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bennelson 05-12-2011 07:57 PM

Just DROVE a Volt!
 
I just drove a Volt!

Even though there are NONE for sale in my state yet, (I've been told they are being released 4th Quarter 2011...) I managed to find a dealership where the owner personally owns one.

The sales guy I was working with was super-nice. I shot a video interview of him talking about the car.

I grabbed some stills and some video I'll get up here later.

I also ran over my camera with the Volt.....

It was unusually warm today - 86 degrees F - it's not unknown to get snow in my area in May. I have officially decided that I like the air conditioner in the Volt! :cool:

Angmaar 05-12-2011 09:02 PM

It was crazy hot today. That must have been good for the efficiency of the Volt. What kind of kWh/Mile did it get?

gone-ot 05-12-2011 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bennelson (Post 237862)
I just drove a Volt!

Even though there are NONE for sale in my state yet, (I've been told they are being released 4th Quarter 2011...) I managed to find a dealership where the owner personally owns one.

The sales guy I was working with was super-nice. I shot a video interview of him talking about the car.

I grabbed some stills and some video I'll get up here later.

I also ran over my camera with the Volt.....

It was unusually warm today - 86 degrees F - it's not unknown to get snow in my area in May. I have officially decided that I like the air conditioner in the Volt! :cool:

...uh, Ben, that's not how you're supposed to recharge your camera using a Volt.

bennelson 05-12-2011 09:28 PM

I didn't see any Watt-Hour-Per-Mile meter on the car. It has a display showing how many more miles you can go on your current charge. That number of miles changes while you drive, depending on exactly how you drive.

As for running over my camera with the car.......
It's a small video camera that I can set on the ground. Then I drive the car forward to show off the underside of the vehicle.

I did notice that the front-bottom air dam on the car actually is pretty close to the ground. I had the set my camera behind that, otherwise that lip would have knocked the camera over as I pulled forward.

Here's some photos for you guys.
PHOTOS LINK

http://gallery.me.com/benhdvideoguy/...13052493040001

http://gallery.me.com/benhdvideoguy/...13052495170001

http://gallery.me.com/benhdvideoguy/...13052497110001

http://gallery.me.com/benhdvideoguy/...13052495720001

And, of course, the typical bad self-portrait...
http://gallery.me.com/benhdvideoguy/...13052498440001
At least that helps prove that I don't just make up all my weird stories.

I'll have some video posted tomorrow.

-Ben

See more photos at this link


PS: After I ran over the camera, I then went and BACKED over it....

bennelson 05-13-2011 11:30 AM

OK - Now HERE'S what I meant when I said that I ran over my camera with the car!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhEhHsnKvF8

gone-ot 05-13-2011 11:41 AM

...the "sharp" corners at the rear of the Volt remind me of the original Kamm back designs of years ago...making a come back?

...the underbody isn't as "clean" as I thought it would be.

euromodder 05-13-2011 02:17 PM

It's leaking ! :)

bennelson 05-13-2011 02:21 PM

I've noticed too that there is less belly pan than one might expect.

I don't know if that' because there's all the ICE components under there or what.

The middle section has a belly pan that's very clear to see in the video. I believe that the batteries are installed from below the car, and then covered with that partial belly pan.

The front lip ground spoiler is pretty low. It's gotta be about 4 inches off the ground. Perhaps the GM engineers were thinking more about keeping air out from under the car in the first place than making the bottom aerodynamic.

I'm sure lots of Volt owners are going to scrape that front lip a bit on speed bumps and steep driveways.

The squarish rear corners of the car do seem to be a distinct feature of the vehicle. For some reason, they seem "Cadillac-ish" to me.

bennelson 05-13-2011 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by euromodder (Post 238034)
It's leaking ! :)

That actually did freak me out for a second.

It's condensate. I had the air conditioning on.

bennelson 05-13-2011 07:06 PM

Another video.

This one shows off the interior of the car, and my favorite feature - the charging port remote popper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w6V_Tv5_Mc

bennelson 05-13-2011 08:11 PM

I did forget to get video of the smart phone app. It's supposed to be pretty cool.
You can set up the car to e-mail you when it is done charging OR if you forget to charge it!

NeilBlanchard 05-13-2011 10:38 PM

The rear corners look a lot like how the Prius Gen3 is, as well. It is a partial Kamm back, I think -- too bad the rear wheel track isn't narrowed like the EV1 was...

bennelson 05-13-2011 11:15 PM

I believe it was only the pre-production version of the EV-1 that had the narrower rear tire spacing.

When I saw Chelsea Sexton in the EV-1 in Madison, Wisconsin last summer, I don't remember the rear wheels being any closer together than the front.

It always seems like there are a lot of changes between an original concept car, and the "consumer acceptable" production version. The Volt concept looked very sharp - it had much of a muscle car look to it and sort of reminded me of the current version of the Camero.

I actually mentioned to the sales person at the dealership that if the Volt didn't have all the graphics all over it, it would blend right in with the Cruzes and Malibus on the lot!

bennelson 05-14-2011 09:59 AM

Here's the actual test-drive video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYjqQC28JGo

piers.singer 05-14-2011 10:42 AM

You're one happy chap, Ben! Even happier in an electric car, evidently :D Great videos.

NeilBlanchard 05-14-2011 08:57 PM

OT: The EV1 front track is 57.9" and the rear track is 49" -- see the second page of this web page. Also, see this PDF (center middle-ish).

bennelson 05-14-2011 09:11 PM

Hmmm. - Well, that does remind me that the battery configuration on the EV-1 and the Volt are similar.

Both cars have a tube of batteries straight down the middle, which gives sort of a distinct type of interior.

The old Tropica EV had a very similar setup.

2000mc 07-04-2014 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bennelson (Post 238038)
The front lip ground spoiler is pretty low. It's gotta be about 4 inches off the ground. Perhaps the GM engineers were thinking more about keeping air out from under the car in the first place than making the bottom aerodynamic.

I'm sure lots of Volt owners are going to scrape that front lip a bit on speed bumps and steep driveways.

not to advocate smaller air dams, but if anyone was frustrated with damaged volt airdams, i figured this is an alternative to someone possibly completely removing thiers

A shorter front bumper fascia air deflector (part number 20993998) with a higher ground clearance is now available for service. The shorter air deflector brings the ground clearance up to 125 mm (4.9 in) from the original clearance of 95 mm (3.7 in).

jcp123 07-04-2014 06:32 PM

The Volt is what hybrids should have been to begin with.

Even Matt Farah owns one. And gets 115mpg in it.

Cobb 07-04-2014 07:44 PM

Matt Farah?!?!?! The guy that sings the "happy" song? :confused:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcp123 (Post 433563)
The Volt is what hybrids should have been to begin with.

Even Matt Farah owns one. And gets 115mpg in it.


jcp123 07-04-2014 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobb (Post 433571)
Matt Farah?!?!?! The guy that sings the "happy" song? :confused:

Nah from THe Smoking Tire. As the name suggests, he is typically more into making satisfyingly gratuitous burnouts in expensive sportscars.

Goldenstate 07-04-2014 11:25 PM

Would love to have a Volt. Went to the local Chevy dealer last week to sneak a peek at one of several they had on the lot. Very sharp looking car. It was almost love at first sight until I tried to fit myself into it. At 6' 4" tall, few high mileage cars will fit my height. I did fit in an Impala but the mileage was not any better than what I can get with my current ride. The 40 mile electric range would be perfect for my needs. Too bad they do not make the roof height a couple of inches higher.

Xist 07-05-2014 12:32 AM

I am 6'2" and find many cars to be too small, but mostly I want more legroom.

My roommate alternately brags and complains about his Impala. Mostly, he complains that he has the wheelbase of a truck, and the rest is trash talking.

Did I just call my roommate trash? :D


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