The Chevrolet Volt may not be around for many moons to come, but the brand will reportedly execute a refresh for the plug-in hybrid this year. Automotive News reported on Monday that the Volt will be one of three Chevys in for a refresh.
If true, the Volt will join the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019 Chevrolet Colorado as another refreshed vehicle coming this year. The second-generation Volt, unveiled for the 2016 model year, has soldiered on with few changes since its introduction. The 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV has also begun to overshadow its green-car credentials. When it comes to a plug-in versus a full battery-electric car, consumers are beginning to choose the latter with regards to the Volt and Bolt EV.
Previous reports indicated the Volt will die in 2022 to make way for General Motors’ sweeping electric-car strategy. The automaker plans for 20 new electric cars by 2023. However, an earlier report suggested the Volt may die in its body style only; the car could become a plug-in crossover instead.
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I believe it, refresh was probably greenlighted before the report came out that they may kill it so the money may already be spent…
Interesting to see what direction they go, you’d imagine shortly after the refreshed Volt becomes available the full tax credit will be reduced…
Majority of Volt owner want one thing and one thing only, “More EV range!!!”…Yet the people who pass on them want more features, options and performance…The Volt didn’t have a lot of competition but now it has the Prius Prime which is far cheaper and includes ACC standard, Outlander SUV that can actually tow 1000lbs, Honda Clarity and the Ioniq to name a few…IMO, keep nearly everything the same, chance the front and rear ends, add all active safety features standard and get the MSRP to $29,995…
How many of these listed vehicles are also 100% electric motor powered with and on board generator (Range Extender) to provide electricity when the battery runs low? I was not aware of any exactly like the VOLT, unless they copied GM’s design?
I understand you love your Volt but to the average Joe it’s a PHEVs just like the rest of them…The average Joe can’t even explain how the Volt actually works let alone know which models use 100% electric motor…If you drive a say five year old Prius, if you’re remotely interested in a PHEV, odds are you’re going to buy a Prime without test driving any other PHEVs…
Of the vehicles listed all others are larger vehicles than the Volt and some (not the prime) have flat center rear floor for a true five seats…The Prime is cheaper…If folks were buying PHEVs based on “100% electric”, the Volt would have more sales but the Prime outsold by roughly 20%…
I agree that giving the Volt more EV range would be great as well as making a towing package available for light duty towing. (I already tow kayaks and standup paddleboards with my Volt) and it doesn’t seem to cause any problems other than reduce my mileage down to about 35 mpg when on the gas engine. But I would feel better if GM actually came out and offered a legit towing package with reasonable limits.
Hi Steve!
Did you have any difficulty finding a place to tie off your kayak to the front of the Volt?
Thanks,
Tera
We put our kayaks and paddleboards on a small lightweight aluminum trailer designed to transport them.
Works great…..we have nothing attached to the roof.
Chevy should go out in style.. offer a SS model to the Volt by offering the 200 hp electric motor used in the Bolt.
I think that would be a popular option. The Volt is a much sportier looking car than the Bolt and that holds some people back.
Too bad because they are missing out on a great EV experience no matter which car you choose.
Give me 100 miles of range and I’ll upgrade, I’m happy with everything else. Power seats would be a nice option to have but the make or break thing is range. Doubling the range is a game changer. With the 2017 Volt I’m only 55% electric, with double the range my whole local area (Boston, Portsmouth, Newburyport) can be done without destination charging, with the 2017 it’s electric in one direction and gas in the other. A 100 miles is almost enough go MA to Portland ME, Newport RI or Woodstock Vt one way so with destination charging even those trips which are now mostly on gas could be nearly 100% electric, or without destination charging 50/50 vs 25/75 today.
I don’t think the name should be killed off. Instead, it should just stay and let that name be the Crossover PHEV
The Volt is a great translation vehicle to EV driving. I have 2 and the range is perfect for me. I drive in EV mode 90% of the time. Over 90 % of people don’t own EV’s, the infrastructure is still not ready, and the technology/pricing are still evolving. BMW added a gas range extender to the i3. Ev’s Are the future but people need time to get comfortable with the technology. The Volt should stay just for that reason alone. It has the best range vs Toyota 21 miles isn’t enough.
Even with limited production, the Chevy Volt is a top EV seller second to Tesla’s model S, if my recollection is correct. Even if it was more popular, there would be no cars to sell. Buy the car for the right reasons and you get an EV for 99% of daily needs and probably have to buy 20 gallons or less of gasoline in a year. Buy the car for the wrong reasons and the car is a nightmare because plugging the car is a “chore” and who has time to charge? This is a reliable car, looks nice, plenty of EV features, recharges either 120 or 240 volts in a reasonable amount of time. If GM made more models, they would sell more.
“Video killed the Radio….
Chevy’s Marketing of the Volt will kill it
Proud owner of a Volt
IDK, GMC has good marketing but Chevy is terrible…Think about the last Chevy commercial you saw that wasn’t the Silverado, you’ll remember Potsch Boyd on a boring set as the spokesperson, you’ll remember the focus group being surprised, but most won’t remember which vehicle(s) were advertised or much else…That’s the problem, same thing happens every commercial and it isn’t memorable…The Silverado commercials are better as they tend to involve more props, are off set and some do not even include Potsch but I still wouldn’t call it a great commercial…
I intend to buy a 2018 Volt this spring for the reason mentioned in a previous post. I drive 33 miles round-trip each day to work. I look forward to driving each day gas free. Yet still be able to drive across the country to visit my family. I prefer the design of the 2nd gen. I am surprised more people don’t see the advantage of the Volt.
As mentioned by others, GM/Chevy marketing is absent primarily because the Volt, limited in yearly production, manages to sell out anyway via word of mouth. Marketing then becomes a worthless expense. That is why other than word of mouth or EV circles the Volt does not exist. Otherwise, too many misconceptions as to battery life, “having to plug the car” and the “expenses” that do not exist, simply blocks out the car. GM supposedly is planning to overcome this via a platform that can be used on several bodies to include either an SUV or CUV. However without a larger battery, these larger, heavier and less aerodynamic designs will have less range and with no fast charging, might be a hard sell. 🙂
I own a 2017 Chevy Volt and I love it! I average 65 to 70 miles per charge even though it’s rated at 53 miles. I would love to come closer to a hundred miles on a charge. If they ever rated the Volt close to a hundred miles per charge of probably trade mine in.
Definitely upgrade the range to 100 miles electric; and provide a dc fast charge port like the Bolt! Gasoline use would see a steep decline, being there primarily for long-distance trips and peace-of-mind for emergencies.
CCS DCFC would be good. Even stepping up the onboard charger from 3.6kW to 6.6kW so it could charge as fast as its peers would be great.
My city still doesn’t have great coverage with charge stations, and I can get a full charge overnight already, so given a choice between faster charging OR a bigger battery, I would take a bigger battery. I’m around 83% electric on my 2014 after 30,000 miles.
Oh yea, one more thing. Let us completely disable ERDTT.
Surprised GM can’t find a place for the Volt long term
Hope it is never discontinued. A great car extremely efficient ,even at minus 30 ,I’d buy another without hesitation
Cars like this are just not what most people want. People know what it is but to them it is just an expensive more inconvenient Cruise.
A fright not even the Cruise is not selling.
It would do better as a CUV but as a CUV would hurt aero and range under present technology.
We are just not there yet.
Not all want to buy chargers have them installed then get stuck in a small car.
It is a change in life style.
You have to make these compelling enough to buy because people want them not to just save the planet.
As I stated in an above post, not everyone understands how the Volt works…The Volt and most other PHEVs can plug into a regular outlet overnight, get a full charge so do not need a separate charger…When the EV range runs out the Volt can indefinitely run on gas so it really isn’t a lifestyle change and will not leave you stuck…
As I stated in post one, which clearly was validated by several comments on here, current owners want one thing above all, “more EV range!”…However the Prius Prime has half the EV range and outsells the Volt so its possible an Equinox with the half the range of the Volt could have sold far better but who knows…
The Prius Prime out sells the Volt for two reasons, 1) there are a huge number of Prius owners who are very loyal to Toyota and it’s the obvious choice for them, with the Prius Prime’s partial tax credit (it doesn’t qualify for a full credit unlike the Volt) it’s no more expensive than a regular Prius so if you are buying a new Prius why wouldn’t you buy the Prime?. 2) The Volt has competition from the Bolt. Between the Bolt and the Volt GM is selling about 5000 EVs a month, much more than Toyota’s prime sales. If you are a two car family or you don’t take long road trips the Bolt is a better choice than the Volt because it’s electric all of the time and it has enough range to comfortably handle all local driving, that’s why it out sells the Volt by 2 to 1 now. If you have only one car and you take road trips the Volt is the better choice, it has enough range to do a lot, but not all, of your local driving on battery but it can go anywhere and even on gas it’s very efficient and the performance is decent.
There are so many more reasons to why the Volt is outsold by the Prime…While a fair amount of green drivers would sacrifice things like powerseats and sunroofs for more range, many do want active safety features…The base Prime comes with them standard including ACC, In a Volt is was about a $5000-$6000 over base to get ACC…Then on the Prime, they have virtually every popular options including power vented seats, sunroof, a HUD and even homelink…While the Volt has a good 0-30, it’s nearly useless in the real world, a quick 30-60 is far more useful for highway on ramps and passing on non-highways but the Volts 30-60 is close to the Prime’s 30-60…The Prime is a larger car and for tall folks, doesn’t have the Charlie horse “dead pedal” that the Volt has…In Summary, the Volt has more EV range, a quicker 0-30, has a 3rd seat in the rear but due to the cupholder usually only those with very small kids or a childs seat find that useful and does look nicer than the Prime but the Volt’s isn’t supermodel in the looks dept by any means…The Prime has the Toyota badge, is larger, is cheaper, has much better MPG, has more standard equipment and tons of optional equipment…
Most will agree the Volt and Prime are direct competitors, but things get dicey if we want to bring in the Bolt EV in which Toyota doesn’t have…So to be fair, we must bring in Toyota’s greenest car which is the regular Prius; Prime and Prius sales, Toyotas greenest vehicles out sell the Bolt EV and Volt…
The truth Is as range improves with EV the mix of EV and ICE hybrid is really going to decline. As we see with the range improved Bolt many who want a GM EV are moving to it. Those who want ICE keep with it.
Also the cars are dying no matter the power train. People are all about the CUV and we do not have one yet and soon will as range improves it can better deal with the higher frontal area aero effects.
I expect the mixed Hybrid will go away in the near future as it will be replaced with full electric as technology improvements make it pointless.
EV cars will progress much like the smart phones in the last 10 years at a fast pace. They also will suffer the indignity that many 5 year old smart phones suffer. No one will want them. They will trade cheap as many who want this new technology will continue to upgrade.
Anyone really want an Apple 3 anymore?
I agree with a lot of this and will expand…GM’s next EV which should be out in about a year is the Buick Encore EV, it’ll be FWD only, slightly more expensive, have less range and less performance…
It appears GM may be abandoning PHEVs in favor of pure EVs but it appears other automakers are will be offerings both regular hybrids and more PHEVs…
Remember, there was a story right here on GMA that 80% of EV owners lease, so your last paragraph and sentence only apply to the slight minority…
Scott3, if you think the Volt is just a Cruise you obviously have never driven one. The difference between the two is night and day. The Volt is smooth, silent and accelerates very quickly. The Cruise is incredibly sluggish, it’s noisy and the transmission is jerky. I traded in a Chrysler 300C Hemi for the Volt. When I was car shopping last year what I noticed was that all of the ICE cars with their new high gear count transmissions were all constantly hunting for gears and that was really annoying, the Volt on the other hand has no transmission because electric cars don’t need them, instead there is a single planetary gear which combines the power from the two electric motors and at highway speeds the ICE (at lower speeds only the electric motors are used and the ICE just drives a generator). The result is that the Volt glides along on little cat’s feet, on electric power it’s silent and because there is no transmission it’s smooth. The acceleration of the Volt is really good, not quite as good as the Bolt but much better than similar sized ICE cars.
Plugging in is trivial, it takes less than 10 seconds. You get out of the car, grab the cable from your EVSE and plug it in, how is that inconvenient?. When you buy your first plugin the first thing you do is have an EVSE installed, the cost is minimal. I have an American made Clipper Creek Level 2 EVSE which costs less than $600, my electrician charged me $375 to run a new 240V line and install the EVSE. So for a one time cost of less than the price of a cheap TV you are set up to charge any electric car for years to come. Plugging in at home is a lot more convenient than going to the gas station every week. This time a year I buy more gas for my snow blower than I do for my car, that’s literally true, I go to the gas station to fill my 2.5 gallon gas can and while I’m there I top off the Volt’s tank with 2 gallons of gas. In the long run transitional EVs like the Volt will disappear in favor for pure EVs like the Bolt but that won’t happen until battery energy density doubles from where it is now. A BEV with twice the Bolt’s range, i.e. 475 miles vs 238 today, would almost never need to use fast chargers because it’s almost impossible to drive more than 400 miles in a day except for cross country trips on superhighways which people rarely do. As a result range anxiety would be eliminated and the required fast charging infrastructure requirements would be minimal, mostly just on interstates. But we are still a few years away from having batteries that are good enough to build 450 mile BEVs at reasonable prices. Until then EREVs like the Volt can fill the gap. Give the Volt 100 miles of range and it is for most purposes a pure EV, but it will still be able to easily handle long distance trips when called upon to do so.
I have seat time and I know the difference.
The problem is the public in general has no clue. Add to that sedan sales of cars this size are down in general as everyone is going to CUV models.
As for you are the exception. Most people are not wanting a car let alone moving to a smaller car. They will deal with gear hunts etc.
The added cost of installing a charger and even having a place to install it also play into this.
The Volt is a great car but it is not one that yet fits the mainstream of the average customer. It is just one more step into the future but not the destination.
You are right that the Volt’s segment, small sedans, isn’t very popular. The Volt is not a family car, it’s for two people of medium stature. I like it’s small size because it’s so easy to park, especially in a world where parking spaces have be laid out for Silverados and F150s, but I understand that most people want much larger vehicles. The Volt is always going to be pricey because it has two drive trains so they should make it worth the price, i.e. power seats, automatic wipers, all of the things you associate with $40K cars. Going forward it make sense to put the Voltec drive train into large vehicles. They should be able to push the Bolt to 300-400 miles in the near future which is where BEVs cross the good enough barrier. But it’s going to be much longer before you can get 300-400 miles of range in a Sliverado which is why it makes sense to do a Voltec Silverado first and leave the Boltec Silverado for the generation after that. The great thing about Voltec is that it gets rid of those ridiculous 8-10 speed transmissions but still allows you use the existing gasoline infrastructure.
Scott, I just got one. My “change in lifestyle” was to plug the included level 1 EVSE into a standard outlet. I just leave it there and take 5 seconds to plug it in after parking. It’s got a relatively small battery (for an EV) so an overnight charge is always enough to go from 0-100. When you don’t have time to charge up, you seamlessly switch to gas and keep going. No need to install a 240 V outlet and get a level 2 EVSE.
This is more convenient than a car like the Cruise, not less. Far fewer visits to the gas station are required. You also get the convenience of fewer trips to the mechanic by the nature of the vehicle: fewer oil changes, fewer general engine maintenance, fewer brake pad replacements since the regenerative brakes do most of the job, etc.
I’m not quite sure I follow this line of thinking. You seem to be suggesting that people aren’t ready for the change in lifestyle that comes with EV ownership (a premise I’d dispute in and of itself) while simultaneously saying the very car that bridges the gap isn’t there yet. It’s right where it needs to be, in my opinion. The Volt is a stop-gap, and it isn’t going to be discontinued over sales issues. They’re going to discontinue it because 5 years from now the market will probably not require an EV with a range-extending ICE, a fact GM has known all along.
The only real lifestyle change the Volt demanded of me was to plug it in if I want a smoother ride and better efficiency, but this isn’t even required (though buying one with absolutely no way of charging it occasionally would defeat the purpose). Nor is it required to buy and install a 240v charger in your home. In fact, considering its relatively small battery compared to a pure EV, you really don’t need 240 if you’re charging at home each night.
Your argument seems more suited for an old Leaf or comparable low-range EV, not a plug-in hybrid.
In the province where I live ,we get 14000 rebate. Makes the volt very competitive. Driven 10700 km and used 216$ fuel and approx 120 $ electricity. Great car.
Why not name it a Cruze Hybrid as both uses the same platform?
Why do that when you can cause confusion between the “Bolt” and the “Volt”?
Both the Volt and Cruze ride on the D2xx. So, why confusion with the Bolt?
It is incorrect to refer to the Volt as a hybrid because it only uses the gasoline engine as a generator so that it can utilize electric power to propel the vehicle, making it a true full-time EV. The generator doesn’t necessarily need to be fueled by gasoline and as our hydrogen technology progresses, that could easily take the place of the gasoline. And when we figure out (and I believe we will) how to extract enough hydrogen from water to use as a full-time fuel for the generator, the Volt could become the most innovative EV on the planet and the cheapest and most efficient to operate.
We lease a BMW I3 and own a 2017 Volt. We’ve had the I3 for 20 months and ive put 3 gallons in. I was spending $120 A month with my 325i so I traded it for the I3. That car has been wonderful. The lease is up in 9 months and will be getting another electric to replace it.
The Volt takes the place of the 2013 Volvo S60 We gave to our son. This still gets my wife to her mother in Sun City which is 100 miles round trip. What the Volt has that the American version I3 doesn’t have is the “hold” feature. In town we use battery and on the freeway we hit Hold and it keeps the battery charged at that level while it switches to the generator. Get off the freeway and switch back to the battery.
The car is roomy and comfortable. Personally, I think the back seats are a little better than the fronts. The bolstering fits me more snuggly.
I can spin the tires off the line, so much fun. The I3 is quicker but the handling is rather twitchy, the Volt handles better and doesn’t get bothered with strips in the road like the I3’s skinny tires.
I could go on but they’re both great and would reccomend both. The Volt will do in town chores AND long distances. The I3 is urban only. The I3 has a 2 gallon tank the Volt has 9 and gets over 40 mpg on the freeway.
My take on the Bolt: okay, 240 miles on a charge, that gets me into California. Using level 2 charger is going to take what, 7-8 hours to charge? For me it’s not a long distance car, until/if they get a system like Tesla that crosses the country with fast chargers.
Oh, for the 1st 2 years of service BMW gives you free DC fast charging. Charges you to 80% in 30 minutes…free.
Yeah, when they get 400+ miles on a charge and recharges in 10-20 minutes, Ill upgrade, until then I’ll be keeping the Volt.
I do have a charger in the garage. Has paid for itself in a little over a year.
I love my 2012 Volt! By far the best engineered car I have ever owned. It seems to me GM has done a poor job marketing the best car they have ever produced. 75 k miles and have spent no money on repairing anything. So far it has been a great experience
2017 Volt is absolutely one of my favorite cars I’ve owned. We’re a family of three, with a 5 year old, and coming from a Jaguar XFS. Loved the Jaguar and was prepared for a huge downgrade in Performance to save some money on gas, and most of our driving is around town where 420hp doesn’t make a GREAT deal of sense. Sure was fun though.
Actually driving the Volt was jaw dropping. Especially after driving the Fusion Energi. It’s quick and fun and accelerates like a freight train, and all on electric. Fit and finish is excellent. We’ve had it for a year and a half, and are on our third tank of gas. That’s just over 8000 miles, and less than 600 on gas.
Not to mention, the lease on one, with a 10k tradein, is about $100 a month. I save more than that on gas.
It’s a small car, but bigger than the XF on the inside, which is in the 5 series BMW market. With the hatch and fold down rear seat, I’ve hauled 18 boxes of ceramic floor tile WITH my wife and daughter in the car.
Yes it’s a car, so I’m not the coolest soccer mom (dad) at the Elementary school, but I’m enjoying my drive a lot more than they are, laughing all the way to the bank and beating them there by a mile.
I live my 2013 Volt! I drive from LA to San Francisco in comfort, quiet and can haul most anything I need. Do that in a Prius or Bolt. Even my Tesla friends lament the time spent charging. GM mongers to do better informing the public about this great car
My sentiments exactly concerning GM marketing. Generation 1 Volts were revolutionary in several ways:
1. Wheels driven by electric motors 100% of the time (with one very small exception)
2. Battery energy management that puts as #1 the health of the battery. For instance, some mornings the firmware makes the decision that the motor/generator should provide the power instead of the battery due to outside temperature. Since the battery is flooded with circulating coolant it waits till the battery is within the safe temperature range for operation. I’m impressed.
3. The car is aptly described as a full time electric vehicle which happens to have a range extending gasoline engine that charges the battery but does not drive the wheels (with one very small exception that in itself is a engineering marvel).
I would safely conjecture, under normal driving conditions, that I can drive from New York to LA faster than a Tesla with no range anxiety. I can make my stops with the same freedom of any other ICE auto and use little or no gasoline when driving locally. I know this is an apples/oranges comparison but fun nevertheless.
I have a Siemens 240 volt charger that lets me schedule charging. This allows me to charge late at night during minimum KWH rates. I feel like i am beating the “Man” at his own game. In reality it is just a “feeling” but I enjoy it.
Congratulations on a lucid, logical and compelling review if you EV with range extender technology. No wonder the Volt is high on sales in the USA! It does two things very well, driving electric and thrifty as to gasoline. Sadly a “brain damaged” typical US citizen must have a 4X4 SUV that never is used in “sport” and drives FWD or RWD 99.999999% of the time and averages 20 mpg. Since GM is a for profit car maker the plan is to use the Volt platform on an SUV or CUV body that will create a higher profit, perhaps to minimize the huge losses of the ill fated Cadillac/Volt ELR. Thanks.
The Volt is NOT high on sales, it continues to decline year after year…The best selling CUV is the Honda CR-V, even with AWD it gets 27mpg city and 33mpg highway…Regardless if it’s a placebo affect or not, people FEEL safer in them…
There was a rumored PHEV Buick CUV and the FNR-X concept yet when GM announced their electrication plan, 20 EVs by 2023 with two coming out in the next 18 months (one is confirmed to be a FWD only subcompact Buick Encore w/Bolt EV gear), there was no mention of PHEVs…Do you have other information?
I bought a new 2014 Volt and put 47K miles on it. The best car I had ever owned !! (And I had owned 19 at that point!)
I sold it 1 year ago, reluctantly, but only so I could buy a nearly new 2016 Cadillac ELR w/ only 5K miles on it (now it has 23K miles, 81% electric). I was completely smitten by the whole ELR concept. Since I never need a back seat, the ELR is so much more luxurious and cooler than the Volt, with noticeably better performance (vs the Gen 1 Volt), so now the ELR is the best car I’ve ever owned!
I love the Voltec drive train, and hope GM keeps putting innovative products like these out there, so I can continue to drive American electric as my daily driver! (I grew up in Detroit, where all the Volts/ELR’s were made in Hamtramck). At current ann. miles driven, if I have 90K miles on the ELR when they are ready to discontinue the Volt in 2022, I will buy one of the last ones, and proudly display my ’16 ELR (they only ever made 537 of them in 2016) along with my 2022 Volt, my 2015 Chevy SS L3 6 speed (OK, it’s Australian!) and my 1968 GTO in my personal car collection/ hall of fame.
Ive been trying to buy a Volt for 5 months, but Henry Ford has evidently possessed GM styling and they dont make any without a black interior (they list 2 other colors; but they dont actually make any), which feels claustrophobic to me in a very small compartment like the Volt.