How Long Does It Take to Charge a Chevy Volt? How Much Does It Cost to Charge?

If you are considering buying a used Chevy Volt or are a new owner, it’s important to know the answers to these two questions: How long does it take to charge a Chevy Volt? How much does it cost to charge a Chevy Volt?

How long does it take to charge up a Chevy Volt? With a charging speed of about 4 miles per hour, it takes about 13 hours to fully charge a Chevy Volt. This electric hybrid comes with a 120-volt charger for charging its batteries at home or in public electric charging stations with a regular 3-pronged wall outlet.

How much does it cost to charge a Chevy Volt? Electric rates in the U.S. range from about 10 to 20 cents per kWh. This means that it will cost about $2 to $5 to charge your Chevy Volt fully. How much it will cost will depend on the electric rate at your home or charging station.

You cannot overcharge a Chevy Volt. This hybrid car has an EVSE system to see to it that that doesn’t happen. It is a built-in safety mechanism that automatically turns off the charging cycle once the batteries are fully juiced up.

Read on to learn more about how long it takes to charge a Chevy Volt and how much it costs to charge a Chevy Volt.

how much does it cost to charge a Chevy Volt

Charging a Chevy Volt will take around 13 hours. This hybrid car comes with a 120-volt portable charge cord to enable you to charge it at home. Plug this cord into a regular 3-pronged wall outlet in your house, and it will do the work.

The charging speed of the cord is approximately 4 kilowatts per hour (kph). It will take you about 13 hours for the batteries to be fully charged with that rate of speed. That will give you a maximum of 50 to 52 miles of drive range.

How much does it cost to charge a Chevy Volt? The cost will depend on your particular area’s electricity rates—the U.S. national average ranges from 10 to 20 cents per kWh. Therefore, the approximate cost to charge Chevy Volt ranges from $2.30 to $4.60 per kWh.

Just leave it to plug it in your 3-pronged convenience outlet at home. Don’t worry about overcharging the batteries. The Chevy Volt comes with an EVSE mechanism. It is a system that automatically disconnects the power once the electric batteries in the Chevy Volt are fully charged.

Charging Time Depends on Some Factors

The actual charging time of your Chevy Volt will also depend on the charging cord that you will use. Its battery pack can be charged using two charging cord types: the 120-volt charger and the 240-volt charger. A second charger is an option since it doesn’t come standard with the car.

Here are the actual charging times for the respective charging cords of the Chevy Volt:

1. Chevy Volt with 120-volt Charger

This is a portable charge cord that comes standard with the Chevy Volt. Plug it into a standard 3-pronged electric outlet at home. It has a charging speed of 4 miles per hour, enabling you to charge your car in about 13 hours.

2. Chevy Volt with 240-volt Charger

This is an upgrade on the standard cord. It contains a 7.2 kW onboard charger that has a 240-volt charging unit. If there is an available 240-volt line and outlet in your house, plug it into that outlet.

It will give you about 22 miles per hour charge. That means it will take you only around 4.5 hours to charge your Chevy Volt fully.

3. AeroVironment Level 2, 3 amp EVSE-RS

If you want an even shorter charging time, get this unit for your Chevy Volt. This 25-foot charging cord will be able to charge your car in just about 2.5 hours only.

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How Many kWh Does It Take to Charge a Chevy Volt?

The Chevy Volt is equipped with an 18 to 19 kWh battery pack. However, it gets ‘empty’ when around 14 kWh is used.

The idea for this is that it won’t be fully drained. This is a way to prolong the life of the battery. It is said that this can double the life of the battery.

Some Chevy Volt owners have experienced an average of 3 to 4 miles (about 5 to 6 kilometers) per kWh. They get around 44 to 52 miles on a ‘full tank.’ That is more than enough to do their daily commutes.

Additionally, the Chevy Volt is also gas efficient. An owner of this hybrid went on a road trip up the mountains and back. They got an average of around 39.5 miles per gallon with the Chevy Volt. That cost them about 10 cents per mile. Using electric power, they added, is 3 times cheaper.

So how many kWh to charge a Chevy Volt? The Volt has an 18.4 kWh battery. Assuming there is an 80% charging efficiency, it should take about 23 kWh to charge the Chevy Volt completely.

How Much to Charge a Chevy Volt?

How much you will pay to fully charge your Chevy Volt will depend on the electric rates in your place. The general range of electric rates across the United States goes from 10 to 20 cents per kWh. So, on average, the cost for charging the car from empty will be about $2 to $5.

You have to know how much it will cost you to charge your Chevy Volt to be sufficient for your daily commute. Unless the total distance is more than the range of this hybrid car, you won’t really be able to charge it back up to full.

How You Can Calculate Your Daily Cost?

Divide the total miles you drive every day by 4. This is considering that the Chevy Volt has a charging speed of about 4 miles per hour;
If your home outlet is 120 volts, divide the result from no. 1 by 0.75; if it is a 240-volt outlet, divide the result from no. 1 by 0.85. This will be the charging efficiency of your charger. It’s not 100% based on real-life scenarios;
Lastly, multiple the result of no. 2 by your kWh electric rate, at the time of charging;
The resulting number will be your charging cost per day; and
Do the same math if you want to know your cost for one week, or one month or one year.

How Far Can You Go with Full Charge?

how long does it take to charge a Chevy Volt

Since it was launched in 2010, car buyers have bought more than 130,000 Chevy Volts units, making it the best-selling PHEV or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle of all time. When it was launched, the hybrid car could only get 40 miles on a full charge.

Later on, this mile range was stretched to 53 miles in the hybrid car’s latest versions. This is more than enough for average drivers who only clock in around 30 miles in their daily commutes. If you go all-electric with the Chevy Volt, it will give you a total range of 420 miles.

The Chevy Volt, being a hybrid, can run in electric and gas mode. That means if you ever get to the point where its electric batteries have fizzled out, the car will seamlessly change over to gas mode. There is no danger of you being marooned out of nowhere.

Between fill-ups, this car can give you 1,100 miles – if you charge it regularly. If you run it totally in electric battery mode, it can take you as far as 420 miles on a full charge. For average commuting, its battery has a 53-mile range.

Again, how much does it cost to charge a Chevy Volt? How long does it take to charge a Chevy Volt? Charging a Chevy Volt will take about 13 hours from an initially empty battery. And this will cost you about $2 to $5 if you’re residing around the U.S.

Charging a Chevy Volt – Things You Need to Know

Here are some things you need to know before charging your Chevy Volt:

1. PHEV or a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

The Chevy Volt is not just an ordinary electric car that runs on a battery. As mentioned already, it is a PHEV or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Thus, it can be powered by an electric motor as well as a gasoline engine. It has both under its hood.

2. Electric Motor

ChargePoint states that hybrid vehicles primarily get their power from electric motors. However, when necessary, they can switch to gasoline engine power. That is their advantage.

These hybrids can provide peace of mind to drivers because they will have no range of anxiety. There is no possibility that they’ll get stranded anywhere.

3. Advanced Safety Tech

Besides, the Chevy Volt is equipped with advanced safety tech. You can drive it for long distances on electric power alone. The benefit to the environment is another advantage since carbon emission is cut down to zero when you drive it fully on electric mode.

How to Charge a Chevy Volt?

It is effortless and simple to charge a Chevy Volt. There are actually three ways you can do it: by the level 1 charger, by the level 2 charger, and by the DC Fast Chargers.

1. Level 1 Charger

This is the charger for the 120-volt outlet in the home. It comes standard with all Chevy Volts. Just plug in the three-pronged plug into your standard 120-volt outlet on your wall. Then, connect the other end to the Volt’s charging port.

2. Level 2 Charger

If you want a faster way to charge your hybrid car, use a second-level charger. This charger will double the amount of charge of 240 volts. Most of the public charging stations have level 2 chargers.

If you’re in a hurry to reach your destination, consider charging your hybrid in a public station. It will cut your charging time by at least one-half.

3. Level 3 Charger

This is the fastest way you can charge your Chevy Volt. It uses DC Fast Chargers to juice up your car’s battery pack quickly. The charging stations that offer this service use direct current voltage to recharge the batteries.

It is also the most efficient method of charging electric cars and is faster than the level 2 charger. However, this charging unit is more expensive and might not be feasible for ordinary car owners.

But they are available in public charging stations. They are ideal for travelers who are going on long trips. In any case, the Chevy Volt is a hybrid. It can run using the gasoline engine.

So, as long as you have gas on the tank, you don’t have to worry about how many kilowatts charge a Chevy Volt.

Charge Your Chevy Volt at Home

The Chevy Volt is supplied with a charging cord. The standard issue is the 120-volt charging cord. Just plug its three-pronged plug into any of your 120-volt outlets and its other end in the car’s charging port. It’ll take about 13 hours for the battery to get fully charged.

If you want to cut the charging time in half, you can buy the 240-volt 32 Amp charging cord. It is also a home charger, so you can safely plug it into any of your 240-volt outlets.

With this charger, you can get a maximum of 22 miles per hour of charging. The price of a 240-volt home charger ranges from $300 to $600.

Charge Your Chevy Volt at a Public Station

If you want faster charging, you can go to a public charging station. There should be several of these stations in your area.

They are usually located next to retail stores, restaurants, and public places where people usually congregate.

Most of these charging stations offer level 2 charging services. That means you can get a full charge of around 12 miles per hour. If you find it hard to find charging stations in your area, you can download and install an app for this purpose on your mobile device.

How long does it take to charge a Chevy Volt at a charging station? It will take around 13 hours or less to fully charged your Chevy Volt. This length of time will depend on the type of charger available at the station.

There are public stations that offer their charging services for free. But most of them will definitely charge you to use their services.

How much does it cost to charge a Chevy Volt at a charging station? This cost will depend on the electric rates where the charging station is at. However, in the U.S., this rate is around 10 to 20 cents per kWh. Thus, it’ll take about $2-5 to fully charged your Chevy Volt.

Conclusion: How Long Does It Take to Charge a Chevy Volt? How Much Does It Cost to Charge?

How long to charge a Chevy Volt from empty? It will take approximately 13 hours to give a full charge to a Chevy Volt battery pack. This hybrid car is equipped with a 120-volt charger to juice up its batteries.

You can charge it at home or in any public charging station.

How much to charge a Chevy Volt from empty? The cost of charging a Chevy Volt depends on the electric rates in your local area. Typically, the cost per kilowatt-hour is about 20 cents.

A hybrid car, such as the Chevy Volt, has the convenience and flexibility that makes switching from gas to electric easier for many car buyers. A full charge of modern electric cars such as the Chevy Volt is enough for most drivers who clock in 30 miles per day.

It is very easy to charge a Chevy Volt. As for the chargers, you can choose from the level 1 charger, level 2 charger, and lastly, the DC Fast Chargers.