It looks like other forums have sub-forums for each model. No love for the Volt just because it sips some gas now and then?
I have a Spark EV and don't think there are enough people out there to warrant a sub forum. The one at gm-volt.com doesn't get used anymore. Even the main spark ev forum has very light traffic. ELR falls into the same bucket. No one owns an EV1 and less than 1000 S10 EVs were sold. So, not likely to be much conversation about them.
Great points. The general idea is to have the site grow with discussion. Which one is your favorite? Start a conversation about it!
It isn't necessarily an "owners forum", there can still be some discussions about the technology used and overall history...
I went to Jupiter Chevrolet in Dallas to take a look and a test drive of the Bolt and Volt. Not one in stock (I got the feeling they weren't exactly pushing them due to their spotty knowledge of options, and incentives). They had a Volt LT on order due to arrive in a couple of weeks. Geeez.
That's a dealer issue. Forget that place. Go to Classic Chevy in Grapevine, TX. They have 30+ Bolts and 15+ Volts right now. Talk to Tim or Buzz, they were both very helpful when we bought our Bolt. They have an entire building dedicated to EVs, malibu hybrids, and Silverado hybrids.
Thanks Wade. I actually have never seen a Volt or Bolt in person although I've read a lot. I suppose that they have a couple of examples at the State Fair and I will see them tomorrow. I definitely need to test drive them both. I still haven't made up my mind on which would be best for my particular situation. I like the power and EV range of the Bolt, and I like the fact that the Volt can go as long as you can find gas for the generator although the EV range is limited, and that I COULD buy a low mileage used 2nd gen much cheaper. My current figures on savings towards the monthly payments due to IC cost savings are about $180-220 per month. The unknown cost is how much to set aside for future battery replacement and when that is likely to happen. My guess is $60 ($4000 Volt replacement in 5.5 years {after the 100,000 / 8 yr warranty expires} -240 ($17,000 Bolt replacement in 5.5 years) [I'm averaging 18,500 miles per year].
Classic Chevrolet in Sugarland for sure. I assume they're the same dealer network or owner as the one in Grapevine. http://www.classicchevyhouston.com/ (DO NOT go to Joel Rogers Classic Chevrolet of Houston! Go to the Sugarland one. ) Both the Grapevine and Sugarland locations always seem to have plenty of Volt's and Bolts in stock. Looks like Sugarland has ~20 Bolts and ~8 Volts in stock or transit at the moment. My wife has a 2013 Volt and I have a Bolt. Great combination! The Bolt can get around much of Texas just fine. (We are taking our second Bolt road trip to Austin next week in fact.) And overall, we find the Bolt the more practical vehicle. But if you do lots of interstate travel and seldom use the rear seats, the Volt might be the better choice in the short term. As far as battery replacement goes, I wouldn't concern yourself too much about it. Just because the warranty ends at 100,000 miles doesn't mean GM expects your battery to crap out on you at that time. Most people will see no degradation at all for the Bolt or Volt at 100,000 miles and degradation would happen slowly over time once it does start. Of course if you're risk averse, then it wouldn't hurt for you to put money aside.
Thanks Wade. That is the complete opposite side of town for me, but I’ll try to make a trip over there some day to check out the Bolt in person finally.
I agree with Wade. There is no reason to plan for a battery replacement during the vehicle life of a Volt based on data up to this point. A slight degradation in the range per charge of the Volt does not significantly impact the usefulness of the Volt like it does a BEV (i.e. Gen 1 LEAF with only 50 miles range left). The Bolt charge/discharge range stresses the pack a little more, but it is a far larger pack so mileage does not equal the same number of cycles. I think you should still expect 200k+ miles before degradation impacted range enough to consider replacement. That is 10+ years based on your driving. At that point the vehicle offerings will be much different than today and the money would be better spent towards a new vehicle.
In February, I was about to get a Bolt, but ended up with a Volt after trying the seats in the Bolt. They are very narrow and uncomfortable for me and I am not a large person. In general, the Volt was very comfortable and more refined. I would have preferred a pure EV as I have an VW e-Golf and the 83 mile range became tedious. My daily commutes can be done in all-EV mode on the Volt (45-65 miles) with the biggest range killers being heating and speed. If you are considering a Volt, make sure to try it in hybrid mode so that you can see how it feels when the engine kicks in. If there is battery capacity left, you can force this by pressing the Mode button several times to put it in Hold mode. (The Mode button is located next to the shifter and the mode you are in will display in the display behind the steering wheel.) Hold mode will keep the battery level and therefore start using the engine. It is not as smooth as I would like and less smooth than a regular ICE. Therefore, if you expect to be doing a lot of distance driving than you need to know what you will be getting.
I talked to someone at NDEW who decided against the Bolt and went for a new Focus EV mostly because he didn't like the Bolt seats. But he sat in mine and said they actually weren't bad compared to the one he tried. He said when he sat in one at the dealer he immediately noticed the discomfort. But felt my Bolt's seats were fine. I think there might be some variation in the quality from the seat supplier. So when anyone is trying out a Bolt, if you find you do not like the seats... try sitting in 2 or 3 more of them. I find the Bolt overall to be the more comfortable vehicle to ride in long distance The seats are better than my Spark EV or Scion xD seats were. But even in the best Bolt seats... the Volt seats are simply more comfortable. Not an opinion but a fact lol.
Glad you are happy with your Bolt seats. Seats are very individual things so folks need to just try them for an extended test drive. I have found that cloth vs. leather of the same seats can even feel different (beyond just the material). The lack of an ability to try in advance is the major reason that I did not wait for a Tesla Model III (besides impatience!). BTW- The Volt Gen II seats lack a lumbar support, but I inserted an inflatable lumbar support in the map pocket behind the driver's seat and works great!
