GM Chevy Volt

[Rifleman]

It looks like it is more of a case of "has 5 seatbelts" than "can seat 5". The one big plus is that it should be possible to put a rear facing car seat between the two front seats. This has been a major issue for first gen volt owners with small kids, as modern car seats are huge, and dont fit well behind the passenger seat unless it is pushed all the way forward.

 

[Calvin.K]

Looks like Chevy put up some promotional videos on YouTube for the 2016 Volt

 

[Rashomon]

Yeah... lame compared to the 6 kW OBC on my Leaf and base 10 kW OBCs on all current Tesla-based vehicles.

All-New 2016 Volt: Electric Hybrid Car | Chevrolet has a couple decent marketing videos.

Charge rate on the Volt matters much, much less than for pure electrics. Chevrolet engineers report that many of their customers are charging on 110-volt household current, probably because they're using it as a commuter and the time between parking in the evening and leaving in the morning is adequate even at the low rate. And if you do run low on battery, it just means you're running on the RE, and can still drive normally. The job to be done is efficient transportation, not to necessarily maximize the percentage of operation on electricity.

 

[Mr X]

Not impressed. Old Volt looks better even with its odd proportions.



This thing looks like a honda, accura, ford focus (tail lights) and lots of other cheap generic cars.

 

[MassModel3]

I thought the old (current) design was too angled -- I rather like the new look. Not that it matters since I'll probably never buy a car with an ICE again.

But the big question is how many cup holders will it have???

 

[scottf200]

Not to nitpick, but to say that the rear seating can accommodate 3 comfortably may be a bit of a stretch. The spacing is there, but i'm curious about the comfort level of that middle hump on long trips.


View attachment 69018

Depends on the kids ages right? Booster seats

 

[cwerdna]

Charge rate on the Volt matters much, much less than for pure electrics. Chevrolet engineers report that many of their customers are charging on 110-volt household current, probably because they're using it as a commuter and the time between parking in the evening and leaving in the morning is adequate even at the low rate. And if you do run low on battery, it just means you're running on the RE, and can still drive normally. The job to be done is efficient transportation, not to necessarily maximize the percentage of operation on electricity.

Sorta yes and no. When people TRY to use them as BEVs (like at my work and amongst some Volt friends of mine) and utilize L2 30 amp workplace and/or public charging, it DOES matter.

As I just posted elsewhere:
I charge my '13 Leaf at work on 208 volt 30 amp-capable L2 EVSEs and it usually pulls ~5.7 to 6.0 kW. When I start sessions for Volts (and watch them on the Chargepoint site) on the same stations, they pull ~3.1 kW. Until my Leaf starts tapering and doing its bounces at the end (only if I charge to 100%), I am charging roughly double the speed of those Volts. Allowing for more rapid turnover and being able to achieve a significant or full charge even if I plug in late (say 4 or 5 pm) is great. I almost always intentionally leave the stations open for others who leave earlier than me.

I also sometimes charge at public L2 30 amp stations and it's great to be able to pickup juice 2x the speed of say the Volt and other 3.x kW vehicles.

At my work, besides our EV valets (which have only easy access to 6 J1772 handles dedicated to them), we have 8 self-service J1772 handles, 4 Tesla HPWCs and a couple 120 volt outlets. I haven't counted recently, but I know we're north of 50+ EVs/PHEVs. For people who go home earlier, it DOES matter how quickly the spots can be turned over. And, for me, see my use case. I like being able to start late and achieve 80+% charge. 80% no prob. 100% including the bounces at the end? Is no problem w/an almost dead Leaf w/6 kW OBC given 5 hours.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Charge rate on the Volt matters much, much less than for pure electrics. Chevrolet engineers report that many of their customers are charging on 110-volt household current, probably because they're using it as a commuter and the time between parking in the evening and leaving in the morning is adequate even at the low rate. And if you do run low on battery, it just means you're running on the RE, and can still drive normally. The job to be done is efficient transportation, not to necessarily maximize the percentage of operation on electricity.

Yes, but really it's about cost and weight. Ideally it'd be an option so that people who can use public or workplace chargers can use them. Maybe for Gen 3.

Saying people don't need 6.6 because of current behavior misses the point that if you haven't provided 6.6 they can't behave as they would on 6.6. Also, cynically speaking, GM benefits from public charging not being available, because public charging acts as an enabler for BEVs.

GM has also written about workplace charging, has guidelines, and should understand cwerdna's point that faster charging enables more cars to be charged per charger.

 

[GSP]

........GM has also written about workplace charging, has guidelines, and should understand cwerdna's point that faster charging enables more cars to be charged per charger.

This.

Every EV and PHEV should have a 6.6 kW charger at the minimum. It is going to take another vehicle generation to get there.

GSP

 

[Calvin.K]

This.

Every EV and PHEV should have a 6.6 kW charger at the minimum. It is going to take another vehicle generation to get there.

GSP

Doesn't the Chevy Spark EV have at least a 6.6 kw charger? this feels like a cost saving measure just like the use of incandescent lights on the turn signals, halogen head lights instead of LED, and there choice not to have a heat pump

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Completely agree with @cwerdna's point about workplace charging. We have the same (low throughput) issue with all the Volts at our workplace.

 

[Jeff N]

Doesn't the Chevy Spark EV have at least a 6.6 kw charger? this feels like a cost saving measure just like the use of incandescent lights on the turn signals, halogen head lights instead of LED, and there choice not to have a heat pump

The Spark EV has only a 3.3 kW charger (14-15A) close to the original or lower trim Nissan LEAF which had a 3.6 kW (16A). GM might have leveraged the same charger design as in the Volt. In any case, it costs them a little less to make it 3.3 instead of 6.6 kW. The 2016 Volt will have a 16A charger so it will slightly faster than the original Volt. The Smart EV and the Ford Energi PHEVs are also 14-16A.

For the record, I think a 24A or 32A charger should be made an option on the 2016 Volt. Many Volt owners do not want to pay a little extra for faster charging at public stations they would never use or that don't exist yet in their area. Others, like me, who regularly charge at work or at public 240v stations would happily pay for a faster charging option.

The 2016 Volt has LED low-beam headlights.

 

[Calvin.K]

Consumer reports chimes in on the new redesigned volt

 

[cwerdna]

Completely agree with @cwerdna's point about workplace charging. We have the same (low throughput) issue with all the Volts at our workplace.

Yep. And some workplaces and public charging charge by time, not by kWh. From your location, I have a guess as to where you work.

I've seen some pricing for some workplace charging (mine's free). For the ones that charge by time (assuming 30+ amp EVSEs), people w/6+ kW OBCs have a decent deal while those w/3.x kW OBCs have a not-so-good deal.

One friend of mine (possibly at the same company as gg_got_a_tesla) w/o any EV/PHEV sent me their pricing of $1/hour for the first 5 hours and $5/hour for each additional hour. I had to explain to him the good/bad deal depending on the OBC, encouraging turnover, preventing blocked spaces, costs of charging @ home, etc.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

@cwerdna, haha, close but no cigar. I used to work at that company that charges outlandish rates at their restricted ChargePoint stations. I'm now at the other big (fun!) company in my location and charging's free here.

 

[Electroman]

My work place provides free chargers and these slow Volts sit there the whole day charging slowly. A real pain.

But then again Model S battery is pretty big that it sits there charging the whole day too.

Both of them are charge station hoggers for different reasons. The concept of sharing an L2 station during a work day simply breaks down.

 

[scottf200]

My work place provides free chargers and these slow Volts charge the whole day and you simply can't unplug them. A real pain.
But then again Model S battery is pretty big that it sits there charging the whole day.
Both of them are charge station hoggers for different reasons. The concept of sharing an L2 station during a work day simply breaks down.

A Volt on L2 will charge in about 3.5 hours.
It would seem like your Model S would not need to charge. Not sure how far you are driving to work.
Solution is just many 120v 20amp outlets. Everyone can charge and 3 miles per hour of charging is OK if you are at work 8-9 hours a day.

 

[dhrivnak]

Our workplace is installing L1 charging for EV's as they do not want people moving cars during the day. Since VERY few people commute more than 35 miles to work, 9 hours on level 1 would allow one to get back home with no issues. Additionally there is little fear the general public would come and hang out for L1 charging. So the logic makes sense, and I would much rather have many L1 chargers at work than a few L2 chargers.

PS We have had our Volt for 3 weeks now and and even the puny 8 amp default L1 charge on the Volt has fully met our charging needs. Not once have we run out of battery. My neighbor across the street has been Level 1 charging his Leaf and only once has he needed and used my offer of my L2 charger. So Level 1 can work for many if not most people.

 

[ChadS]

TomSax's recent take on workplace charging, including how L1 can be better than L2 (in many, though not all situations) is HERE. He also discusses pricing.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

TomSax's recent take on workplace charging, including how L1 can be better than L2 is HERE.

Thanks, Chad, and Tom, for that. Agree that a ton of L1 outlets - free or not - are a great solution for most workplaces and most commuters. They are definitely just right for the Volt to fill its battery up.