First hurdle: the 12V battery is in the back (Chevy Volt; main power pack on the chassis plus normal 12V battery just to start the electronics) but the hatch's manual release is a hidden 5/16" square cutout that you have to turn.
Had to cut a custom tool just to lift the hatch!
2nd hurdle: Need a deep socket set to remove the trunk's bottom cover. Home Depot trip #1.
Successful battery swap! No death!
Bonus: finally installed the aftermarket power tap so I can use the Volt as a gas-powered emergency generator!
Leave the car on, plug emergency appliances into the AC inverter, they drain the main batteries via the 12V connection point, then the car occasionally switches on the gas engine to push more energy into the main batteries.
You can power a fridge with it for DAYS on one 9gal tank of gas! The car will only switch on the gas engine for about 6min every hour!.
https://v.nostr.build/lLo6j.mp4
Hurdle #3: the aftermarket power tap wasn't designed for this negative post. Needed a separate nut to secure the wire.
Home Depot trip #2. Felt pretty confident it was a #12-24 coarse thread.
Narrator: The nut didn't fit.
Started gearing up for Home Depot trip #3 (😡), but then realized that the nuts that secure the trunk's bottom cover were probably the same thread. Score! That molded plastic bottom doesn't need all four nuts anyway!
