2012 CHEVROLET VOLT Owners Manual

Black plate (51,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-51
6. Place the charge cord, facedown, into the storage
compartment with the front
edge (F) of the charge cord
body under the clips (G) located
in the front of the storage
compartment. The vehicle
plug (B) should be on the right
side of the charge cord.
7. Push the charge cord handle down until it locks into the
handle clip at the rear of the
storage compartment.Delayed Charging
Override
To temporarily override a delayed
charge event, unplug the charge
cord from the charge port and then
plug it back in within five seconds.
A single horn chirp will sound and
charging will begin immediately.
To cancel a temporary override,
unplug the charge cord, wait for
10 seconds, and then plug the
charge cord back in. A double horn
chirp will sound and charging will be
delayed.
See “Programmable Charging” in
Charging on page 5‑32 for
advanced charge scheduling
options.

Black plate (52,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-52 Driving and Operating
Charging Status
Feedback
The vehicle has a Charging Status
Indicator (CSI) at the center of the
instrument panel near the
windshield. When the vehicle is
plugged in and the vehicle power is
off, the CSI indicates the following:
.Solid Green–Vehicle is plugged
in. Battery is not fully charged.
Battery is charging.
.Long Flashing Green –Vehicle
is plugged in. Battery is not fully
charged. Battery charging is
delayed.
.Short Flashing Green –Vehicle
is plugged in. Battery is fully
charged.
.Solid Yellow –Vehicle is plugged
in. It is normal for the CSI to turn
yellow for a few seconds after
plugging in a compatible charge
cord. The solid yellow may be
extended depending on the
vehicle and if there is a total
utility interruption via OnStar.
See “Utility Interruption of
Charging” later in this section.
This may also indicate that the
charging system has detected a
fault and will not charge the
battery. See “Charge Cord
Status Indicators” later in this
section. The system may be thermally
conditioning the battery during any
of the states above, requiring
electrical energy to be transferred to
the vehicle.
If the vehicle is plugged in and
vehicle power is on, the CSI will be
on solid green. The same is true
during a remote start if the vehicle is
plugged in.
If the vehicle is plugged in and the
CSI is off, a total utility interruption
using OnStar or a charging fault has
been detected. See
“Utility
Interruption of Charging” or“Charge
Cord Status Indicators” later in this
section.
This chart indicates vehicle
feedback when the charge cord is
plugged in.

Black plate (53,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-53
Charging StatusIndicator Sound Action/Reason
Solid Green One horn chirp Charging has begun.
Long Flashing Green Two horn chirps Charging is delayed by Programmable
Charging or, if vehicle is equipped
accordingly, by a total utility interruption via
OnStar. Charging will begin later. See
Utility
Interruption of Charging on page 9‑58.
Short Flashing Green None Charging is complete.
Yellow (Upon Plug‐in) None Charge cord is okay and vehicle is not yet
charging.
Yellow (For Extended
Time Period after
Plug‐in) None Charge cord is okay, but vehicle is not
charging. This may be due to a total utility
interruption via Onstar and charging will
begin later. See
Utility Interruption of
Charging on page 9‑58 orMalfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑19.
Solid Green or Long
Flashing Green Four horn chirps Insufficient time to fully charge by
departure time.
None (Upon Plug‐in) None Charge cord connection should be checked.

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-54 Driving and Operating
Charging StatusIndicator Sound Action/Reason
None (After Green or
Yellow CSI Indication
Observed) None Charge cord connection should be checked.
If connection is good, this may be due to a
total utility interruption via OnStar and
charging will begin later. See
Utility
Interruption of Charging on page 9‑58 or
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on page 5‑19.
None Repeated horn chirps
To disable this feature, see
“Charge Power
Loss Alert” inVehicle Personalization on
page 5‑56.
To stop this alert, do one of the following:
.Unplug the charge cord.
.PressKon the RKE.
.Press and hold7on the RKE, then
press again to stop the panic alarm.
.Press the horn pad. Electricity was interrupted before charging
was complete.

Black plate (55,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-55
Charge Cord
SeeRadio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑17 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
A. Charge Level Button
B. Charge Level Indicators
C. Charge Cord Status Indicators
D. Vehicle Plug
E. Wall Plug A portable charge cord used to
charge the vehicle high voltage
battery is stored under the rear
luggage compartment.
{WARNING
There is a risk of electric shock
that may cause personal injury or
death. Do not use the charge
cord if any part of the charge cord
is damaged. Do not open or
remove the charge cord cover.
Service by qualified personnel
only. Connect the charge cord to
a properly grounded outlet with
cords that are not damaged.
The charge cord used to charge the
vehicle is a high‐powered electrical
device. During normal operation, the
AC wall plug of the charge cord may
feel warm. The AC wall plug must fit
tightly into an AC outlet that is in
good condition.
{WARNING
Using the charge cord with a
worn or damaged AC outlet may
cause burns or start a fire.
Periodically, check the AC wall
plug and charge cord while the
vehicle is charging. If the AC wall
plug feels hot, unplug the charge
cord and have the AC outlet
replaced by a qualified electrician.
Replace the charge cord if the AC
wall plug or cord are damaged.
Do not use an AC outlet that is
worn or damaged.

Black plate (56,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-56 Driving and Operating
{WARNING
An extension cord should not be
used to charge the vehicle. Use
of an extension cord may
increase the risk of electric shock
or other hazards.
If an extension cord is used
because of limited access to
120V AC power, use the following
safeguards:
The 120V AC outlet should be
GFCI protected.
The extension cord should be:
.GFCI protected.
.12 or 14 gage, 3 conductor.
.Rated for outdoor.
{WARNING
Multi‐outlet power strips, surge
protectors, or similar devices
could increase the risk of
electrical shock or other hazards.
Do not use these types of devices
with the charge cord.
Charge Cord Status Indicators
The charge cord status indicators
illuminate green or flashing red to
identify the charge cord status.
When both indicators are green, the
vehicle can be charged. If any
indicators are flashing red, the
charge cord will not permit vehicle
charging.
A flashing red AC PRESENT (A)
indicates the AC voltage is out of
range.
Flashing red AC PRESENT (A) and
FAULT (B) indicate the AC outlet
does not have a proper safety
ground. Charging is not permitted
for safety reasons. The AC outlet
must be repaired or another outlet
source should be used.
A flashing red FAULT (B) indicates a
charge cord fault. The charge cord
will attempt to reset automatically.
If the flashing red FAULT (B)
continues for more than
30 seconds, unplug the charge cord
from the wall to reset. If the fault
remains, see your dealer for
service.

Black plate (57,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-57
Charge Level Button
On some models, charge level
selection can be made using the
Select Charge Level Preference
screen on the center stack. See
“Charge Level Selection”under
Charging on page 5‑32.
On some models, charge level
selection can be made using the
charge level button on the charge
cord as described in the following.
{WARNING
Using a charge level that exceeds
the electrical circuit or socket
capacity may start a fire or
damage the electrical circuit. Use
the lowest charge level until a
qualified electrician inspects your
electrical circuit capacity. Use the
lowest charge level if the
electrical circuit or socket
capacity is not known. Two charge levels are available by
pressing the charge level button.
Select reduced or normal level.
The charge level cannot be
changed when the vehicle plug is
plugged into the charge port on the
vehicle. If the charge level button is
pressed while the vehicle plug is
plugged into the charge port on the
vehicle, the charge level indicators
will flash briefly. To change the
charge level, unplug the vehicle
plug from the charge port on the
vehicle and select the desired
charge level.
Normal Level:
This level is
recommended. All four charge level
indicators will be lit.
Reduced Level: Use when the
electrical current is limited. Two
charge level indicators will be lit.
Vehicle Plug
The vehicle plug attaches to the
charge port on the vehicle. There is
a flashlight built into the vehicle plug
that can be used by squeezing the
vehicle plug lever. The flashlight will
turn off when the connection is
complete and the lever is released.

Black plate (58,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-58 Driving and Operating
Utility Interruption of
Charging
For participating customers, this
vehicle will respond to remote
requests via OnStar to limit or
completely block electrical power
grid usage for brief time periods.
A utility interruption of charging may
increase vehicle charge time.
When electrical grid power is
completely blocked, the vehicle will
delay charging until the utility
interruption has expired. The vehicle
should be left plugged in so that,
when the utility interruption expires,
the vehicle can automatically begin
charging.
Changing the charge mode to
Immediate or performing a delayed
charging override will not disable a
utility interruption.A pop‐up will be displayed in the
center stack display during the key
cycle following any utility
interruption. See
“Charge Override/
Interruption Pop‐up” underCharging
on page 5‑32.
Text will be displayed on the
instrument cluster notifying the
customer that a utility interruption
has occurred. See Instrument
Cluster on page 5‑9.
Electrical Requirements
for Battery Charging
The AC outlet must have a
grounded, dedicated, 15 amp or
greater, three‐prong wall plug. That
means there should be no other
major appliances connected to the
same circuit. If it is not a dedicated
circuit, the current rating of the
outlet circuit breaker could be
exceeded and cause it to trip or
open. The vehicle can be charged in
the reduced level mode. See
“Charge Level Button” in thissection. Reduced level mode allows
a non‐dedicated circuit to be used
but increases the charging time.
This vehicle is capable of being
charged with standard vehicle
charging equipment complying to:
.SAE J1772™
.IEC 61851‐1
.IEC 61851‐22
.IEC 62196‐1
.IEC 62196‐2
The following are the minimum
requirements for circuits used to
charge this vehicle:
.120V/15Amp
.240V/20Amp