2015 Chevrolet Volt consumer reviews

You NEVER have to plug it in- you CAN drive it forever on gas alone. However, it is an electrically driven car that you can plug in and get 40 miles of gas free driving/ charge. The gas engine is really a generator that charges the battery that drives the motor. That said- the car drives great using either the stored electricity or the generated-- no difference noted and it shifts seamlessly and automatically. Some fleet drivers have driven over 70,000 miles without ever having plugged it in. The volt has great acceleration, and really holds the road well- the result of the heavy battery being low to the ground and down the center of the car. My son who drives a sports car was very surprised and impressed when he took it for a spin. Many mechanics believe that since this is essentially an electrically driven car that there should be much less wear and tear on the engine, transmission etc. Although this is the 5th year model it is too early to tell- not many as yet have very high mileage The 2015 volt has lots of interesting electronics- including it's own wifi " hotspot" that I added to my ATT family share plan. There is a learning curve to all this- however it is really easy to learn the basics and drive the car. This qualifies for a PGE electric vehicle rate plan which has untiered time of use rates - with very low rates during off peak hours (11pm-7am). The car has a timer so you can set it to charge during those hours. Of course you can also run major appliances during those hours to offset the electricity costs. You could also put up a few solar panels and do net metering. Your ultimate PGE cost will depend upon how much electricity you use during the peak hours- (2-9pm) and your previous tier 3-4 use. The off peak rate for charging the car alone is about $1.17- which gets a bit more miles than a gallon of gas You can charge the car with the included 110 volt charger Just plug into almost any outlet. It will take about 10 hours if you select 12 amps ( in the car menu) or 16 hours at the default 8 amps. You can have a 240 volt outlet installed and purchase a level two charger that will charge the car in 3-4 hours, but 50% of volt owners don't bother to do this. Of course you can plug the car in at various public charging stations scattered about. Some are free, and some charge more than the price of gas. There are apps to help you locate these. Sometimes you get a really good parking space this way- but it seems ridiculous to wait 3 hours to charge up your car. Also, at present, there are not really very many of these charging stations around and no, you cannot use the "T" lrapid chargers. The Volt is the only electric car I would consider because it runs perfectly well on gas- and you don't have to worry about range anxiety- just plug it in overnight. And it is nice not to have to go to the gas station as often, especially in the morning.

This car is full of technology and the way it melds together is terrific. The transition from electric to gas is completely seamless. I took a trip through the mountains of West Virginia and was completely surprised at the performance. While many people complain about the size it's perfect for my wife and I. When I need to carry a large load I just put the back seats down and load it up. We love the car can't wait to see the next generation.

So far very excited about owning my first EV. It has all the bells and whistles. Drives like a dream and fun to drive. Very responsive with great acceleration. Fun to regenerate and maximize your miles. Great buy for the technology and safety. LOVE IT!!!