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| Brock Hoagland of Pringle, South Dakota, (left) stops by Dar Davis' house to show off his brand new 2017 Chevy Volt . |
Chevy’s all-new 2nd gen Volt is a winner
This past summer not long before the August Concours car show I was asked by car friend Brent Caperton of Baroda if I’d like to meet a friend of his who had just purchased a new second generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid hatchback.
I said yes to the invite and shortly Brent and his friend from Navy days, Brock Hoagland of Pringle, South Dakota, showed up in a beautiful 2017 Kinetic Blue Metallic Volt.
It was a pleasant visit and I got to meet a new car friend and drive the newest Volt. I also learned quickly that Brock has a technical background. Like his friend Brent, he was an operator of power plants here in the U.S. until his retirement.
As readers know I’m a low-tech guy and prefer a car as simple to operate as possible. For these reasons, the remarkably advanced Volt hybrid (and Chevy’s upcoming all-electric Bolt EV hatch) would not be high on my list of potential vehicles to purchase to replace my Buick Verano.
My cluelessness about things mechanical doesn’t stop me from being curious about how the Volt works and I learned a lot about the Volt from Brock during his St. Joseph visit and from subsequent emails that he thoughtfully sent me after his visit.
First a little Volt history. Readers may recall back in 2011 when the Volt was first on the market that I wrote a column about the all-new and highly anticipated car. Tom Burch, my son-in-law who works for GM and was loaned a Volt for the weekend, paid a visit and I had a chance to examine the car up close and take it for a spin.
The Volt is a technological superstar. Unlike pure electric cars (EV) the Volt was created to eliminate “range anxiety” and give owners peace of mind. If the batteries in a Volt run out of juice, a gas-powered engine starts up and begins charging the batteries. With this clever set-up, owners just needed to keep gas in the tank.
For a new piece of machinery with so many new and unproven technologies, the Volt has been remarkably trouble free. Since its introduction in 2011, I found online only three recall notices. Two involving 14 cars regarding steering and Electronic Stability Control and 50,236 involving an engine and engine cooling problem. Global sales of Volt total 117,000 as of June 2016 with over 100,000 sold in the States.
Hoping to boost sales Chevy began selling the all-new second gen 2016 Volt in October 2015 with a lower price. The new Volt is also quicker, quieter, more fuel-efficient and goes farther on all-electric power.
Base price of $33,995 is $1,115 below the 2015 Volt. This price does not include the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 nor the state rebates of up to $1,500 available in some states. The base price includes such desirable standard equipment as rear-vision camera, LED low-beam headlights, 8-inch touch-screen display, keyless access, push-button start, 10 air bags and 17-inch wheels.
Also making the new Volt more desirable, and perhaps explains why sales this year have nearly doubled, is it is recommended by Consumers Report magazine and the car has earned five out of five stars for occupant protection in U.S. government frontal and side crash tests.
So what does new owner Brock think of his Volt that he purchased for the price of $36,005 (before the tax credit)? He thinks quite highly of it, thank you, and he has been kind enough to apprise me of how economical his hybrid has been performing in the ensuing months since his visit.
Brock considered the Volt because he was impressed with the new model’s improved battery range of over 53 miles (40 percent greater than before) and because he has a GM credit card that afforded some financial incentives.
Wanting a lighter interior but settling for black, Brock also opted for the premium sound package.
I asked what he liked best about the newest Volt and he first mentioned that he “is a bit of a hyper-miler” and does everything possible to improve mileage so he’s especially keen on the regenerative braking feature with a paddle located on the left side of the Volt’s steering wheel. I’m not familiar with how this works but Brock indicated that he does almost his entire stopping using the paddle, not the brake pedal. By using the paddle to brake, some of the energy of the car’s motion is converted to electricity for the battery pack.
The Volt is designed to go two years between oil changes. The batteries in the Volt are guaranteed to last 8 years. Brock projects that based on a number of full battery charges on his Volt since ownership that his batteries may last as much as 16 years.
For those of you who may wonder, the Volt cannot be charged at the Tesla SuperCharger station located behind Panera Bread on Hollywood Road. Instead, Volt batteries can be charged by plugging into either a standard 120-volt home outlet or a 240-volt fast-charger. All Chevy dealers are required to have a fast charger free for use, as well as there being other charging stations. There is a free app listing the locations of all Volt fast chargers nationwide.
In several emails that Brock has sent me since his Michigan summer visit; he reports that his Volt actually out-performs the rated 53-mile EV range. On short and long trips his car is enjoying between a 56 to 63-mile EV range. He credits the higher figure to his conservative driving style and using regenerative (paddle) braking as much as possible.
Brock also sent me his estimates on what it costs to operate his Volt. Brock wrote, “Since the last OnStar report (for his Volt) for September, I drove 551 miles electric and 185 gas for a total of 736 miles. Fuel economy was 187 mpg equivalent and electricity consumption was 29 KwH per 100 miles. At electricity rates here that would be $3.19 per 100 miles. If a car gets 40 mpg and gas is $2.25 the cost for 100 miles would be $5.62.
Brock notes that it takes 17 KwH to fully charge the battery when exhausted. He goes on to say, “For me that means a cost of around $1.85 and I can go about 60 miles for that. I’m finding that I only need to buy gas for it every 6-8 weeks.” However, he expects his EV range to decrease approximately 30 percent in winter due to the need to heat the car cabin and decreased battery efficiency at lower temperatures.
How many readers can go two months without filling their vehicle’s tank? Low gas prices have put a deep crunch on sales of EV and hybrid vehicles this past year. I salute Brock Hoagland for opting to buy the super economical Volt. Not only will he be in a great place if gas prices spike in the future, he is presently realizing significant savings with his electric/gas plug-in hybrid.
This past summer not long before the August Concours car show I was asked by car friend Brent Caperton of Baroda if I’d like to meet a friend of his who had just purchased a new second generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid hatchback.
I said yes to the invite and shortly Brent and his friend from Navy days, Brock Hoagland of Pringle, South Dakota, showed up in a beautiful 2017 Kinetic Blue Metallic Volt.
It was a pleasant visit and I got to meet a new car friend and drive the newest Volt. I also learned quickly that Brock has a technical background. Like his friend Brent, he was an operator of power plants here in the U.S. until his retirement.
As readers know I’m a low-tech guy and prefer a car as simple to operate as possible. For these reasons, the remarkably advanced Volt hybrid (and Chevy’s upcoming all-electric Bolt EV hatch) would not be high on my list of potential vehicles to purchase to replace my Buick Verano.
My cluelessness about things mechanical doesn’t stop me from being curious about how the Volt works and I learned a lot about the Volt from Brock during his St. Joseph visit and from subsequent emails that he thoughtfully sent me after his visit.
First a little Volt history. Readers may recall back in 2011 when the Volt was first on the market that I wrote a column about the all-new and highly anticipated car. Tom Burch, my son-in-law who works for GM and was loaned a Volt for the weekend, paid a visit and I had a chance to examine the car up close and take it for a spin.
The Volt is a technological superstar. Unlike pure electric cars (EV) the Volt was created to eliminate “range anxiety” and give owners peace of mind. If the batteries in a Volt run out of juice, a gas-powered engine starts up and begins charging the batteries. With this clever set-up, owners just needed to keep gas in the tank.
For a new piece of machinery with so many new and unproven technologies, the Volt has been remarkably trouble free. Since its introduction in 2011, I found online only three recall notices. Two involving 14 cars regarding steering and Electronic Stability Control and 50,236 involving an engine and engine cooling problem. Global sales of Volt total 117,000 as of June 2016 with over 100,000 sold in the States.
Hoping to boost sales Chevy began selling the all-new second gen 2016 Volt in October 2015 with a lower price. The new Volt is also quicker, quieter, more fuel-efficient and goes farther on all-electric power.
Base price of $33,995 is $1,115 below the 2015 Volt. This price does not include the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 nor the state rebates of up to $1,500 available in some states. The base price includes such desirable standard equipment as rear-vision camera, LED low-beam headlights, 8-inch touch-screen display, keyless access, push-button start, 10 air bags and 17-inch wheels.
Also making the new Volt more desirable, and perhaps explains why sales this year have nearly doubled, is it is recommended by Consumers Report magazine and the car has earned five out of five stars for occupant protection in U.S. government frontal and side crash tests.
So what does new owner Brock think of his Volt that he purchased for the price of $36,005 (before the tax credit)? He thinks quite highly of it, thank you, and he has been kind enough to apprise me of how economical his hybrid has been performing in the ensuing months since his visit.
Brock considered the Volt because he was impressed with the new model’s improved battery range of over 53 miles (40 percent greater than before) and because he has a GM credit card that afforded some financial incentives.
Wanting a lighter interior but settling for black, Brock also opted for the premium sound package.
I asked what he liked best about the newest Volt and he first mentioned that he “is a bit of a hyper-miler” and does everything possible to improve mileage so he’s especially keen on the regenerative braking feature with a paddle located on the left side of the Volt’s steering wheel. I’m not familiar with how this works but Brock indicated that he does almost his entire stopping using the paddle, not the brake pedal. By using the paddle to brake, some of the energy of the car’s motion is converted to electricity for the battery pack.
The Volt is designed to go two years between oil changes. The batteries in the Volt are guaranteed to last 8 years. Brock projects that based on a number of full battery charges on his Volt since ownership that his batteries may last as much as 16 years.
For those of you who may wonder, the Volt cannot be charged at the Tesla SuperCharger station located behind Panera Bread on Hollywood Road. Instead, Volt batteries can be charged by plugging into either a standard 120-volt home outlet or a 240-volt fast-charger. All Chevy dealers are required to have a fast charger free for use, as well as there being other charging stations. There is a free app listing the locations of all Volt fast chargers nationwide.
In several emails that Brock has sent me since his Michigan summer visit; he reports that his Volt actually out-performs the rated 53-mile EV range. On short and long trips his car is enjoying between a 56 to 63-mile EV range. He credits the higher figure to his conservative driving style and using regenerative (paddle) braking as much as possible.
Brock also sent me his estimates on what it costs to operate his Volt. Brock wrote, “Since the last OnStar report (for his Volt) for September, I drove 551 miles electric and 185 gas for a total of 736 miles. Fuel economy was 187 mpg equivalent and electricity consumption was 29 KwH per 100 miles. At electricity rates here that would be $3.19 per 100 miles. If a car gets 40 mpg and gas is $2.25 the cost for 100 miles would be $5.62.
Brock notes that it takes 17 KwH to fully charge the battery when exhausted. He goes on to say, “For me that means a cost of around $1.85 and I can go about 60 miles for that. I’m finding that I only need to buy gas for it every 6-8 weeks.” However, he expects his EV range to decrease approximately 30 percent in winter due to the need to heat the car cabin and decreased battery efficiency at lower temperatures.
How many readers can go two months without filling their vehicle’s tank? Low gas prices have put a deep crunch on sales of EV and hybrid vehicles this past year. I salute Brock Hoagland for opting to buy the super economical Volt. Not only will he be in a great place if gas prices spike in the future, he is presently realizing significant savings with his electric/gas plug-in hybrid.
South Dakota resident Brock Hoagland and his brand new 2017 Chevy Volt paid a visit to old Navy friend Brent Caperton of Baroda this past summer. Dar accepted Brent's offer to stop by his house with the Volt for a look-see at the second-generation plug-in hybrid. A quick spin revealed that the super economical sedan - based on the same platform as Dar's Buick Verano - shares nearly the same driving dynamics as a typical gas engine vehicle. According to Brock, his Volt gets 187 mpg equivalent and uses $3.19 worth of electricity per 100 miles.
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