New Improved 2013 Volt - Now Charges 30 Percent Slower (Push "Leaf" Button To Fix)

Why would I go all out and shell out Volt money and then skimp on the charger. In the grand scheme of things I wouldnt think it would be significant in the overall ownership cost even if I had to have an electrician come out and install a 220 circuit, and I live in an 80 year old house (The wiring has been upgraded over the years however). Is the 220 charger that much more expensive?

I've been driving a 2013 Volt for most of my transport the past six months. My 450hp and 550hp cars have seen sharply reduced use. The facts of my experience are dramatic. My lifetime average of miles driven relative to gasoline consumed is currently 134 mpg. On my current tank of gasoline, so far gasoline economy is 178 mpg. What about the cost of electricity? Well, I'm a homeowner buying power from the Los Angeles Dept of Water & Power, and frankly looking at my year-over-year usage, charging the Volt is barely visible in my utility bill. I intend to install a 240V charger, but haven't gotten around to it yet, so I am charging at 120V/12A. I've only used a public charger once in six months. I live in a city divided by a mountain range running through the middle of it. Since the 2013 Volt allows the driver to choose when to burn gasoline while holding battery-stored LADWP power for level terrain or city speeds, I actively choose whether to drive my electric car from power stored in the battery or power generated from the gasoline-fueled generator according to conditions. I have no compunction about using gasoline as the generating fuel for my electricity when doing so will make a trip holistically efficient, but I also burn as little gasoline as I can. The Volt has a 9 gallons tank. I am typically buying 5 - 7 gallons about every six weeks. My Volt's battery-stored electricity range has so far ranged from a low of 34 miles on a 30 degs F night, to 53 in 75 degs F temperature on mostly level terrain and disciplined (but not slower than traffic) driving. On 100+ degs days, my range is typically 42 miles. When I have had to use gasoline to extend range for some sustained miles, liquid-fuel-only economy has ranged from 35 - 48mpg depending on how aggressively I choose to drive, and how much climbing a trip requires. My sustained average for gasoline-fueled driving in the Volt is 42mpg, city or highway. Would a 50+ mpg parallel hybrid use less gasoline compared to the Volt running on gasoline alone? Sometimes. But 59 mpg isn't 134. Nor 178. BTW, I bought my Volt; I didn't lease it. And as much as anything it is a test run of the Voltec platform for me to determine whether I like it enough to spend even more on a Cadillac ELR next year. So while the fuel efficiencies and the sharply reduced costs of driving relative to my recent cars are interesting, cost isn't a prime mover for me. The Volt is the least expensive car I bought in the last 20 years in inflation-adjusted terms, and the least expensive in the last ten years in raw dollar terms. There are further reasons to love the Volt. One is, it's quiet. Damned quiet. Once you get accustomed to the serenity of it, ICE cars begin to seem acoustically intrusive. I love the sounds of a big V8 but the absence of them makes renewed exposure to them less beguiling. Another is that the Volt feels structurally strong and exceptionally stable. There's some protest now and then from the low-rolling-resistance tires but handling is satisfying for a fwd car. I'm 6'3"; the Volt has excellent seats. Yes, I have leather. Even in our 106 degs F hot days in the San Fernando Valley, I have not had to use anything more than the "Eco" setting on climate control to stay cool. In the winter, during nights in the 30s, same to keep warm. The car warms the seats before it spends energy warming the full space. No one wants to be the fifth person in a Prius so the four-place arrangement of the Volt is fine with me, and those back seats are comfortable too, for anyone who fits. I can actually fit back there too, behind a smaller driver -- better than in too many larger cars. The hatchback bay holds plenty and then the rear seats fold flat too. Volt isn't a monster accelerator 0-60, but its performance 0-35 is excellent by any measure, and power delivery is completely, creamy, smooth. These are perfect characteristics for getting around a large city, especially one as diverse in terrain as Los Angeles. And the opportunities for substantial regen are numerous on every drive. Meanwhile, when I do get a 240V charger, I expect my gasoline use to plunger further still. We have climate change upon us, for both natural and anthropogenic reasons. But forget about climate change. We have a much more strongly positive correlation between rising CO2 in the atmosphere and ocean acidity. And then there are simple indignities of modern economic life, like refiners and fuel distributors using zone pricing for gasoline, and exporting California fuels while a shortage in-state "justifies" price increases. "Coincidental" shutdowns of multiple refineries for maintenance. We could have falling CO2 levels and still one can be happy to step away from petroleum antics even a little bit. Would I be able to effectively use an 80 miles range battery-only EV? Not as my only car. I couldn't make it to Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara or Palm Springs on a single charge, which are of course no problem with my Volt. But A Chevy Spark EV or Ford Focus EV could completely cover the majority of my Los Angeles local driving. The CTS-V lease is up early next year. I can't say I haven't considered becoming a two-charger household. When I first heard Volt drivers say "this is the best car I've ever owned..." I wondered what they drove before. Then I bought one, and now I understand perfectly. Phil