Chevy Volt Among Best Used PHEVs, According To Kelley Blue Book
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The Chevy Volt is among the best second-hand plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) available today, according to the car buying experts over at Kelley Blue Book.
KBB recently published a list of the “10 Best Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles Under $20,000,” which identified the used plug-ins that represent the best value for money to used car shoppers. The 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In led the way, with KBB praising the car’s efficiency and 29-mile EV range, along with its “intuitive infotainment system and good safety ratings.” Second was the 2014 Toyota Prius Plug-In, which received high marks for its efficiency, spacious cabin and excellent reliability.
The second-generation, 2016 model year Chevy Volt found itself in third place, just behind the Ioniq and the Prius. Editors like the Chevy Volt’s 53-mile EV range, which is far superior to EV range of the Hyundai and the Toyota, along with its practical hatchback body style. The Volt also received praise for its zippy acceleration and easy-to-use infotainment system.
Other vehicles on KBB’s list of the 10 Best Used Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles Under $20,000 include the 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In, 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid, 2016 Ford C-Max Energi, 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, 2017 Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, 2014 Ford Fusion Energi and 2015 BMW i3 with Range Extender.
The second-generation Chevy Volt features an 18.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a single, front-mounted electric motor producing 149 horsepower and 294 pound-feet of torque. A 1.5L four-cylinder range extender works to charge the battery as the vehicle moves, giving it an estimated range of about 420 miles and an EPA fuel economy rating of 42 mpg.
As we already know, General Motors has mostly abandoned hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles and views them as an unnecessary stop-gap to pure EVs. The Chevy Volt was discontinued in 2019, falling in line with this strategy, although Chevy is still courting eco-conscious customers with offerings like the Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV.
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Waiting for all the screaming by the people who fell for the myth that the Volt isn’t a hybrid.
(You fell for the bailout-era political marketing: the engine connects to the wheels in mechanically in gas mode above 40 MPH)
Sam: The Volt is NOT a hybrid. Have you sold them? Have you trained on them? Do you understand how the Volt’s (and Cadillac ELR’s) system works? If you did any of those things, you wouldn’t make that comment.
In a very simplified way: The very small gas “generator” on the Volt/ELR can’t power the car. In other words, once the battery power runs down, that gas generator can’t and won’t power the car like in a Ford Fusion Energi. Instead, that gas generator kicks in and recharges the battery packs.
Again you’re dead wrong and spreading the same misinformation. Read any of the patents or papers detailing how it works.
The gas motor is mechanically connected to the wheels above 40 MPH when the battery is drained. MG1, which is permanently attached to the ICE motor takes some power out, which is added back via MG2 (or vice versa), which connects to the drive wheels via an output differential.
The two MGs act as a CVT (like a diesel-electric locomotive) in parallel with the single-speed “transmission”. If this was a tractor, you’d call the arrangement an IVT. (This “power split” was technology GM developed back with the 2-mode hybrid)
As I said, they were purposely obtuse and let misinformation spread due to political reasons surrounding the government bailout.
Sam: Where are you getting your info? I’ve trained with GM on both the Volt and the ELR. Never did they describe what you are saying. Product trainers who came to the Cadillac store to train sales on the ELR never described it as such. All the training materials we got and used described it all as a “gas generator” that would only kick in once the battery pack was drained. Purpose? To recharge the battery.
I understand that there may be a fine line here, but I’m simply stating facts based on all the training we did. So I’m genuinely interested in where you are getting this info as I’d love to read up on that.
Start from this site. “Secrets Of The 2016 Chevrolet Volt Transmission: Deep Dive, Pt. 1” The picture’s not the best but it describes exactly how it works.
If you want it straight from the horse’s mouth, the most concise description is in “The GM “Voltec” 4ET50 Multi-Mode Electric Transaxle” SAE International Journal of Engines Vol. 4, No. 1 (2011), pp. 1102-1114 (13 pages). It’s accessible on JSTOR.
It gives a significant number in Table 5: when the battery is depleted, 58% of the time is spent with the engine coupled to the wheels during the US06 drive cycle. Only 16% of the time is spent in electric “recharging” mode, like they told you.
Thank you. I will do my best to look into those just for my own informational purposes.
I do have a question about this however. You seem to be rather passionate about this subject. Why? Do you personally dislike the Volt?
I don’t dislike the Volt in itself. It was flawed engineering in the typical American fashion: an academic marvel that is way too complex and expensive to make it in the market. This project should have been killed in the first cost estimate. (Again, serious political factors in play)
And worse, it wasn’t their first failure, the Voltec was simply a follow-up of the GM 2-Mode Hybrid (the paper I cited says this fact on the front page), which in itself was a marvel, but way too heavy and expensive for passenger cars. They tried to compete with a Prius and somehow ended up with a modified Alison 1000 transmission. (They did sell a bunch for city buses, where it worked great)
Why couldn’t GM come up with a Prius competitor? 15 years of kicking this dead horse.
So I found that article (part 1 and part 2) and read them. You are correct indeed. Now I’m wondering if that was specifically for the 2016 on up. I realized when I was doing the training for the Cadillac ELR and Volt was in 2013 and 2014.
The SAE article is from 2011, so that would be the first gen system. I do not believe anything fundamentally changed between the generations, just attempts in cost cutting in the motors (rare-earth free), drive electronics (integration), better batteries, etc.
I don’t get it, it’s a failure because it was too expensive to be cost competitive or because it didn’t work well?
I assume Chryslers Pacifica and Wrangler 4xe are the same basic idea / copy..?
It was a failure because it was way too expensive to build. GM was losing money per unit, rumored to be around $20k at the end, which is why it doesn’t exist anymore. That’s part of any engineering problem… if your system costs much more to build than any gas it saves and is otherwise unaffordable, it’s not a success.
The Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Pacifica is far simpler. It’s basically a conventional drivetrain with an electric motor with a one-way clutch at the input of the transmission. This motor is only used for propulsion. The engine has a second belt-alternator-starter for charging. Here, when you’re done with the battery power, you’re running as a conventional gas powertrain.
Dan Berning “gas generator”
Your thinking of the 600cc Range Extender on the BMW i3 REX & i8.
Sam ~ gasoline engine kicks in at 40mpg
I think you’re thinking of the 2012-2014 Plug-in-Prius (PiP) With only 11 miles of EV range, the pip often drew the ire of other EV drivers. When left unattended at charging stations.
Yes, the Volt is and was a very good vehicle. Now, why exactly did GM decide to kill it? Oh, that right. Because GM can’t stick with anything unless it’s printing money for them.
Dan Berning and Sam:
I mostly agree with Sam – GM lied during the first 18 months of the VOLT – even telling dealers and technicians that the engine was merely a “GenSet”.
The head mechanic at my dealer (in early 2011) questioned me on my statements and so I asked, after he had said he spent a week at a GM’s tech center, “If that is so, then What is Clutch #3 for ?”
He looked puzzled and then said,
“You know, THEY NEVER DID TELL US WHAT THAT CLUTCH WAS FOR”, hahaha. The NY State DOT told GM “You are not fooling Anyone”. It was like being caught in the cookie jar – and after that GM dropped the idea that the engine is merely a genset.
The Second Generation volts are actually more convoluted in operation – but the object of “GEN2” was to have a greatly cost reduced vehicle. As an example, the entire drive train of the GEN2 fits in the same space as the large GEN 1 – motor #1. They also went down on the number of hydraulically actuated clutches – going from 3 to 2.
In this vehicle amazingly, the engine is constantly geared to the front wheels, even when it is NOT TURNING during full electric mode. The seeming impossibility of this is explained by differential gearing in the 2 planetary gear sets – matching the speed of the 2 electric motors to the current speed of the wheels so that the resultant ‘speed’ of the engine can be exactly 0 RPM. As with most PHEVs, there is also no starter motor – the engine is cranked when desired by overspeeding one of the 2 EV motors.
Since it is a ‘cost reduced’ vehicle I simply cannot believe GM lost money on it…. TOYOTA – the world’s most profitable automaker, obviously makes and will make plenty of CA$H with the very volt like Plug-in RAV4 Prime; an extremely attractive 4wd vehicle with 42 miles of range on its battery prior to the engine running.
Dan, Sam, who the hell cares!
I can’t speak for Sam, but for me I take pride in what I do and the training I receive. If I read something that is not correct, I will speak up. In this case, Sam was correct in what he stated in a technical way. I was correct in what I stated based on the training we received, but that was obviously not correct. According to Bill Howland (just above), it seems that those of us who were trained on that system were maybe lied to and trained wrong on this system? I don’t know. But your point is well taken.
I´m owner of an Opel Ampera (Chevrolet Volt) with 260.000 kms on the odometer and yes, it´s one of the best cars I ever had. A real shame GM has absolutely nothing to substitute it. The Bolt is way behind the Volt and for those who, like me, don´t like SUV´s or crossover the Bolt is simply no option. Until GM has no decent EV or EREV sedan, I´ll keep my car until it dies or I´ll buy another one with less mileage or I´ll go for a Tesla Model S.
it does not qualify to the govt definition of a full EV and does not get full ZEV credits needed by GM to sell silverados and large SUVs
I don’t care how it works or what it cost to build. I love my Chevy Volt and will keep it ’til it dies. Best car I’ve ever owned.
Sam is correct. Both generations of the Volt had a mode in which the gasoline engine connected and drove the front transaxle. I am a retired gm engineer who worked on the program. I’d love to show you the mech diagram that explains it but I no longer have access or permission to do that as a retiree.
The sad part is that those of us on the sales side were trained and believed that the Volt was considered a “pure electric” and not a hybrid. Shame on GM for doing so and thus I feel like I lied to many people over the years at no fault of my own. Kind of makes me mad.
The brochures always mentioned that the gas engine mechanically powered the wheels in hybrid mode (aka CS = Charge Sustaining) mode. The only divergence with the author’s text is that it only happened above 70mph. Not 40. It operated as an electric vehicle at all other times. I am a Volt driver since 2011 and I am going by available documentation to public.
The other text that needs to be clarified. That the gas engine charges the battery. This also needs to be broken down further. This only happens in a few situations. When there is excess energy available due to braking – which is used to charge the battery instead of dissipating as heat. Another situation is when the driver chooses Mountain Mode (MM) when the battery has already been depleted to a level lower than the MM threshold. This will not happen when MM is deployed on a full charge. Just saying that the gas engine charges the battery is misleading. This is a contentious issue that was endlessly debated in the forums during the early Volt years. Am surprised that this still needs to be clarified well after the car is gone. Except in the hearts of those who love it (like me).
In the older GEN 1 vehicles (one of which I still drive, – a 2014 ELR) the motor would only lock up to the vehicle at around 70 km/hour or better NOT 70 MPH.
So it is closer to 40 mph when the engine was directly connected – but even in the gen1’s, any acceleration needed would be accomplished by breaking the mechanical link and depending on the one or two electric motors to accomplish the task and then go back to lock up after the acceleration wasn’t needed anymore.
Looking at the displays on the GEN 2 volts – while driving the system is constantly changing modes to try to get the best MPG for instantaneous conditions.
I agree with the majority here that this system had no reason to not be extremely profitable for the company using it.. That is no doubt why Toyota has embraced the system, and will not offer that many totally battery electrics in the future – preferring to go the PHEV route…
Its a great system – the vast majority people can charge at home on a plain ‘110’ volt outlet and go the first 42 miles on electricity only with the Toyota RAV4 PHEV as an example. This saves an incredible amount of gasoline each day since many people do not drive this much in an entire 24 hours, as do the many VOLTS save an incredible amount of gasoline, only need very small engines for peppy performance, and don’t need a huge expensive, and heavy battery.
As far as GM not getting their act together – a few things that GM could have done with the volt is to get rid of the more costly non-essentials. For instance. Toyota usually requires engine usage to run the cabin heater, as their vehicles mostly operate like 100% gasoline vehicles as far as heater implementation. The volts and caddy ELR always used a convoluted electric heater / electric water pump Rube Goldberg arrangement with cheap Chinese pumps that fail. Reliability would have improved and cost would have been reduced if they simply used Toyota’s straight forward method.
Its been 3 months and I’m still waiting for my EVGO fast charging credit for my 2022 BOLT EUV since no one on GM’s sales side can come up with an authorization number… Basically a Kindergarten Level problem – but if anyone has a problem with Mary Barra – I think in this Sales Area she has not got her Ducks in a Row.
We bought a 2017 Volt off its lease. We’ve filled the fuel tank twice in two years. All our local driving is on the battery. The Voltec is there if we need it, but it only runs when it needs a maintenance cycle. We charge off 110 VAC.
I could care less about who wins the technical argument about the wheels are mechanically connected to the gas engine, etc. I only know this: I can go many months without ever stopping at a gas station. The Volt is an amazing car.
The Bolt, on the over hand, is too small (in my opinion). It looks like a toy.