How I Discovered the Volt (on the Web, Of Course)
My first exposure to an electric car was reading about (and drooling over) the Tesla Roadster. However, not wanting to take out a second mortgage, I concluded that I would need to see what other options were available. A friend I used to work with now converts Prius’s to plug-in’s. But, I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk voiding the manufacturer’s warranty, and further, I wanted a car that could operate without burning any gas (at least for most of its driving regime). This lead me to do further research, where I found Wikipedia’s electric car page to be quite helpful. That, in turn, lead me to other sites, and eventually I came across GM-Volt.com, where I have been an avid reader for about a year. It was also the well-informed discussions on GM-Volt.com that led me to conclude a Volt was a better choice for me than a Prius, Leaf, Tesla Model S , or Aptera 2h.
Why I Wanted a Volt (to Make the World a Better Place)
I want an electric car for the same reasons as I suspect most of you do: better for the environment, better for the economy, better for national defense (improve energy independence and reduce money sent overseas to countries that sponsor terrorism). I chose the Volt because I felt that a GM car would be a lower risk choice for me than Tesla or Aptera (who seem to be struggling with both finances and delivery schedule). I also chose the Volt because it can seat my family (Aptera can’t), will NEVER burn gas when I commute (Prius will), eliminates the risk of being stranded (Tesla and Leaf can’t), and is an American design (Prius and Leaf aren’t).
I also wanted to reward GM for their transformational design. The catch-22 has always been that auto manufacturers didn’t want to build electric cars without an extensive charging infrastructure in place, and companies are reluctant to fund such an infrastructure without the real demand of widespread electric car use. The Volt’s ingenious range extender breaks that vicious cycle by enabling people to drive electric now, while creating demand (along with Leaf, plug-in Prius, Telsa, and Aptera) for charging infrastructure development.
The Volt Buying Experience (More Pain than Electric)
I decided I would be a Volt early adopter. Normally, I wait for technologies to mature a bit, but for all the reasons listed above (and having driven my trusty, but gas-thirsty Ford F-150 for 11 years), the time was right. In early 2010, I went into a Chevy dealer to establish a relationship with a sales person. They were unprepared for someone wanting a Volt that early, but agreed to create a wait list and put me on it. Unfortunately, my experience went downhill from there, as periodically I would check in with them and be told that salesperson wasn’t there any more, or there wasn’t a Volt list, or there was but I was no longer at the top of it. Sigh. Not good customer service…
Then, after reading on GM-Volt.com that dealers were beginning to take orders, I contacted another local Chevy dealership. To their credit, they (like the first one I contacted) did not charge over MSRP. But even at that later date, the salesman I met with did not have adequate information or training to confidently take my order. Sigh. So, I (reluctantly) went back to the first dealership and met with a new salesman who did seem to have a clue. I placed my order in early August 2010. “And there was much rejoicing.”
I thought it was really cool that GM established a Volt order tracking website at http://www.chevrolet.com/ordertracking/. Unfortunately, their execution didn’t match the concept. As of a couple days prior to my taking delivery, that website continued to provide only the unhelpful message “We’ve received your order from the dealer, however it is not yet available for tracking. If you would like specific information about when your order will be ready, please contact your local dealer.” I wonder if it will be available for tracking AFTER I take delivery? Sigh. Happily, I discovered through GM-Volt.com a much more helpful privately-operated tracking site at http://www.chevroletconnects.com/.
And then there was the nationwide Volt tour, Volt Unplugged. Unfortunately, for me it went about as well as Spinal Tap’s “Tap Into America” tour. Full details of my poor customer experience with that event were posted at http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?5405-Volt-Unplugged-in-San-Diego-a-mixed-experience&highlight=VoltinSD. The short version is (a) it is a cool car, and (b) due to registration snafus, I only got to ride in a Volt, but not drive one. Sigh.
I have always been a buy-and-hold (for 10+ years) type of car owner. But the robust debate on GM-Volt.com led me to conclude that leasing was better for me, since I believe that with increasing demand for electric vehicles, car and battery technology will advance significantly in the next three years. I took delivery of my Volt (#196) on the last day of 2010 – a great way to bring in the new year!
Lease Details
Since a number of GM-Volt.com readers have expressed interest in leasing, I share here the details of my lease on a base model Volt ($41,000 with $15 added for the license plate frame). The guy doing the lease seemed to really know his stuff, and was helpful in explaining details to a first-time lessor.
- Doc Fee $45
- Down Payment $2150
- GM Capital Contribution $2000 (hopefully, this will extend into 2011)
- Money factor 0.00025 (roughly equal to 0.6% interest)
- Security Deposit $0
- Acquisition Fee $695
- License Fee $558
- CA Tire Fee $9
- 44% residual value for driving 12000 miles/yr or less (and reflecting federal $7500 rebate)
- Cap Tax $455 = (Cash paid + Capital Contribution – 1st mo. payment) x 8.75% (CA tax)
I told them I wanted a $350 monthly payment (before sales tax), so the cash paid worked out to be just under $3600 (2150 + 45 + 558 + 9 + 455 + 379) , and the monthly payment with sales tax was $379.
I put my Ford F-150 up for sale, and quickly found a buyer. California requires a smog test, so I needed a few days before handing the truck over to the buyer. It was very low on gas, so I stopped to put in a few gallons to tide me over. I was very conscious at that moment that it was (a) the last I’d ever put gas in that truck, and (b) I want to see how many months (yes, months)I can go without putting gas in my new Volt. 
Taking Ownership of the Volt
The moment finally arrived. I did an inspection of the vehicle, and the knowledgeable salesman walked me through many of the features, and helped me set up a couple of things like phone numbers and home location in the GPS. They were going to fill the gas tank, but given my driving circumstances, I opted for only a third of a tank, so I’d be carrying less gas around that I’ll never use. Take that, oil sheiks!
One cool feature of the Volt is a tire pressure display. Remember, I’ve been driving a Ford F-150 with manual windows, so having buttons and gadgets (and there are a BUNCH of them) is a big deal to me. It feels like a car George Jetson would drive – I keep waiting to accidentally push a button and have the car brush my teeth for me… We did notice during the inspection that one of the tires was showing noticeably less pressure than the others. They put air in it to match the others, but the readout was unchanged. We suspect a bad sensor, and they said to drive for a couple of days, and to bring it back in if it doesn’t self-correct.
I was under the impression the charge cord locked to the car for anti-theft purposes, but that is not the case. The salesman said that if the cord is removed in mid-charge, the car alarm does go off, however. I do have MyLink (the OnStar Android app) on my phone. Maybe I can configure it to alert me if this happens. Any advice on that score would be appreciated.
How I Drive and Charge My Volt
I haven’t yet commuted with my car, but I have done a few 10 mile jaunts. I’ve been driving in Normal mode, and using fan only (for now – as I want to get a baseline on car performance before starting to drive in sport). So, I’ve put maybe 40 miles on it, all electric. Consumption has been a bit higher than I expected, but I did notice that at 70 mph, the green ball is not centered, so I’m obviously paying an efficiency price for that speed. My plan is to use cruise control on the freeway (somebody please correct me if that isn’t the most efficient) and Low mode only for stop-and-go traffic.
I have a 10-mile one-way drive to work. I can charge in my garage, and go all-electric on my daily commute. Even better, I found electrical outlets in my work parking garage, so I’ll have my full electric range when I leave work at the end of the day. This will mean that even if I make short trips after work to the grocery store, etc., I still won’t use any gas. My target is to achieve multi-hundred mpg. As a GM-Volt.com post said, I do plan to drive in Sport mode as my “guilty pleasure” (and because I can).
The federally-funded EV Project provides free 240V chargers and installation for a limited number of Leaf and Volt owners. I contacted Ecotality in mid-2010, when their website didn’t even accommodate Volt owners. Sigh. Months and many phone calls and emails later, I am happy to say that I am scheduled to have an Ecotality Blink rapid charger installed by SPX in my garage soon. Given my ability to charge at work, the main value for me will be when our household eventually gets a second electric car (so we can both do a full recharge overnight).
How I Spread the Word – Drive Electric!
I feel like a test crash dummy after all the bumps and delays associated with getting my Volt and Blink charger. But I made it! I am doing a few things to help spread the word about electric cars. First, by driving the car and talking to anyone who’ll listen. Second, I will order a license plate that gets people’s attention. I’m thinking “196 MPG”, as this is a very achievable goal for me, and I have Volt 196. Lastly, I am sporting the humorous (but true) “Starve a Terrorist. Drive Electric” bumper sticker.
Source: GM-Volt.com
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