Chevy Volt

A bit off topic, but...

I was surfing YouTube and came across a plug-in-hybrid comparison test in which the Honda Clarity scored well. Seems in the same general class as the Volt, but with more interior space. And it’s a Honda.

Anyone with first-hand experience with one? I think a trip to a Honda dealer for a test drive may be in order.
 
FastEddieB said:
A bit off topic, but...

I was surfing YouTube and came across a plug-in-hybrid comparison test in which the Honda Clarity scored well. Seems in the same general class as the Volt, but with more interior space. And it’s a Honda.

Anyone with first-hand experience with one? I think a trip to a Honda dealer for a test drive may be in order.
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There was one at the Indycar race at Barber Motorsports Park. I didn't sit in in,so I can't comment on how comfortable it is. It is a size class up from the Volt, so it should be more spacious. I don't like the exterior styling at all.

The Voltec drive train in the Volt has a very good reputation, I wouldn't automatically assume the Honda will be better.
 
Have a 2013 Volt we bought new. 51000 miles and 83 gal of gas used so far. My wife gos to town at least once every day. We can recharge and do it again later. Also the miles of charge don’t go down same as miles driven. Drove to airport other day 16 miles and charge went down 9 miles. In mountain mode seems like it will charge about one mile for every 2 or 3 miles driven. Has been great car and will by again. Have driven other makes made and prefer the volt. Our other cars average around 16 mpg so feel like volt is paying its way.
 
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Theboys said:
Have a 2013 Volt we bought new. 51000 miles and 83 gal of gas used so far. My wife gos to town at least once every day. We can recharge and do it again later. Also the miles of charge don’t go down same as miles driven. Drove to airport other day 16 miles and charge went down 9 miles. In mountain mode seems like it will charge about one mile for every 2 or 3 miles driven. Has been great car and will by again. Have driven other makes made and prefer the bolt. Our other cars average around 16 mpg so feel like volt is paying its way.
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Did you mean to say "volt""?
 
I have a 2017 Prius, I actually enjoy the car a lot, but, I keep looking at the Bolt. My gripe about the Volt is it was a 4 seater until recently. I need a 5 seater, as we have 5 in the family.
 
Update...

Here's that PHEV comparison test:


That led us to seek out a couple of Youtube road tests on the Clarity that were generally favorable.

We were in Cumming, GA this morning and stopped by a Honda dealer there to look at the Clarity.

42503164170_77f2a5a2d5_z.jpg


Karen and I were both impressed. Its about the same price as the Volt, but seems a lot more substantial. The EV range and gas mileage are very close to the Volt in spite of that. The rear seat is markedly larger than the Volt, as is the trunk. With 3 grandkids who are only going to get bigger and who we may have to ride herd on on occasion, the extra room could be important. Think it also has additional driver assist features the Volt lacks.

Anyway, at least for the moment we seem to be leaning that way. If we do go with the Clarity, will still wait until the 2019's come out to see if we can get a deal on a 2018, or if it has features making it more desirable. Next step is to test drive one.
 
Clip4 said:
Unfortunately many states are changing from fuel taxes to mileage taxes. That cuts savings on a EV a lot.
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I don't even consider that in the equation for EV savings, it's so insignificant.

In most any case, each mile driven electrically costs about 1/3 of what it costs to drive on gas - And that's only considering the "fuel" price, not the lowered maintenance demands of an electric car. Even plug-in hybrids have lower maintenance, since the engine isn't used nearly as much. The recommended oil change interval on my Fusion Energi was 20,000 miles.

FastEddieB said:
A bit off topic, but...

I was surfing YouTube and came across a plug-in-hybrid comparison test in which the Honda Clarity scored well. Seems in the same general class as the Volt, but with more interior space. And it’s a Honda.

Anyone with first-hand experience with one? I think a trip to a Honda dealer for a test drive may be in order.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I had to look that up, because until recently, the Honda Clarity was a Fuel Cell Vehicle, not an EV, and you do NOT want an FCV. Honda also had/has a plug-in Accord, but it's almost worthless - Only 10 miles of battery range. Stupid and pointless, really.

But, the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid looks respectable. However, you must consider this: While Honda has an excellent reputation because of its ICEVs, they have been putting most of their R&D dollars towards FCVs and only recently have been forced to move toward EVs. Honda is VERY early in their first generation of EVs. The Clarity plug-in hybrid was launched less than a year ago. That puts them behind Tesla, GM, Nissan, Daimler (Mitsubishi/Smart/Mercedes-Benz), Ford, Volvo, Fiat/Chrysler, BMW, Audi, Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, Volkswagen, ... (I think I've made my point here).

Given how early it is in their development of EVs, they probably still have a lot to learn and I wouldn't recommend doing anything other than leasing a Clarity at this point, unless you have a dealer who is very supportive of both older cars AND EVs (which is quite rare, unfortunately). Since you seem to like to keep cars for a long time, I don't think the Clarity is a good fit for you at this point in time. Hopefully, it turns out to be a great vehicle. But unless you're interested in being a guinea pig, I'd avoid it.
 
Thanks for that perspective.

I am generally loathe to buy ver 1 of anything, so I’ll definitely take that to heart. Probably seek out an Owner’s Forum, though those universally tend to emphasize the negative - people seem far more likely to post about problems than lack thereof, and that can skew perceptions.

As an aside, last night I downloaded the Owners Manual. It’s a lithe 591 pages long! The complexity contained therein is more than a little daunting. Makes me wax nostalgic for when a car was just a car!
 
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Just go diesel :) Cost me $.05 / mile to drive mine just looking at fuel cost.
 
Grum.Man said:
Just go diesel :) Cost me $.05 / mile to drive mine just looking at fuel cost.
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I had to go diesel, it was the only way I could pump my own fuel in Oregon.
Of course mine is running about $0.14/mile since I only get around 27MPG.
 
I average 43 high was 61.5 low was 40. Most of my commute is highway and I drive the speed limit to save gas vs. 5 minutes time.
 
You can tell the Volt to run off gas when there's still charge left in the battery. It's called HOLD mode.

The manual seat is a weight (and really a clearance issue as well) rather than power. The power to move the seat is minimal and the Volt 12V battery and charging system has more than enough.
 
flyingron said:
You can tell the Volt to run off gas when there's still charge left in the battery. It's called HOLD mode.

The manual seat is a weight (and really a clearance issue as well) rather than power. The power to move the seat is minimal and the Volt 12V battery and charging system has more than enough.
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I think HOLD mode started on 2013s. Don’t have it on mine. Nice feature.
 
I personally dislike power seats. They are slow to move and fail often. The only advantage is you can really dial in your perfect spot versus being constrained by detents.
 
Grum.Man said:
I personally dislike power seats. They are slow to move and fail often. The only advantage is you can really dial in your perfect spot versus being constrained by detents.
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Seat memory is awesome, we have three people using one of the cars, it has three memories. Perfect!
 
I love my Volt! The battery range is temperature sensitive: low 60's when the temp is between say 60 & 80, and somewhat less on each side of that range. I think the lowest I got was in the 40's when the temps were below freezing.

The only complaint I have is the steering wheel is too close to the seat for me; to get in I have to plop down facing to the side then swing my legs in.

It sure is nice never (well, almost never) having to pump gas anymore :) And, it's so quiet I have to wear earplugs when I drive in a "regular" car 'cause I'm not used to the noise :)
 
Clarity owners need to do us all the common curtesy of putting a cover over the car before they drive it in public. ;)
 
Grum.Man said:
I personally dislike power seats. They are slow to move and fail often. The only advantage is you can really dial in your perfect spot versus being constrained by detents.
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Same here. I appreciate luxury automation as much as the next guy, but I love to just get in and put my seat where I want it.. my wife's car has the automatic and electric seats and it's so ridiculous each time waiting 10 seconds for the seat to slowly go back to where it's supposed to be.. and who knows, maybe that day I want to be a little sportier and sit a little closer to the front
 
Dav8or said:
Clarity owners need to do us all the common curtesy of putting a cover over the car before they drive it in public. ;)
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Those vestigial fender skirts are just a bit odd, but overall neither Karen nor I object to the overall styling of the Clarity.

2017-Honda-Clarity-Fuel-Cell-front-three-quarter.jpg


Then again, we drive an Element in public, so there’s that.

On the topic of power seats, I like them, though not having them is not a big deal. On long trips with power seats, I’ll often reach down and nudge the seat angle a tiny bit, usually tending to more erect as the day goes on. To get power seats in the Clarity means $3k for the Touring model, which offers very little else of consequence*.


*It includes leather seating, which we’d prefer not to have
 
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I have used power seats for millions of miles (possible exaggeration) and I never had one fail on me, except for the seat heater in a Honda.

Power seats are faster for me to adjust because I can get it into position on the first try. With mechanical adjustments, I tend to over shoot forward, then backwards, then forward again till I finally get it right.
I hate when you have to push the back of a mechanical seat all the way back before you can move it forward again.
When driving, it is easy to make minute an adjustment with a power seat. With a mechanical seat, you lift the lever and jolt one way or the other, which isn't good while the car is moving.

So, to each his own. I dislike the eggshell look of most EVs. I like Prius's, but I find I get annoyed at the way most Prius drivers drive.

A friend of mine has a Tesla. He drives 65 miles to work on Atlanta highways every day in stop and go rush hour traffic. He charges it at work for free and drives it home and charges it overnight. Of course he does have other cars for longer trips, but the Tesla is a blast to drive. He is the kind of guy that buys a new car every other year, although he has owned the Tesla for 3 years now and plans to keep it. But I hope he sells it soon because I want to buy it. I tend to keep cars 10 years or more.
 
Theboys said:
Have a 2013 Volt we bought new. 51000 miles and 83 gal of gas used so far. My wife gos to town at least once every day. We can recharge and do it again later. Also the miles of charge don’t go down same as miles driven. Drove to airport other day 16 miles and charge went down 9 miles. In mountain mode seems like it will charge about one mile for every 2 or 3 miles driven. Has been great car and will by again. Have driven other makes made and prefer the volt. Our other cars average around 16 mpg so feel like volt is paying its way.
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That is impressive. Dad bought a brand new 2010ish? Jetta diesel which was affected by that VW scandal. I'm no VW fan but he kept it, and got darn near $8k back for keeping it, and still gets around 48 MPG or so, about the same as Mom's Gen 2 Prius.
 
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FastEddieB said:
Those vestigial fender skirts are just a bit odd, but overall neither Karen nor I object to the overall styling of the Clarity.

2017-Honda-Clarity-Fuel-Cell-front-three-quarter.jpg


Then again, we drive an Element in public, so there’s that.

On the topic of power seats, I like them, though not having them is not a big deal. On long trips with power seats, I’ll often reach down and nudge the seat angle a tiny bit, usually tending to more erect as the day goes on. To get power seats in the Clarity means $3k for the Touring model, which offers very little else of consequence*.


*It includes leather seating, which we’d prefer not to have
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It's not to my liking, but it's much better than the Toyota Mirai:

2016-toyota-mirai-photo-651332-s-1280x782.jpg


I think these are only found in California. Add that to the list of hazards of living there: earthquakes, wildfires, and occasionally spotting a Toyota Mirai.
 
Several years ago, Audi had me come over to their US offices to test drive an electric car. I assumed that they were going to have me test drive an Audi. What they had was a Tesla S. They fitted me with a wireless mike and then videoed me driving the car (one handheld and two gopros). They then had me compare it to an Audi A8 (gasoline). I guess it was some internal market research to see if they should make an electric A8. I got a whole bag of Audi swag for the effort (a jacket, water bottle, several pens, a note pad, etc..).
 
FormerHangie said:
It's not to my liking, but it's much better than the Toyota Mirai:

2016-toyota-mirai-photo-651332-s-1280x782.jpg


I think these are only found in California. Add that to the list of hazards of living there: earthquakes, wildfires, and occasionally spotting a Toyota Mirai.
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:rofl:

You won't find a Mirai outside of California, because there are only about three dozen FCV fueling stations in the entire country (world?), and they're all in California. And people think *electric* vehicles won't take off...
 
JOhnH said:
I have used power seats for millions of miles (possible exaggeration) and I never had one fail on me, except for the seat heater in a Honda.

...

So, to each his own. I dislike the eggshell look of most EVs. I like Prius's, but I find I get annoyed at the way most Prius drivers drive.
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Power seats on our 2006 Jeep Commander and 2013 Ford Escape. No problems with either.

Boy do I agree with you about the average Prius driver. They should be removed from the road.
 
One of my neighbors has a CNG car of some sort. It will actually run on either gasoline or CNG, it's about as transparent of a switch over than the Volt switching.
Alas, the tank is past certification now so he can't fill it with CH3. There actually are a few CNG filling stations around here (and we're out in the boonies).
 
Based on MissourI electric prices (10 cents per Kwh) I'm paying 70 cents to go as far as my old Caddy did on a gallon of gas, and $1.50 to go as far as a hybrid does on a gallon of gas.

That's like buying gas for 70 cents a gallon, or (depending what car you are comparing it to) $1.50 a gallon.

My car is a plug in hybrid

Plus I got $4,500 tax credit.
 
2017 Prius here. Set the cruise at 90 on toll road around Austin. Still got 48 mph. Drove the whole road, great fun. I also enjoy the lane assist and auto breaking with interval control with cruise control.

One day, when I can pay cash for it, I will get the Tesla model X. Ah one day
 
My 2003 Honda needed about $6000 of work and I never liked the car to begin with. Let someone else fix it. I sold it at a discount to a gear head who wants to fix it up. Kinda like selling that airplane with the run out engine and cylinders reading in the 30s on compression checks.

So I wanted a Bolt. Or barring that, maybe a Volt. A Hyundai Ionic maybe.

The Bolt is built in the same factory as the Sonic. Chevy is discontinuing the Sonic, so they are retooling that factory and the Bolt is on a production stop. Officially, it's to "control inventory glut", but at least here in NC, each dealer that I went to said they didn't have any cars, they have no idea when a car will be in and they have a list of people waiting to even test drive a Bolt. Maybe they have two dozen cars no each lot in California, but there's nothing here. I'm thinking that because of the backlog of Bolt buyers, more than a few of them here bought a Volt.

The Ioniq...well, Hyundai doesn't sell them in the southeast. They're probably the best EV out there, but they only sell them in the NE and the West. Ditto for their plug-in hybrid version.

So, I couldn't wait any longer. I now own a Leaf. It's not what I wanted, it's what was available for me to buy.

Such goes car buying today...
 
jmp470 said:
2017 Prius here. Set the cruise at 90 on toll road around Austin. Still got 48 mph. Drove the whole road, great fun. I also enjoy the lane assist and auto breaking with interval control with cruise control.

One day, when I can pay cash for it, I will get the Tesla model X. Ah one day
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A Prius driver who gets up and moves? You don't see that around here.
 
asicer said:
I once saw a Prius driver flick a cigarette butt out his window and then peel out of a Whole Foods parking lot. My brain almost exploded trying to comprehend what I just saw.
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A lot of people now drive Prius just to save gas and don't give damn about the environment. Same ashhole, different car.
 
Followed a Prius down the on ramp to the interstate the other day at 40MPH to merge into 70MPH traffic.:rolleyes::confused::mad:
 
EppyGA said:
Followed a Prius down the on ramp to the interstate the other day at 40MPH to merge into 70MPH traffic.:rolleyes::confused::mad:
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That drives me nuts.. I only drive the Prius in sport mode, as it moves pretty well.
 
jmp470 said:
That drives me nuts.. I only drive the Prius in sport mode, as it moves pretty well.
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BTW, just to clarify. Not busting on Prius drivers as I've been behind driver of all kinds of vehicles that don't understand the whole merge process. This one just happened to fit the thread :D
 
Purchased a 2018 Volt earlier this summer. Was initially going to buy a used 2015 with the largest Gen 1 battery (and premium gas), but the $7500 tax credit, a series of upgrades, and my irrational desire to run on regular gas pushed my value prop over to new.

To keep in mind:

Gen 1
3794 lbs
1.4L, 84 HP engine, Burns only Premium fuel

2011 - 16.0 kWh Battery
2013 - 16.5 kWh Battery
2015 - 17.1 kWh Battery​

Gen 2
3543 lbs (251 pound diet)
1.5l, 101 HP engine, burns Regular fuel

2016 - 18.4 kWh Battery
2019 - Rapid charging implemented​

Very happy with the car. The powertrain is quite sophisticated, with multiple combinations of 2 electric motors and a gas engine seamlessly coming online or offline to provide propulsion and/or regen power through two planetary sets of gearing and clutches. As an engineer I find it fascinating. Unfortunately, the GM sales and marketing team is generally unable to explain it to the public in a coherent manner that draws people in.

https://gm-volt.com/2015/02/20/gen-2-volt-transmission-operating-modes-explained/
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/04/20150423-voltec.html

It just works, though. Without the energy flow screens up, it isn't easy to tell what mode it is in, and there is none of the start/stop engine sensation that drives people nuts with many of the hybrids.

For daily commuting, my wife and I never use gas. On weekends and long trips, though, it runs just like a conventional gas powered car, with no range anxiety, and no extra thoughts.
 
In actuality, the earlier Volts though they tell you to put premium fuel in them, don't give a darn as to octane. This was done because they feared deterioration of the fuel if it sat.

The big advanteage on Gen2 was the somewhat larger battery and the fact the thing finally got off the 30A charging limit.
 
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