Life in a PHEV

I have been pondering a change to my DD for some time now. I commute 70km (44 miles) each way and I have the capability to charge at work. Gas prices here have been heading upward and were over $1.15/l CAD and that seemed to be putting upward pressure on PHEV and EV vehicles. Even at current gas prices, I believe that the savings will pay for the car in approx. 5 1/2 years. 

I was reviewing the different options and considering some of my other driving needs (picking up kids from ex), a PHEV seemed to make the most sense. The 2nd Gen Volt in particular seemed to be the best fit:

- 100 km range (summer) on battery. Other PHEV's seem to be around 40 km

- So for most of my commute I can be on straight electric

- Significant number of 2nd Gen volts coming off-lease locally.

So last Saturday, I drove over to the GTA and made a deal. Wednesday I picked it up:

2018 Chevy Volt LT - 50, 486 kms, leased at the same dealership that was selling it. They were approaching 60 days on the lot and seemed willing to deal. 

Dealership had plugged it in, but it wasn't full of gas. Drive home was 130 km. I made it about 100 km on Electric/Gas mix (gas engine will run to help heat the cabin). At that mark:

Just a paltry 138.5 MPG (USG)!!

Made it home and found out how USELESS Low-Rolling Resistance tires are in the snow. Finally made it far enough up the driveway to plug in!

I had already bought a set of nice Yokohama IG51's off a friend who had traded his Bolt in on a Tesla. Borrowed a friends heated garage and I can actually drive in the snow!

Initial Impressions:

• Technology wise - these things are amazing
• Economy, even in the cold, is stellar. This will only get better as the weather warms.
• Driving is mostly wind noise and now noise from the snows, but almost silent at low speeds
• Will be getting a 240V charger at home - 13 hours on 120V, 4.5 hours on 240!!
• Not the roomiest car for a guy my size but I can live with it.
• Seats are not as good as the VW

I will keep this updated as I go along. 

Looks great! I have a 2018 Volt that I'm very happy with. The charger you have should be the same as mine. It's dual voltage and will run in a 220 volt receptacle. You just need to use an adapter. I made one for about $25. 

In reply to NGTD :

You wrote:  I have the capability to charge at work. 

When you add in free "at work charging" this goes from a really good deal to an amazing deal.  

Congrats! 100 km range and the ability to charge at work means you're basically driving an EV with an emergency gasoline engine stashed up front :)

Where are you in Ontario? 130 km from the GTA covers a lot of ground.

One thing I've always wondered about the PHEVs is their highway manners. The ICE is sized with the expectation that it will have the battery to help out (or is it the other way around?). So how does it feel when the battery is no longer much help and you're still pounding along the 401 at triple digits?

John Welsh said:

In reply to NGTD :

You wrote:  I have the capability to charge at work. 

When you add in free "at work charging" this goes from a really good deal to an amazing deal.  

I can plug into 120V at work for free.

The level 2 chargers are $1.50/hr CAD. 

I'm going to keep using the 120V

Keith Tanner said:

Congrats! 100 km range and the ability to charge at work means you're basically driving an EV with an emergency gasoline engine stashed up front :)

Where are you in Ontario? 130 km from the GTA covers a lot of ground.

One thing I've always wondered about the PHEVs is their highway manners. The ICE is sized with the expectation that it will have the battery to help out (or is it the other way around?). So how does it feel when the battery is no longer much help and you're still pounding along the 401 at triple digits?

I'm in Fenelon Falls (about an hour NE of Newmarket). I commute to Peterborough. The car was picked up at a dealer in Markham.

I was running up the 404 at 120 km/hr but that was while I still had battery, so I can't tell you that well.

This guy explains how the drivetrain in the 2nd Gen Volt, better than I ever could.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3-wGOyT2-I

Part of the reason I chose a PHEV, is that I have to drive to North Bay to pick up my kids and a straight EV would not have the range.  I still have range stress issues!

This also explains it well;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX5ZwzNwTc4

I was wondering more about the experience than the technical aspect.  

You're about 2 hours from our cottage :)

Keith Tanner said:

I was wondering more about the experience than the technical aspect.  

You're about 2 hours from our cottage :)

I'll let you know next weekend, when I head up to pick up my kids. I'll have a good run on HWY 11 at triple digits.

Cottage east of Bancroft?

NGTD said:

Keith Tanner said:

I was wondering more about the experience than the technical aspect.  

You're about 2 hours from our cottage :)

I'll let you know next weekend, when I head up to pick up my kids. I'll have a good run on HWY 11 at triple digits.

Cottage east of Bancroft?

West. It's up near Magentawan. I also worked one summer at a camp on Lake Couchiching which is right by your back door. Love that country.

Looking forward to a non-urban report with proper weather! And thanks Mike.

Drive to work

Drive Home

129.2 km - 1.24L of gas. Just a paltry 245 mpg (USG).  This was at -3C in the morning and 2C in the afternoon.

Missed making it home on all electric by 700m (0.43 miles).

So close! You'll have to get a run at it next time :)

Can it heat the interior on battery or do you need the ICE running for that? I'm assuming the former. Can you pre-warm before you leave?

Keith Tanner said:

So close! You'll have to get a run at it next time :)

Can it heat the interior on battery or do you need the ICE running for that? I'm assuming the former. Can you pre-warm before you leave?

It can heat on straight electric

Yes, I normally pre-heat plugged in 

I know a fellow in my area (SE Michigan) who commutes in a Volt. He puts Stabil in the tank because he fills up with gas so infrequently.

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

I know a fellow in my area (SE Michigan) who commutes in a Volt. He puts Stabil in the tank because he fills up with gas so infrequently.

I drive a lot, but that may need to be considered.

How many watts per hour does it use  to charge the battery  ?

and how many hours from an almost dead battery until full ?

californiamilleghia said:

How many watts per hour does it use ?

and how many hours from an almost dead battery until full ?

It used up the full battery pack in a 50 minute drive. Ill have to figure out the watts / hr

13 hours on 120V - 4.5 hrs on 240. I don't have a 240 plug at home yet, but I'm getting one added. These can't charge really fast

californiamilleghia said:

How many watts per hour does it use  to charge the battery  ?

and how many hours from an almost dead battery until full ?

Those are the same question asked in different directions :)

It's an 18.4 KWh battery according to GM. I don't know if that's total capacity or useable. Let's assume the latter as we don't have data for the former.

13 hours on 110V = 1415 Wh (1.4 KWh) average charging rate.
4.5 hours on 220V = 4.1 KWh average charging rate

Not a fast charge by pure EV standards, but it's also a small battery by pure EV standards so that's reasonable. The need for fast charging goes up with battery capacity, and of course this car has a backup mode of propulsion/charging. The nice thing about the slower charge rate is that you don't need a massive electrical service - even the 220V needs less 20A to feed that, and I think that 110V charger will work off a normal 15A outlet so there's zero new wiring needed. That's probably not an accident.

Keith Tanner said:

californiamilleghia said:

How many watts per hour does it use  to charge the battery  ?

and how many hours from an almost dead battery until full ?

Those are the same question asked in different directions :)

It's an 18.4 KWh battery according to GM. I don't know if that's total capacity or useable. Let's assume the latter as we don't have data for the former.

13 hours on 110V = 1415 Wh (1.4 KWh) average charging rate.
4.5 hours on 220V = 4.1 KWh average charging rate

Not a fast charge by pure EV standards, but it's also a small battery by pure EV standards so that's reasonable. The need for fast charging goes up with battery capacity, and of course this car has a backup mode of propulsion/charging. The nice thing about the slower charge rate is that you don't need a massive electrical service - even the 220V needs less 20A to feed that, and I think that 110V charger will work off a normal 15A outlet so there's zero new wiring needed. That's probably not an accident.

14 kwh useable. 

Max Amps on 120V is 12 Amps (80% of 15A), so yes no change needed to wiring.

Congrats! I've had my 2015 Volt for 2 years and love it. The EV quietness and smoothness with the gas engine for road trip range is a great combination. A couple tidbits of info:

It's the fastest in Hold mode, since you get the combined output of both the gas engine and electric motor. Passing power is not exhilarating, but it's decent enough not to be dangerous. The electric motor delivers torque quickly when you mash the throttle, then the gas engine ramps in gradually to maintain the acceleration. Much nicer than waiting for a traditional automatic to downshift in order to get power. It feels like GM could have made it a lot faster if they wanted to. Apparently they saved that for the ELR.

The MPG calculation, at least on my Gen 1, is more of a feel-good number than anything. It doesn't count electricity at all, so it treats EV miles like they're free, which, of course, they aren't. However, EV miles are usually around 2/3 the cost of gasoline miles.

I get 2 miles/kWh in the depths of winter, and 4 miles/kWh in ideal conditions in the summer. I charge at home almost exclusively, and my utility charges $0.10/kWh in the winter and $0.12/kWh in the summer. So that's $0.05/mile in the winter and $0.03/mile in the summer. Compare to a very efficient gasoline car that gets 40MPG on $2.40/gallon gas--that's $0.06/mile. So, EV miles are always cheaper than gas miles--around half the cost in the summer. I have no idea what the payback period vs. a gasoline car is for me, but I enjoy driving the Volt, so I don't really care.

(Ninja edit: caught and corrected a math error.)

NGTD,

Off topic but I like your garage. Could you tell me the width and door width, please?

Hasbro (Forum Supporter) said:

NGTD,

Off topic but I like your garage. Could you tell me the width and door width, please?

Thanks!

Garage is 16' wide (outside) and the door is a 9' wide door. 

obsolete said:

Congrats! I've had my 2015 Volt for 2 years and love it. The EV quietness and smoothness with the gas engine for road trip range is a great combination. A couple tidbits of info:

It's the fastest in Hold mode, since you get the combined output of both the gas engine and electric motor. Passing power is not exhilarating, but it's decent enough not to be dangerous. The electric motor delivers torque quickly when you mash the throttle, then the gas engine ramps in gradually to maintain the acceleration. Much nicer than waiting for a traditional automatic to downshift in order to get power. It feels like GM could have made it a lot faster if they wanted to. Apparently they saved that for the ELR.

The MPG calculation, at least on my Gen 1, is more of a feel-good number than anything. It doesn't count electricity at all, so it treats EV miles like they're free, which, of course, they aren't. However, EV miles are usually around 2/3 the cost of gasoline miles.

I get 2 miles/kWh in the depths of winter, and 4 miles/kWh in ideal conditions in the summer. I charge at home almost exclusively, and my utility charges $0.10/kWh in the winter and $0.12/kWh in the summer. So that's $0.05/mile in the winter and $0.03/mile in the summer. Compare to a very efficient gasoline car that gets 40MPG on $2.40/gallon gas--that's $0.06/mile. So, EV miles are always cheaper than gas miles--around half the cost in the summer. I have no idea what the payback period vs. a gasoline car is for me, but I enjoy driving the Volt, so I don't really care.

(Ninja edit: caught and corrected a math error.)

Thanks for the information.

My Rabbit was running about $0.10/km for gas with our prices. We're paying about $1.10/L (CAD) right now. I haven't seen an an electric bill yet but guys at work say it will add $25-$35 per month. I get to charge at work for free.

I was spending close to $300 a month just commuting. I've only used about $4 so far this week. 

Oh and this happened today!!

Made it with about 0.5 kWh left!

Victory!

With such a close margin, you'll be very aware of the changes in range with the weather. That'll be interesting.