Cowmeat learns to drive the Volt

[Hank1510]

I think 2014 was the first year for hold mode. You can still use mountain mode which turns on the gas engine at 50% battery.

[cowmeat]

Yeah, I tried that the first couple of days I owned the car.

If I drove in "mountain" mode on the way to work it would charge enough that I could make the 19 miles home on EV. I think it still nets over 80 mpg doing it that way (on a commute like mine), since the Volt gets maybe 25-30 mpg in mountain mode and about 150 mpg in EV mode.

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

I hate using this phrase but the engineers at GM know best and have thought of everything .

Engine and fuel maintenance is a science, the volt keeps track of your fuels age and has sensors monitoring its quality and octane.

The computer monitors if and when the motor is run up to operating temp and runs
EMM on a very conservative schedule
How often and under what circumstances does the Volt force gas burning in EMM or FMM? [Archive] - GM-Volt: Chevy Volt Forum

If anything the engineers baby all systems, GM wanted the car to last 500000 miles and it shows

Volt Stats: Details for Volt #2012-07353 (sparkie)

So just enjoy the car and drive worry free any issues are handled automatically

Cheers
Ryan

Engineers thinking of everything ? Yea , sure , I am buying that hook , line & sinker . :-(

Otherwise , you are probably correct in much / most of what you said ?

On the other hand , running the ICE once every week / month is not going to hurt anything and may contribute to peace of mind . And , as I said , would not cost much .

God bless
Wyr

[cowmeat]

I hate using this phrase but the engineers at GM know best and have thought of everything .

Pretty sure they didn't think about the git er done in his F250 inevitably riding 8 feet off my ass when they came up with the "L" mode. Without a warning light for drivers behind me it's a dangerous option. I use it 100% of the time, but it's still dangerous

And if you use cruise control a lot (which I do since I live in a flat area), clicking off the cruise while in "L" is a two step process if you don't want to get rear-ended
#1 match the speed output on the gas pedal and then #2 click off the cruise button. If you click off the cruise without your foot on the gas it's like hitting the e-brake

[cowmeat]

The federal government allows a specific rate of deceleration before the brake lights come on. So you can blame the law for the volts behavior.

Nope, I still blame Chevy for their shortsightedness

L is no different than downshifting my diesel suburban into 2

The difference lies in the fact that people won't ridiculously tailgate a Suburban, but they have absolutely no problem riding a Volt's ass. A warning light when decelerating in "L" would have been a good thing

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by cowmeat

Nope, I still blame Chevy for their shortsightedness



The difference lies in the fact that people won't ridiculously tailgate a Suburban, but they have absolutely no problem riding a Volt's ass. A warning light when decelerating in "L" would have been a good thing

They tailgate me plenty, they even tailgate my fathers 40' diesel pusher

I am trying to digest the patchwork of laws on this matter but it appears (at least from the Oregon DMV) that the brake lights are to only activate when a foot or handbrake is activated.

Reading into this would mean having the lights activate the way you describe is illegal, at least in 2013 when the document was from.

So we can say GM is negligent but they were legally required to be negligent.

[lindsayjim]

Originally Posted by lindsayjim

We love our 2014 Volt! I enjoy the game of recapturing energy on the down hill runs, using gasoline for uphill while driving cross country. Always remember to keep at least 5 miles of elec. range in your pocket as you switch back and forth between normal and hold modes. Here's a shot of the most a 2014's computer will tally : 60 miles elec. range. I got a loaner 2017 up to 90 elec. on a long cross country last month. Enjoy!

Bragging rights!

[cowmeat]

Nice one!

The newer Volts do even better than mine, eventually I'll probably trade mine in for a newer one

[cowmeat]

The Volt does a lot better in warmer weather!

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by cowmeat

The Volt does a lot better in warmer weather!

Yep, it's not a cold weather car, my worst run yet because of insta freezing rain on the windshield

The less Heater use the more efficient the car runs, even off the gas pig