Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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182 Driving and Operating
D :This position is for normal
driving. If more power is needed for
passing, press the accelerator
pedal down.
Caution
If the vehicle seems to accelerate
slowly or not respond when you
go faster, and you continue to
drive the vehicle that way, you
could damage the electric drive
unit. Have the vehicle serviced
right away.
L : This position reduces vehicle
speed without using the brakes. Use
L (Low) on very steep hills or in
stop-and-go traffic. See
Regenerative Braking 0185
Caution
Spinning the tires or holding the
vehicle in one place on a hill
using only the accelerator pedal
may damage the electric drive
unit. The repair will not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
If you are stuck, do not spin the
tires. When stopping on a hill, use
the brakes to hold the vehicle in
place.
Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has an Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When propulsion is active and the
vehicle begins to drive away, ABS
checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while
this test is going on, and it might
even be noticed that the brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
0 117.
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 183
If driving safely on a wet road and it
becomes necessary to slam on the
brakes and continue braking to
avoid a sudden obstacle, a
computer senses that the wheels
are slowing down. If one of the
wheels is about to stop rolling, the
computer will separately work the
brakes at each wheel.
ABS can change the brake pressure
to each wheel, as required, faster
than any driver could. This can help
the driver steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As the brakes are applied, the
computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls
braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change
the time needed to get a foot up to
the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too
close to the vehicle in front of you,
there will not be enough time to
apply the brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to
stop, even with ABS.Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold
the brake pedal down firmly and let
ABS work. You might hear the ABS
pump or motor operating and feel
the brake pedal pulsate, but this is
normal.
Braking in Emergencies
ABS allows the driver to steer and
brake at the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help
more than even the very best
braking.
Electric Parking Brake
The vehicle has an Electric Parking
Brake (EPB). The EPB can always
be activated, even if the ignition is
off. To prevent draining the battery,
avoid repeated cycles of the EPB
system when the engine is not
running.
The system has a
Yor PARK
Electric Parking Brake light, and
a
8Service Parking Brake light.
See Electric Parking Brake Light
0 117 and Service Electric Parking
Brake Light 0117.
Before leaving the vehicle, check for
the
Yor PARK light to ensure that
the parking brake is applied.
EPB Apply
To apply the EPB:
1. Be sure the vehicle is at a complete stop.
2. Pull the EPB switch momentarily.
The
Yor PARK light will flash and
then stay on once the EPB is fully
applied. If the
Yor PARK light
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Driving and Operating 185
pressure to hold the vehicle
stationary. If HSA is holding the
vehicle, a DIC message displays.
HSA will not activate in a forward
drive gear when facing downhill,
or in R (Reverse) when facing uphill.
Extended Hill Start
Assist (EHSA)
To change the duration of the HSA
feature, see“Extended Hill Start
Assist" under “Comfort and
Convenience” inVehicle
Personalization 0137. When
Standard Hold is selected, the
vehicle is held stationary for up to
two seconds after the brake pedal is
released. When Extended Hold is
selected, the vehicle is held
stationary for up to five minutes
after the brake pedal is released. In
either case, override the hold
feature by pressing the accelerator
pedal and attempting to drive away.
If Hill Start Assist is selected in the
Settings menu, it will hold the
vehicle for two seconds unless the
driver door is opened or the driver
seat belt is unbuckled after releasing the brake pedal.
If Extended Hill Start Assist is
selected, it will hold the vehicle for
five minutes unless the driver door
is opened and the driver seat belt is
unbuckled prior to releasing the
brake pedal. When EHSA is
deactivated after five minutes, or if it
is deactivated when the driver seat
belt is unlatched or the driver door is
opened, the Electric Parking Brake
will engage to prevent vehicle
movement.
Regenerative Braking
Some braking energy from the
moving vehicle is turned back into
electrical energy. This energy is
then stored back into the high
voltage battery system, increasing
energy efficiency.
The hydraulic disc brakes work with
the regenerative braking to ensure
effective braking, such as when a
high braking demand is requested.
The controller interprets the braking
request and uses regenerative
braking, conventional hydraulic
braking, or a combination of both as
necessary.
The brake controller applies the
hydraulic brakes using a pump. The
pump may be heard during some
braking, such as rapid applies. This
is normal.
See
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators 0107 andDriver
Information Center (DIC) 0133.
If there is a controller problem, the
brake pedal may be harder to push
and the stopping distance may be
longer.
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186 Driving and Operating
Regen on Demand
{Warning
To help avoid personal injury and
vehicle damage, use caution
when driving in L (Low) or using
Regen on Demand in slippery
conditions. Wheel slip may occur
with increased regenerative
braking.
Regen on Demand allows increased
deceleration by pressing and
holding the steering wheel paddle. It works in D (Drive) and L (Low).
The accelerator pedal must be fully
released for it to work.
The brake pedal must be applied at
low speed, because Regen on
Demand will not bring the car to a
full stop.
Cruise control will turn off, and the
brake lights may come on, when
this feature is activated.
The brake controller applies the
hydraulic brakes using a pump. You
may hear the pump during some
braking maneuvers, such as rapid
brake applies or while replacing any
regenerative brake torque as the
vehicle comes to a stop. This is
normal operation.
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/
Electronic Stability
Control
The vehicle has a Traction Control
System (TCS) and StabiliTrak/
Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
These systems help limit wheel slip
and assist the driver in maintaining
control, especially on slippery road
conditions.
TCS activates if it senses that any
of the drive wheels are slipping or
beginning to lose traction. When this
happens, TCS applies the brakes to
the spinning wheels and reduces
engine power to limit wheel spin.
StabiliTrak/ESC activates when the
vehicle senses a difference between
the intended path and the direction
the vehicle is actually traveling.
StabiliTrak/ESC selectively applies
braking pressure to any of the
vehicle wheel brakes to help assist
the driver in keeping the vehicle on
the intended path.
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Driving and Operating 189
With the Traction Control System
(TCS) or StabiliTrak/Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), the system
may begin to limit wheel spin while
you are using cruise control. If this
happens, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. See
Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control0186. If a collision alert
occurs when cruise control is
activated, cruise control is
disengaged. See Forward Collision
Alert (FCA) System 0206. When
road conditions allow you to safely
use it again, cruise control can be
turned back on.
If the brakes or the Regen on
Demand paddle are applied, cruise
control disengages.
5: Press to turn the cruise control
system on and off. A white indicator
comes on in the instrument cluster
when cruise is turned on.
*: Press to disengage cruise
control without erasing the set
speed from memory.
+RES : If there is a set speed in
memory, press briefly to resume that
speed or press and hold to
accelerate. If cruise control is
already active, use to increase
vehicle speed. −SET :
Press briefly to set the
speed and activate cruise control.
If cruise control is already active,
use to decrease vehicle speed.
Setting Cruise Control
If
5is on when not in use, -SET or
+RES could get bumped and go into
cruise when not desired. Keep
5
off when cruise is not being used.
To set a speed:
1. Press
5to turn the cruise
system on.
2. Get up to the desired speed.
3. Press and release -SET. The desired set speed briefly
appears in the instrument
cluster.
4. Remove foot from the accelerator pedal.
The cruise control indicator on the
instrument cluster turns green after
cruise control has been set to the
desired speed. See Instrument
Cluster 0107.
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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190 Driving and Operating
Resuming a Set Speed
If the cruise control is set at a
desired speed and then the brakes
are applied or
*is pressed, the
cruise control is disengaged without
erasing the set speed from memory.
Once the vehicle speed reaches
about 40 km/h (25 mph) or more,
briefly press +RES. The vehicle
returns to the previous set speed.
Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated:
. Press and hold +RES on the
steering wheel until the vehicle
accelerates to the desired
speed, then release it.
. To increase the speed in small
increments, briefly press +RES.
For each press, the vehicle goes
about 1 km/h (1 mph) faster.
The speedometer reading can be
displayed in either English or metric
units. See Instrument Cluster 0107.
The increment value used depends
on the units displayed. Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is
already activated:
.
Press and hold -SET until the
desired lower speed is reached,
then release it.
. To slow down in small
increments, briefly press -SET.
For each press, the vehicle goes
about 1 km/h (1 mph) slower.
The speedometer reading can be
displayed in either English or metric
units. See Instrument Cluster 0107.
The increment value used depends
on the units displayed.
Passing Another Vehicle While
Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to
increase the vehicle speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, the
vehicle will slow down to the
previous set cruise speed. While
pressing the accelerator pedal or
shortly following the release to
override cruise control, briefly pressing -SET will result in cruise
control set to the current vehicle
speed.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control works
on hills depends upon the vehicle
speed, load, and the steepness of
the hills. When going up steep hills,
you might have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain the
vehicle speed. When going
downhill, you might have to brake or
shift to a lower gear to keep your
speed down.
If a lower gear is being used while
going downhill, this allows the
vehicle to have improved control of
vehicle speed by using a
combination of engine and
regenerative braking depending on
vehicle conditions. At times you
might have to apply the brakes to
keep your speed down. If the brake
pedal is applied, cruise control will
disengage.
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Driving and Operating 191
Ending Cruise Control
There are five ways to end cruise
control:
.Step lightly on the brake pedal.
. Press
*.
. Shift the electric drive unit to
N (Neutral).
. Press
5to turn the cruise
control system off completely.
. Press the Regen on Demand
paddle.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed is
erased from memory if
5is pressed
or if the vehicle is turned off.
Adaptive Cruise Control
If equipped, Adaptive Cruise Control
(ACC) allows the cruise control set
speed and following gap to be
selected. Read this entire section
before using this system. The
following gap is the following time
between your vehicle and a vehicle
detected directly ahead in your path, moving in the same direction. If no
vehicle is detected in your path,
ACC works like regular cruise
control. ACC uses camera and
radar sensors. See
Radio
Frequency Statement 0345.
If a vehicle is detected in your path,
ACC can apply acceleration or
limited, moderate braking to
maintain the selected following gap.
To disengage ACC, apply the brake.
If ACC is controlling your vehicle
speed when the traction control
system (TCS) or StabiliTrak/
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
system activates, ACC may
automatically disengage. See
Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control 0186. When road
conditions allow ACC to be safely
used, the ACC can be turned back
on. Disabling the TCS or StabiliTrak/
ESC system will disengage and
prevent engagement of ACC.
ACC will not engage if the TCS or
StabiliTrak/ESC system is disabled. ACC can reduce the need for you to
frequently brake and accelerate,
especially when used on
expressways, freeways, and
interstate highways. When used on
other roads, you may need to take
over the control of braking or
acceleration more often.
{Warning
ACC has limited braking ability
and may not have time to slow
the vehicle down enough to avoid
a collision with another vehicle
you are following. This can occur
when vehicles suddenly slow or
stop ahead, or enter your lane.
Also see
“Alerting the Driver” in
this section. Complete attention is
always required while driving and
you should be ready to take
action and apply the brakes. See
Defensive Driving 0159.
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Driving and Operating 193
ACC IndicatorRegular Cruise
Control Indicator
When ACC is engaged, a green
o
indicator will be lit on the instrument
cluster and the following gap will be
displayed. When the regular cruise
control is engaged, a green
J
indicator will be lit on the instrument
cluster; the following gap will not
display.
When the vehicle is turned on, the
cruise control mode will be set to
the last mode used before the
vehicle was turned off.
{Warning
Always check the cruise control
indicator on the instrument cluster
to determine which mode cruise (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
control is in before using the
feature. If ACC is not active, the
vehicle will not automatically
brake for other vehicles, which
could cause a crash if the brakes
are not applied manually. You and
others could be seriously injured
or killed.
Setting Adaptive Cruise Control
If ACC is on when not in use, -SET/
+RES could be pressed by mistake
and engage ACC when not desired.
Keep ACC off when ACC is not
being used.
Select the set speed desired for
cruise. This is the vehicle speed
when no vehicle is detected in
its path.
ACC will not set at a speed less
than 25 km/h (15 mph), although it
can be resumed when driving at
lower speeds. To set ACC:
1. Press5.
2. Get up to the desired speed.
3. Press and release -SET.
4. Remove your foot from the accelerator.
After ACC is set, it may immediately
apply the brakes if a vehicle ahead
is detected closer than the selected
following gap.
ACC can also be set while the
vehicle is stopped if ACC is on and
the brake pedal is applied.
The ACC indicator displays on the
instrument cluster. When ACC is
turned on, the indicator will be lit
white. When ACC is engaged, the
indicator will be lit green.