much. I have a steep driveway and I'm scraping every time. So glad to know about the volume control for startup.

I agree about the backup camera. It's useful on the Leaf, but really feels like an absolute necessity for the Volt.

 

[scottf200]

So glad to know about the volume control for startup.

In general the volume control is "context sensative". If the NAV is speaking then it controls that, if you are on bluetooth phone then it controls that, if you are starting up it controls that, if you are listening to the radio it controls that. BTW, if you have a NAV then you can hit the RPT (RePeaT) button to get the current/updated NAV info (distance to next turn) and this gives you the opportunity to then control the volume instead of waiting for the next time it talks.

The air dam is a replaceable rubber piece and is intended to be scrapable. It is not a front bumper but that is how people sometimes think of it and it makes them think there is a problem. If the tabs come out (sides to front attachment) you can even cut them off. Mine will on occasion and I just push/lock them back. I typically hit friends driveways or speedbumps at a slight angle to reduce the issue or I just ignore it as it is *supposed* to scrape.

If I'm getting something from the hatch I may reach down and swipe my finger over the camera lens as it sometimes gets dusty or dirty from a dried up "rain drop".

My hatch opens easily. Just a little black button and I can raise it with a couple fingers.

I have a 2011 so I unlock with a fob when I'm using the hatch and it opens all doors.

 

[IBELEAF]

One more thing, I don't like the charger port door. I wish it would slide to the side like Ford does.

 

[Volusiano]

If the front lip is too low, they offer a shorter replacement.

They make the front lip that low for a reason. I think the shorter replacement will compromise your efficiency due to it being less areodynamic. I read that the front lip can flex quite a bit and is designed to take abuse from scraping and scars from scraping are not that noticeable.

 

[Volusiano]

I got a buyback offer letter from Nissan a few days ago, so I went shopping for a Volt. I found a good deal with a CA dealer (Keyes Chevy in Van Nuys, CA). They offered me $2500 dealer discount off the invoice price. And currently GM is also offering a $2K rebate for the Volt, plus 0% interest 72 months financing. I also went online to build a Volt and searched inventory and received a random $1K private voucher, good until end of January. So everything kind of fell in place quickly, so I pulled the trigger and went for that deal. The GM $2500 rebate and $1K private voucher are applied after the sales tax, but the dealer discount of $2500 off invoice is factored in before the sales tax.

The car is coming at the end of the month and I'll be driving over to CA to pick it up. My daughter lives and works out there in that area, so I get to visit her and kill 2 birds with 1 stone anyway.

I visited several Chevy dealers in town (Phoenix) but the best offer I could get was for $1900 dealer discount off the invoice (along with the $2K GM rebate and 0%72 month, of course). But the AZ dealer charges $399 for doc fee while the CA dealer only charges $80 for doc fee, which is much more reasonable and I don't feel like I get ripped off. All in all, the AZ offer was still $900 more than the CA deal so I took the CA deal.

Anyway, I don't have much to offer in terms of observation about the Volt because I don't have possession of one yet. However, I do have a few comments:

1. I was on the fence about paying for the Navigation system option ($900), but the prerequisite for that option is the Bose speaker option ($500). I didn't like to be forced to buy something else I don't want (the Bose) just so I can get what I want, so I didn't pick the Nav/Bose combo option.

2. When I went check out the GM Volt forum, I learned that people are not very happy with the Nav because they say it's not as advanced as other mfg's built-in Nav and also has many flaws. One guy went so far as saying he prefers his $100 Garmin nav with lifetime map update over the Volt Nav. So I'm glad I didn't pick it.

3. Same with the $500 Bose option (that I would have been forced to buy to get the $900 Nav). People are saying it's not worth the $500 because the sound quality is only incrementally better than the standard sound system and they were disappointed that they didn't get their money's worth out of it.

4. People say the rear camera option is about one of the only few options (next to heated seat) worth paying for (at $575). I love the one I had with the LEAF and it became an almost must-have for me, so I sprung for it when they told me they had a car with the color I want and nothing else except the rear camera option. Reviews on the rear camera say it's dimmer than expected, especially in low light, but otherwise, it's OK in daylight.

I'm old school and I'm not too keen about leasing, so I didn't look very hard into leasing deals on the Volt. I did check back on the purchasing price offered on the Volt around Labor Day last year, when GM had the big purchase and lease blow-out on Volts, and the deal I got now is not too far off from what was offered back then anyway (purchase deal). Maybe $300 less favorable today compared to back then, but not too far off.

I also went to 1 Ford dealership to check out the Focus EV they had in stock, and also glanced at the C-Max Energi. But my wife and son don't care much for the Focus's styling compared to the Volt styling. And dealer inventory on the Focus is still so low that they're not willing to give out any good deal anyway. That big hump for the battery in the back and the pathetic trunk space was also a deal breaker for me.

The only thing I don't like about the Volt is that it's only a 4 seater. But we're a family of 4 so it's not going to cause a hardship for us anyway. Of course, I don't like the gas engine either, and I thought I've sworn off cars with ICE. But oh well, at least now we can use it for long distance vacation as well and get decent gas mileage. And I swear, this Volt is going to be our last ICE car. :lol:

 

[scottf200]

2. When I went check out the GM Volt forum, I learned that people are not very happy with the Nav because they say it's not as advanced as other mfg's built-in Nav and also has many flaws. One guy went so far as saying he prefers his $100 Garmin nav with lifetime map update over the Volt Nav. So I'm glad I didn't pick it.

3. Same with the $500 Bose option (that I would have been forced to buy to get the $900 Nav). People are saying it's not worth the $500 because the sound quality is only incrementally better than the standard sound system and they were disappointed that they didn't get their money's worth out of it.

That might have been some selective reading. There are just as many people on the other side of both those opinions. I'm extremely happy with the Nav system in my Volt and use many of the features (multiple waypoints, individual POI (ie. chase), etc). So convenient that I use multiple times a week.

Similar to the Bose system. There have been dozens of threads about it. Recent ones people are tired of talking (repeating) about it so it can be misleading. There are those with music and electronic backgrounds who are impressed with it. Seem my sig! A *major* part of it is that it is light and electrically efficient. They picked it for the LEAF in 2013 as well. (many thread on the bose sound: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Agm-volt.com+bose" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )

In any event, glad you found one at a good deal and very interested to hear your opinion after you have had it a month in AZ (of course it is cold in AZ now). I went to college in Phoenix so I get the heat.