abasile said:
GRA said:
Now, all they need to do is find space for a spare and AWD, and make sure there are CCS QCs where I need them.
Providing a spare, or space for one, increasingly seems to be a thing of the past in passenger cars. After the included roadside service expires, I guess there's always AAA Plus, or maybe the Honk smartphone app. Not having a spare ourselves, in any of our cars, we sort of take our chances when visiting remote areas. I carry a full-size bicycle tire pump on trips, though, since a large fraction of flat tires involve leaks as opposed to gashes or blowouts. Using some muscle power, it's often possible to keep enough air in a tire to reach a reasonable service station.
I always have a pump with me for the reason you state, but am unwilling to rely on it given that I may be many miles from a paved road with no cell service or landlines. Even if I can call someone, the wait would often be several hours, and in some cases, tow trucks/flatbeds simply won't come to me/can't get to me, or charge exorbitant amounts to do so (I have 200 mile towing via AAA Premier membership, but I'm not sure they would cover such far off-pavement excursions). Besides, I simply lack the patience to sit around twiddling my thumbs and have my trip delayed for several hours at a minimum. And Murphy's Law pretty much guarantees that if you need a tire replaced in some out-of-the-way town, they won't have your size in stock, requiring it to be shipped there and pushing the delay to a day or more.
So for me, a spare is an absolute requirement on trips (I also carry about a 2' long piece of 2" x 12" to provide a firmer jack base on soft ground), and a full-size one at that - I've never had nor have any desire to have to swap front to rear if I've got to use chains, as the chains need to be on the steering wheels. The person who casually wrote about doing that swap in the owner's manual has presumably never had to remove and replace one tire in cold, muddy, snowy conditions, let alone two.
Once of the reasons I opted for the Forester over the over options (including two other Subaru wagons) was that it came with a full-size spare in a well. In my previous Subaru wagon, the compact spare was carried under the hood on top of the engine, and when I took trips I'd remove that and carry a full-size spare (purchased separately) in the cargo area. While the latter's doable it's a pain, taking up space and needing tie-down points to keep it in place in a crash, which AFAICT the Bolt lacks.
abasile said:
AWD would be nice, but I wouldn't count on GM to add this anytime soon. Maybe eventually, if they release an all-electric CUV.
They've certainly dragged their feet to this point despite numerous requests for a Voltec-powered CUV, but with CUVs now constituting the largest share of the market pretty much world-wide, I expect they'll do it at some point, and if they don't there's Model Y.
abasile said:
CCS QCs will come, at least in California and judging by http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/alternative_fuel_corridors/maps/ The problem for High Sierra visitors is that there are no apparent plans to install QCs along US 395, so one would be forced to rely on quick chargers on the west side of the Sierra Nevada range, along CA 99, and maybe L2 on the east side. The presence of Superchargers along US 395 (and elsewhere) was a big selling point to us in deciding to buy a used Model S.
Yeah, CCS is doing pretty well along 99, but 395 and trans-Sierra roads other than 80/50 won't come along until the second or third tranche, and I simply won't buy a car that doesn't have the capabilities AND infrastructure I need.
OTOH, if the QCs don't appear, I've also sent my suggestions for needed locations along 395 and other roads serving Yosemite/Sequoia-Kings Canyon/Lassen/Death Valley/Joshua Tree etc. to the legislative liaison for CAFCP after meeting him at National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell day last month, and he forwarded them on to the appropriate parties, for whatever that's worth. As a practical matter, an FCEV meets my needs better than a BEV does, so it's just a question of waiting until one or both come good, although I'm not expecting it until 2020 or later.
