Support this channel on Patreon: / 8bitguy1 Visit Robert Llewellyn's Fully Charged Show (And drop him a line and let him know I sent you his way!) / fullychargedshow
the best part was that he let off on the accelerator temporarily so you could say he was going easy on the Honda or giving him a head start and still won
The difference between Volt fans and Tesla fans is that most Volt fans actually own one of the cars. Tesla fans is 90% still driving Mom's old Civic and dreamin' of the car they'll have, someday while playing EV-expert on the Internet. That works out fine for Tesla though I think Elon understands that Americans tend to like products better that they mostly can't really afford to buy and it sure beats having to hire paid PR people. Dreams are free so it's just good business sense to pay your employees with them if you can.
@@vap0rtranz for the money I paid for mine new nearly 4 years ago, which including Federal tax credit. was around 26k for an LT trim, it was a total bargain for what it offers. I thought sure that 4 years down the road there'd be something that offers the same combination of performance and energy efficiency for about the same price. There still isn't. the "affordable" model 3 was a feint it was never something Tesla really wanted to do, average sale price on 3s once you add heated seats, longer range battery, delivery charge etc. pushes well above 40 grand. Volt is dirt cheap to full charge and the 2nd gen you can pull 70 miles range in, around town, no prob during the summer. I've banked and invested like 4000 gallons worth of gas money I never had to pay at this point tho maybe I'll use that as a big down payment on a off-lease 3 in a year or two
@@bitrexgm Even re-sale is a bargain IMO (b/c I've been looking to buy used). @8 Bit mentions heated seats saves turning on the cabin heater, but that's only on Premium model, right? Premium seems overpriced but I'm in cold country and need good heat in winter.
@@vap0rtranz I have the "Comfort" package on my 2017 LT it gives you at a minimum heated front seats and heated steering wheel, plus some other stuff like leather trim, heated mirrors etc. depending on the year. I think it was a $750 option. Didn't need to get the Premium package to get that and I expect some used LTs will have it. unfortunately in very cold weather like New England gets they won't keep you comfortably warm by themselves in sub-freezing temps. I still definitely need the blower heat then. but other times it does help to keep the heater use to a minimum. a minor frustration is that even on electric power the blower heat is not instant-on it takes a little bit to come up same as a gas car. Remember to set the engine-assist heat to "defer" in the settings so it only does its "engine running due to temperature" -thing occasionally while driving to when it drops below about 26F and not at 34F as I think it does stock. Volt performs very well in the cold ice and snow other than the seasonal range reduction you get in every EV. the computer bitched at me one morning when it was about -18F that it was reducing power due to low temperature, acceleration was sluggish for a few minutes then everything worked fine once the coolant temp rose. The traction control works great and the big torque easily busts it out of drifts if it's been sitting out in the snow. The stock low-rolling resistance tires will spin out from under you on even slightly damp pavement if you gun it at a stop, though, I accept a small range reduction to run a little beefier tread than that (Continental PureContact) since we get so much lousy weather
great review on a great car. I love mine! Most economical car I've owned. In 60k miles, fuel costs have been cut in half, I have done 2 oil changes, and original brakes are still like new. only visits to a service center were those 2 oil changes. Total maintenance costs in 60k miles and 5 years = $80. Try to beat that with any other car.
not backing a company for *historical* ideological reasons is a really poor decision, there's no logical reason why you should remain myopically in love with Tesla
Second highest reliability behind Lexus, consistently lower prices with better features and equal materials, top tier engine manufacturing (LITERALLY the best engines in the world by numerous metrics including mpg/hp, mpg/lb, mpg/volume, hp/volume, AND mtf), suspension so good that the Germans license it because they can't actually compete with it... ...yeah, sounds like GM's trash. Truck of the year, car of the year, driver's car of the year. Man, total trash.
compare a hybrid with a electric only tesla... without the gas motor this volt would not go that far. a tesla gets the long range ONLY electrical. so you cant say that you already have all that the model 3 will have. this is ridiculous
Part of what is appealing about an all electric car is eliminating the combustion engine with all it's maintenance (oil changes and other things). Much simpler and should be much more reliable. Maybe some day I will get one.
But a model 3 driver will have to find a charger somewhere to charge up. That may be fine for a commuter car, but for someone that wants to explore the 2 lane roads into small towns and see the country that will be a problem, because there are no chargers out there. Besides, when on a road trip nobody wants to have to stop every few hours for a forced charge. A 5 minute fill up when needed, and a stop at points of interest along the way. Volt has the freedom of a regular car. I have all the benefits of an electric and no shortcommings. I would never consider an electric only. The only cars I would consider is the volt and the bmw i3, and considering that the range on the BMW is only 80 miles between fill ups on gas, that is a no brainier.
And how often would I do that? Not very often. I think I could go rent a car for doing that trip if I actually decided to do one. What balance works for you depends on your intended use. For my use a pure electric would work fine. It would even handle the few long trips I do a few times a year since there are multiple superchargers along the way and one stop for half an hour or so would take care of it.
I don't do it often either, a few times a year, but I am not about to have a dedicated car for road trips, nor am I about to rent one. I want a car that I can go anywhere, any time and never have to worry about finding a place to charge, and I want an electric car. So for me the volt or BMW is the only choice, and because the BMW i3 makes me want to puke, that one is off the table. After driving a volt for 5 years, my choice is clear, it will be another volt for me.Does everything I want. Gives me the low cost of operation of an EV, I get access to the special lanes reserved for EV drivers, and I am not limited where I can go, and I don't have to plan my drive as other EV drivers do, Best of both worlds. End of discussion.
It's not a hybrid. URG. It's also not a comparison, because the Tesla Model 3 doesn't exist, buddy. The first Volt was a game changer (much like the Roadster), because it is a car you can drive anywhere without being scared of running out of charge. The Tesla is not currently practical, and will take decades to be... battery simply isn't good enough, and having to charge it is too difficult for people to drive out of their way to go to a Supercharger. Myself, I'd love a Tesla. I just so happen to live next to a Supercharger. However, I would rather have the Volt for the reasons I just mentioned.
I bought a 2017 Volt over the weekend and I am waiting to take delivery so I had to rewatch this video, especially since it was part of the reason I chose a Volt. It seems like an amazing value to buy one used. I paid around $13500. I'm happy to see you reviewed the LT version because most reviewers have cars provided by Chevy which are almost always the premier. Something that people do not mention in reviews which was integral in my decision to buy one used is that the designers left some headroom in the battery so that it can increase the amount available as the car ages and the range will remain more or less the same for an extended time. Not only did I like the assurance that I'll hopefully get a few years with the range that is like new, it also told me that they were really thinking about the longevity of the car. I wish phone makers would start doing that.
Danny Rumbles Totally agree. Can’t believe GM axed it. Dumb decision. Despite that I bought a 2019 Volt Premier w/ $3750 Fed Tax Credit and $2500 state rebate. Installed a 240v charger. Absolutely love the car. Quick, nimble, stylish, quiet, great apple car-play entertainment system. At 420 mile total range there is no anxiety. If you can find a used Gen 2 Volt, it would be a great buy.
Technically it's not a long range electric car. It has a long range when using gas but only a quarter of the of the Tesla M3 range when using electricity. It also needs to use its gas engine every now and then.
until claims are proven their still clams just cause they say it's so doesn't make it so and their was report of people in the first volt going one year on the first tank of gas which is never good for a gas engine
The Volt only uses gas engine a little below 15F to help make heat or for engine maintenance mode every 42 days only if you don't use the gas engine. Engine maintenance uses approximately 6 teaspoons of gasoline (yes I said teaspoons)
Ogreng Buddha I'm not saying don't run the gas engine. I understand why it has to but that means it also has to burn fossil fuels. Something a pure electric doesn't have to do.My main point though was pointing out how in pure electric mode the Volt isn't capable of long ranges. The model 3 will be. Yes I know we haven't seen it yet but Tesla has already delivered 3 times so the chances of them messing this up seem pretty slim.
Erik Stephens Even if the engine is only used a bit it's still being used. Plus the point of my original comment was pointing out how in pure electric mode the Volt isn't long range. The Model 3 will be.
I for the most part disagree. While for a smaller percentage of people you are correct overall I don't agree. The Model 3 is expected to have an ~55KWh battery. With this battery size it will not be able to handle the full 135KW charge rate at Tesla's superchargers (and we still don't know how Tesla is going to deal with the Model 3 with regards to it's supercharger network). The Model 3 will still likely take 30 to 40 minutes for an 80% charge. So that means for every 2 to 2.5 hrs of driving you will need to stop for 30 to 40 minutes. It's doable but not the greatest either. And while the supercharger network is getting fairly good it still won't get you everywhere. I still take at least one road trip a year in my Volt that a Model S 90 wouldn't be able to do. So in that situation if I owned a Model 3 I would need to rent a gas powered vehicle that has more than double the fuel consumption of my Volt (and I would still likely be able to get >30% electric in my Volt through some opportunity and destination charging on this road trip). That rental car will likely use more gas in that one trip than my Volt uses in a year. So for many people a Volt will still likely use less gasoline overall than someone with a Model 3. www.greencarreports.com/news/1097918_chevy-volt-vs-mitsubishi-i-miev-this-volt-uses-less-gas-than-electric-car-data-shows
FYI, I have got 74.5 miles on electric, and the engine still has not come on. This was in the Chicago area (all flat), temps in the upper 60's (close to perfect) and I did not exceed 55 mph because I don't like blue-red lights behind me. In the last 3 miles the car said I have 0 miles left but I made it home without the engine. After 3 months with the car I still have all the gas I got from the dealer.
I have also gotten over 75 miles on a charge one time. I wasn't even trying. The conditions were just perfect, though. I have only put gas in this car one time since buying it 10 months ago.
I actually was trying to get the max, but it does not mean much. I wasn't driving any slower than the traffic, but I was using low gear to slow down (instead of braking) and the regenerative brake pedal any time I could. That means that I almost never use the brakes. The brakes are also working "regenerative" but I don't know how much regenerative and how much friction they use. So that way I know I regenerate as much as possible.
No, I have an Onan 5KW gasoline powered generator, and the gasoline in its 9-gallon tank is over three years old. It still runs well! Maybe your gasoline station sells bad gasoline?
One of the best reviews of the Volt. Your video helped me decide to buy my 2018 Volt. Thanks! I get 1800 kms on a tank of fuel traveling 134kms daily. Most of my commute is Highway, and I burn a little gas daily. I charge daily.
.. the Volt really is not an EV , it has a gas motor cause most people refuse to trust ability to charge and do quarterly road trips.to loved parent yuppie Ev lovers guess hate their parents , , , half of people park in apartment parking lots and are poor buy $3000 beater not $30,000 EV, , , , it's like hot tubs and pools they are awesome but 90% skip them they spend that $5000-30,000 on food and helping family not helping climate of some hot Indonesian guy so I suspect poor half of American will stick with gasoline in their apartments , , and laugh at risking being out of charge and getting fired at the KFC, , plus coming blackouts will mean those EV drivers will get fired too unless their boss is foregiving do you think people should risk their career on this , ,,,. Just saying the counter argument to the EV sales pitch, , , I have a big sailboat 2 5hp you landlubbers are dumb ha, , ,
Well this was unexpected, but in a good way! Interesting information here. This is a car I've been looking into myself over the years, so it's good to get some solid info. Didn't realize quite a few things about it!
Quick correction. Electric vehicles don't do better in city driving than on the highway, they do better than gasoline cars in city driving. They still waste more energy from stop and go. I always notice the energy usage on my Tesla. It's always higher in city driving.
The 8-Bit Guy That's not typical. Sure if you're driving at a constant rate and not stopping for traffic lights, stop signs etc. But then again that's not city driving, that's suburban driving. I live in Toronto, it's a big city. You'll never get better mileage in a city like Toronto, New York, Chicago, etc.
I own a 2018 Volt. Soon after the purchase I was getting a EV range of over 80 mi. In the winter time the range has dropped to 58. I wish Chevrolet would continue manufacturing the car.
Thanks - great review. Despite all your efforts to educate on the Volt, the comments section proves that a significant percentage of people are simply stuck in a world of assumptions, pre-conceptions, and plain stupidity. Don't let it stop you!! Your work is much appreciated.
Exactly, And the Prius & Tesla owners will claim their cars are better and say "American Cars are Vegas"... and other BS. Two interesting facts, American Cars have always out lasted the Japanese competition, and Toyota makes the worst car on the market for the environment, ie. the Toyota Century, with a V16 engine and single digit fuel economy, but fortunately most nations, including the US, have fuel economy standards that the Toyota Century can't pass...
The only reason any manufacturer actually cares about the environment or fuel economy is half because these days it sells and half because they're required to.
And the rest of us can benefit. When I first looked at Volts, they were relatively new and $45k. Within a few years, those same models were $15-$20k. Huge "depreciation" b/c of crappy car? Or lack of demand because of bad assumptions by consumers. Looks to me like the latter.
The Chevy Volt is still a hybrid, it's classed as a series-parallel hybrid, the same type as the Prius. The reason for this is simple: the gasoline engine is still coupled to the wheels and is still used to directly move the car. The Volt simply shifts the power allocation more on the electric motor (with a correspondingly larger battery). That's not a bad thing: the Volt really does provide the best of both worlds, in most respects.
Actually, what makes the Volt different is that while there is energy left in the battery, it can run entirely on electric, no matter how fast you go. In other plug-in cars such as say the Plug-in Prius or the Ford energi cars, the gas engine kicks in if you go too fast, due to their smaller electric motors and smaller batteries not being able to deliver the power you're demanding on their own.
+Ashelm56 yeah and when they are in hybrid mode the prius gets 50mpg.. a much better road trip vehicle when the ev is gone.. if you take road trips = prius plug-in if you city drive and don't go far = Volt because if you stay within the range it will perform more like an ev and not tap into the engine much.
I own a 2018 Volt, its the best decision I've ever made. In 3 years I will trade it in and get something just like it, most likely. I cant see myself driving around town without it anymore.
I'm considering getting a used Volt, but they are hard to come by. Have you had any problems in the time you've owned it? Also, did charging it at home increase your utilities bill?
It's not an either/or proposition. The Chevy Volt is a car of the present, and the Tesla Model 3 is a car of the future. Buy the Volt now, enjoy it for a few years, and when the Model 3 becomes available in volume, all the kinks are worked out, and the charging network is completely built out, then trade in your Volt for a Model 3.
I loved my 2016 Volt I had. (Leased it for 3 years for $250 a month, nothing down). In three years I counted filling the gas tank about 10 times, and those only for longer trips from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. Otherwise, just driving around LA I rarely touched a gas pump. In fact, I could charge it and drive from Monday to Wednesday to and from work without even charging it again, and the gas engine never turning on! A few times in ideal conditions, I'd start my commute to work, and arrive there... with 57 miles of charge still, having coasted and re-gened all my energy use back. Of course I'd generally pay that back driving home from work more uphill and using the headlights. I work with a ton of Prius drivers and I cant for the life of me see why anyone would want a Prius over the Volt. The Volt is an amazing car.
Your response reminds me of someone looking at an automobile in the year 1900. This new-fangled horseless carriage is too modern for my tastes. It doesn't have anywhere to store the hay for my horse and I can't get used to it not producing poop. Fossil fuel exhaust is today's horse poop. It is foul and mucks up our environment, yet people feel that it isn't a "real car" if it doesn't produce tons of pollution to warm the climate.
The Carpenters were in the Charts when mine was produced! 1972 Hillman Avenger, Plymouth Cricket in USA. It's got some real high tech silicon though, in that new fangled alternator gadget.
So in electric Mode, the Chevy Volt would actually not even get me to and from work on electric mode on a full charge. My commute is 44.6 KM to and from, much of it on the highway. 53 miles is 85.6Km according to Google. So, 44.6 times 2 is... 89.2. I'd be forced to use the gas engine about 8 minutes north of my house. That's surprisingly good. I have a Chevy Cruze LT Turbo right now, and on a full tank, I get roughly 740Km before I get the low gas warning. According to estimates, I'd get roughly 800Km from full to completely empty. So, let's do the math there. 800/89.2=8.9. So I get about 8.5 trips before I need to fill up on gas. With the Volt, if we were to assume the gas engine gave the same amount of range and assuming I charge the car every night for 12 hours, I would get approximately 222 trips on one tank of gas in the best circumstances. To be fair, we could say probably 180 trips on one tank of gas. This is assuming I only use the car for work purposes of course. That means I'd roughly only need to spend about $100 Canadian each year on gas. I currently spend that much on gas each month. I think I know what my next car will be. If I can't afford a Tesla Model 3 when my current financing is up, I'm totally getting one of these.
Keep in mind that the electric range varies depending on temps, terrain such as hills, and your driving habits. In the dead of winter and if you floor the car to 75 mph/ 120 km/h, you won't get that advertised range. In warmer weather your range goes up unless you drive really fast all the time and blast the air conditioner. But if you take it easy on the accelerator, you can get more than the advertised 53 miles / 85 km of range. And if your workplace has charging stations, then you can easily stay in EV mode on your round trip commute.
I have a Focus Electric and get 100 to 163 km range depending how I drive. The price is competitive and I think the interior is better than the Volt. You may want to consider that if you don't want to wait for the Bolt or Tesla M3.
See if you could get your workplace to install a charger or allow you to use an outside 120V outlet somewhere. Then you could make the trip in 100% EV mode.
Take a bow, 8-bit guy! This video sold 3 EVs in my family in the last four months. I bought a silver Volt, my brother bought a black one and my dad bought a Bolt.
GM's customer service has been fantastic for me. I had an early 2013 Volt with a minor software issue. An engineer from GM reached out to me personally and developed a software patch that fixed my car.
Wow, they helped 1 customer. I refuse to purchase another GM product b/c of their poor customer service. I've had a product demo of the new Volt and really like the Bolt but for the reason stated, would never buy either.
If you look at the gm-volt forum they have helped many customers in similar ways. GM's engineers follow the forums very closely and seems to work fairly well at resolving most issues quickly. Now I would say that some of the dealers have been very poor towards GM's electrified offerings. But some of them have been very good. And GM corporate has been excellent at trying to make things right when there is a problem.
so you're telling me that the EV1 wasn't made to comply with california laws, and you're telling me that GM didn't lobby california govt to drop that law, and you're telling me that they didn't stop selling _and recall_ them as soon as california dropped the law?
I love my 2017 Volt. I had a 2014 before, and traded up. I plan to trade this one before 100k, and get another. Although the range is best around town, my business mostly keeps me on the highway. Nevertheless, it still saves me a ton of money, and the environment. Last month. I drove my Volt 3200 miles. My Onstar report tells me that I saved 82 gallons of gas. Plus, it's so much fun to drive. And also, no range anxiety.
I hate to burst your bubble but: Electrics and Hybrids are not green or sustainable,or better for the enviroment contrary to what main steam media pushes. Here is why: A hybrid or electric takes the same car plant to build it,same refineries making aluminum or steel for it,copper,plastics etc. so nothing saved there,not to mention a load of electronics. Most charge electrics off the grid,which just transfers pollution to the coal,nuclear plants,nope nothing saved there either. So you might use solar for charging? Do you know how much it takes to refine silicon for solar cells? the glass,aluminum frames,plastic sheets etc take more energy to make the solar panels than the module will likely generate in its lifetime. Your hybrid still uses gas,tires and oil just like a regular fossil fuel car,all unsustainable and uses energy to recycle just like a regular car. The Lithium battery is not recycleable. Its a waste product when it goes bad. Also lithium is mined in many 3rd world countries by slave labor making almost nothing for wages. At the end of the day you saved nothing and added one more waste product to the stream(lithium) in addition to gas,tires oil,plastics,etc. Its simple math. There are many gas/diesel cars that get 45mph+ . Don't buy into the nonsense that gas/diesel is bad,its not,its a necessary thing of today. More food for thought,if EVERYONE went to electrics tomorrow,imagine them all trying to charge their car at 6pm when they all get home,sucking 5KW,10KW+ per house,it would literally pull the electric grid to its knees and cause massive blackouts. If you want a ev or hybrid,great,just say you do,just dont kid yourself on saving the enviroment.
@@newton296 I own none of those stocks,but that is my point, the plant building these cars uses coal and nuclear power to make the car,and then people take them home and charge them with coal/nuke power(some hydro too) or charge at work,again from the grid supplied by coal/nuke etc,and then pretend they are helping the enviroment. realize i am not against electrics,but hybrids solve no environmental problems and add one more finite resource,lithium battery to their use. all i am saying is just call it what it is,it is NOT green or renewable.
This was seriously in depth, fantastic content David, perhaps your very best. It's been absolutely great watching you evolve from The iBook Guy into what you have become today, and I'm very excited to see you continue to do so. As usual, thank you for all your hard work, and I look forward to your next video as always. If I had the money to buy new there is no question this is the vehicle I would buy, but as for now I'll have to stick with my (ironically) '07 Prius. They aren't bad little cars though, and the best option I went with at the time was the amazing premium sound system. 120,000 miles, a recent complete service with new brakes all around and it's still going strong with no major problems for its entire life so far. I hope your Volt is as kind to you, and I must say it's quite nice to see the American car companies really competing nowadays, and in alot of respects be much better value for the money.
2017 Chevy Volt 0-60: 7.1 seconds Tesla Model 3 0-60: 5.5 seconds from base model Volt range: 53 miles Model 3 range: "at least 215 miles" Volt safety: 4/5 Tesla safety: 5/5 all NHTSA categories Tesla: all Tesla Autopilot safety features come standard (braking, collision avoidance, etc) Tesla: AWD dual-motors optional Tesla: upgradable kWh batteries ...These two cars aren't even comparable.
...Oh my God. Jon, did you just compare the Volt to the Model S? That's a (up to) $130k supercar that does 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. Please keep up with the topic: We're comparing the Tesla Model 3 to the Volt, not the Model S. The Tesla Model 3 is only $35,000 which happens to be the same price as the Volt. Jon, if you want to contribute to the discussion, please keep up and know what you're talking about. Okay?
The problem is the Model 3 isn't out yet. They have over 350k pre-sale booking done so far and I am seriously doubtful if they have that much manufacturing capability. I have a lot of money invested in Tesla and the Model 3 is giving me some scare.
One thing to consider when buying an electric vehicle is the company you are supporting. Chevy has had over 100 years to bring us more efficient vehicles and this is the best they can do? A hybrid with 53 mile range? Tesla has single handedly flipping the automotive industry on its head and buying a Tesla lets the other manufacturers know you aint playin'.
I will have to defer to the other comments posted on this video about how the comparison is between and electric car and a hybrid car. Not trying to knock your video. It is a good review of the Volt but The Tesla is just not in the same class as the Volt. Its like a Ferrari vs a Miata.
My family has a leaf, and a prius. The most range we've ever gotten out of the prius was 417 miles on ful gas and charge at 55-65 mpg. The leaf achieves about 175 miles on full charge. :P
No, this is not the best Chevy can do. The Bolt is the closest comparison to a Model 3 (which is still not actually available...). It will do almost 400km on a single charge and retails around $30k in the US. Comparing a hybrid with a small battery pack and ICE and a pure electric car is apples/oranges.
Thank you for making this. I owned a 2015 Volt and now a 2018 Volt, and 2017 Tesla Model S. I always tell everyone to get the Volt. Mostly because we live in a dual-fuel country, so why not have a dual-fuel vehicle. Also, the Tesla is a little too wide for most parking spots. Love my Volt!
Do you think there's a such thing as an objective car review? Sure there are objective facts such as MPG and 0-100, which he included that objective data by the way, but after all that there's always the personal experience of the reviewer, different people like different cars, yes it's a review.
Only thing that matters is that you trust the reviewer to be honest when giving their opinion. Even if you disagree with their opinion, if you believe them to be honest then you can calibrate your own expectations around them.
New math. At 11:18, your price comparison with the Prius makes sense only if you or a relative can get you a GM family discount ($2,739), you're coming off a compteting lease ($500), and you ignore the federal tax credit for the Prius ($7,500). Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that the Volt costs $10,739 more.
+Frank Howard the Prius doesn't qualify for the Fed tax credit. Only plug-ins qualify, which would be the just released Prius Prime. However, the credit is indexed to the battery size and because the Prius Prime has a much smaller battery, it only receives a $2500 tax credit. Also, the Volt can be had for a larger discount off of the sticker price than any Prius, so it is still very compelling even if you don't get the GM family discount etc. Finally, because the Volt can run so much further on electricity, your "fueling costs" will be lower with the Volt than with a Prius or Prius Prime. That being said, this all depends on where you live (there may be state incentives), the distances you travel and if you can plug-in. :)
The Prius Prime tax credit is actually $4500 + $500 from Toyota. In fact, I am not sure the tax credit is what you will get back. That must be deducted from your taxable income which means you will save on tax the corresponding percentage of tax you are paying. If you are paying 25% on tax that means you save $250 per $1000 and not the whole amount. correct me if I am wrong. Thanks.
A Prius doesn't qualify for the Federal tax credit. A Prius Prime gets a partial tax credit, $4500, the Volt get's the full Federal Tax credit of $7500. State rebates vary by state. MA gives a $2500 rebate for the Volt and $1500 for a Prius Prime and none for a Prius. So total credits+rebate, Volt $10,000, Prius Prime $6000. The Volt is also a much better car than the Prius Prime, 0-60 in 7.8 sec vs 10.4. 53 miles of battery range vs 25. Every review that I've read says the Volt handles better. The Volt also supports Android Auto and Apple Car Play, Toyota's don't, that's huge I would never buy a car without Android Auto. The only place were the Prius Prime is better is in MPG when the battery is empty, but the Volt's much greater range means that it will almost also burn less gas. In the winter, when I don't do any road trips, I hardly use any gas in my Volt, that wouldn't be true in the Prius Prime. Road trips have to be very long before the Prius Prime does better on gas than the Volt. I did a 250 mile round trip to Vermont last Saturday, I got 60 miles on the battery and the the car claims that I got 52MPG on gas which is a little pessimistic compared to the actual gas I used which was 3.5 gallons measured at the pump which comes out to 54 MPG (190/3.5). .
Joshua Rosen who told you that? As far as I know, all plug in just get the 4,500 tax credit. Bolt is one of those pilgrims in hybrid. Both good car and have their advance and disadvantage. The Volt can run 20 miles more per charge but 15-20 miles less per gallon gas
The Volt is rated at 53 miles on battery, the Prius Prime is 25, that's 28 miles more, more than 2X. The Volt is rated 42 MPG on gas, the Prius Prime is rated 54 MPG. Don't know how well the Prius Prime does in real world driving but the Volt's ratings are conservative. I did a 250 mile round trip to Vermont on Saturday, I got 60 miles on the battery and 53 MPG on the gas (as calculated by the car, if you calculate it by the gas pumps measure it was 54 MPG).
Sorry I wouldn't buy one. I have a 2016 Focus ST. It gets 40mpg@55 and 32mpg@80. It's quicker, more fun to drive and costs about the same. Not including the tax credit. For me the only reason to get an electric/hybrid is the tax credit. And another thing nobody wants to say is how much it costs to replace the battery when it goes bad. This is just another car like the Prius/Tesla and all the others, battery goes bad, time to sell it.
You could just add imperial units or metric units in brackets and everybody would be happy now ;) Btw. Is it possible to change units in user interface?
My electric bill went up about $35-40 a month when I bought a 2014 Volt, and I have a 38 mile round trip work commute. So use that as a reference when you calculate how much you spend in gas a month to see if it would save you more money.
So back of the napkin calculations here . . . Of course Mr. T456 would have to run his own calculations. According to Google there are about 21.6 workdays in a month. 21.6 * 38 miles = 820.8 miles a month. Let's say a decent 30 mpg for a gas car. 820.8 miles / 30 mpg = 27.36 gallons a month. 27.36 gallons a month * $2/gallon = $54.72 of gas a month. In most cases, the electric bill ought to be lower than the cost of refueling.
Frank Cantrelle Well, that's up from about $33 in January, although down from $64 from July of last year. This isn't the first time in one year in either direction, much less several. www.nasdaq.com/markets/crude-oil.aspx?timeframe=1y In any case, $2/gallon was an estimate, as gas prices fluctuate all the time. Last fill I had this month was $2.359/gal, although I filled for $1.959 once in April.
Wow. One forgets how cheap petrol(gas) is in the US! In Europe EVs are a factor of 5 or more cheaper to run than petrol/diesel cars. I guess most of the difference is that fuel is much more expensive. I'd still expect a bit more difference in the US, just because an EV uses about 25% as much energy per mile as an ICE car.
You should still go at it. I got a 2019 LT version back in May and loving it. The only regret is not searching more for a premier version or an LT version with sensors. The blind spots are huge and the reverse camera isn't fish-eye to provide more view of cars coming towards you.
I bought a volt 3 years for work and the car pool access .. turns out it's the best car I've owned .. I just hot two hundred thousand miles on it with little to no maintenance .. LOVE IT ..
This Volt is way more practical than a Tesla. Range wise it is in a sweet spot - cover the commute distance for most people, especially in Europe where most have a bit shorter commutes, while allowing arbitrary distances for trips using the gasoline engine. Seems like a total winner. Now they should work a bit on the styling, IMO it looks way too similar to a Prius, which isn't doing it any favours.
The PHEV market has changed a bit. The Volt was discontinued by GM. Honda has brought out the PHEV Clarity with about 47 miles of EV range. I just picked up an '18 Clarity base model for a little over $33K. It also qualifies for the $7500 federal tax credit. It's about the size of a Honda Accord, so a bit more interior room compared to the Volt.
I bought a 2014 Volt in Feb. It's in pristine condition with 43k miles. Cost me $12k USD. My job is working on computer networks in NJ. Last year, I drove 35k miles for work, just in NJ. We bought (not leased) a solar system for our house last year. Now I charge the Volt for free. Even though I don't use it to its full potential (30 miles a day on just electric), I am getting 60-70 mpg over a 100 mile trip. That's driving 75-80mph on the highway. Love the Volt. First GM car I have owned in 20 years. I have nothing but praise for this car. It's super fast off the line compared with a gas car. I don't feel like I have to charge it anywhere but home, no matter how far I roam.
Ooh I love this style of review! I would love to see more like this. Unfortunately, I don't think the Volt is something I appreciate. Being able to only drive 85 km on electric is just barely enough to just drive to the border of Ontario, even though it's like 45 minutes away. And yes, the addition of a gasoline motor is absolutely fantastic for most people, but for me, I've been on a "electric-only or nothing" mentality for a while so it won't do. I've been appreciating the Leaf for a while now, but since the announcement of the Tesla 3, I've been focused on it lately and I can't wait to find out more. I doubt I'll still have any kind of money to afford one when it releases, but oh boy would I love to test-drive it eventually.
53 miles is plenty for an EV car their not designed to go cross country due to limitations in the battery technology. Those cars are made to put around the city in.
Ogreng Buddha the point is that it pales in comparison to the Model 3 (215/53 = 4 times further) and he ticks the box for long range... it's not long range, it's city range, everything else I have no problem with, but his bias is showing - particularly when he's already bought a volt and his dad is a former GM man.
+schr4nz Yeah, but you have the engine for anything longer than that - you'll still save most of the money you would spend on fuel but you have the flexibility of a 300 mile range.
@@ryanfahey416 Yep, I found out you're right. It's just not shown on the website. You have to somehow know that its possible and talk to a salesman directly to get one ordered. Range is reduced and it can't be upgraded to autopilot. There are other compromises as well. No doubt this is because Tesla loses money on the very base model.
Kent Purdy yeah, it’s pretty hard to get it. Although i have seen in the tesla app you can upgrade to base level autopilot and then the more advanced one but then there are a bunch of features like the subwoofer and speakers in the car that can’t really be easily upgraded
And is also a lot more likely to kill you in an accident. And isn't electric. And is much more likely to fail. And comes with much more required maintenance. And doesn't have modern amenities like CarPlay support... Honestly they're not comparable at all.
I live in Manhattan. The Volt is the only electric that makes sense for me. Good luck finding a charging station in the city...many available outside Manhattan. Great review!
+TiconderogaX how is it comparable to an electric Tesla? If you have to compare then compare the EV portion only. Plus, it's got no fast charging option. It's a fucking hybrid
I have seen several reviews. I really appreciate the time you put into this and the many edits you had to make for this video. Funny about the lack of touch downs. :) Kidding aside. I am going to get a 2017. My daily commute is 42. I spend about $325 a month on fuel. This literally will go away over night.
I'd personally prefer to have the best of both worlds with a Chevy Volt, rather than be endlessly tied to needing an electrical outlet with a Tesla. Just my opinion though.
+The Olive Besides The Volt is a fair comparison to the Model 3, because at any time it most definitely can be used as a dedicated electric vehicle. As the only time you NEED to use the gasoline engine is the cycle through the gasoline in the car so it doesn't go bad, and that isn't as often as you might imagine. You wouldn't rather have the option there to use gasoline if you could? I personally think it's a pretty great feature.
A fully electric car is a bit more intimidating to the average EV skeptic. At least with a hybrid, you will never be stranded and needing a re-charge. That being said, the Tesla won't have to support the weight of a heavy engine, meaning you will get better acceleration and performance from it.
+Austin Vickers The Model 3 will weigh more than the Volt. The 2016 Volt only weighs 3,543 lbs. The Tesla Model S, because of its battery, starts at 4,608 lbs.
after 2 years of driving 2017 volt - i can clearly declare it is the only car that can make you cry when you part with it - why? it has everything what prius and tesla combined into one car - and that is a golden combo you can only wish to ever come across in your lifetime - moreover new 2023 prius has caught up with all volts by finally introducing a recharging cable that allows use prius just like volt or tesla - before that prius would only regen the batteries from using gas - but volt did not have to use gas in order to get any juice - in other words volt can be used without any gas but prius would need gas at all times - however new 2023 prius has finally copycatted volt to run without gas (took like forever to do what volt does for a decade now) - in other words gas for volt was optional for over a decade - and for new prius the gas optional as well - so the point is if volt is no longer in production but new prius can do same as volt recharging wise - then i am into new prius - which i hated before but now will consider - unless gm gets back with new volt and beats prius power range which is still below even 5 year old volt - but frankly i dont like to change horses in the middle of the run and prefer volt over any gas assisted ev or ev only - just 2 cents on the subject -
This is the only electric car that makes sense in the modern world, with a lack of speedy charging and available charging stations. In the future, the all electrics may become more reasonable.
@@YevezNutZ Yeah, like I do. And like this guy: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QQqhoM3fDrQ.html To summarize: You can just convince your landlord to install a charging station. Eventually, not having one will be the exception, not the rule.
@@theblackwidower Maybe JDR is referring to road trips in areas without a charging network? There are plenty of large areas in the Midwest and Southwestern parts of the USA without charging stations once you get off the interstate highways.
@@mowcowbell Now that is a major problem that does need to be fixed. But in that case my first thought is: rental. Yes, that costs extra money, but consider it part of your vacation budget.
Think of the Volt as a gateway electric car to those who can't wait for, or can't yet afford a new Tesla. One, and probably the only one , advantage that the Volt has over the Tesla, is there is no range anxiety.
Nic Stroud In the U.S. new cars are released usually several months before the year number that they're called. Sometimes they'll also release what's called a mid-cycle refresh which is basically like a model year and a half where they've had some time to work out any bugs that they might have encountered in the initial release if they rushed it too much the first time around in order to remain competitive. Source: I work for a rental car company that has partnerships with a lot of major automakers.
There was a fluke with the Gen 2 Volt. Originally it was supposed to just be released nationwide in 2016 as a 2016 model. However, GM had a delayed release, where they only released the 2016 in certain states like California first, and they had some quality control issues that held up those 2016's. So then GM decided to make the 2016 a short model year, and released the 2017 in spring 2016 instead. So the 2017 model year Volt actually runs from spring 2016 until around late summer 2017, when they revamp for the 2018 model. You can find 2016 Volts around, but they won't be as common as 2017's will be in the coming years.
Two completely different cars. One is "like" a hybrid still using gas when the batteries wear out. While the Tesla is a pure electric car, no gas, no oil changes no nasty spark plugs or real maintenance that a regular gas powered car requires. No point in buying a Volt if what you were interested in is an electric car. With the Volt its the maintenance and hassle of a gasoline car with the battery failure worries of an electric. Bad comparison review, its like compairing an Apple to an Mango. Poor poor review, so much fail.
lol when this guy is a chevy fanboy. "OMG 50 MILES=GO ACROSS AMURICA" ..... But when the model 3 base can go 4 times farther on electricity, charges the much bigger battery in only 2 hours extra, and can actually use superchargers...... so like 15 mins on one is equal to 2 times the distance this piece of crap could do in 2 batteries, or 8 hours of charging... So like 8x better in battery technology alone
I do love the Volt. I went to go buy one in 2013, but the dealer would not come off the sticker price... not even a DIME. So to really stick it to him, I went to Ford and bought an Explorer. I showed him! (True story, sarcasm aside.). I still want a Volt. The Explorer is getting up in years, and I’d love a Volt to do all my daily driving. My commute to work is only 5 miles each way, and pretty much anything I would need on a daily basis is within 10 miles of my house.
innocentrage1 I’ve known a couple people go that route. They’ve given mostly positive feedback from it. I hope you like your Volt!!!!! The newer models are leaps and bounds better, but something about the OG design draws me to them.
Parked next to one at work yesterday in my big V8 sedan and walked around it and thought whoa it’s not ugly like the Leaf. So today I saw the owner and we had a great conversation about it, Tesla and solar power. I enjoyed your video a lot. Today is my 1st looking into one. Thanks
Not true. You can also buy a Tesla. Edit: you can also buy a BMW i3 both as a pure battery electric vehicle and as a gasoline range extended electric vehicle AND you can buy a Mitsubishi Outlander plug in hybrid electric vehicle (still not available in the US).
I have a Volt, Awesome cars. A tip I found out , that you may know or not. Charge it at home.... go find a hill and use Gas to get there. Go to the top of the longest hill you can find (use gas to the top) and drive with regenerative braking all the way down. on BATTERY MODE. You will find that the car will charge to 60,70 or 80 miles depending on your Volt. And year. Now when you plug in at night , the charge will fully charge to 60 ,70 or 80... it stays like this for weeks and then you will notice when you plug it will slowly charge less and less.... Go find another hill and do it again..... Been doing this for two years with my volt, with no battery loss at all. Hope this is useful.
Sport mode does not add any speed to the car. However, I've had so many people mention it, I think I'm going to go back to the track again and PROVE it.
Co-worker had a Volt he was leasing. He turned the car back in after 24 months and never changed the oil due to how little time he spent with the gasoline engine on.
