2012 CHEVROLET VOLT charging

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
5-30 Instruments and Controls
The center stack controls only need
a light touch to operate and work
best with bare hands. The controls
will work with most gloves although
they may take longer to respond.
Use the finger pad rather than the
finger tip to minimize response time.
If the controls are not responding,
remove the gloves.
To view the Power Flow, Charging,
and Energy Information, press the
[button on the center stack.
Power Flows
To view the Power Flow screens,
press the
[button on the center
stack and then press the Power
Flow button at the top of the touch
screen. The Power Flow screens
indicate the current system
operating condition. The screens
show the energy flow between the
engine, electric drive unit, and high
voltage battery. These components
will be highlighted when they are
active.
Battery Power ‐Battery is active
with energy flowing to the wheels.
Battery Power ‐Vehicle is stationary
in electric mode and no power is
flowing to the wheels.
Engine Power ‐Engine is active
with energy flowing to the wheels.

Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
5-32 Instruments and Controls
Charging
Programmable Charging
This vehicle has three
programmable charge modes. To
view the current charge mode status
in the center stack display, press the
[button on the center stack and
then press the Charging button at
the top of the touch screen.
The current charge mode status can
also be viewed in a temporary
pop-up in the center stack display
by pressing the charge port door
release button on the driver door.
The Charge Start and Charge
Complete time estimations are also
displayed on the screen. These
estimations are most accurate when
the vehicle is plugged in and in
moderate temperature conditions.
Also, to get an accurate time
estimate, the vehicle uses an
internal clock for programmable
charging, not the clock in the center
stack. Charge Mode Status
Immediately:
The vehicle starts
charging as soon as it is connected
to an electrical outlet. See Plug-In
Charging on page 9‑48.
Delayed Departure Time: The
vehicle estimates the charging start
time considering the programmed
departure time for the current day of
the week. Charging begins at the
start time and is complete by the
departure time only if sufficient time
is allowed after the charge cord is
plugged in.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-33
Delayed Rate and Departure
Time:The vehicle estimates the
charging start time based on the
utility rate schedule, utility rate
preference, and the programmed
departure time for the current day of
the week. The vehicle will charge
during the least expensive rate
periods to achieve a full battery charge by the departure time.
Electrical rate information from the
utility company for the charging
location is required for this mode.
Also, if the selected electric rate
settings result in a very long charge
completion time, the vehicle will
start charging immediately upon
plug-in. For example, if the electric
rate table is set up with all
“Peak”
rates and the rate preference is to
charge during “Off-Peak”rates only,
then the vehicle will start charging
immediately upon plug-in.
Charge Level Selection
This feature is available on some
models. The Charge Level
Preference setting allows the
customer to select their vehicle’s
charge level so it matches the
capability of their charging location.
If the vehicle consistently stops
charging after plugging in, or if a
circuit breaker continues to trip,
reducing to a lower Charge Level
Preference may resolve the issue.
The Charge Level Preference
should be configured to match the
electrical current rating for the AC
outlet that the charge cord is
connected to. The Charge Level
Preference settings are:
.Maximum: Limits AC current to
12 Amps
.Reduced: Limits AC current to
8 Amps
The Charge Level Preference
settings are not directly related to
the Charge Level Button on the
charge cord. The vehicle will adhere
to the setting that minimizes the AC
current used to charge the vehicle.

Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-35
Charge Rate Selection
From the Delayed Rate and
Departure Time Charge Mode
Status screen, press Edit.
Select one of the following:
.Edit Electric Rate Schedule.
.Edit Departure Time Schedule.
See“Departure Time Entry.”
.Select Charge Rate Preference. Charge Rate Preference Selection
From the Departure Time & Rate
Information screen, press Select
Charge Rate Preference.
Press one of the following options to
select the Charge Rate Preference:
.Charge during Peak, Mid‐Peak,
and Off‐Peak Rates: The vehicle
can charge during any rate
period to satisfy the next
planned departure time.
However, it will select when to
charge to minimize the total cost
of the charge.
.Charge during Mid‐Peak and
Off‐Peak Rates: The vehicle will
charge during Off-Peak and/or
Mid-Peak rate periods only and
will select when to charge to
minimize the total cost of the
charge.
.Charge during Off
‐Peak Rates:
The vehicle will only charge
during Off-Peak rate periods.
Charging begins at the start time
and is complete by the departure
time only if sufficient time is allowed
after the charge cord is plugged in.
For example, if the vehicle is
plugged in for only one hour prior to
the departure time, and the battery
is completely discharged, the
vehicle will not be fully charged by
the departure time regardless of the
rate selection.

Black plate (36,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
5-36 Instruments and Controls
Also, if the selected electric rate
settings result in a very long charge
completion time, the vehicle will
start charging immediately upon
plug-in. For example, if the electric
rate table is set up with all“Peak”
rates and the rate preference is to
charge during “Off-Peak”rates only,
then the vehicle will start charging
immediately upon plug-in.
Electric Rate Plan Selection
Electric rates, or cost per unit, may
vary based on time, weekday/
weekend, and season. During the
day when the demand for electricity
is high, the rates are usually higher
and called Peak rates. At night
when the demand for electricity is
low, the rates are usually lower and
called Off-Peak rates. In some
areas, a Mid-Peak rate is offered.
Contact the utility company to obtain
the rate schedule for your area. The
summer and winter start dates must
be established to use a summer/
winter schedule. From the Departure Time & Rate
Information screen, press Edit
Electric Rate Schedule.
To edit the Summer/Winter
Schedule:
1. Press Summer/Winter Schedule.
2. Press Edit.
To edit the Yearly Schedule:
1. Press Yearly Schedule.
2. Press Edit.

Black plate (39,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-39
Temporary Charge Mode
Override and Cancel
Programmed Delayed Charge
Modes can be temporarily
overridden to an Immediate Charge
Mode for one charge cycle. Also,
the next planned departure time can
be temporarily overridden for one
charge cycle. In addition to the
in-vehicle overrides via the center
stack, there are other ways to
temporarily override a Delayed
Charge Mode. SeePlug-In Charging
on page 9‑48. Temporary Override of a Delayed
Charge Mode
To temporarily override a Delayed
Charge Mode to Immediate Charge
Mode from inside the vehicle:
1. Press the charge port door
release button on the driver door
to view the Charge Mode Status
pop-up in the center stack
display.
2. Press Temporary Override.
3. Press Charge Immediately UponPlug-In to temporarily override to
an Immediate Charge Mode.

Black plate (41,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-41
The Temporary Charge Mode Status
screen will automatically display the
revised charge complete time.
The Temporary Departure time can
only be updated for the same day
as the original Next Planned
Departure Time. Also, the vehicle
will not accept a Temporary
Departure Time that is before the
present time of day.
To cancel the temporary override of
the Next Planned Departure Time,
from the Temporary Charge Mode
Status screen or pop-up, press
Cancel Temporary Departure Time
on the bottom of the touch screen.
Charging Override/Interruption
Pop-Up
The Charging Override/Interruption
pop-up will appear if any of the
following conditions occur:
.The charging settings have been
modified via OnStar through the
website or the Mobile App. For
example, the Departure Time
Tables, the Rate Tables, or the
Charge Mode were updated
using the customer website
(available in select regions).

Black plate (42,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
5-42 Instruments and Controls
.There was an unintended loss of
AC power during the plug-in
charge event. For example,
there was a power outage or the
charge cord was unplugged from
the wall.
.The charge process was
interrupted by the utility
company via OnStar as
authorized by the vehicle owner
(available in select regions).
For more information see Utility
Interruption of Charging on
page 9‑58.
Programmable Charging
Disabled
When the Programmable Charging
system is disabled, the Default
Charge Mode Status screen and the
pop-up will display “- -:- -”for the
Charge Complete Time. The
Programmable Charging system will
be disabled if the Charge Complete
Time cannot be confidently
estimated. If the Programmable
Charging system is consistently
disabled, see your dealer for details.