Bought a 2019 Bolt

[begreen]

I should say the practicality for a person living rurally is severely reduced without a L2 charger. Living in an urban or even suburban area would be a different story with the increasing number of places to charge. I think we will also see more public fast chargers since you don't need pumps and giant tanks of volitile fluids to refuel an EV.

Yes, we are rural. There is only one charging station in our community at the high school.

 

[DBoon]

I concur with jebatty that the Bolt does a really good job of letting you know what you can get for range - I have zero range anxiety with the car. There are a number of different displays to tell you what your current efficiency is and help you understand what you can expect. I've not been surprised once.

I also am impressed with the number of L2 charging stations springing up in all of the small towns in my immediate vicinity, and on the Route 20 corridor to Buffalo. You won't get a lot in an hour at an L2 station, but if you just want to stop for an hour for a lunch or breakfast, or do a little sightseeing in a small town, it's a great way to top off a bit and get a little extra range, sometimes for free.

 

[begreen]

Tried out a new Bolt and a Gen II Volt today. The Bolt was easy and fun to drive. Seems like a good city car, but I still like the Volt better with more comfortable seating and more trunk capacity. But the Bolt has some advantages too. One minor disappointment was that there was no built-in garage opener circuit like in our Gen1 Volt. On the Bolt, what is with that saddle-shoe black and white dash theme? There weren't any black on black dashes at the dealer's lot. Can it be bought without that scheme? It cheapens the look of the car.

 

[wilsoncm1]

. On the Bolt, what is with that saddle-shoe black and white dash theme? There weren't any black on black dashes at the dealer's lot. Can it be bought without that scheme? It cheapens the look of the car.

I was looking at the Chevy site and it doesn't look like you have an options on the cheaper trims. On the premier, you can get a grey/white theme along with the darker/white one. $42k for an econo box? Yeesh!

 

[begreen]

Yeah, the Premier version was that list price. Though some dealers are discounting a lot now. It's not really an econobox, the car pretty nicely equipped and a 240mi range, 60kWh battery pack is not cheap. Most people (including Tesla) count in the fuel and large maintenance savings in addition to the tax credit for bottom line cost.

 

[DBoon]

I've owned the Bolt for 13 months now and it has been my primary commuter and long-distance travel car for the last 9 months. I've put 32,000 miles on that and 5,000 miles on my gas car in the last year. I remain very pleased with the Bolt. I will be selling my small gas subcompact this summer, for sure. My charging options now include:

• I have an L2 charger in my condo garage close to where I work.
• Work has installed an L2 charger, which helps in topping up for my weekend commute to Central NY (could not do that in the winter without that).
• I bought a TurboCord for $200 to use on a 220V outlet in my barn in Central NY. That gives me 3.3 kWh/h charging - reasonable enough. 120V charging of 60 kWh battery packs consumes the entire weekend. I take this with me to my friends house in Boston area to charge at his house from a NEMA 14-50 plug (through an adapter).

The Bolt has proven capable for my 190 mile trip through the Catskills to Central NY in the depths of winter. There is a lot of hill climbing on this route with no L3 charging and just a few L2 chargers on the route. Quite often, this is a very cold trip with 20-30 mph winter headwinds the entire distance. I've managed this trip twice in conditions that averaged 10 degrees F (not the coldest its ever been, but cold enough) with strong headwinds and arrived with 20-25 miles of range to spare (full 100% charge on battery prior to leaving). Average efficiency was ~3.3 (with some snow on the ground) to 3.5 miles/kWh for an effective range of 215 miles. How did I achieve this?

• Driving 55 or 50 mph for the last 90 miles or so (63 or 60 mph for the first 100 miles or so).
• Snow tires installed - Goodyear Ultra Grip Snow and Ice (one of the better rated winter tires as far as rolling resistance is concerned). I had these on my gas car, so I knew I would only take a small efficiency performance penalty on these once I had 1000 miles or so on them. (Efficiency takes a hit with winter tires for their first 500-1000 miles).
• Use of steering wheel heater and seat heater, but not cabin heat. Yeah, I wore a down jacket, wool socks, insulated boots, gloves and a hat. It wasn't too bad until the last 20 or 30 miles (ending temperature was 4 degrees F). I was happy to get the woodstove going when I arrived, for sure.
• 2nd trip I made use of the electric blanket I bought for my wife. This plugs into the 12V socket and uses between 12 and 50 W/h depending on the setting. It sounds goofy for sure (ok, I admit it is goofy) but if you lay that blanket across your legs it definitely takes the chill off. It made for a much more comfortable trip, and I didn't need cabin heat. My wife likes using this blanket even if I have cabin heat set to 68 degrees F.
• Believe me, if there was a DC fast charger on the way, I would have used it and run the cabin heat and driven a little faster during daylight as well. Advantage to Tesla (they have a Tesla Supercharger station on my route halfway up).
• I could not make these trips with my wife in the car - she would revolt over the lack of cabin heat, as would most (all) wives (and kids and friends).

So, the Bolt does what I need it to do in the worst of conditions. Having said that, a better fast charging network and a little more battery would make it more acceptable for more people in these conditions, for sure.

I'm already seeing more DCFC charging stations going in along the NY State Thruway and along my inland route from NY to Virginia. Just in the last six months, enough options have gone in along I-81 to make a trip from Central NY to my parents home in Southern Virginia possible with the Bolt and DCFC. And the DCFC is plenty fast in the warmer months (plan on spending longer time in the winter as the DCFC first warms up the battery before ramping up the charging current). I think GM has taken a pretty conservative approach on DCFC to ensure longer battery life. Tesla may have opted for faster charging with a cold battery and taken some tradeoffs with battery lifetime - we'll see how GM adapts in the next-gen DCFC in their vehicles, and maybe in 5 years we'll have evidence of whether Tesla batteries don't last as long due to cold DCFC high-current charging.

Since I bought my Bolt and the L2 charger was installed at work, we've had someone purchase a Tesla, a plug-in hybrid electric Subaru and a plug-in hybrid electric Honda Insight. I get questions weekly from co-workers about the car. Basically, they know my driving needs, and when they see this work for me, they know this is a viable option for them (provided they are not road-tripping in the winter - full-disclosure given to them).

 

[begreen]

Wow, it would take me years to do that mileage these days. Sounds like it's working out ok. Heating and winter battery temps are definitely a big gotcha for long-distance EV driving, so are mountains. Not sure if that is going to change.

You are right about GM being super conservative with battery charging and discharge. It's why used Volt batteries are in demand vs Leaf batteries. Word is that GM will be more aggressive with charging in future models.
PS: Update, we now have 4 chargers in our community!

 

[begreen]

It wasn't too bad until the last 20 or 30 miles (ending temperature was 4 degrees F). I was happy to get the woodstove going when I arrived, for sure.

Could you post in the main forum about heating the cabin with the wood stove? We see a lot of people that are first time cabin and wood stove owners that could use some guidance about stove size, time to heat, supplemental heating, etc. Thx.

 

[jebatty]

Nice review. In four days we will have had our Bolt for two years, 24,000+ miles. Your description is much like my experience. Two days ago I asked the owner and the main mechanic at a local auto repair shop if they want to drive the Bolt. They said "yes" with enthusiasm. And both were very impressed, particularly (in addition to the power and smoothness of the electric motor) with the interior room. Then we talked about the long term impact on the auto repair business as BEV's keep building their market share. Surprisingly, they were not too worried. Still lots of basic mechanics in an electric car.

 

[spirilis]

I love my 12V blanket too. Most mornings I rock the heated seat + blanket in my Focus Electric. I really wish it had a heated steering wheel, that is one thing driving me nuts by the end of my commute.

 

[DBoon]

Could you post in the main forum about heating the cabin with the wood stove? We see a lot of people that are first time cabin and wood stove owners that could use some guidance about stove size, time to heat, supplemental heating, etc. Thx.

Well, if I did want to use a small wood stove for cabin heat in the Chevy Bolt, it wouldn't need to be too big. I'm guessing I'd only need about 1.5k BTU/hour to be plenty comfortable. Of course, I'd have to maintain appropriate clearance to combustibles and use approved materials with air-space clearances below and above the stove. The aerodynamic drag of the stovepipe protruding 2' above the Bolt roofline would certainly reduce my efficiency at highway speeds, and there might be too much draft in the stove also. It would also be tough to maintain control over the fire while driving since I think I would have to locate the stove in the hatchback area.

 

[DBoon]

Two days ago I asked the owner and the main mechanic at a local auto repair shop if they want to drive the Bolt. They said "yes" with enthusiasm. And both were very impressed, particularly (in addition to the power and smoothness of the electric motor) with the interior room.

I enjoy being an ambassador for BEVs. Nearly everyone I talk to about them is completely ignorant about range, cost, performance, etc. They think BEVs cost $100k, only go 50 miles, and have no interior room or acceleration. Then I take them for a ride and they say "wow, this has a lot of legroom and storage space inside for a small car", are astounded by the range, and they can't believe how inexpensive it is (though still too expensive for most). I love telling people that in 32,000 miles my total maintenance has been two tire rotations. Oh, I think my cabin air filter is due for replacement also.

My mechanic did the inspection recently and looked at the brake pads - no wear. Yep, I'll never need new brakes for the life of the car, probably.

The acceleration is mind-boggling great compared to what they expect. I tell everyone "don't buy another gas car that you will have for 10 or more years" and they are mostly in agreement at the end of the ride. Now, if the cost can get within $5k of a comparable gas car in the next few years with a 350 mile range or so, I think the shift to BEVs will happen quicker than most people anticipate.

 

[DBoon]

I love my 12V blanket too.

Thanks for telling me this. It is good to know that I am not the only one!

I can't imagine an electric car without a heated steering wheel. Only a company based in Northern California would make an electric car without a heated steering wheel. I am sure Tesla will figure this out soon enough - perhaps they already have.

 

[semipro]

Thanks for telling me this. It is good to know that I am not the only one!

I can't imagine an electric car without a heated steering wheel. Only a company based in Northern California would make an electric car without a heated steering wheel. I am sure Tesla will figure this out soon enough - perhaps they already have.

The heated steering wheel is one of my favorite features of my Leaf EV.
With that , the heated seats, and electric forced air heating it actually becomes comfortable inside faster than our ICE vehicles.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Well, if I did want to use a small wood stove for cabin heat in the Chevy Bolt, it wouldn't need to be too big.

Well so much for "CABIN" heat!

 

[Where2]

Can't you preheat these things while they are charging?

Best feature in my climate on the e-Golf is the "Pre-Chill" feature. A/C set to 72°F when I leave for lunch every day on a timer if my battery is above 70% state of charge. I believe the e-Golf can pre-heat similarly to the other BEV's, if you set it to do so, and have it plugged in. Cabin heating uses so much energy, VW put a heated windshield in my e-Golf to get the heat where you really need it, rather than blowing it all around the cabin.

My sister picked up a 2015 Leaf SV last week, we're still comparing notes on features.

 

[spirilis]

Ford's EVs and PHEVs have the "Go Times" as well to pre-cool/pre-heat. For some odd reason my Focus Electric's go times have stopped working, even on L2... think I need to get that looked at..

 

[begreen]

Best feature in my climate on the e-Golf is the "Pre-Chill" feature. A/C set to 72°F when I leave for lunch every day on a timer if my battery is above 70% state of charge. I believe the e-Golf can pre-heat similarly to the other BEV's, if you set it to do so, and have it plugged in. Cabin heating uses so much energy, VW put a heated windshield in my e-Golf to get the heat where you really need it, rather than blowing it all around the cabin.

My sister picked up a 2015 Leaf SV last week, we're still comparing notes on features.

I love the pre-heat feature on the Volt. It is so nice to step off the bus on a cold day and get into a warm car.

 

[Where2]

I rarely break out the ClipperCreek L2 32A charger I have, because my L1 does the trick once or twice a week. However, the look on people's faces when they ask what I think about my EV ('19 e-Golf) and I respond "I haven't bought gas since Labor Day" is always priceless. I no longer pay attention to what fossil fuel costs. Contrary to others, my wife likes to run her fossil fuel vehicle under 1/2 tank consistently. I thought it was funny when she seemed concerned about "range anxiety" when I asked her to take my EV to the VW dealership to get a minor build issue resolved. When we first converted to cars with diesel engines, she initially exhibited anxiety over "finding a station with diesel", and used to always keep her diesel tank above 1/4 "just in case". Now, I get stories that include the phrase "the low fuel light came on yesterday, or the day before..." (Its gotta be rough on the electric fuel pump in the tank)

A few weeks ago, I simply signed up for RFID tags for all the major EV charging site players anywhere near me: EVGo, ChargePoint, & Greenlots. One of them was $5 for the card, the others were willing to mail me cards for free (similar to how fossil fuel stations would love for you to use "their" credit card)... Now, I can stop wherever, if I ever need to. The one that surprised me was Electrify America. They rely on an app on your phone, RFID phone payments, or a credit card reader on the charging station. EA doesn't offer a credit card style RFID tag for their chargers.

EV's will never take all the internal combustion engines off the roadways, but I can say I rarely ever drive my diesel VW anymore.