SoCal LEAF & EV Gathering, Y7 - Finished - 19 Aug 2017

Is there any cargo space?

Any indication of Bolt's realistic freeway-speed range?
How about the battery pack's technology, cooling, capacity, and life?

Our next Gathering is on Saturday the 8th of October, at the Golden Corral
in the City of Industry. This very good GC borders the south edge of freeway 60,
about 4 miles West of the 57 freeway & 60 freeway interchange, so only about
five miles from AQMD. Although we typically Gather at 8 AM (some come later),
this GC opens at 7:30 for breakfast on the weekends ... for those who just can't wait.

At our last Gathering:
Tony, from San Diego, "won" the show-n-tell award with his JadeMO unit and a
small but nicely done $199 adapter that would allow most L2 J1772 cars to get
AC charging-power from a Tesla HPWC type EVSE unit ... assuming that one
obtains permission from the EVSE owner, of course.

Just wanted to mention that my wife and I appreciated the advice and encouragement of some of you in our purchase of a pre-owned 2012 Tesla Model S! It was a trade-in located at the Tesla store in Buena Park. The vehicle turned out to be in beautiful condition and is quite a pleasure to drive. While we had previously considered sticking with a more recent model year, we decided that the lower prices on the older cars (still not really that old) were too attractive to pass up.

Our vehicle came with rear facing seats, which while not perfect given the relative lack of air flow all the way in the rear, are much appreciated for the additional flexibility they give to our family. It's got the 85 kWh battery, which we've considered indispensable for the road trips we hope to take. Its air suspension is helpful for avoiding scrapes when entering and exiting our driveway, and we expect it will be especially handy when driving short distances on dirt roads (such as inside Indian Cove Campground at Joshua Tree National Park). The pano roof is great for headroom, extra light, and a feeling of greater openness. The car also happened to come with the premium audio system, better than anything inside our house and truly a joy to listen to. Although the car has over 73,000 miles, it feels almost new and at less than half its original price, seems like a tremendous value to us. Tesla did a great job of detailing the car, and they even installed new tires.

Also, driving up and down mountain roads like CA-330 is a blast. The power makes it safer when we pass slow vehicles (such as our 2011 LEAF, which we are keeping) and the regen is good enough, even at 75% SoC and presumably above, to enable a 5000' descent at speed without touching the brake pedal.

Hopefully I will stand a better chance of making it to EV gatherings on occasion, now that I have a long range EV to get there!

To answer a couple questions about GM Bolt:

Luggage space: Yes, I'd say it's similar to a Leaf from year 2013 and later. The space behind the rear seats is about equivalent to a Leaf's in length and width. In terms of depth, it is quite deep and it has no intrusion from any equipment, batteries, Chargers, etc. there is a removable cover that makes the rear floor flat with the rear seats when they're folded (as I recall). Under that cover, there is a fairly deep well for cargo. Underneath that well is another removable cover that holds a styrofoam storage area for the 110 volt EVSE, a tow eyelet and a few other small objects.

As for range at freeway speed, Gary, the best info we have so far is that many journalists obtained about 235 or more miles of range in mixed driving from Monterey to Santa Barbara using Highways 1 and 101 and the Lake Cachuma Road (154, I think) Some of the miles were at full freeway speeds, others were slower, but there were certainly elevation changes in that route.

ab... Big congratulations on your Tesla acquisition, sounds great.
Perhaps you can bring the family to breakfast at the Golden Corral
in the City of Industry, just South of freeway 60, about 4 miles West
of freeway 57. In any case, we hope to see you soon.

Best Wishes, Gary, Nancy, and Heidi

It sounds like the Bolt could be a real EV, depending upon the price.
It sounds like the Bolt is much more than just a compliance vehicle.

Yes, the charging support for Tesla vehicles is extraordinary in the industry.
Many seem to say that they would not have bought the Tesla without the SuperChargers.

Until a week from tomorrow ... at the GC ... I wish all health and joy.

Just 2 days and 51 minutes until our next Gathering, at the GC in City of Industry.

Hopefully, I will see you all in 2 hours and 27 minutes at the Golden Corral.

91040 said:

Is there any cargo space?

Click to expand...

Supplementing Boomer's comments:

The battery is mounted under the floor like it should be, so I don't think it impacts the storage.

I believe one reason Boomer was considering switching one of his two Tesla Model 3 orders to the Bolt was that the Bolt is a hatchback like the LEAF while the Model 3 is not.

Gary's comment about it being much more than just a compliance vehicle is true. It will be widely available at many Chevrolet dealers across the US. While it is more than just an existing ICE model with the ICE removed, the reporter said that the Bolt was designed around a common platform used by various GM vehicles. This facilitates its assembly on the same line intermixed with ICE cars.

The battery is passively air-cooled, 60 kWh. No info on battery lifetime.

I am impressed that they can offer this car at about the same price as the original LEAF with over twice the battery capacity, with a curb weight only about 10% more than the LEAF.

As Boomer details, LATimes reporters were able to replicate the announced range with some spare left, driving down the coast without doing special precautions. The aerodynamics are clearly inferior to the Model 3, so there will be a higher penalty for driving at higher speeds.

The Bolt's estimate of remaining SOC is similar to the LEAF's, but perhaps not as bad as the "Guessometer." Hopefully the Model 3 will have the same accurate % of charge prediction, using actual altitude profile to destination, as has been such an important feature of the Model S and X since its introduction in 2014.

Sorry for long delay in replying to your questions.

Our next Gathering is a week from yesterday, on October 22nd.
We meet for breakfast at the Hometown Buffet in Santa Ana,
just 2 blocks East of I-5 on 17th Street.
They open for breakfast at 8 AM, at 1008 17th St, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

CU there.

I may not be able to make breakfast this Saturday, so I wanted to share this with you all:

Major news last night from Musk and Tesla. Starting now, all Teslas are shipping with new autonomous hardware, including 8 cameras, same radar, better sonic sensors, and new powerful Nvidia Titan GPU 40X more powerful for Deep Learning. Much more powerful than Mobileye processor, but it may take until December 2016 or later before these new cars have the software running on this new platform to fully replicate Firmware 8.0 with the existing sensor suite.

It is not clear exactly which Nvidia processor Tesla is using. The most powerful models require liquid cooling and cost up to 10 $K if you include their full board. Most likely Tesla using smaller model. Of course Tesla will get huge volume discount. Nvidia has said they have sold similar processors to the other major manufacturers, but these are just for a few test vehicles. No one else is committing this kind of money to autonomous hardware for production vehicles, much less to every car produced. Price for activating advanced driving assist features has gone up.

Quote from Musk Conference Call, from NY Post:

“You need to think carefully about this,” Musk testily told reporters on a late-Wednesday conference call after announcing the new tech. “Because if, in writing some article that’s negative, you effectively dissuade people from using an autonomous vehicle, you’re killing people.”

Tesla announcement:
https://www.tesla.com/blog/all-tesla-cars-being-produced-now-have-full-self-driving-hardware

Bump (& Grind)

It'll be a boring meeting tomorrow morning without you, Tom.

tt gr mh gd d ac d ... if I did not forget anyone.
At least 12 bodies, including 2 ladies (c&d), were in attendance.
Tom decided to show up in spite if his afternoon/evening plans.

WOW, lightning just struck a tree only 60 feet from where I am sitting
in the living room. That was the loudest "CRACK" of lightning that I have
ever heard. Most likely it was the very tall palm tree in the backyard
of the house behind me.

Going out to look 15 or 20 minutes later, I hear voices in their yard,
and can still see flames and burning embers coming out of the lower
part of the tree's trunk.

Maybe they will finally cut that tree down ... it shades my solar panels,
and could hit my house, or theirs, if it fell. Somewhat weakened now,
I suspect.

In this thunderstorm, my Heidi puppy was doing Ok snuggled in
a blanket in my lap, until this one nearby very sharp "CRACK" occured.
In the past, both Heidi and Boris would find Nancy and the three of
them would go hide in the master closet, snuggled up on the floor.

There are flashing red lights more or less in front of the other house,
and fire appears to be out now, or at least no longer visible from my
yard ... a little excitement to get the day started, I guess.

I enjoyed our Gathering last Saturday.
The next is at the Golden Corral on November 5th, in the City of Industry.
After that, back at our Hometown Buffet in Santa Ana on the 19th,
the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Cheers to all, Ho Ho Ho.

My dog does not like lightning! The storm around 6AM required me to snuggle up around her. My poor baby was trembling so.

Gary my B was totaled. With property taxes due I switched to an eGolf. Accidents always happen at the wrong time. So far except charging to 100% like the current Leaf I am loving it and the lease is less money.

I must say the Mercedes treated me right. I walked away with only a scrape on my right arm most likely from the airbag container. Except for the money down I would do it again. VW supposedly has copied Mercedes' safety features. I DO NOT WANT TO FIND OUT!

Glenn, glad that you escaped significant injury!

Gary, the Vogons are notorious for their bad aim. They were gunning for you. :lol:

Yes Alan it was a complete surprise. I was doing traffic speed ( around 40-45 in a 35 zone) when a woman at a side street stop sign pulled out and automatically headed for the fast lane. I think the car automatically braked after impact but I had no time to touch the brakes.

I liked my B Class but I can not afford 4 to 6 thousand down. The eGolf was 1K down in total and the lease is cheaper. So far it seems to be a great car.

Someday and I am not holding my breath, my Tesla 3 reservation may come true. If not I am out 1K. The eGolf will certainly tide me over.

Glenn, Wow, I am glad that you are not injured significantly.

My Open-EVSE has a meter to show V & A or KW or ??, and it appears
to have died. Seemed to show funny numbers, some without decimal points,
then started flickering, then just a "dark" screen. The EVSE still seems to
work Ok, but maybe I could buy a new (or better) compatible meter from you.
I am not sure, but the schematic doesn't seem to show the meter or
its connections. Or, maybe I am not seeing the "obvious"?
Please call me or PM if you have any helpful suggestions.

Next Gathering is on Nov 5th at the Golden Corral in the City of Industry.
Cheers, all.

That is the first meter I have fail. They are eBay China units with no documentation. I have switched to a combo unit that shows voltage, current, KW and KWH.

If you look at the unit in the modification section of the RAV4 EV forum you can see the meter. It is available from Amazon or eBay for less than $20.

Your existing meter can be pushed out and the Harbor freight quick epoxy trimmed. The epoxy is strong enough but it is not in the JB Weld class so it can be removed.

I have a couple of the dual volt and current meters and if you tell me wither it is black or white I will give you one. The white one mounts in a smaller hole. The advantage is that you do not have to change the current coil or enlarge the hole.

OK Gary, I looked through some old photos and it looks like you have a white meter. If you PM me your address I will send you another one. There is plenty of room if you decide to upgrade to the 4 function meter Let me know but you are welcome to a white replacement.

Trip report for Sequoia, King's Canyon, Yosemite, Sonara Pass.
1st stop for charge at Tejon Ranch SC. Only 2 other Teslas there, so I intentionally chose a stall paired with a charging car to give me time to eat inside at Chipolte.
Next topped off charge at brand new SC 30 mi N labeled Bakersfield but on I5. Confirmed batteries at this SC to mitigate demand charges.After viewing murals in Exeter, Ended day 1at Gateway Inn in three rivers with their HPWC.

Day 2 viewed sequoias in park but found walking at altitude strenuous. Wuksachi Lodge nice but no charge opportunity. Bellhop drove me around narrow path to show me what they had used to charge a few Volts and Teslas. Two years ago 91040 had reported the existence of an outlet, but what the bellhop showed me was a 120v 15a outlet on a bloody backup generator big enough to power the whole lodge. Imagine the inefficiency and shame of powering that monster all night to get 12 kWhs or so. I had planned on no charge and so declined.

Day 3 saw Grant Grove And King's Canyon for first time.Descending down steep grade into King's Canyon, car's prediction of SOC margin for reaching Fresno SC dropped about 1/3 into yellow. However when I reversed course to climb back out margin rebounded and I made Fresno easy. This jump was about 6% of full charge.
In National Park no connectivity so central GPS screen showed only my route with totally blank background. However, 2nd GPS beside steering wheel displayed every campground and minor side road, but would it share that info with the main screen ? Noooo.
<Edit> At several points on mountain ridges the 2nd GPS displayed sky in the background, proving it is truly 3D.
Spent restful night in Fresno recovering from 7K altitude at Wuksachi.

Day 4 drove up to Tenaya Lodge outside Yosemite. They have had L2 charge for some years, and it was fine. No sign of promised 8 new chargers.
Had wonderful lunch at what used to be called Ahwahnee Hotel, now Majestic. Quite a bit of rain showers in Valley, clouds, but beautiful to see Halfdome in clouds from Glacier Point. Waterfalls had recovered with a few days of rain. Bellhop at Majestic said they get 3 to 5 Volts/Teslas a day at their charger during the peak summer season.

Day 5 plan was to drive over Tioga Pass, but it had closed. Ranger suggested Sonora Pass to the north, but I saw no way to do it without additional charge. Considered abandoning my trip early with boring drive home, then I realized McCaffrey House B&B was on that road, S108. Called them up, they said sure you can charge here, but newspaper says Sonora Pass is going to close as well. I confirmed report that Highway Patrol was planning to close 108 at 4pm even though the weather had improved. I managed to get just enough charge in 1.5hrs at McCaffrey House using my twin chargers at 80A to make it over the pass. I reached 395 before 4pm and a little while later it closed behind me. Once again, on the steepest, windiest parts of this pass, making turns at 15 mph, predicted SOC margin dipped deep into the yellow.
Predicted destination margin of 21% when I left the B&B hit a low of about 11%, but then recovered all of this when the road improved.
I had never been over Sonora Pass and it was quite beautiful. At the bottom I drove by a very large facility that turned out to be the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center.

I made Mammoth Lakes SC with over 60 Rated miles remaining. I could see that this SC has 5 cabinets of battery storage, total 500 kWh.
I ended the day at Creekside Inn in Bishop. They have no L2, but they were glad to let me use their L1 outlet on outside of building, Very nice lodge with thick brick walls that totally shield rooms from traffic noise.

Day 6 good drive home on 395, charging at Lone Pine and Inyokern, with steady headwind of at least 20 mph. This increased drag raised my charge consumption about 15%, showing the need to provide plenty of SOC margin beyond what the car predicts. In version 7 software, car would say "you have enough charge to continue" when predicted margin at next destination rose above the red at 8% SOC, which was crazy. Now with version 8 that threshold is at 20%, but headwind experience tells me to allow at least 25% margin if there is any chance of high wind.
<Edit>At bottom of Cajon Pass on last day 2nd GPS had lanes for I15-I215 interchange backwards, showing it had not been updated to reflect completion of major new work at that interchange.

I am grateful to have completed this trip safely.