Note: For more from Alexandra, visit the "Ask Alexandra" tab on the Chevrolet Volt Facebook page.

I am not, as some of you might know from previous blogs (namely this entry), a techie, so I discover the bells and whistles of the Volt slowly. This is very unlike many of my EV friends like William, who sat in my car for over an hour just learning about the buttons on the dashboard and the steering wheel. He was like a kid in a candy store.  There is still music that sometimes plays when I push the HDD/DVD/Aux button, which he uploaded five months ago and, luckily, I like because I haven’t bothered to figure out how to take it off. What is HDD and Aux anyway? I am very content with the XM radio and my books on DVD. HDD stands for Hard Drive Device which is capable of storing and playing stored music.  There is info on how to use, store and play music in the Volt Owner Manual on 7-22.

Many of you Volt owners will roll your eyes (she just figured this out and she has had the car six months?) at the basic nature of my discoveries, but for those not yet driving a Volt, here are a couple of cool things I learned this week:

The Bluetooth is awesome and eases my mom (in the picture above) a bit, because whenever I call her from my car the first thing she says, in an accusatory motherly voice is “You’re in the car.” I respond “I am on the Bluetooth,” and, since she thinks that is safer than a headset, she relaxes. Since my beloved Ian drives the Volt too, we put both of our cell phones on the Bluetooth when we first got the car, but sometimes his phone wouldn’t sync with the system. This week I learned that by pushing “Config,” then “Phone,” then “Bluetooth,” then “Devices,” we can switch the Bluetooth back and forth between his cell and mine.

For tire pressure, there is not only the normal flat tire icon when a tire is low, but go to the “Select” button to the left of the steering wheel on the dash and turn it until find the tire icon is in the middle of the screen in front of you. You may then press the “Select” button in and get a readout of the exact PSI in all four tires.

Please let me know what you like about your car, or anything you think I should know about mine. If you are handy with a videocam, film something for the Volt User’s Guide!

There is also a lot of helpful information in the Volt Owner Manual and Getting to Know You Booklet, which are very useful are available electronically at chevy.com and myvolt.com under the owners tab.

Alexandra Paul is a longtime electric vehicle advocate, actress and former EV1 driver. She is working with Chevrolet to educate consumers about EVs and the Volt. Full disclosure, Chevrolet is paying her for her time, but her opinions will always be hers.

Comments (7)

Name

Email

Comment smaller | bigger