Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Update on the Chevrolet Volt

We have had our Chevy Volt for about 6 months now and I have to tell you that I really love it now.
It is so awesome not having to fill up with gas as often as we used to.
The car is still very zippy and drives really nicely.
There is something that has surprised me about it.
During these colder months, when we charge the car fully overnight it maxes out as 28-30 miles of charge.  Over the summer we could fully charge it up to 40-42 miles.  So basically the winter months we are getting 10 miles or MORE of less charge.  This really stinks!  My trips are being cut shorter and we are running out of charge more often than we did this summer.
There is another problem with the car in the winter.  It does not get warm!!!!  We have bundled up more in the house and then get in the car and we are ok, but if you forget to bundle up, OY!
When you turn on the heater, defroster, seat warmer, you will use up your charge even faster.  And when you use the heat, it does not feel nice and warm, like it does in all our other cars.
A friend who has a Volt, (Hi Susan!) gave us a great tip! While the car is plugged in, and before you are ready to get in it, you can use the Onstar App to turn the car on and set it to maximum heat inside.  You then are not using up any of your charge since it is still plugged in.  My husband once turned it on and started to heat it up while he was sitting on an airplane, waiting to get off!  Now that is cool, or hot!
So do I still love the volt? Yes, I do.  But I had to buy a super warm coat, gloves and hat and keep some blankets in the back for the kids, so we do not freeze to death this summer.

1 comment:

  1. That’s what I like most about my Chevy Volt too. I don’t need to gas up as often as before. It’s so convenient to be able to charge at home, right? Well, recharging at the office works for me. Haha! I don’t have the budget for solar panels yet. Cheers to our Volts! :D -->Tyra Shortino

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