Hello everyone, Had the car for about a month now. Love it so far. I carpool with 4 to 5 adults to work 40 miles one way, mostly freeway in carpool lane. I hope I can ask a few questions in one thread so here it goes. Will I damage the car in anyway, with 5 adults in the car, if: 1) accelerating up to 65 mph in EV mode? 2) constantly switching between EV mode and HV mode during my commute? As opposed to leaving in EV mode until it automatically switches over to HV mode. I'm concerned that problems will occur if I am constantly switching in and out of EV mode or stressing the car since I have 5 adults.
If the car couldn't handle 5 people then they would've built it for 4 people and renamed it Volt. ....but in all seriousness, you'll be fine. Just enjoy the car and the high MPGe!
There's a yellow sticker on the door jamb on the driver's side that says "total weight of cargo and occupants should not exceed 825 lbs" As long as the adults you're carrying, including you the driver, don't total out to more than 825 pounds, you should be ok.
i probably wouldn't accellerate to 65 in ev mode. i would switch to hv at 15-20 mph just for efficiency, unless you're on a strictly ev route in which case you're fine except it will probably start the ice around 62 mph.
825 divided by 5 = 165. Just make sure no one is over 165 lbs. That leaves out a lot of people. (Just Saying)
But what is happening mechanically when I push the EV/HV button? Or is it just software? And is it no different than when the gas engine turns off while in HV mode?
Not much happens using mechanical connections in the PiP. The steering and the brakes have mechanical connections for safety reasons, but even the brake behavior is moderated by the computer to favor regeneration if possible. All the EV/HV button does is tell the control computer whether you want to favor using the battery or the gasoline engine.
Thanks for the info - I too was wondering if it was ok to "play" with switching back and forth between EV and HV - still getting the hang of how to get the best mileage!
