More Control Given to Chevy Volt Drivers Soon? Maybe.

April 13th, 2012 by Zachary Shahan

It’s mostly speculation at the moment, but word on the street is that the Chevy Volt may eventually be offering an EV-only option. Here’s more:

EV-Only Mode May Come To Chevy Volt (via Gas 2.0)

Though the Chevy Volt and Vauxhall Ampera are built on the same platform, the reception the two cars have received could not be more different. While the Volt has been polarized and bastardized as a product of Obama, the Ampera sold out before it ever went on sale. There is another key difference…

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Tags: Chevy Volt, quickies, Volt

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.

Tom G.

I think this new forced mode has the potential to be of real value. Especially if I know in advance what the driving conditions ahead are probably going to be.

If it quite possible to start a daily commute in Riverside California and end up in Burbank. The first part of your trip into town will most likely be open freeway driving about 70-75 mph. HOWEVER, when you get about 20 miles away from Burbank the traffic ends up being about 10-40 mph or stop and go. That is when the electric portion of the vehicle shines.

Yup this sounds like a pretty darn good idea to me.
bobbleheadguru

The headline of the article directly contradicts the content. “Charge sustaining” means that the gasoline engine is ON (not off/ “EV Only”).
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  the point is that the charge sustaining mode is currently used *automatically* in the Volt, whereas Ampera drivers have the option not to use it (to use EV mode only). and there’s a chance the Volt will get the option to not use the charge sustaining option (to manually turn it or or *not*)
  - bobbleheadguru
    
    Thanks for the response. Please check the cross outs v. the original article.
    
    I drive a Volt. The charge sustaining mode will turn on only if… 1. The battery is drained. 2. It is too cold. 3. The gasoline engine has not been used for a while. In #1 and #2, the car would presumably override anything the driver would want to do.
    
    The European feature (not a version of the car, just a feature) would be to turn ON this mode on purpose… if you know you will be using up the battery anyway.
    
    In theory, you could use gasoline first, in hopes that battery would last longer later (perhaps use gasoline on the highway .. then battery only in the city).
    
    In practice, this is a really minor issue.
    
    The headline is implying that there is a “Leaf-Like” version of the Volt coming.
    - RobS
      
      The issue is that the car is programmed to behave in a certain way without knowing all that the driver knows. For example if your morning commute takes the car down below some preprogrammed cut off to begin gas charging then the gas generator will fire up to replenish the charge, what the car doesn’t know is that it may only be 3 more miles to work and your boss has installed free EV chargers as an employee perk. In that case you could activate the forced EV feature taking the car slightly lower in charge then it is programmed then recharge from the grid for free or at least cheaper than gas. It’s just about handing some autonomy over the intricate computer controlled workings of the vehicle back to the driver.
      - Mike Murphy
        
        To my knowlege, nobody has suggested a forced EV mode. The car is programmed to optimize battery life, so allowing extra discharge may shorten battery life if employed too often. Th opposite is the forced CS mode (Hold Mode) that the Ampera has available and may be on the 2013 Volt.
      - http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
        
        Changing the title.
    - Mike Murphy
      
      There is actually a way to force CS mode early: use Mountain Mode, which starts the CS mode about 10-12 miles sooner than it would in normal mode. once you drop to lower speeds, or enter the city, you switch back to normal mode and you are back in EV mode.
    - http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
      
      the cross-out was in place when i reposted it
      
      “In theory, you could use gasoline first, in hopes that battery would last longer later (perhaps use gasoline on the highway .. then battery only in the city).” – definitely.
      
      “In practice, this is a really minor issue.” – maybe you’re right, but it’s a little something and also gives drivers more control, which i’m sure many folks (especially early adopter types) like.
      
      Changing the title.
  - Mike Murphy
    
    Zachary: you are incorrect: Ampera drivers have the option of using CS mode on demand, not choosing to use EV mode. The Volt defaults to EV only until charge is depleted, then it goes into CS mode (unless Mountain mode is chosen, then more battery is held in reserve and CS mode starts early. You can then go back to Normal mode and the EV mode runs again.) The only way that Ampera drivers have an option to CHOOSE EV mode is by choosing NOT to use it on the highway by forcing CS mode (Hold Mode), then going back to Normal in the city.