Volt Pic Post.........High VOLTage or Low? Post pictures and stories/experiences of your Volt or someone's you know or have driven.

[2.0T_Convert]

First problem for first Volt owner I know.

Flat tire. And even a phone alert when the car notices before the owner does!

[Brendan@bwalkauto]

Couple fun Volt things from my Chevy dealer. Last month, I thought they did 35 or so. They sold 56 Volts! That's a huge amount for a single model.

I'm working with the owners on getting a 24 hour test drive in place. I'm doing it more for LEAF, since I want people to see what the car will do for a whole day to get over the range anxiety, but I figured why not do it with Volt too.

If I get the go ahead (we're looking into the legal aspect, insurance, liability, etc), I'll let you guys know, so if you're in the Bay Area and interested in either you can tool around in one for a day to see if it fits your needs.

[lil' thumper]

There’s good news for the group of temporarily laid off workers at the Chevy Volt’s Detroit Hamtramck plant: Due to an uptick in sales and demand of the extended-range EV, General Motors announced production will resume a week earlier than planned.

GM halted Volt production on March 19 due to low demand. As a result, 1300 employees at the Volt’s facility were temporarily laid off for five weeks until production was scheduled to resume on April 23. Now, the Detroit Free Press is reporting workers will be called back in on April 16 due to an increase of Volts. A GM spokeswoman tells us employees were notified on April 3 that production would resume a week earlier than expected. Last month, Chevy sold 2289 units of the EV, which is more than double the 1023 sold during February and almost four times the amount sold in January 2012.
“We are meeting supply and demand,” Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, said to the Detroit Free Press at the New York International Auto Show. “It’s not just Volt. It’s everything.”

The rise in demand may be due in part to the new Low Emissions Package offered on 2012 Chevy Volts sold in California. The package, which includes a number of hardware and software upgrades that reduce exhaust particulates, makes the Volt eligible for access to California’s coveted carpool lanes. It also adds an available $1500 tax rebate.

There’s no word if the increased demand will have any effect on the planned shutdown for the Detroit plant this summer. Earlier this week, GM said it would halt Volt production for three weeks in July instead of the normal two weeks to keep production in line with demand.
Source: Detroit Free Press


Read more: http://wot.motortrend.com/and-were-b...#ixzz1rJOD4HNA

[audifans]

Looks like Zip Car has several Volts available in Chicago

Man, I love that color. Why would you want silver/grey?

[Powderkeg]

Everything I've seen about the car shows it's perfectly happy being a 4 season performer.

[Bazooka]

Driving characteristics seem well behaved from my perspective (couple days in the driver's seat)

[badb5]

Topaz Blue seems to be one of those colors that changes in different lighting - love it

[Wheelstand]

Topaz Blue... Fantastic!

White is nice.

[Terandyne]

I'm curious what the 2014-15 version will bring as far as changes

[jeff james]

[kasbah]

[Jesarray]

[Bodacious]

some picky things owners have talked about

1. Front air dam is too low - in hilly Seattle I cringe every time it scrapes - which happens multiple times a day.
2. If you are > 6 feet tall the car can feel a little cramped
3. The front roof posts are thicker than any car I've ever driven - pedestrians can be in the blind spot.

although for the life of me, most new cars seem like the front posts are freakin' huge!!!

[kasbah]

[Jesarray]

[Gavin Calistros]

His comments:

The Volt springs off the line in near silence. The instantaneous 273 pound-feet of torque was a pleasant and unexpected surprise. It’s hard to resist punching it from a standstill when next to fancy sport sedans or against my favorite friend, the Prius. While 0-30 mph in 3 seconds is no record, doing it in near silence sets it apart. Fortunately, flooring it regularly will not degrade or damage the 400-pound lithium-ion battery according to the experts.

[kowabonga]

Anybody seen one of these?

[Powderkeg]

heh... Guess he just had to park on the lawn

[Bodacious]

[Massive Attack]

Our spy photographers recently stumbled across this Chevy Volt wearing bright chrome 20s.

it's a pre-production test mule for the 2014 Cadillac ELR. The ELR, formerly known as the Converj concept, was confirmed for production by GM in August and is rumored to get an upgraded drivetrain (more power can't hurt) and will certainly get upgraded rolling stock and a more Cadillac ride. .

[Powderkeg]

The next version of this. I wonder how different it'll be

[Gavin Calistros]

Here come da' Fuzz?

[Harvey Hopkins]

Ampera

Haven't kept up on how it's doing

This car will be a great boost for the Opel and Vauxhall brands," predicts launch manager Ian Allen.

[Bazooka]

Pretty nice to see Volt emerging from all that hoopla last year. It'll be interesting to see what lower gas prices do to sales. (if anything)

[Terandyne]

Cool... literally

[KahviVW]

Cool... literally

Snowflake wheels are appropriate.

[audifans]

Marriott, Hadley, Connecticut

[Gavin Calistros]

From the "hood" thread

Speaking of style, I thought the Volt looked particularly appropriate as a traffic cop car. Much more "robocop" than the Prius' patrol cars:

[DUBLUV401]

ok so I have a few questions, forgive my ignorence ahead of time. So from what I've been reading the car will increase the mpg by going down hill. Now what if u were to tow the vehiclewith all four wheels on the ground and the car in the "on" position, will it in fact charge it self?

Also, we have come quite far with cars in the past decade. I know it will be a matter of time before the cars will charge faster, hold the charge longer and may in fact charge themselves. How soon do you think it will be before any of this can happen?

[audifans]

Drives like an ace, nimble, fun, intuitive, and downright zippy when necessary. The Volt is compact inside, but never uncomfortable, and it provides the quietest ride of any car I've ever driven, including the Prius. In fact, it's better than the Prius in almost every way

[jeff james]

one review

The good news to report here is that while the Chevrolet is no lightweight for its size, it doesn't drive like a heavy car. In fact, it feels light on its feet, helped somewhat by the mildly overboosted power steering. Around corners and in transitions, handling is helped by the mass of the battery pack being located centrally and low in the car.

The 273 lb-ft of torque from the electric motor makes Volt's acceleration a match to that of your average midsized, four-cylinder sedan. At highway speeds, the Volt is less responsive, but it had no trouble exceeding posted limits nor accelerating up to those speeds.

If there's an usual aspect to the Volt's dynamics, it's the regenerative braking. In emergency braking situations, I found the brakes a touch slow to respond to my initial pedal inputs. ABS, traction and stability systems were quick to engage when I pushed the limits of the tires. Over certain road imperfections, the Volt can feel under-sprung and under-damped - this is where I'd prefer a slightly stiffer spring paired with a better shock. Most drivers will enjoy the soft ride.

During my cold days testing the Volt, I had three days of pure electric operation. With low overnight temperatures at or below freezing, the Volt calculated a maximum of 38 to 40 kilometres of electric range. In city driving, I would see a real-world maximum of 28 kilometres before the onboard, gasoline-powered generator had to run. With an empty battery, charge time was a reasonable seven hours on my household 120V outlet.

[kowabonga]

[kasbah]

According to those I've talked to who have one, it doesn't take long to get in the habit to plug 'em in and stay charged up.

[Terandyne]

[Barefoot_]

Sweet shot on the coast