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GM Chevy Volt
- Thread starter vfx
- Start date
On thursday my Ampera decided not to charge. Rather than leaf it at home, I was able to go to work using petrol - the first petrol I've used in over three weeks and circa 1000 miles. A bit of a bummer as I was at 125 mpg and about to overtake the theoretical Pi-Prius headline figure, but at least I wasn't stranded.
It seems like the comms with the EVSE wasn't working (I tried it on 2). The dealer brought me down another Ampera to my work on Friday (a 50 mile trip) and drove mine back in. They've diagnosed the fault, ordered in another part from Germany and expect to have the car back to me Monday evening or Tuesday at the latest.
An annoyance that I've had an issue but can't fault the service at all so far. Vauxhall HQ have called me each day to let me know progress. And having the ER-EV power train proved its worth on this occasion.
The funny thing is that the silver car they loaned me has attracted so much attention. Probably more than my black one in two months. We parked outside of a country pub at lunchtime on Friday and the whole pub came out to see it. Coincidentally there was a LEAF in the car park too (what are the chances?) but no-one was interested! Handily there were a load of brochures in the seat pockets. I think I sold two more cars that afternoon. Multiple performance car and TG fans at work are now openly talking about getting an Ampera. Amazing.
It seems like the comms with the EVSE wasn't working (I tried it on 2). The dealer brought me down another Ampera to my work on Friday (a 50 mile trip) and drove mine back in. They've diagnosed the fault, ordered in another part from Germany and expect to have the car back to me Monday evening or Tuesday at the latest.
An annoyance that I've had an issue but can't fault the service at all so far. Vauxhall HQ have called me each day to let me know progress. And having the ER-EV power train proved its worth on this occasion.
The funny thing is that the silver car they loaned me has attracted so much attention. Probably more than my black one in two months. We parked outside of a country pub at lunchtime on Friday and the whole pub came out to see it. Coincidentally there was a LEAF in the car park too (what are the chances?) but no-one was interested! Handily there were a load of brochures in the seat pockets. I think I sold two more cars that afternoon. Multiple performance car and TG fans at work are now openly talking about getting an Ampera. Amazing.
I like the Volt (have never driven one though but seen it in person). If it was around 3 years ago, I probably would have one instead of my Jetta. It would have been more helpful if GM had advertised it as a hybrid but I understand their desire to market it as an EV.
We're drifting away from discussing the Volt, so I've moved the majority of the "terminology" discussions over to Pure BEV Dogma - mod.
smorgasbord
Active Member
It's not a chip (that went out with OBD-I in 1995), it's simply a IAT resistor that attempts to fool the engine into doing something that'll give it more power. That almost never works anymore, since today's cars use a variety of sensors to decide what to do.
This is a good read: http://qcwo.com/technicaldomain/iat-resistor-mods-vs-performance-modules-vs-real-chips
Note, however, that since the Volt's engine does drive the wheels at times, getting more power out of the engine could help with things like freeway speed passing.
This is a good read: http://qcwo.com/technicaldomain/iat-resistor-mods-vs-performance-modules-vs-real-chips
Note, however, that since the Volt's engine does drive the wheels at times, getting more power out of the engine could help with things like freeway speed passing.
This weekend my Karma decided that 20% charge was full enough and would only give me a battery range of 9 miles. No matter what I did (turn on/off the car, drive it a little, tried different charging stations, etc), the relays would not connect and begin charging the battery. I was very happy I had my 'Plan B' with the ICE to generate the electrons to power the motors (was actually able to 'charge' the battery another 4 miles or so going downhill from my house via regen). A buddy of mine has a LEAF and a couple of weeks ago it just wouldn't charge - similar problem to what I saw this weekend. Car was flatbetted back to dealer for service, but seems awfully inconvenient if you're trying to get on with your day. +1 for EVERs (or EREVs or PHEVs)
The Prius also won't run if the battery half of the system doesn't work. In 136,000+100,000 miles between the two cars I've been inconvenienced twice (in the older 2001). Hardly even worth noting.
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
Still promoting misinformation and confusion UK bans Opel Ampera plug-in hybrid commercial over range claims
Vger
Active Member
That is quite misleading, I would say, even if it is quite stylish. IT is also interesting that the used the "endurance athlete metaphor, which Franz used first to describe Tesla Model S.
thelastdeadmouse
Member
Volt Math
I'm an enormous Tesla fan, but I'm quite a bit further down the income bracket than most perspective Tesla owners (I'd be just shy of qualifying for the full $7,500 tax break this year to give an idea). However I have no debt to my name and no dependents, so a Model S is not out of reach but would certainly require some sacrifice. Also I'm moving from tech support to programming in a few weeks at a quickly growing software company, so my income should increase significantly in the next couple years.
After seeing estimates of 2011 Volt resale values I've been considering buying a new Volt now, then selling it in 2-3 years to purchase a Model S 2.0 or a Bluestar. Resale and trade in rates for a base 2011 seem to be around $27,000 for ones in good condition, which will probably be closer to $26,000 by 2013. I've seen accounts of people buying new base 2013s for just below $30,000 after tax credit. That's a depreciation of only $4,000 in two years, or about $166 a month. I'm spending about $175 a month in gas now which would drop to about $50 afterward, so in total it could be as little as $1,000 additional total cost of ownership vs. the quickly aging 2004 Dodge Stratus I'm driving now. That's ignoring the fact that the Stratus will almost certainly cost me more than that in maintenance in that time. The high resale value is probably in part due to the lack of used cars for sale, but even if its 1-2k worse for 2013's two years from now, I could still be saving money over maintaining an 8 year old car.
The more I think about it the more it starts to seem like a no brainer. Does this sound about right or am I missing something very basic here?
I'm an enormous Tesla fan, but I'm quite a bit further down the income bracket than most perspective Tesla owners (I'd be just shy of qualifying for the full $7,500 tax break this year to give an idea). However I have no debt to my name and no dependents, so a Model S is not out of reach but would certainly require some sacrifice. Also I'm moving from tech support to programming in a few weeks at a quickly growing software company, so my income should increase significantly in the next couple years.
After seeing estimates of 2011 Volt resale values I've been considering buying a new Volt now, then selling it in 2-3 years to purchase a Model S 2.0 or a Bluestar. Resale and trade in rates for a base 2011 seem to be around $27,000 for ones in good condition, which will probably be closer to $26,000 by 2013. I've seen accounts of people buying new base 2013s for just below $30,000 after tax credit. That's a depreciation of only $4,000 in two years, or about $166 a month. I'm spending about $175 a month in gas now which would drop to about $50 afterward, so in total it could be as little as $1,000 additional total cost of ownership vs. the quickly aging 2004 Dodge Stratus I'm driving now. That's ignoring the fact that the Stratus will almost certainly cost me more than that in maintenance in that time. The high resale value is probably in part due to the lack of used cars for sale, but even if its 1-2k worse for 2013's two years from now, I could still be saving money over maintaining an 8 year old car.
The more I think about it the more it starts to seem like a no brainer. Does this sound about right or am I missing something very basic here?
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