Cowmeat learns to drive the Volt

[WyrTwister]

Take a cold shower and call us in the morning . :-)

Wyr
God bless

[cowmeat]

Had 50 miles of estimated range this morning after a full charge overnight

[WyrTwister]

:-)

Wyr
God bless

[cowmeat]

Two eco cars hanging together at work . . .

My son is still driving my old Insight Turtle, and it just turned over 240,000 miles not too long ago. He is still getting around 70 mpg and the IMA is holding up okay
You can't see it in the pic but the Volt is plugged in. I started charging at work again the first week of January. I've only driven it about ten miles on gas this year, I don't drive it on the weekends and I charge at work for free all week, so my fuel cost is hovering right around zero for the year.

[Ecky]

Considering getting a 2nd car for my partner. I have my eye on a 2013 Volt with ~100k on the clock for ~$7000, and hopefully I can bargain down $500-750. What do I need to know before pulling the trigger on one of these?

[cowmeat]

Number one, make them fully charge it before you go to test drive it. You're going to need to see how that battery fares since it's out of warranty

Drive it long and hard on the test drive and see how the battery reacts (drive it like you stole it like you would if you were getting another Insight). If it pops up any messages like "battery too cold/plug in to warm" I'd walk away. I think the older ones require a partial pack to full pack change if a battery temp sensor goes bad, and that'll be more than the price of the car since it's out of warranty

I think the 2013 has the "hold" feature, I'd test it and see how well it runs/charges with the ICE running.

Other than that it's just like any other car, where if you get a bad feeling walk away, and if all goes well you'll get an awesome second vehicle which has way less maintenance than a regular car.

And lastly I would lowball them hard (like I'd offer 5 grand and meet them somewhere in the middle) since it's got 100k on the clock and used Volts are sitting on lots long enough right now to make the dealers want to get them out of there. Most dealers (even Chevy) don't want to hassle with them cause they know nothing about them

BTW - I filled up at the first of January and had the oil changed at the same time, mine is still sitting at almost a full tank and 99% oil life after about 3800 miles

[Ecky]

How do you think a Volt would handle our winters? I have no experience with EVs in severe cold, but I understand lithium doesn't play well with it. For 3 months it doesn't get above freezing, and usually for at least 3-4 weeks the highs are sub-zero.

[cowmeat]

Sorry I'm not more help, but I'm better suited to telling you how it reacts in the heat!
I'm not really sure how Volts handle winters up north, but I know if you leave it plugged in at night it's supposed to keep the battery at a reasonable temperature, not that it matters here in Florida.

There have to be some northern Volt owners on here that could give you some more appropriate pointers, you remember how different it is down here from where you now live!

There are a couple of Volt forums that might give you some pointers too

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by cowmeat

Drive it long and hard on the test drive and see how the battery reacts (drive it like you stole it like you would if you were getting another Insight). If it pops up any messages like "battery too cold/plug in to warm" I'd walk away. I think the older ones require a partial pack to full pack change if a battery temp sensor goes bad, and that'll be more than the price of the car since it's out of warranty

How common is this? Is it remotely possible to DIY?

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by Ecky

How do you think a Volt would handle our winters? I have no experience with EVs in severe cold, but I understand lithium doesn't play well with it. For 3 months it doesn't get above freezing, and usually for at least 3-4 weeks the highs are sub-zero.

In harsh winter, I would suggest simply using hold mode and running the engine.

I notice very little change in fuel economy between 30F and 50F. The problem is the engine tries to warm things up but doesn't ever actually get warm. So the engine is constantly running much colder than what would be efficient.

I do like the car a lot, but winter comfort is a bit lacking in the gen1 volt.