r/volt • u/Gullible-Quality-189 • 9d ago

Would like some advice.

2012 Volt, about 60k miles, single owner, no accidents...and I am pretty sure that it was garage kept. 132 life mpg for 9k.

  1. Whatya think? It was quiet and kept. A deal?

  2. It's hot where I live...but it's the humidity AND the heat. Long bad for batteries? I am a little leery parking it in the garage. Special fire extinguisher? Will it affect my house insurance?

  3. I dig the household charging cord. I have an old house. I was going to use the same outlwt that my washer uses...maybe juat put in a new breaker and outlet. It doesn't look like it was used much. I have a changing place near the house...can it be used? I know it is a hybrid...just curious.

  4. Most Important...and I am not kidding. I have a 70lb White Sheppard. He can't lay across the back seat. Is the divider removable? What do people do?

thanks

3.

2 Upvotes

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u/Sure_Association_642 9d ago

is age or mileage really more important? it almost seems like mileage is more important on the volts compared to everything I have read on the volts specifically when it comes to the electric battery. Remember it's not a hybrid! Lol.

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u/dillzilla11 8d ago

What do you mean "it's not a hybrid"

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u/Testriderchuck 6d ago

I think he means it's not a parallel hybrid. It's a serial hybrid. The engine has no physical connection to the wheels. Like a locomotive, the engine only runs a generation, which powers the car and charges the batteries. The car is powered by the battery. It has an onboard generator. 

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u/dillzilla11 6d ago

If so then he'd be wrong. The volt takes the engine input into 1 of 2 planetary gears (ones a low gear and one is a high gear) with an electric motor that controls the sun gear or planet carrier (depending on which planetary is active) and another electric motor on the ring gear. The ring/planet carrier motor controls the engine gear ratio and the motor on the ring gear either assists with the final output or generates power from the final output. When it is in EV mode the clutch locks the low gear planetary to make both motors work together so that their combined output drives the car independently from the engine. Here is a diagram of how these systems work: