Chevrolet Will Replace Charging Cable for Chevy Volt
Switch for 120-volt cable will take place when Volts are brought in for safety upgrades to battery packs.
General Motors has announced it would swap out the Chevy Volt's 120-volt charging cables for all 2011 and some 2012 models. And while some owners have reported overheating cords, according to Automotive News, the move is in fact part of a "customer satisfaction program" meant to "offer a more consistent charging experience," GM spokesman Randal Fox says.Speaking to MSN Autos, Fox reiterated that the cable-swapping effort is "nothing related to safety at all" and that the automaker is looking to provide a cable that will be both reliable and durable. Asked how long the cable swapping has been in the works, Fox said that the Volt roll-out is a "process of continuous improvement" and that the intent to provide a longer and more durable charging unit has been discussed since last fall.
Fox further noted that the effort is meant to coincide with the program to enhance the safety of Volt battery packs, which was announced after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into Chevy Volt fires -- notwithstanding the fact that the probe found no defect trend and that the Volt is no more prone to a vehicle fire than vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines).
"The idea of announcing the cable swap when we did is that a customer won't have to come in twice," Fox says.
The Volt is not a fail, the fail is all the ignorant people that don't understand how it works.
If you have a Volt and never plug it in, you're using it wrong, and that's a FAIL.
Instead of comparing it to standard hybrids, think of it more like what it is: a plug in electric car that can recharge itself in a pinch. If you have a Leaf and you run out of power away from a charger, you're calling a towtruck. Same scenario in a Volt has the ICE kicking in and you're still motoring along and getting where you need to go. So if you ask me, that 35mpg is alot better than the 10mpg that the towtruck the Leaf is sitting on is getting.
Barny, the Popular Mechanics tests you are talking about were done in range extended mode only. That means they did not plug in the Volt to make use of running the Volt on just battery power. If you buy a Volt and never plug it in, you are correct, the Volt mileage is just ok. The Volt is designed to be plugged in when you get home and driven on mostly or all electric the next day. That is if you drive around 40 miles or less in a day. It is also not the car for you if your commute is over 60 miles. Your mpg would be better with other high mpg gas cars. The Volt is not for everyone, but for a large percentage of the population, it would almost eliminate the need to fill up at the gas station. If the Volts are a fail as you say, why did GM get 7000 pre orders from Europe when they went on sale as the Opal Ampera (the Volt twin)?
The Volt is not a fail, the fail is all the ignorant people that don't understand how it works.
That's basically what I was saying below except that I will concede that GM has some responsibility in the above mentioned issue. I still believe that GM has done a very poor job explaining how the car is different from everything else.. For a car nut like me, it's easy to understand. But most people don't care enough to learn about their car or other cars they are shopping for. Many of the comments below are proof of that.
@barny,
How far can the Sonic and Cruz go without using ANY gasoline? I'll save you the time. They can't go anywhere. Funny how you forgot to mention that.
Don't get me wrong, the Volt is NOT a practical alternative for many reasons. But you make it seem a lot worse when you leave out the important facts that don't support your argument.
You cannot directly compare mpg between the Volt and any conventional gasoline powered automobile. Anyone who tries clearly hasn't taken the time to educate themselves. The amount of misinformation going around related to the Volt is easily the biggest problem GM is facing right now. I can't understand why they aren't doing more to fix that.
For those of you that don't think the Volt is a failure, please explain why you feel it's success
Well, it's certainly not a sales success, I won't dispute that. It's high price and lack of good marketing saw to that.
However from an engineering standpoint, I think the technology itself is a success, and a great compromise on the electric car until a batteries with a more practical range and a better charging infrastructure to support them are developed.
And you could look at the Volt as TWO cars to better justify the price.
You get a purely electric car for your 30 mile commute, and you get a 35mpg gas powered car for your road trips.
If you had say a Leaf, you wouldn't be able to take it on a road trip, you'd need to own or rent a conventional car if you wanted to go more than 30 or 40 miles from home and back without recharging.
The Volt gives you the around town benifits of an electric car, but without the distance limitations or "range anxiety".
5th Gear did a test on the Mitsu e-car. It took them something like 24 hours to go just a few hundred miles since they had to keep recharging. That makes a regular e-car unacceptable to me. The Volt, on the other hand, would have made the trip in a matter of hours.
1. gasoline instead of clean diesel engine
2. no manual transmission
3. no station wagon version
4. for the price of one, I can get almost two fully loaded Jetta clean diesels.
FAIL!
1 and 2 - you're in the minority there, probably 90% of Volt buyers would consider those two things fails. I agree with you on the diesel, but I could care less about a manual or not. It would probably make the car even more expensive than it is, having to engineer an manual driveline for it.
You always talk about diesels and manual trannies, but the VAST majority of US buyers don't want that yet. Why build a car nobody wants? I like V8 power and RWD, but do I think every car that doesn't have that combo is a FAIL? No, because I realize I have my own specific tastes that other consumers might not share. You might want to try not to be so closed-minded.
3- Besides Volvos, wagons sell poorly in the US. And since I know you''re going to mention them, I rarely see VW wagons in my area, TDI or not. I would say a hatchback variant would be a good compromise between the two.
4- Don't exagerate. After the tax crdit, a Volt is aorund 33k or so. A loaded Jetta is pushing 30k, is it not?
The volt took an unfair shot over the battery issue and thus far has not been proven to be an unsafe vehicle and it's unfortunate that now GM has to change out unsafe charging cables.
EXPLORE NEW CARS
MORE ON MSN AUTOS
GM recalls another 230,000 SUVsSUVs from 2006-07 are at risk for window switch fires and short circuits.
ABOUT EXHAUST NOTES
Cars are cool, and here at MSN Autos we love everything about them, but we also know they're more than simply speed and style: a car is an essential tool, a much-needed accessory to help you get through your day-to-day life. What you drive is also one of the most important investments you can make, so we'll help you navigate your way through the car buying and ownership experiences. We strive to be your daily destination for news, notes, tips and tricks from across the automotive world. So whether it's through original content from our world-class journalists or the latest buzz from the far corners of the Web, Exhaust Notes helps you make sense of your automotive world.
Have a story idea? Tip us off at exhaustnotes@live.com.
