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Interesting. I've always been attracted to the idea of the Volt, but having both an ICE and EV components struck me as worst of all worlds when it comes to main

Interesting. I've always been attracted to the idea of the Volt, but having both an ICE and EV components struck me as worst of all worlds when it comes to maintenance. I take it you haven't found that to be the case? Do you have to go to the dealership or can a typical auto shop handle routine maintenance on it?

outworlder 8y ago
The Volt's ICE is only used as a generator. That's much better from a maintenance standpoint, if you compare connecting two engines to the drivetrain (like a Prius).
- hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
  This isn't correct. Both the older gen 1 Volts and the newer Volts with the "Voltec" powertrain can directly drive the wheels from the engine, and in fact this is actually much more common with the Voltec powertrain. This article gives a great summary: https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096942_2016-chevrolet-volt-powertrain-how-it-works-in-electric-hybrid-modes https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096942_2016-chevrolet-... .
hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
Most people who own a Volt buy it with the plan of using the ICE as little as possible. Thus, if you use it, say, 20% of the time, you'd only have 40k miles of ICE driving after 200k miles of total driving. An ICE with 40k miles on should need very little in terms of maintenance.
stephengillie 8y ago
Camry Hybrid engine gets an oil change and other maintenance every 10k miles. They have a 5k mile checkup between the 10k, but that's mostly to straighten your floor mats and make sure they're locked in place. (Toyota had an unintended acceleration lawsuit years ago, partly due to the floor mat blocking the brake pedal.)
chaostheory 8y ago
Just the dealership. I don't feel there's enough demand for technicians who know how to deal with a Volt outside of a dealership. Even dealers don't have a lot of techs who can deal with a Volt, which is why you always need an appointment for one. Of course, given that it rarely needs maintenance I don't have any issues with going to a dealer. I could be wrong but the real maintenance costs for EVs start around years 7 or 8.

outworlder 8y ago

The Volt's ICE is only used as a generator. That's much better from a maintenance standpoint, if you compare connecting two engines to the drivetrain (like a Prius).

hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
This isn't correct. Both the older gen 1 Volts and the newer Volts with the "Voltec" powertrain can directly drive the wheels from the engine, and in fact this is actually much more common with the Voltec powertrain. This article gives a great summary: https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096942_2016-chevrolet-volt-powertrain-how-it-works-in-electric-hybrid-modes https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096942_2016-chevrolet-... .

hn_throwaway_99 8y ago

Most people who own a Volt buy it with the plan of using the ICE as little as possible. Thus, if you use it, say, 20% of the time, you'd only have 40k miles of ICE driving after 200k miles of total driving. An ICE with 40k miles on should need very little in terms of maintenance.

stephengillie 8y ago

Camry Hybrid engine gets an oil change and other maintenance every 10k miles. They have a 5k mile checkup between the 10k, but that's mostly to straighten your floor mats and make sure they're locked in place. (Toyota had an unintended acceleration lawsuit years ago, partly due to the floor mat blocking the brake pedal.)

chaostheory 8y ago

Just the dealership. I don't feel there's enough demand for technicians who know how to deal with a Volt outside of a dealership. Even dealers don't have a lot of techs who can deal with a Volt, which is why you always need an appointment for one. Of course, given that it rarely needs maintenance I don't have any issues with going to a dealer. I could be wrong but the real maintenance costs for EVs start around years 7 or 8.