First Drive In Our 2015 Chevy Volt!

[@gsczr1]

I was with GM for 40 years and I remember all the buzz when the first Gen Volt was introduced. Bob Lutz was with the company at the time and he told us that the development of this car went remarkably well. He also said that GM had to get it right, right out of the box because the world was watching. At the time it was considered GM's moon shot. I would say they did it. It was a great car. Customers who bought the first gen Volt loved them. It used the same principle as a Locomotive. The engine did not power the wheels but turned a generator that powered the electric motors. I had a first gen Volt as a company car and I could get over 40 miles of driving before the gas generator would kick in. The Volt was a head of it's time. I can also tell you GM lost thousands on every one they produced. It was a complicated vehicle. The second Gen Volt was also a great car. Something GM could have fallen back on while EV sales got better. Oh Well! Cheers!!!

[@georgepelton5645]

I remember all of that. I put a deposit on a new Volt before GM announced the pricing, and received VIN 1217 in Feb 2011. It was a wonderful car, and I loved to drive it. I traded it for a 2014 Volt, and sold that when I bought a very early build Tesla Model 3 in Feb 2018 (I also reserved that before Tesla announced their pricing.) I remember fondly my time with the Volt. I was sad that GM cancelled production, but it was understandable given the cancellation of the Chevy Cruise would make many Volt components 3x as expensive due to low volume. Had GM been able to continue, they probably would have made a profit on the Volt with today's battery prices, vs. $1000/kWh back in 2010-2011.

[@gordonh107]

I had a 2014 and LOvED it. It was my gateway drug to full EV. My daughter is now driving the 2014 Volt with 175000 miles.

[@jm100368]

Id push back on the idea that is was ahead of its time.

[@tlister67]

Given the decision to drop ICE cars entirely it seems they could not make money on cars period. Profit is on the luxury spec trucks and SUVs. I am glad I got a new Bolt last year, great car so far.

[@gsczr1]

@@tlister67 Excellent decision. I too just bought a Bolt EUV Premier. It's excellent value with real usable range. I love the one pedal driving. Cheers!

[@russellobarski7434]

Finally someone who’s really praising the Volt for what it was and should have still been in production. I have owned 3 of them over a 10 1/2 year period. A 2014, 2017 and 2019 all black sharp looking. Leased them all for 3 years. Hated to see the 2019 go but no more Volts to buy. Bought my 2019 lease out paid tax, ordered a Tesla. Sold the Volt to car max and profited almost 6K. If GM still made them I would still be driving one. But I still love both of them Tesla and Volt.

[@jdlutz1965]

This car is probably the best value of all the cars you've bought and shared on your channel!

[@georgepelton5645]

I agree. Dave found a great deal on a well cared for car.

[@ianbladuell2694]

I bought a 2013 Chevy volt with 165,000 miles single owner in mint condition last year. Now a year later I have put 7700 miles on just 12 gallons of fuel. It is my daily commuter to work for 25 miles then I do free charging and then drive 25 miles back home. The previous owner didn’t drive him much in electric because the overall score was just 71.4 and now a year later I have it up to 85.9 driving it as an EV only. My second car is a 2022 Tesla model S that only comes out on sunny days. The Chevy volt is the second one that I’ve had in my driving life and it’s a great car it feels solid, great built quality and it is bulletproof regarding having trouble or problems with it. I highly recommend this card to anyone looking for a daily driver or for a teenager.

[@bleach6286]

Have you had any issues? I’m currently looking at a 2015 with 147k miles. Doing about 19-25 miles to work and back. Is there anything I should look out for? I’m just scared I’ll end up losing.

[@laurapescione7159]

Just bought my 3rd Volt for my teenage children. I had both a 1st and 2nd generation (both leases) and loved them both! I needed something bigger after i had kids and currently have a Tesla MY. I was excited to find a super clean 2015 with only 65k miles! I'm thrilled to have one again.

[@carmonben]

The volt is a highly misunderstood drivetrain It runs on the same basic principle as the prius drivetrain however they rearranged it quite significantly There are 2 electric motors and 1 engine All 3 are configurable into 4 different modes of operation via clutches Weber auto has a great explaining video How people usually explain the volt is 1 of the 4 modes, however the volt does use all 4 modes in normal operation (2 if you never run out of battery)

[@georgepelton5645]

I also highly recommend Weber Auto's video to anyone who wants to understand the Volt's hybrid transaxle. It is a bit much to take in for the average joe, but a brilliant design, interesting to tech focused people.

[@AngryDAP]

I had a 2013 volt. My wife and I loved the vehicle.. we drove that thing all over the US and put almost 200,000 miles on it. We were sad when GM discontinued the Volt, and we almost brought a 2019 year model, but ended up with an ID4. Great car.

[@Anthony__420]

I loved both of my Volts back in the day. Very cool design

[@DaveHaas]

Had a 2017 Volt for 5 years that I loved and I never would have thought OOS Dave would be driving one! Thanks for going downmarket to give some variety to the channel

[@aaronhodgman]

Use the "select" knob by your left knee to change the dash display. There's a screen that shows you where the power is going/coming from, how fast the engine is revving, etc.

[@akron82]

Really loved my Gen1 Volt..more so then my Gen2. Both of them were Premiums with every option. Such great vehicles, just released too early. If today they were released they'd likely be gobbled up. I could get 60-70 miles battery range in the summer out of my Gen2.

[@tomwojcik7896]

why did you like your Gen1 more than your Gen2 ?

[@akron82]

It just seemed more buttoned down and over engineered compared to the Gen 2. Not saying the Gen 2 wasn't great, just I preferred the Gen 1 style, seats, and layout more.@@tomwojcik7896

[@Thecrazyfisherman2]

Interior quality looks way better in the gen 1 the two tone white interior was awesome

[@planefan082]

Just got a new to me Gen2 in Canada. The vehicle was only at the dealership for a few days and four other people tried to buy it while I was paying. Can confirm these things are popular.

[@bmw803]

Gen1 is a FAR BETTER setup. Less shit to go wrong with it. No chain, No EGR valve on the engine, easier to work on, etc.

[@igneousc]

still rocking my 2013 volt. Biggest problem I've had with it is rusting brake rotors in the northeast. I could see myself upgrading to a model 3 or y or something in the future, but it's hard because this car has been so affordable and useful for me. The hatchback of the volt is soo much more useful than the trunk on the model 3, I've hauled a ton of stuff in it.

[@brandenflasch]

The joke with Volts is that you don’t have range anxiety, you have gas anxiety

[@Geckogold]

Having owned a Volt before, I started getting so used to driving it completely on electric that it became annoying almost any time the gas engine came on. Especially if it was just a mile or so before I got to my house.

[@georgepelton5645]

Yes. I would call it "engine start anxiety." I hated it when the engine would start one mile from home. Not good for the engine, and EV mode was nicer to drive when around town. Gas engine was fine on the highway, I could hardly tell if it was running or not. I learned to hypermile, and only used the engine only about per month for city driving past my 38 mile EV range.

[@JamesFoxFiles]

@@georgepelton5645 I am on the hunt to buy my first Volt but there is some thing I have yet to understand: could they be driven without ever plugging in? Let's say I'm going on a weeklong trip and I won't be near a charging station. I've read that they will use the battery even in hold mode. Would I be SOL if I am unable to charge it in that time? (I don't expect that to ever happen, more just wanna understand how it all works)

[@urbo42]

The gas engine runs when the battery gets below 30 per cent charge (or in cold weather the engine might run for a while - engine running due to temperature) You can drive it on gas for the rest of your life if you wish. Needing a charging station is irrelevant on a long trip. I owned one for 10 years. A well maintained Volt doesn't mean spending a fortune, but the oil changes (I did mine once a year) and coolant flushes every five years will keep it humming along. The battery never gets below 30 per cent and above 80 per cent charged. Keeping the battery in its happy zone is the reason the system is so long lived and reliable.@@JamesFoxFiles

[@georgepelton5645]

@@JamesFoxFiles Yes. All plug-in hybrids, including the Volt, can be driven without being plugged in. They operate just like a regular "strong hybrid" like a Prius, charging the battery from region and some "engine charging" in generator mode, and using the stored battery power to allow a bit of engine-off operation.

[@NA5AA]

We owned a 2017 Volt, and my wife and I really enjoyed the Volt. It was great for road trips and in-town use. It had a 9-gallon fuel tank that would last for months because we would use the electric motor for all our in-town driving. It was very reliable and we never had any problems. The Volt could do about 420 miles on a single tank of gas and a fully charged battery. We installed a 40 amp Juice Box wall charger to charge the Volt in about 4 hours. We were very disappointed when Chevy said it was discontinuing the Volt. The Volt was the last car we owned that had a gas engine. We sold our Volt and bought our first Tesla in 2019 and will never buy another gas-powered vehicle again.

[@johncquiroz]

I loved this car! I had a 2012 and it was amazing! I miss that car sometimes the best car I’ve owned

[@philipcunio4089]

Owned 3 of them. A great car! That’s why GM discontinued it and dealerships will no longer support it.

[@EricBowersTrekkie]

My dealership still works on my 2015 Volt. Even had a warranty repair done. So, I don't know what you mean about them not supporting the car.

[@deborah0357]

In August 2014, I bought my 2015 Chevy Volt new. I still have it. It will be 10 years the end of next month. That's the longest I have every owned a car and I have no plans to get rid of it anytime soon. Mine is silver with black leather interior. It has 143,000 miles. I've taken many road trips through the years from Michigan to Northern Michigan, Florida and Maryland. There has been very little battery degradation over the 10 years. When It was new, if I drove very conservatively, I could get 52 miles from battery. Now, it's about 45.

[@Trades46]

The Volt was a moon shot GM product. One of the few times GM over-engineered and was a flagship product not named Corvette that was developed in the darkest days of GM (designed in the late 2000s and carried through post recession GM). My cousin has a MY17 Volt and he still loves it.

[@sm308racing4]

Loved my 2014 Volt. Had over 120k on it when I traded it in on my R1T. Only had one issue with it and ironically, that was with the ICE. Like yours, it was absolutely rattle free until the day I got rid of it. Seeing you enjoy this makes me wish I held onto it as a spare vehicle.

[@ericcindycrowder7482]

I was one of those guys that followed every Volt news between 2006 and 2010. I ended buying a new 2011 Volt in March of 2011. My Volt has been my daily driver for 12 years, and only stopped driving it a couple weeks ago. I agree it’s mechanically over complicated yet it’s over engineered and probably was too expensive to manufacture to make a profit. GM made a lot of cost cutting measures for the Gen2 Volt (2017+) but those cars had more of a reputation for breaking down and some electronic defects, especially with the battery energy control module circuit boards. I love my Volt and even though I am no longer daily driving to work I’m keeping it for the occasional drive and road trip. Oh and BTW, call it what it is…..an E-REV, an Extended Range Electric Vehicle. I cringe when people say it’s a hybrid or PHEV (Plug in Hybrid EV) because it’s so much more than all the other PHEVs out there!!!

[@kalebm9302]

As a first gen Volt owner (2012) I would just like to let you know if you find the startup sound to be loud, you need to quickly turn the volume knob down as you turn the car on and it will adjust the volume. Really weird GM quirk, the settings menu have an option for it as well but it isn't as variable. Maybe they "fixed" this in the later models, just thought I'd share.

[@brandonhaynes]

We have a 2013 Volt and I've never heard the engine sound on startup! I'll have to go hunting in the menus for it!

[@oldschoolkz]

I have had a 2012 volt for about 9 years. Love this car! My kid now has it, but depending on how long it lasts,it might be the best car I have ever had.

[@hi55us2]

Happy to see reviews like this! This would be a great car for a teenage driver under $5k just to drive to school every day and not be stranded when the battery runs out.

[@fenwaywest]

Bought one for my teenage son 3 years ago for $5k. It has been great!

[@DiabetesReversalJourney]

I leased one for two years for $199 a month for 2 years and loved it. The best lease deal I’ve ever done.

[@meandmyEV]

Great video! I am watching it in my 2017 Volt. It is one of the best cars I have ever owned. We also have a Bolt EUV and I think we have the perfect combination of cars. My wife has a 55 mile commute round trip and she takes the Bolt. I have a 40 mile round trip and I take the Volt. We can take the Volt on trips (unless we want to take our time). We have solar to charge both (sort of - we don’t have enough battery storage so we have to charge them so we have to pull back power from the grid).

[@chriswestenskow5202]

I loved my 2015 Volt, If I could have gotten adaptive cruise control and CarPlay support, I never would have let it go. We also had a 2017 Volt that had ACC and CarPlay, with 50+ miles of EV range, but it wasn't as solid and seemless of a hybrid drivetrain as the Gen1. I still lust after a 2016 Cadillac ELR, which is still the Gen1 drive train, but with ACC and CarPlay, in a more premium 2-door package. Less practical, but very nice. Now you will learn the origins of ABC 🙂

[@michaelgreen6268]

Congrats Dave on your purchase of 2015 Chevy Bolt, Car looks so clean, Happy New Year to You & Kathy🎆😎

[@dianewallace6064]

Thanks, Dave. I've heard nothing but good things about the Volt. It is an attractive vehicle to me as well like Kathy says. Big trunk.

[@michaelarcy]

Love your video on used electric and hybrids. It is interesting to see how these vehicles are holding up after several years

[@ysfex3sew]

My 14 is 130k miles and has had some issues that i was able to deal with. Nothing too crazy if you're willing to open the hood a bit. I love it. The windshields cracked. I cracked the door frame a hair when i backed into a trash can. One of the fog lights is busted, but i still love it!

[@tm7517]

I bought a 2015 Chevy volt in July. The inside of the car is tight in the back, some of the cars sight lines aren’t the best. But I do enjoy driving the car so far. It’s got good handling. It’s quiet. And it’s got a decent amount of tech.

[@RodneyMiedema]

We owned 2-1st Gen Volts! Ours was wonderful. Would still own it but we own 2-2017 Chevy Bolts now. Love them and love being all electric.

[@davidtrebich4638]

I also have a 2017 Bolt-best car I have ever owned.

[@georgepelton5645]

Dave, Your "new" Volt is a real creampuff. It would really look awesome with a paint correction and ceramic coat. Worth the money IMO. I think Kathy would really like it.

[@edmundhayes1840]

Amazing find. Looks like 14k miles not 140k. You made the right choice there. Glad Kathy likes it too. Happy wife happy life

[@GraysonA]

The odometer said 142,962 miles (13:46 of the video)

[@edmundhayes1840]

@@GraysonA Rounding. Close enough

[@georgepelton5645]

@@edmundhayes1840 😀😀😀 I agree Dave's awesome creampuff looks like it has only 14k miles.

[@DouglasMcLaughlin-kq7hk]

Found mine in same condition, (creampuff) and currently yet to cross the 140k threshold...no issues, no noises, all options !

[@Anthony__420]

Yeah Dave, you don’t hear any creeks or rattles, but wait until that generator kicks in when you’re out of EV power it’s noisy as hell

[@meandmyEV]

I have a gen 2 and I can always expect my wife to say “the car is running funny” any time she has to go past the EV range, especially in the winter. She is hearing the gas engine. That first cold start up in the winter even wakes me up. It is fine after that an I have gotten used to it.

[@georgepelton5645]

It can be noisy when it has to work hard, but in my experience the Volt's engine is mostly pretty quiet for normal driving.

[@BlaineTrarop-q9q]

@@Anthony__420 I used regular gas in my 2017 Premier Volt. It is a Gas Direct Injection or GDI and they are loud agreed. I thought mine had an engine knock at first. You get used to it quickly. I mean who cares what other people hear. I am inside with a stereo or Bluetooth phone conversation. On the highway it only kicks in for the first few miles then once you turn on cruise control it goes silent again. I never used Premium gas which I was told it is quieter

[@BlaineTrarop-q9q]

Honestly just as loud as my 2005 Prius on the highway only it isn't constant. The Prius is ALWAYS LOUD on the highway. Prius also has only like 74hp, but the Volt has 149hp. This car is way faster at take off.

[@BlaineTrarop-q9q]

No engine never powered wheels. It powers the electric motor, which powers the wheels. The gas engine is never connected to the wheels.

[@buford1966]

Happy New Year Dave! Congratulations on the new ride. Did you ever see the Cadillac version of the Volt? My neighbor has one and he LOVES IT! It’s really a gorgeous car.

[@normt430]

The ELR is the kissing cousin to the Volt. But don't forget the 591 Cadillac CT6 2.0E plug-in made 2017-2018 with Voltec batteries.

[@ericcindycrowder7482]

A Caddy ELR would be the PREFECT Out of Spec Dave Mobile!

[@Anthony__420]

Also Dave when temperature drops below 32 only the engine will run because it has to generate heat inside cabin of car

[@aaronhodgman]

You can change this setting so the engine doesn't come on until it's 15F.

[@georgepelton5645]

The dreaded ERDTT (engine running due to temperature). Later models had an option on the settings screen to lower this temperature. I don't remember if Dave's 2015 has it or not.

[@ArnoldWinters]

Dave, you and Kathy need to take the Volt on a road trip.

[@gingerboi8711]

I would love to see a volt road trip would also be cool if you can plan your stops for food or overnights where you can charge just to see how much of the trip you can do on Electricity without making it inconvenient having to wait to charge.... we own a second gen volt

[@normt430]

Just plug-in to any outlet over night!

[@markaruski]

Enjoy your new wonder car, it's a really amazing machine! I have a 2015 that I bought used also. It's been mostly good but it did develop prob where it won't make heat in full-electric mode (very expensive fix) -- so I just use heated seats (it will make heat if the gas engine comes on). It's my favorite car I've ever owned. Fingers crossed that no major expensive failures occur as it's no longer under warranty. Have fun with it! My lifetime mpg estimated at 142 mpg.

[@gregstandish6439]

I love my 2013 Volt. Put summer tires on it and it completely changed the handling dynamics. Put into sport mode every time I get into in. 8 years plus of aggressive driving and no failures yet. Unreal. Best car I ever owned.

[@johncquiroz]

I’ve drove my 2012 volt from Virginia to Florida multiple times. No issues and great on gas

[@PraiseYAyoupeople]

Wow! that was my first electric car back in 2015! Great car! too bad GM stopped making them.

[@brianmcnish1835]

Welcome to the Volt experience. Mine is Gen 2 and a keeper.

[@mike168168]

My coworker has one and loves it! It’s a shame GM had all these neat EV cars and discontinued them all.

[@nittany272]

I absolutely love my 2014 Volt. I bought it two years ago and have put 35k miles on it (I lived an hour from work and did ridesharing for a while) and it's held up incredibly well. One thing I would caution you about is that many independent mechanics and body shops won't do any work on it beyond tires and inspections. Even for oil changes you will have to go to a dealer in most cases, unless you DIY or know somebody.

[@gregkramer5588]

What deal! Nice job picking this up!

[@CharlesUpdyke-p4l]

Congrats Dave , I’ve had 3 2011,2013, 2018 new, Had to replace the 2011 when my daughter hit a deer driving it. They were mostly good cars & I averaged lifetime mileage on them about 90mpg. The 2nd gen EV mileage was about 10 miles better because of slightly larger battery & it could run on regular gas. the 11&13 were recommended to use Premium. Had an issue on the 2018 with check engine light keep coming on & it took several trips to dealer to resolve. It was not apparent early on to be covered by warranty but eventually they did. I traded it in January this yr for a 2022 Lightning. I have a spare key fob for your version I can send it to you if you want it. It can be reprogrammed to you car.

[@dvwatts]

My dad still has my 2013 Volt. My two issues were that pedestrians disappeared in the A pilar and that the seats were manual. My wife is very small and if I drove after her my neck would get kinked getting in and resetting the seat. The easy entry on Tesla is a life saver.

[@minelast7113]

I had one and the issue with pedestrians disappearing in the A pilar was always something I had to be aware of. Also, the front air guard would scrape on driveways and bumps. Otherwise, it ran great.

[@georgepelton5645]

I was surprised by how fast and easy it was to adjust the manual seats on my first gen Volts. I thought I would miss power seats, but it was not an issue at all for me.

[@tripleb5232]

Mint. Absolute keeper. At that price definitely just keep in Florida. Would love to see the road trip. It’ll probably be less eventful than you think.

[@COMBATJEAN1200]

Hey I liked the video. We have 2 twins 2015 chevy volt here. One is at 250 000 miles the other 123 000 miles. These are modern tanks. Keep up with great content 👌

[@DS-mz7dy]

Hold mode to run on gas, saving your battery for in town. L on the gearshift for more regen. Always drive in sport mode!

[@gmv0553]

Requires premium gasoline Dave! Gen 2 models only require regular unleaded.

[@georgepelton5645]

Yes, in theory. I ran regular gas in my Gen 2 Volt on road trips. Engine computer can handle it by retarding spark timing. I used premium for the last leg of trips, since it is supposed to be more stable during long term storage in my tank while I drive electric around town.

[@danimper2517]

20:00 Actually I think BMW said that the i3 was faster 0-30kmh than the E90 M3.

[@normt430]

I think Padington the bear could fit in the back seat behind Dave? 😂

[@jaylorentz8344]

2018 volt here. It’s hard to find someone who owns a volt and doesn’t think it’s great. Other than the weird manual seats. I get 65 miles in summer, 40ish in winter. Averaging 3 tanks of gas (8 gal) per year. Feel like the 2nd gen volt was a good upgrade vs gen 1.

[@Widdermaker]

I loved my 2012 Volt! It was one of best cars I ever owned, until I sold it to get a 2014 Tesla Model S P85. The Volt had silky smooth acceleration, felt like you were driving a luxury car (great sound deadening!), and, in Sport mode, was very quick and nimble. I once went 5,000 miles between fill-ups since I mainly used it for daily commuting, and its 35-40 mile EV ranges was mostly sufficient for my round trip commute. I’ve often said that if GM had made the EV range double what it was, say 70-80 miles before the gas generator kicked in, they would have had a true winner. Why? Because the fast-charging infrastructure was nearly nonexistent in 2012, including Tesla’s. A 70-80 mile EV range in the Volt would essentially have meant you were driving an EV 99% of the time for most people. It was a great car!

[@joshuarosen465]

The Gen 1 Volt was a pure series hybrid, the gas engine spins a generator that powers the electric motors. The Gen 2 Volt was different. The Gen 2 Volt had two electric motors and a 100HP engine. In electric mode the Gen 2 could cruise with one motor and add in the second motor for acceleration. In hybrid mode the engine used one of the motors as a generator and powered the second motor. There was also a direct mode where the engine connected to the ring gear. Direct mode operated at normal highway speeds, if you went faster or slower than its direct drive band it switched to series hybrid mode. The direct mode was more efficient because it eliminated the conversion losses. It was limited to a narrow speed range because there was only one gear. Outside of that band the electric motors were better because they don't dont have power curves like engines.

[@MylesV]

The Volt was initially supposed to be a series hybrid but it never ended up being that way, even the first gen was a series-parallel hybrid that just had more of a bias to running in series hybrid mode. Both gens operated in the way you describe the second gen as running. Over around 40/50 MPH the engine would power the wheels directly while cruising, interestingly if you accelerate rapidly around this speed there’s a moment of no acceleration while the car switches from the parallel hybrid mode to using only motor generator 2.

[@jeffsaxton716]

We have a 2013 and a 2019. Both still run perfectly and always have. We run all electric 90 plus percent of the time. Buying gas is a rare thing. When I need to head to my Wyoming place, no range issues! It gets great gas mileage too.

[@philhyde983]

5:39 do I see some rust spots?

[@raycosman824]

I have a 15 with 58000 miles, had it for 5+ years, was slightly used. I have averaged around 54 gallons of gas per year. I still enjoy it. Mine has every option at the time, pearl white, navigation, Bose, anti collision/lane departure. Since it has leather there is a rear removable counsel.

[@Matt-dx3wo]

Nice looking Gen 1! I had a 2013 for about a year before getting a Model 3. I really enjoyed the car, but as my only vehicle I was putting 50/50 gas electric miles on it due to road trips. Sold it to my mom, she loves it compared to her 2013 Prius. I had to replace torn CV boots and do the struts. Subsequently the on-board charger died and was replaced under the extended CA warranty (car has around 120,000 miles).

[@mrallelectriccarlunacy]

Gen 1 Volt is a good car. I wish GM supported 2nd and 3rd owners better. I had one but my main long distance drive was a condo 37 miles away with no charging so started looking at Bolt and Y. Went with Y to tow a camper.

[@jonathanp1884]

I had a 2014 VOLT Premium for 7 years. Sold it at 147K miles in June 2024 and it charged ~37. Recently purchased a 2014 Cadillac ELR, 66K miles, which is a VOLT in a sexy body wearing a tuxedo. Doesn't charge as much as the VOLT but is a great car. I think the author of this video has an ELR now.

[@KimbaIsHere]

We have a 2nd generation Volt which we bought used. No issues and no regrets. It was also our first EV car and as such it has changed our view of EV cars forever. It has taught us good EV habits as well as created a mental state that hated when the engine would turn on because of lack of battery charge. This mindset forced us to think of changing the oil on a yearly basis rather than every 5,000 miles. The versatility of two fuel types is its greatest asset. Range anxiety simply does not exist in this car. Heating the car it uses the gas is just as advantageous. I would recommend getting a 10mm wrench to disconnect and reconnect your battery if problem codes arise. The biggest downfall on these vehicles is the 12 volt battery dying after 5 to 7 years. We also have a tire plug kit in the car as a tire sealant alternative.

[@georgepelton5645]

No need to change oil every year. I changed oil on my 2011 Volt every two years, per GM's recommendation. For my 2014 Volt GM recommended changing oil when prompted by their oil life monitor dash message. It also took about 2 years or more, IIRC.

[@joshuarosen465]

I had a Gen 2 Volt. I loved the car at the time but I wished it had a bit more range. I have a client whose office is 30 miles away by backroad and 35 by highway. At the time their garage had no charging, it does now, so I had to do the roundtrip on a single charge. In the summer I could do it on the back road with 12 miles to spare, on a mild winter day when I could keep the heater off I missed by one block, the engine would turn on at the head of my street. That was frustrating as hell. I loved the Volt in electric mode but hated the sound of the engine in gas mode. On long trips I'd use gas on the Interstate and save the battery for the back roads where silence was more important. On very long trips I'd use mountain mode on the highway which would charge it back to 10 miles of range so that I could use it as an EV when I got off of the highway. I watched the progress of the Supercharger network in New England for three years and when I saw that the coverage had become good enough, in 2019, I bought a Model 3 and gave my Volt to my sister to use as a hybrid. When GM killed the Volt in 2019 I thought their reasoning was sound. Extended range EVs are a stopgap for when pure EVs aren't good enough, it's exactly like the sails on the early steamships. What GM couldn't have known at the time was that EA would completely screw the pootch. Any reasonable person assumed that they would have tracked Tesla, lagging by at most a couple of years. By that reckoning the CCS1 network would have reached the good enough level by 2021 and there would have been no reason for EREVs to exist anymore. But that never happened. Instead GM and the rest of the industry had to do a reset and adopt NACS which means they won't have roadtripable EVs until 2025. With 20 20 hindsight Chevy should have built one more generation of Volt. A Gen 3 Volt with 75 miles of range would have been able to do 90% of its driving on battery and would still be able to take the family to Wally World in the summer. There is still a case for extended range trucks. EV trucks are good enough for Home Depot runs and for contractors but they can't drag a boat or a trailer for hundreds of miles. In 10 years it's likely that 300KWh batteries with 500KW charging will be small enough and cheap enough to make EV do everything trucks. But that's not now. For that use case a Voltec truck with 75 miles of range and a six cylinder range extender makes more sense than the 212KWh, 9000lb, Silverado that GM is struggling to produce now.

[@georgepelton5645]

This brings back memories of driving my Volt. It was great. Range did drop significantly in the winter. I would put the seat heater on max and bought heated gloves. I would keep the heat at a low temperature and low fan speed, only on my feet except if the windshield needed defrosting. How I wished Chevy would offer a heated steering wheel (they finally did in 2019). In the end my Volts did fine in the winter, due to me naturally driving less when the streets were slick. I rarely needed the engine, even when temperatures dropped to 10 deg F or less. ERDTT was the bane of my existence ("engine running due to temperature"). I didn't need the engine to drive 6 miles to work, or back. I ended up modifying the Ambient air Temp Sensor to fool the Volt into thinking it wasn't cold enough to activate ERDTT. I had a switch to revert to normal temperature sensing for non-winter months. GM finally offered driver selectable options for temperature to activate ERDTT for the Gen 2 Volts.

[@billakers6082]

I just dropped $6,800 repairs on my 115,000 mile 2014 premium volt I've had since new. The only money I've ever spent on it and you probably think I'm crazy but I love this car. It has saved my life on more than one occasion as it handled better than my Porsche 911 turbo. Needed both axles, engine mounts and AC evaporator which was the big one. I'm curious what kind of electric range your getting on your volt with that mileage. I'm down to 34 miles electric from 42 since new. Your range depends on tire pressure, throttle and temperature.

[@karenterentjev4766]

We have a premium that is 6 years old. Perfect car for commuting. It is my husband’s sports car. My husband does not need to fill up the gas tank unless he goes on a trip. Our other car is an EV6.

[@DouglasMcLaughlin-kq7hk]

Got mine during COVID (May '20) for $7700 in AZ; car had 120k mi on it, loaded and was immaculate. It is a town car with Trip Distance capabilities. Great fun to disappear at intersection lights, and still pull 38 mpg if using gas. No rattles, no grief. A fun car to swear by and NOT AT. See Caddy ELR features / cost vs. Volts. Pearl & Leather!

[@michaelarcy]

I had two of them. It was a great car.

[@StenekofV]

Dave, the middle armrest/storage console for your back seat seems to be missing in the Video. It's a detachable unit that can be removed to increase storage space. I keep it in my 2013 Volt for daily driving with kids and remove it for trips that need more storage in the back. They're available for sale from ~$150-250 online. My Volt has 170K miles and has been very reliable. The only major problem I ever had was when I drove over a hidden lane divider at night and cracked the transmission casing underneath. All the fluid leaked out and the car was dead the next morning. The car has a low ground clearance. It took the Chevy dealer about 2 months to fix the car. They had to get a "Volt specialist" to come and help them.

[@georgepelton5645]

You must be thinking of the Gen 2 Volt. The Gen 1 was a 4 seater with bucket seats in back (just like a Bentley😀). IIRC, the Gen 1 had cupholders in-between the two rear seats, at seat level.

[@airplanenut6242]

Weber Auto has a great video on the details of the Volt drivetrain. My recollection is yes, the engine could drive the wheels through a series of clutches in the transmission but the default mode after battery power was depleted was as a generator. It's kind of a shame GM killed this car - I feel like all they had to say was that it's a plug-in hybrid but they just couldn't get over themselves with the terrible marketing of "range-extended EV". That plus a 3rd generation reimagined as a small crossover - it would have been a great seller.

[@georgepelton5645]

I agree, except for the EREV comments. IMO it was a useful distinction for PHEVs that could have full performance in EV mode. Most PHEVs would have limited acceleration and top speed, and would start the engine anytime the driver got into the accelerator too deep.

[@wzDH106]

Loved the Gen 2 Volt, but replaced it with a small battery EV based on how little gas we used. A great tool into the EV world, and a great way to eliminate "range anxiety" as it recalibrates the mind in how much 50 miles will get ya as a daily driver. Very quiet vehicle - a close second to the ID4 in our experience. Incredible brake regen tuning, and quite sporty off the line up to 30. I hope there will be an aftermarket battery supplier using upgraded, fresh, cells. The current battery support uses only refurbished cells. There will unfortunately be a termination point unless we see some creativity with replacement cells.

[@normt430]

Almost 100 lifetime mpg!

[@kerrym2521]

Under certain circumstances, the Volt gas engine will get loud. The most common scenario for me was returning to the car after turning off the car at 1% or lower SoC. If you drain the battery enough, the gas generator kicks in fiercly to give you the juice you need to go. After a few minutes it settles back down to it's near-noiseless state. There were other scenarios, but they were few and far between and it's been ~9 months since I gave the car away so I don't really remember. I mostly remember how shockingly quiet the Volt was the majority of the time; even when the gas generator was running.

[@mrnumbskull1]

got 2014 and 2015 volts in the family --the car is a hoot in sport mode . Beats 90% of ice vehicles stop sign to stop sign.

[@davidtrebich4638]

I have a 2019 Volt, 2019 i3s (BMW) and 2017 Bolt. All are great cars and have their advantages and disadvantages. Volt is incredibly practical, Bolt-nicest drive ever, i3s-practical and fun but suspension is very rough-like a go cart.

[@georgepelton5645]

That is a nice fleet to choose from! 😀

[@zyzzyva303]

2015 Volt has LTE so you can do WiFi hotspot and Spotify, etc. It's the only year on the Gen1 that has LTE.

[@RyanBlockb5]

Looks like you made a fantastic buy. It is in great condition. In San Jose, California, the lowest price I found is a 2014 Volt with 113K miles is $5,900. With what looks to be a questionable interior.

[@johnpoldo8817]

Congrats on a very rare find. It’s amazing to hear from so many Bolt/Volt fans and nay-sayers are silent. Drive it for 90 days and sell for more than you paid. I could never buy a hybrid and return to gas stations. Charging at home & Tesla SCs has spoiled me.

[@Gear_head88310]

Miss Bailey, will love that car.

[@pjkPA]

I’ve owned my 2013 Volt for 12 yrs … no problems .. best vehicle lowest cost of ownership in 55 yrs of vehicles ownership. I still get over the 38mile range! There no clutches … no shifting. When you step on the brake the friction brakes do not come on normally just the generator. I have 12 yr old original brakes here in Pittsburgh which is unheard of. I’ve used 102 gal of gas in 12 yrs! The Volt cost $1200 Less than wife’s same year Camry for fuel and maint. There is two charging modes … 8a and 12a The 12a mode charges about 5 miles per hour.

[@rolla2035]

If they had made a SUV version I think it would have sold like hotcakes.

[@Geckogold]

They should've made a Voltec-powered Equinox. If the Toyota Rav4 Prime is anything to go by, it would've sold very well.

[@dlhorne42]

Dave, I'm afraid that Volt is too nice to leave at the airport, now you gotta buy another beater EV! 🤣

[@georgepelton5645]

Agree!

[@thatfloridian5719]

Way better of a car then Kyle’s new e-golf 😂

[@KTPurdy]

must have been parked in the garage. The paint looks really good.

[@A_12USA]

it's so cute how much she likes the car! 😊

[@nicolebradley3959]

Happy New Year!

[@theDougAngle]

You know Coleton (@outofspecdetail) is cringing at the dirty headliner above the drivers door!!

[@CDKladis]

I had a 2013 Chevy Volt loved that car then I was considering buying another one GM quit making it so I bought a Tesla

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

Hello. I bought a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV. It's our first EV. We still have a Engine Automobile.

[@MichaelKirven]

Dave, I'm surprised that you fit in that car. I had a 13 Volt, then a 14 Cadillac ELR - same drivetrain, but much more comfortable to drive with my long legs. ELR ran for 6 years, and 108,000 miles, then bought a Model S. I will say that the Volt and ELR were screwed together much better than my Tesla. Try sport mode sometime! Throw it into L for more regen...newbie

[@loualiberti4781]

Your best video to date !! I do not have range anxiety watching you like I normally suffer. Very Good !

[@Anthony__420]

There is a paddle on the Steering wheel Dave to control regen

[@aaronhodgman]

not on gen one

[@Anthony__420]

@@aaronhodgman ok it’s been awhile confused 2013 with the 2016

[@gregb5876]

0 to 60 might be 9 seconds, but 0 to 40 is very quick... And you're not burning a bunch of fuel to do it

[@jeffsaxton716]

It's easy to chirp the tires on takeoff with the instant electric torque.

[@larry4fire]

The range extender tries to maintain the minimum state of charge. By doing this electricity generated by the range extender goes directly to the traction motor eliminating double conversion losses if this power was used to first charge the battery and then draw off the battery to power the motor. The other reason for doing this is the range extender operates at the average power usage with sudden peak loads supported by drawing additional power from the battery. This is the reason the battery is held at minimum state of charge, not fully depleted. The ICE is operated at the most efficient RPM to satisfy the average power demand. In some cases excess torque is generated. In this case the Gen 1 Volt has a mode in which the ICE is clutched to the output shaft to convert the excess torque to mechanical energy. Had my Volt since 3/2011, #1969 off the assembly line. Love it!

[@allenpickett5307]

I wonder if you could add to the current batteries in the volt and get the range to 300 miles and remove the gas engine just wondering if it would be possible

[@bytemark6508]

Volt is not a plugin hybrid, but rather a REGEX. The gasoline engine is only there to charge the batteries and power the electric motor. From Wiki: While driving, after the Volt battery has dropped to a predetermined threshold from full charge, a small naturally aspirated 1.4 L 4-cylinder gasoline fueled internal combustion engine (Opel's Family 0[70]) with approximately 80 hp (60 kW), powers a 55 kW generator to extend the Volt's range. The vehicle also has a regenerative braking system. The electrical power from the generator is sent primarily to the electric motor, with the excess going to the batteries, depending on the state of charge (SOC) of the battery pack and the power demanded at the wheels

[@radioa3sthetic]

No it's hybrid - That would make sense if the battery was the main component but it's not - the engine is there and you can drive in the city with electric and highway on gas - that's it ppl try to make these cars more then what there are if it was what your saying it would be like a BMw i3 the generator is super small - not a full sized engine under the hood / stop it

[@bytemark6508]

@@radioa3sthetic Regex is a Plug-in hybrid, so generally speaking a type of hybrid. By saying it's a Regex (or Range extender) I was trying to convey the idea that the propulsion system is entierely electric, so that the gas engine is only there to produce electricity, and there is no transmission to connect the wheels to the gasoline engine (like in a traditional hybrid or PHEV). The fact that the range is very small has nothing to do with the type of propulsion system.

[@dannymiller7266]

My loaded 2014 gets 20 ev range when warm, 17 when cold. Over 200k. Only oil changed once a year & rotated tires regularly

[@v8eater2]

Drive with the gear selector in L and you get full regeneration.