2011 CHEVROLET VOLT climate control

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Climate Controls 8-5
Air Conditioning/Heat StatusIndicators
The air conditioning/heat status
displays when the air conditioning
or electric heat is being used.
The air conditioning and electric
heat could be on at the same time
when dehumidification is required
in ECO or Comfort modes.
In Fan Only mode, occasionally
the air conditioning and/or heating
status will be on if the Auto Defog
function is enabled and high
humidity is detected. See “Climate
and Air Quality” underVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑53,
for details on enabling or disabling
the Auto Defog function. The air conditioning may also run
if
0is selected, regardless of the
climate mode.
Automatic Operation
The system automatically controls
the fan speed, air delivery mode,
and recirculation to heat or cool the
vehicle to the selected temperature.
When the AUTO indicator light is
on, the system is in full automatic
operation. If the air delivery mode,
fan speed, or recirculation setting is
adjusted, the AUTO indicator turns
off and the selected settings display.
For automatic operation:
1. Press AUTO.
2. Set the temperature. An initial setting of 23°C (74°F)
is recommended. Allow the
system time to stabilize. Adjust
the temperature as needed.Q/R(Temperature Control):
Press to increase or decrease
the temperature.
Auto Defog: The system will
monitor high humidity inside the
vehicle. When high humidity is
detected, the climate control system
may adjust to outside air supply and
turn on the air conditioner or the
heater. The fan speed may slightly
increase to help prevent fogging.
When high humidity is no longer
detected, the system will return
to its prior operation. To turn Auto
Defog off or on, see “Climate
and Air Quality” underVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑53.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
8-6 Climate Controls
Manual Operation
A(Fan Control):Press the
fan control buttons or the touch
screen fan control, to increase or
decrease the fan speed. The fan
speed setting displays. Pressing
either button cancels automatic
fan control and the fan can be
controlled manually. Press AUTO
to return to automatic operation.
Press the fan down button
repeatedly to turn off the fan
and the climate control system.
If the fan is manually turned off
while in ECO or Comfort mode,
the display will automatically change
to Fan Only mode. When the fan is
turned back on either by manually
increasing fan speed or pressing
the AUTO button, the climate
mode will revert back to ECO
or Comfort mode. Air Delivery Mode Control:
Press CLIMATE to select the
Climate touch screen. Press the
air delivery mode touch screen
button to change the direction of
the airflow. The selected air delivery
mode button is lit. Pressing any
of the air delivery buttons cancels
automatic air delivery control and
the direction of the airflow can be
controlled manually. Press AUTO
to return to automatic operation.
To change the current mode,
select one of the following:
Y(Vent):
Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets.
\(Bi-Level): Air is divided
between the instrument panel
outlets and the floor outlets.
[(Floor): Air is directed to the
floor outlets.
-(Defog): Air is directed to the
windshield and floor outlets. Clears
the windows of fog or moisture.
0(Defrost): Air is directed to
the windshield. The windshield is
cleared of fog or frost more quickly.
Selecting
0will disable automatic
control and the AUTO button
indicator will not be lit.
Selecting
0again will return to the
previous climate settings.
For best results, clear all snow and
ice from the windshield before
defrosting.
If
0is selected in Fan Only or
ECO mode, air conditioning or
electric heat may turn on and have
a noticeable effect on vehicle
electric range and fuel economy.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Climate Controls 8-7
AUTOh(Auto Recirculation):
Press to allow the system to
automatically choose the air
supply mode for best performance
in terms of comfort, efficiency,
and defogging. Air is recirculated
or outside air is pulled into the
vehicle. The touch screen button
is lit.
h(Manual Recirculation):
Press to alternate between
recirculating air inside the
vehicle or pulling in outside air.
When selected, the touch screen
button lights up to indicate that
air is being recirculated. This helps
to quickly cool the air inside the
vehicle or prevent outside air
and odors from entering. Pressing this button cancels
automatic recirculation. Press
AUTO or AUTO
hto return to
automatic operation; recirculation
runs automatically as needed.
Manual recirculation mode is not
available when in Defrost or Defog
modes.
M/L(Manual Heated Seats):
If available, the controls are on the
center stack. To operate, the vehicle
must be on.
Press
MorLto heat the driver
or passenger seat cushion and
seatback. For more information,
see Heated Front Seats on
page 3‑6.
MAUTO/LAUTO (Auto Heated
Seats): If available, the controls
are on the touch screen on the
center stack. Press the touch screen
LAUTO or
MAUTO button. The button color
will change to green when this
feature is on. When the vehicle is
on, this feature will automatically
activate the heated seats at the
level required by the vehicle's
interior temperature. The active
high, medium, low, or off heated
seat level will be indicated by the
manual heated seat button lights
on the center stack. Use the touch
screen buttons or the manual
heated seat buttons on the center
stack to turn auto heated seats off.
For more information, see Heated
Front Seats on page 3‑6.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
8-8 Climate Controls
Rear Window Defogger
=(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off.
The rear window defogger
turns off automatically after about
five minutes. If turned on again,
it runs for about five minutes
before turning off. The defogger
can also be turned off by turning
the vehicle off.
For vehicles with heated outside
rearview mirrors, they turn on when
the rear window defogger button
is on and help to clear fog or frost
from the surface of the mirror.
See Heated Mirrors on page 2‑16. Notice:
Do not try to clear frost
or other material from the inside
of the front windshield and rear
window with a razor blade or
anything else that is sharp.
This may damage the rear
window defogger grid and affect
the radio's ability to pick up
stations clearly. The repairs
wouldn't be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Remote Start: For vehicles with
this feature, the climate control
system may be started by using
the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter. The climate control
system will default to an appropriate
heating or cooling mode.
See Remote Start on page 2‑8.
The rear window defogger turns on
if it is cold outside.
Compressor
The vehicle has an electric powered
air conditioning compressor.
This allows for continuous air
conditioning and/or high voltage
battery cooling operation, without
running the engine.
The compressor operating speed
is not tied to the engine speed, so
some noise may be heard from the
compressor, especially when air
conditioning use is high and the
engine has turned off. This is
normal.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Climate Controls 8-9
Sensors
Solar Sensor
The solar sensor is located on top
of the instrument panel, near the
windshield, where it monitors solar
intensity.
The climate control system
uses the sensor information to
adjust the temperature, fan speed,
recirculation, and air delivery
mode for best comfort.
Do not cover the sensor; otherwise
the automatic climate control system
may not work properly.Humidity Sensor
The humidity sensor is near the
base of the inside rearview mirror.
The climate control system uses
the sensor information to adjust the
temperature and recirculation for
best comfort.
Outside Air Temperature Sensor
The outside air temperature sensor
is located behind the front grille
of the vehicle. The vehicle uses
the sensor information to display
outside air temperature. The climate
control system uses the information
to adjust the climate system
operation.
Air Vents
Use the louvers on the air vents to
change the direction of the airflow.
Use the thumbwheels near each
vent to open and close off the
airflow.
Operation Tips
.Keep all outlets open whenever
possible for best system
performance.
.Keep the path under all seats
clear of objects to help circulate
the air inside the vehicle more
effectively.
.Use of non-GM approved hood
deflectors can adversely affect
the performance of the system.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
8-10 Climate Controls
2NOTES

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-3
Drive Mode and PRNDL Selection
Use Normal Mode when possible.
Sport Mode provides more
responsive acceleration than
Normal Mode but can reduce
efficiency.
Use Mountain Mode prior to
climbing long, steep grades in
mountainous areas. Be sure to
engage Mountain Mode before
starting to climb. Mountain Mode
reduces electric range and power
but may be needed to maintain
speeds above 96 km/h (60 mph)
when climbing grades of 5% or
greater.
Use L (Low) in heavy stop‐and‐go
traffic or when traveling downhill.
L (Low) requires less brake
pedal application and provides
a controlled, efficient way to
slow the vehicle down.Climate Setting
Using the heat and air conditioning
systems decreases the energy
available for electric driving.
Optimal energy efficiency is
achieved with the heat, air
conditioning, and fan turned off.
Less energy is used at low fan
speeds. When using the fan:
.Fan Only is the most energy
efficient climate setting as long
as
0is not selected.
.ECO is for moderate air
conditioning and heater
operation and is the next
most energy efficient setting as
long as
0is not selected.
.Comfort provides the most
comfort but is the least energy
efficient.
Use the auto heated seat feature
instead of climate settings. Heating
the seat uses less energy than
heating the vehicle interior. Use remote start to heat or cool the
interior when the vehicle is plugged
in to maximize the electric range by
utilizing electricity from the electrical
outlet.
In hot weather, avoid parking in
direct sunlight or use sunshades
inside the vehicle.
Turn off the front and rear window
defog/defrost when they are no
longer needed.
Avoid driving with the windows open
at highway speeds.
Vehicle Charging/Maintenance
Charging
Keep the vehicle plugged in, even
when fully charged, to keep the
battery temperature ready for the
next drive. This is important when
outside temperatures are extremely
hot or cold.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
9-12 Driving and Operating
Blizzard Conditions
Being stuck in snow can be
a serious situation. Stay with
the vehicle unless there is help
nearby. If possible, use the
Roadside Assistance Program.
To get help and keep everyone
in the vehicle safe:
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{WARNING
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
Carbon Monoxide (CO) which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
If the vehicle is stuck in the snow:
.Clear away snow from
around the base of the
vehicle, especially any that
is blocking the exhaust pipe.
.Check again from time to
time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
.Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the side of the
vehicle that is away from
the wind to bring in fresh air.
.Fully open the air outlets
on or under the instrument
panel.
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
circulates the air inside
the vehicle and set the fan
speed to the highest setting.
See Climate Control Systems
in the Index.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑30.
To conserve energy, run the
vehicle for only short periods as
needed to warm the vehicle and
then shut the vehicle off and close
the window most of the way to
save heat. Repeat this until help
arrives but only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes some time for help to
arrive, start the vehicle. The engine
may start to charge the 12‐volt
battery. Turn off unnecessary
accessories to conserve energy.