Chevrolet Volt: Range-Extended Electric Car Ultimate GuideChevrolet Volt: Range-Extended Electric Car Ultimate Guide

The Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car has been on sale since December 2010–but it’s still one of the most popular electric vehicles on sale.
At the moment, the Chevy Volt is fairly unique in the plug-in car market, in that it’s neither a traditional hybrid vehicle, nor a full battery-electric car. Instead, it uses a 1.4-liter gasoline engine as a generator, keeping the batteries topped-up–while most of the time, drive is handled exclusively by the electric motor.
Read our full review of the 2014 Chevrolet Volt
Over the next few pages you’ll find links to all sorts of information about the Volt. This page deals with the basics and buying a Volt. Page 2 has information on owning a Volt, and the technology behind the car. On page 3, you’ll find information on the Volt’s social media and marketing, as well as a full run-down on the Volt’s recent battery fire issues.
The basics
The Volt is a range-extended electric vehicle, with an official 38 miles of electric range, according to EPA figures. Total range, with the gas engine acting as a generator, is 380 miles. It’ll do 98 MPG-equivalent in EV mode, and 37 mpg combined on the engine–though many owners are getting a much higher figure, making the most of electric running instead.
You’d best start with the basics, before reading our first drive of the 2012 Volt. We’ve also got first production photos, first drive impressions and an editors discussion – just how will the Volt fare? For further information, you’ll find more links below.

Chevy Volt Electric Car, Age 1: Can It Survive Toddler Years?
2012 Opel Ampera (Chevy Volt) Wins European Car Of The Year
Will Chevy Volt Sales Hit 40,000 This Year (Ampera Included)?
2013 Chevy Volt Production To Halt For 4 Weeks From Mid-September
Can Chevy Sustain Volt Electric Car Sales After Incentives End?
Criticism… How Much Money Is GM Losing On Every Chevy Volt?
…and a rebuttal… Bob Lutz: Huge Chevy Volt Cost Estimates Are Wrong, Here’s Why
Incentives Good For Chevy, Volt Customers, And Dealers, Says Industry Reporter
Chevy Volt Outsells Half The Cars On Sale; Is That Failure?
2013 Chevrolet Volt: Gas Mileage, Electric Range Test 
100 Million Electric Miles Driven By Chevy Volt Owners 
Short On Chevy Volt Knowledge? QR Code Sticker Can Help
2016 Chevrolet Volt To Have Lower Electric Range, 30 Miles Or Less? 
2016 Chevrolet Volt To Get Three-Cylinder Range Extender: Report 
Next Chevy Volt $10,000 Cheaper To Build, Profitable For GM? 
Chevy Volt Plug-In Electric Car Development: Academic Study Published (New!)
How Much Gas Has The Chevy Volt Electric Car Saved In CA? (New!)
Opel’s New 3-Cylinder Engine May Preview Volt’s Next Range-Extender (New!)
2016 Chevrolet Volt To Launch Next Year: What We Know So Far (New!)
GM To Add Plant Jobs, Invest $450 Million For 2016 Chevy Volt (New!)

 
Buying a Volt
 
So you’ve learned about the Volt, then what? You might be interested in pricing–$34,995 including an $810 destination fee–and then in the 8-year, 100K mile battery warranty. You can also compare the Ford Focus Electric and Chevy Volt, and read why one reader chose a Prius Plug-In over the Volt. Want even more? Check out some of the links below.

Want to Buy a 2011 Chevrolet Volt? More Details, Dealer Info
Who Actually Buys 2011 Chevy Volt Electric Cars, And Why?
Chevy Volt Production To Halt For 5 Weeks Due To Oversupply
Skeptical About The Chevy Volt? In CA, GM May Loan You One
Could Opel Ampera Outsell Its Sibling The 2012 Chevrolet Volt?
After Record Sales, Chevy Volt Production To Resume A Week Early
2012 Volt Electric Car Brings Chevy Whole New Type Of Customer
Will Buick Launch A Volt Version Called Electra?
2014 Cadillac ELR: Volt-Based Coupe To Get New Engine?
2013 Chevrolet Volt: Already At Dealers (If You’re Lucky)
August Set To Be Best Month Yet For Chevy Volt Sales
2013 Chevrolet Volt: The Ideal Retirement Car?
Chevy Volt And Opel Ampera: Europe And China Sales Too
Predicting Chevy Volt Sales: Is California Inventory The Key? 
2014 Chevrolet Volt Orders Start In May, Two New Colors Offered 
Electric-Car Price War Heats Up: Chevy Volt $5,000 Cash Back
2014 Chevrolet Volt Price Cut By $5,000, To $34,995 (New!)
Diesel Vs Electric Chevrolet: Cruze Diesel Vs Volt Sales In 2013 (New!)

2013 Chevrolet Volt
Owning a Volt
Before you buy, what’s the Volt like to own? You might want to know how much it’d cost to repair after a crash, what one owner thinks after 7,000 miles in both his Leaf and his Volt, or compare how much a Volt costs to run, with its closest rival – the Prius plug-in hybrid. After more? You can find it below:

Mac Vs PC Becomes Mac Vs Chevy As Volt, iPhone Won’t Talk
Chevy Volt Electric Car Owners Most Satisfied, Consumer Reports Says
Can Your 2012 Chevy Volt Use California HOV Lanes? It Depends
GM: We’ll Replace Chevrolet Volt 120-Volt Charging Units
Chevy Volt Buyer Proves You’re Never Too Old To Buy An Electric Car
2012 Chevrolet Volt: Most Loved Compact Car, Most Satisfied Drivers
Chevy Volt No Good Because You Have To Rearrange Your Garage?
2011 Chevy Volt Owner Takes on the Electric Range Challenge
Forget Range Anxiety, Chevy Volt Owners Have Gas Anxiety 
New Onstar App Lets Chevy Volt Drivers Compete On Electric Miles 
Chevy Volt Electric Car Has Highest Customer Satisfaction Scores, Again 
Two Years In A Chevy Volt: 12,000 Miles, 26 Gallons Of Gas 
One Owner’s Chevy Volt Running Cost: 2 Cents Per Mile
Plug-In Hybrid Specs: Advice On How To Read ‘Em (From A Volt Owner) 
How We Became An All-Plug-In Electric Car Household (New!)
Chevy Volt Owners Drive More Electric Miles Than Nissan Leaf Drivers: Why? (New!)
Chevy Volt Charging Cord Cut: Angry Neighbor, Electric-Car Hater? (New!)

One of the main things Volt owners are finding out is that they aren’t using much gas. Some owners are saying it’s more electric than you’d think… but why not join the debate? Is the Volt really an electric car?
 
The technology
With all that technology, you might be interested in how some of it works. You might like to start with whether GM really did lie about the Volt’s EV capabilities – is it range extended, or just a hybrid? Next, you’ll want to know how to charge it.
We’ve also had a Q&A session with the Volt’s chief engineer, and how one owner got the equivalent of 3000 MPG… And just how much gas have Volts saved? A supertanker’s worth! For more, check out the further links below.

Video: So Is the 2011 Chevrolet Volt An Electric Car? A Hybrid?
What a 2011 Chevy Volt Has In Common With a Huge Tahoe Hybrid
Will Old Chevy Volt Batteries (Eventually) Store Solar Energy From Your Roof?
How Does The 2011 Chevy Volt Get 230MPG? By Making Assumptions
Lutz Predicts Range-Extended EVs Like Chevy Volt Here To Stay
2013 Chevrolet Volt Details: New EV-Hold Mode, MyLink, Safety Systems
2013 Chevy Volt Gets 38-Mile Electric Range, Higher 98-MPGe Rating
How Far CAN The 2012 Chevrolet Volt Travel On Electricity Alone?
2013 Chevy Volt, OnStar, Is Smart-Grid Ready: The Utilities Aren’t
New Chevy Volt Electric-Car App Shows (Low) Cost Of Home Charging
2013 Chevy Volt Software Update Required To Avert Delayed-Charging Glitch 
Bob Lutz: Volt’s Electric Tech Should’ve Gone Into Escalade First 
Chevy Volt Plug-In Electric Cars Now Have Battery Cells Made In U.S. (New!)
Chevy Volt’s Wind Thrumming Noise: Aero Fix Now Available (New!)
2014 Cadillac ELR Software Gives Hints Of Future Voltec Uses (New!)

2013 Chevrolet Volt – Driven, December 2012
Social Media And Marketing
The Volt has spent a lot  of time in the media – some may say a little too much time! Still, that means a lot of information to trawl through, but there are some interesting Volt-related stories out there. Jay Leno is a fan… well, he wasn’t at first, but he clearly came around to the idea.
Motor sport fans might want to see the Volt tackling Pikes Peak, but the Chevy Volt Dance is a little less impressive. Not that it put off the woman who bought two… even if she gave one away. Finally, want to see one of the most unique pieces of automotive art featuring the Volt? It’s fluorescent, and painted entirely in the dark. Intrigued for more? Have a sift through the links below.

2011 Chevy Volt: Official GM Propaganda On Why It’s Better
2011 Chevy Volt Marketing Theme Emerges: An EV for Road Trips
The Volt Song: What Happened, and What It Could Have Been
Five Reasons Why The Chevrolet Volt Isn’t Losing Popularity
2012 Chevy Volt Owner Goes Head-To-Head With Fox News, Survives
Leno likes it… One Year, One Talk-Show Host, 11,000 Miles, And No Gasoline
Would A ‘Vette Tempt You Away From Your Electric Volt?
NYPD Isn’t Going To Ask The Chevy Volt For Its Badge
Matt Drudge’s Idiotic, Uninformed War Against The Chevy Volt
If You Want To Attack The Volt, Try To Get Your Math Right
Can Condos Coexist With Electric Cars? Volt Owner To Be Cut Off
What’s Wrong With Chevy Volt Ads & How To Fix Them
Eric Bolling Doesn’t Know How The Volt Works, Even After Driving One
Latest GOP Slap At Volt: Can’t Hold A Gun Rack (Hint: Bad Idea, Boys)
Guns… Chevy Volts And Gun Racks: A Right-Winger’s Perspective
…guns…Truth-Telling Snopes Site Goes To Bat Over Chevy Volt E-Mail
…and more guns! Our Semi-Exclusive Interview With The Volt Gun-Rack Guy
Obama: I’ll Buy A Chevy Volt After My Presidency Ends
GM CEO Akerson: We’re Staying The Course On The Chevy Volt
World’s Quietest Drag Race? Nissan Leaf Vs Chevy Volt (Video)
2012 Chevrolet Volt Enters 2012 Monte Carlo Alternative Energy Rally
Right Wing Volt Flip-Flop? Now It’s An Energy Security Hero! (Video)
Electric-Car Politics: Attacks Hurt U.S. Innovation, Security
2012 Chevrolet Volt Pool Party: Weirdest Ad Stunt Yet?
Zombies! 2012 Chevrolet Volt: Saving You From Zombies In Electric Safety
2012 Chevrolet Volt Gets New Salesman: 13-Year Old Thomas Hundal
2012 Chevrolet Volt Owners Help With Peppy Volt Ad Campaign
Racers Andretti, Johnson Approve Of Electric Chevy Volt
Chevy Volt (Opel Ampera) Ad Banned In U.K. On Range Claims
Judge ‘Charged’ With ‘Theft’ For Plugging In Chevy Volt Electric Car 
2012 Chevrolet Volt (Vauxhall Ampera) Drives From U.K. To France, Underground 
Don’t Like Your Vauxhall Ampera (Chevy Volt)? Simply Give It Back!
Hertz Adds Chevy Volt To Car-Sharing Service, Targets Students

 
Volt safety
You know we mentioned the Volt spending a lot of time in the media? Well most of it was down to an unfortunate incident occuring during an NHTSA crash test… or in reality, several weeks after the crash test. Basically, a pack caught fire. You know the drill – the right-wing media seizes an opportunity to pounce, does so, totally misinterprets everything and then the whole thing dies down again after an official hearing. It’s like the media vs. the Prius, round two…

Third Fire Consumes A Chevy Volt Electric Car: Perspective
Chevy Volt Electric Car Buyers Unfazed By Fire Reports
GM Offers Loan Cars To Chevy Volt Customers While Crash Fires Are Investigated
Volt Owners Speak Up, Say It’s Safe, Rave About Their Electric Cars
GM Said To Be Close To Design For Volt Battery Pack Modification
IIHS Sticks By Volt Safety Rating: No Pack Issues After Crash Tests
Chevrolet To Offer Volt Modifications Against Battery Fire Risk
Animation Shows Chevy Volt Crash Safety Updates: Video
NHTSA: Chevrolet Volt Battery-Pack Fix OK, Ends Investigation
NHTSA Closes Chevy Volt Battery-Pack Fire Safety Investigation
House Hearing On NHTSA, Volt Battery Fire Starts Wednesday
Huge 2012 Chevy Volt Crash Proves Its Safety Credentials
2012 Chevrolet Volts–Just Four–Recalled For Brake Valve Glitch 

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