Even More Reasons to Consider a 2015 Chevrolet Volt

Chevrolet’s E-REV scores an IIHS Top Safety Pick + rating and gets 4G LTE.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Aug 4, 2014



2015 Chevrolet Volt – $34,995 to start incl. D&H while offering 38 miles on the plug and 35/40 mpgUS city/highway when on the gas. And still a large amount of incentives if you qualify.



The Chevrolet Volt five-door was designed to provide real fuel-savings without range anxiety. The key stat among Volt owners however is they are averaging approximately 970 miles between refuels. That is a lot of fuel not being consumed!



For 2015, GM expanded the capacity Volt’s Li-ion by .6 kWh to 17.1 kWh although the EPA AER rating of 38-miles remains unchanged. Meaning GM has probably decided not to recertify it.



Also new for 2015 is OnStar with 4G LTE and standard built-in Wi-Fi hotspot. The hotspot is on whenever the car is booted and comes with a free three-month/three-gigabyte data trial.



2015 Chevrolet Volt Drivetrain



The Volt uses 434-pound T-shaped, 17.1-kWh (~ 10.5 kWh useable) Li-Ion traction battery with LG Chem chemistry. It supplies its energy to a 111-kW electric drive unit to propel the vehicle. The battery is covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty (10 years/100,000 miles in ARB states).



Charging the Volt battery can be done with a 120V outlet over approximately 10 hours or a dedicated 240V Level2 charging station in under 4-hours from flat to full.



When the available SoC has been consumed, the Volt seamlessly transitions to the 84 hp 1.4L gasoline engine.



Range improving design

2015 Chevrolet Volt HOVing it





Beginning last August, the VOLT was officially upgraded to PZEV-AT status

providing owners access to HOV lanes with a single occupant onboard.

The Volt is the most aerodynamic Chevrolet ever offered to the public. According to its press kit, its advanced aero design contributed to an additional eight miles of electric range, and 50 miles of extended range.



20.5 pound alloys and Goodyear Assurance FuelMax tires are standard. Even lighter weight 17.9 pound polished alloys are also available.



2015 Chevrolet Volt Standard Interior Features



A 7 in high resolution color touch screen, AM/FM stereo with CD player and MP3 playback, USB port, SiriusXM and Travel Link with a three-month trial, Bluetooth phone connectivity, Auto climate, proximity key, MyVolt.com vehicle connectivity, three 12-volt outlets, remote vehicle start, and a leather-wrapped wheel round out the package.

Still wish they would remove the large shifter out of that darn cubby hole. :(

2015 Chevrolet Volt Optional Additions



NAVI and Bose Audio Package ($995) (requires Premium Trim ($1395)) combined include GPS Navi, RDS, Bose 7-speaker sound, heated driver and front passenger leather trimmed seats, and a rear seat armrest.



Safety Package 1 ($575) includes auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, rear vision camera and rear park assist



Safety Package 2 ($595) is available when Safety Package 1 is ordered, and includes front park assist, forward collision alert and lane-departure warning to help drivers avoid potential collisions.



MyLink with OnStar 4G LTE



Volt’s standard provides easy operation of basic functions. Enhanced connectivity features include a new Text Messaging Alerts feature for smartphone users with Bluetooth profile, which reads incoming texts through the vehicle’s speakers, and Siri Eyes Free for iPhone iOS 6 and iOS 7 users. Each enables voice-controlled connectivity.



The MyLink screen also serves as the display for the available rearview camera system, as well as the controller for Volt’s audio system.



The new OnStar with 4G LTE and standard built-in Wi-Fi hotspot were mentioned above.



2015 Chevrolet Volt Safety



Passive safety features include a strong structure consisting of nearly 80 percent high strength steels plus front, side, side curtain and both driver and passenger knee airbags, and a collapsible pedal assembly.



Actively the Volt includes ABS, TC, VSC, BA, EBFD, and LED DRLs.



With the available forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems available within Safety Package2, the 2014 Chevrolet Volt was the only vehicle out of 12 small cars tested to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s 2014 Top Safety Pick + award. It also received an acceptable overall score in IIHS’ Small Overlap front crash test.

2014/2015 Chevrolet Volt IIHS Crash Test Ratings

The Volt earned a “good” rating – the highest the IIHS awards in its tests – in four of the six categories monitored during the small overlap front test.



The small overlap front crash test is the most difficult of any of the head-on tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the IIHS or any other global automobile crash test safety entity. It replicates a collision with just 25 percent of the front of the car striking a stationary and immovable object at 40 mph.



Watching the Small Overlap vid, the front airbag did protect the cast test dummy although sliding off after a few milliseconds is what gave it an average rating in this horrific crash simulation.



It has been quite a few years since we have had a Volt and although the ELR receives all the marketing $s, the Volt is the car providing thousands a fuel free way to work and back day in and day out. As we move into 2015, an all-new 2016 MY Volt is scheduled to arrive and has been widely reported to cost up to $10k less up front than the at the time 2013 pricing structure. If GM has figured out a way increase rear seat leg, head, and hip room, they probably have not only a great efficient vehicle great 4 to 5-passenger one as well.



The Volt is built at GMs Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in Detroit.

Even More Reasons to Consider a 2015 Chevrolet Volt