Fastest Way to Charge a Chevy Volt!

I wanted to see how long it would take to tow-charge a Chevy Volt. This is able to be done on Teslas and the Rivian R1T. I was impressed with the results! That being said, do this at your own risk.

[NotDlespy]

Awesome video! Thanks for trying this on a Volt! Very cool to learn about this charging method for the Volt.

[matthewpollock]

Great experiment. Obviously impractical, but so was going to the moon, if you we don't conduct experiments, we don't learn, so on behalf of the science minded among us, thank you for contributing to humanity's wealth of knowledge. If you intend to repeat your experiment, I'd recommend two things:

1) Want more accurate real-time data? Go through the dashboard display options until you see "kWh" (kilowatt hours) above the speedometer. This shows both electric power consumption and charge rate in real time. When driving it shows you the difference in power used when driving at different speeds as well as on different grades of incline. Also, when coasting downhill, it shows exactly how much power is going into the battery, expressed as a negative number in kWh.

For example, setting the cruise control to 45 mph on a 65° to 80°F day on level ground, I usually see a power consumption of around 9 kWh, however, when coasting down a steep hill on my daily commute, it shows -5 kWh.

Note these numbers while being towed. For reference, while my car is plugged into a 120 vdc (standard American household outlet) with the charge rate set to 12 amps, I usually see a -1 kWh charge rate.

2) I notice you have the transmission in the "drive" position. Might I recommend selecting "Low" next time. I know that in most cars the L position has makes the transmission opt for lower gears, not allowing itself to advance to a higher gear until the engine rpms are much higher than usual. This is great for coasting downhill as it saves on breaks, but this is not how the Volt works. The Volt's transmission has only a single gear when driving. Selecting "L" also slows the vehicle down while coasting, but rather than taching the engine out, it automatically turns on regenerative breaking as soon as you remove your foot from the accelerator (unless cruise control is on, of course). It is not as drastic as the regen brake on the steering wheel, more similar to an exhaust/Jake brake on an 18 wheeler (the loud wah wah wah sound you hear when semis are going downhill on the freeway, for those of you who don't drive truck), only instead of making noise, it makes electricity.

Questions for your next experiment (if you perform another one).

What charge rate (in kWh) do you see while being towed?

How much does the tow speed affect this number?

Does outside air temperature affect the tow rate in a similar mannor as it affects power consumption?

While being towed at a given baseline speed, what is the difference in charge rate with the vehicle:

A) in drive without the steering wheel regen break pulled?

B) in drive with the regen brake applied?

C) in low without the regen brake?

D) in low with the regen brake?

Please consider posting a followup video, and if you live anywhere near Southern Oregon, hit me up for a colab. I have a 2017 Volt, maybe we can come up with more content for your channel.

[jaerbenjamin]

That is so crazy I was just thinking about making a video about doing this is my egolf, damn I thought I was the only one hahaha nice bro!!!

[danwat]

BMS should reduce or prevent regen if there are any issues like over temperature so no worries

[doctorunlocked]

Title could also be the most expensive way to charge a Volt. Neat hack though!

[glasspilot]

This might be the solution to RV towing! Chevy says you can't tow the Volt "4 down" (In RV talk: "TOAD"). Maybe if you actually have the car "on" you can get away with it. I wouldn't even care if I weren't charging the battery. To toad behind an RV without screwing with a dolly would be nice!

[dennisu]

Josh

Did you tow in D or L? This would work on all Volts no matter what year as regen in active when turned on at all times and in a drive mode. I would love to see the results of a D vs. L test.

[eSUBA]

LG 18.4kWh package is not adapted to receive 48-50kW for so long

[Misaelito]

this should also work on a Bolt EV right?

[mootpoint]

Pretty sweet not gonna lie. But you'll likely break something in the regen system doing this. And it's also not so efficient requiring a friend in a large pickup to waste his gas towing yowass. Surprised by the short distance to regen ratio actually. But hey... in a pinch I guess it could come down to it. But I mean if you really had to get home, couldn't he have simply towed you the whole way? Repairing these cars is very expensive. To me this isn't worth the risk. So what did happen after? Anything negative at all? I'm concerned because I have the same exact car. And have plenty of buddies with big trucks!

[charlschuck]

What year is this volt so nice do all generations do this regenerative breaking feature ?

[lowlifeangler]

Spend $28 of gas to recharge a battery, makes sense