GRA
Well-known member
FWIW, via IEVS:
http://insideevs.com/tesla-owner-spends-24-hours-chevrolet-bolt/
Chevrolet Bolt & Bolt EUV
- Thread starter JeffN
- Start date
Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:
rmay635703
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2011
- Messages
- 628
The more Bolts the more likely I will get one used in a year. 
Also it shouldn't be surprising that a less expensive more reliable car sells more units, especially when the primary comparison is range.
Also it shouldn't be surprising that a less expensive more reliable car sells more units, especially when the primary comparison is range.
sendler2112
Well-known member
The Volt sold 1,611 and the Leaf sold 772 for January totals.
.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108646_plug-in-electric-car-sales-for-jan-bolt-ev-over-1100-in-second-month
.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108646_plug-in-electric-car-sales-for-jan-bolt-ev-over-1100-in-second-month
evnow
Well-known member
GRA said:
Is that a commentary on Bolt or GM ?
GRA
Well-known member
I actually wasn't intending any snark, although I can see how it could be read that way. I was merely referring to a BEV owner comparo as opposed to one from a car mag, as the former is likely to be more enthusiastic about BEVs in general, as well as being exposed to fewer cars to compare it with (especially GM, if he's a Tesla owner).SageBrush said:
GRA
Well-known member
Very positive drive/review from an i3 owner on BMWBLOG, via IEVS:
Direct link to original article: http://www.bmwblog.com/2017/01/30/test-drive-2017-chevy-bolt-electric-car/
http://insideevs.com/bmwblog-test-drives-chevrolet-bolt/
Direct link to original article: http://www.bmwblog.com/2017/01/30/test-drive-2017-chevy-bolt-electric-car/
finman100
Well-known member
So...where's that "I drove my Bolt across the USA" story? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Charging infrastructure (working and reliable!) is the difference between ALL EVs and Tesla. Even I, in the Pac NW, where 50kW "QuickChargers" abound, can see that.
Yes, the quotes indicate a bit of sarcasm as 120 kW Tesla charging seems to be a larger number and thusly dubbed Supercharging. Quick is relative and I use 50 kW chargers every weekend. It's nice but limited. So limited.
Really? ONE charging stall per location? Broken again? Can't use this cause the dealer is closed? Plugshare.com has ALL of these comments and more. I've experienced most of the inconvenience of "3rd party DC charging". It is great when it works but , wow, not many are going to put up with that limitation. The "I wonder if that charge station works today".
Great on GM for getting an EV out, but it'll be difficult to get a Bolt to travel more than 238 EPA miles (reliable and quickly), without a well-thought out DC charging network.
NOT a game changer. At all.
Charging infrastructure (working and reliable!) is the difference between ALL EVs and Tesla. Even I, in the Pac NW, where 50kW "QuickChargers" abound, can see that.
Yes, the quotes indicate a bit of sarcasm as 120 kW Tesla charging seems to be a larger number and thusly dubbed Supercharging. Quick is relative and I use 50 kW chargers every weekend. It's nice but limited. So limited.
Really? ONE charging stall per location? Broken again? Can't use this cause the dealer is closed? Plugshare.com has ALL of these comments and more. I've experienced most of the inconvenience of "3rd party DC charging". It is great when it works but , wow, not many are going to put up with that limitation. The "I wonder if that charge station works today".
Great on GM for getting an EV out, but it'll be difficult to get a Bolt to travel more than 238 EPA miles (reliable and quickly), without a well-thought out DC charging network.
NOT a game changer. At all.
GRA
Well-known member
Perhaps people who are buying/leasing the Bolt recognize that they have little or no need to drive across the country in it, or if they do, either have or can rent an ICE, opt for a PHEV instead, or else will fly. As with Tesla, it's far more important at the moment to provide charging for inter-regional trips to frequent business/weekend/vacation destinations than it is to provide the infrastructure for rarely-used intercontinental drives. Those can follow afterwards (although Colorado, Nevada and Utah are planning to push things in their states, closing one of the larger trans-continental gaps as well as providing lateral interstate trips).finman100 said:
GRA
Well-known member
Good, positive review of the Bolt @ mychevybolt.com by a very knowledgeable owner, who's previously owned both a Volt and Spark, in addition to having considerable car tech background: http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5761
Also, a generally very positive review of the Bolt's driving dynamics, ergonomics etc. by another new owner, who's previously owned a couple of M3s as well as a WRX, and makes use of their capabilities: http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5767
Also, a generally very positive review of the Bolt's driving dynamics, ergonomics etc. by another new owner, who's previously owned a couple of M3s as well as a WRX, and makes use of their capabilities: http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5767
GRA
Well-known member
Via IEVS & Motor Trend:
Among them, range with pedal to the metal @ 93 mph ca. 160 miles (no HVAC etc.). That seems a bit unlikely, given the 190 mile range @75 mph reported by car mag drivers as well as the Bolt's Cd, but maybe conditions were different. I'd expect something down in the 130-140 mile range.
Also, the statement that the rearview camera lens is washed any time the car is shifted into reverse is incorrect. The front wipers have to be on as well.
http://insideevs.com/gm-engineers-reveal-top-11-cool-chevrolet-bolt-facts-to-motor-trend/
Among them, range with pedal to the metal @ 93 mph ca. 160 miles (no HVAC etc.). That seems a bit unlikely, given the 190 mile range @75 mph reported by car mag drivers as well as the Bolt's Cd, but maybe conditions were different. I'd expect something down in the 130-140 mile range.
Also, the statement that the rearview camera lens is washed any time the car is shifted into reverse is incorrect. The front wipers have to be on as well.
GRA
Well-known member
One more award for the Bolt, via IEVS:
http://insideevs.com/motorweek-declares-chevrolet-bolt-winner-drivers-choice-best-year-video/
DNAinaGoodWay
Well-known member
One of my favorite aspects, from page 189 of the manual:
cwerdna
Well-known member
^^^
Yay. Seems like a pretty decent design for cabin filter replacement vs. the mickey mouse design and procedure in the Leaf.
Yay. Seems like a pretty decent design for cabin filter replacement vs. the mickey mouse design and procedure in the Leaf.
DNAinaGoodWay
Well-known member
Bolt 300 mile club begins. He might've gone further if he had stayed off the highway.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108929_chevy-bolt-ev-electric-range-can-238-miles-stretch-to-300-miles
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1108929_chevy-bolt-ev-electric-range-can-238-miles-stretch-to-300-miles
DNAinaGoodWay
Well-known member
Lease deal in MA ranges from $365 to $435, with $1500 down, but only for 10 k miles, which is dumb. If I can't get that down to $300 by August, I guess an Ionique might do. Unless Nissan finally shows up to the party.
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
PLANNING A LONG JOURNEY WITH YOUR BOLT EV or OPEL AMPERA-E
A general rule of thumb is that you will need 30-60 minutes of DC fast charging to go 75-125 miles (120km to 200km) in your new Chevrolet Bolt EV or Opel Ampera-E. This number may be significantly different than what your Distant To Empty (DTE) gauge, or "Guess-O-Meter" (GOM), might display since GOM estimates are based on prior driving consumption and can vary wildly in some cars, including the Bolt.
Not all cars will have the required DC fast charging port, as it is an extra cost option.
This might be counter intuitive to folks not used to an EV, but the fastest drive between two points is not filling up the battery at each enroute stop. Quite the opposite, since charging above 65% in a Bolt EV will significantly increase your charging time due to the reduced speed with which the battery can accept a fast charge above 65%.
Also, if you are using the fastest 125 amp "50kW" chargers, don't drive slowly between charging spots to save energy. Drive normal freeway speeds of 65-75mph (105km/h to 120 km/h) to get the fastest overall speed in your journey. Above 75mph is not recommended, due to the relatively poor aerodynamics of the Bolt EV.
The Bolt EV will charge at an average speed of about 42kW at 125 amps while charging from 15% to 65%, which adds about 21kWh into the battery in about 30 minutes, and 30kWh in 45 minutes.
Using 2.5 miles is added per minute at 42kW, while beginning the charge at 0% to 20%, will result in:
*75 miles / 120km added in 30 minutes (42kW average at 125 amps)
*110 miles / 175km added in 45 minutes (charge rate may slow slightly)
*125 miles / 200km added in 60 minutes (charge rate slows significantly)
To add 238 EPA miles / 380km of range would require well over two hours of charging and is not recommended for enroute charging unless there isn't another DC fast charger (or your destination) within range.
Obviously, the actual range is dependent on how fast you consume it, but we are assuming normal freeway speeds in nice weather on mostly level roads using an average consumption of 3.6 miles per kWh (277 Wh per mile) / 5.75km per kWh (174 Wh per km).
Again, to have the lowest overall travel time, it is not advantageous to drive slower to get improved energy consumption, since the fast chargers can upload power so much faster than you can consume it.
Cold weather, cabin heater use, wind, sustained high speed, hills, mountains, rain, snow, low tire pressure, etc, all adversely affect range and increase energy consumption.
EVgo network chargers are all on 30 minute timers. To add 125 miles will take about an hour (again, if starting at 0% to 20%), and you need to interrupt your lunch or coffee break to swipe your EVgo card every 30 minutes. Fortunately, most other networks are on 2 hour timers. Charging above 65% will severely reduce the charge rate, and is not recommended, unless absolutely needed to reach the next charger, destination, or to compensate for adverse weather conditions.
Sure, when you leave your home or hotel, charge up all the way to 100% if you want to. But, you really want enroute chargers to be about 75-125 miles apart for the lowest overall travel time.
The car will charge the fastest from 0% to about 65%. The strategy is to burn down the battery at your first charge location to 10-20% remaining (or lower, if you are adventurous) and then charge for 30-60 minutes to add 75-125 miles of range each time.
In addition, you really only want to use the fastest chargers, and those that are the best are the ones that are 125 amps.
ABB, Signet, Efacec, Tritium and others build fast DC chargers that are 125 amp capable, and may be labeled by their network in the USA as either EVgo, ChargePoint, Greenlots, OpConnect, etc. Of course, you'll want to have established accounts with each of the networks you plan to use.
The BTC chargers used at some locations by the EVgo network are only 100 amp capable, making your charge time increase about 25%.
The stand-alone CCS ChargePoint units (they won't have a CHAdeMO plug on them) are only half power (60 amps), so I would avoid them like the plaque. They will DOUBLE your charge time, and are really only useful if there is no other option.
With a little experience, you'll be arriving at chargers with a low battery %, which is why it is wise to pick locations with more than one charger. Just one charger at a location could be broken, vandalized, busy, blocked, etc, and a low battery % limits your options.
Use PlugShare to verify that folks are not having recent problems with the charger(s) at your planned stops. Be sure to filter for "CCS" only.
If the Bolt EV were sold in Japan, it would have to have CHAdeMO, just like both the BMW i3 and Tesla (with a Tesla supplied adaptor). The Bolt EV cannot currently use CHAdeMO or Tesla Supercharger DC fast chargers, nor can it use GB/T in China.
Obviously, this planning only works mostly in the west and east coasts of the USA where there is adequate charging infrastructure, but it works almost everywhere in Europe and U.K.
So, in summary, plan your trips with chargers that are 75-125 miles apart, only charge enough to get to the next charger that is 75-125 miles away plus about 10-20%, and so on. This will take 30-60 minutes on the fastest 125 amp "50kW" chargers. Bump up your reserve to 30% or more in adverse weather, or climbing hills.
Try not to charge over 65% unless absolutely required. Use the fastest chargers rated at 125 amps, and plan to find locations that have more than one charger, or another nearby charger in case they are blocked or broken.
A general rule of thumb is that you will need 30-60 minutes of DC fast charging to go 75-125 miles (120km to 200km) in your new Chevrolet Bolt EV or Opel Ampera-E. This number may be significantly different than what your Distant To Empty (DTE) gauge, or "Guess-O-Meter" (GOM), might display since GOM estimates are based on prior driving consumption and can vary wildly in some cars, including the Bolt.
Not all cars will have the required DC fast charging port, as it is an extra cost option.
This might be counter intuitive to folks not used to an EV, but the fastest drive between two points is not filling up the battery at each enroute stop. Quite the opposite, since charging above 65% in a Bolt EV will significantly increase your charging time due to the reduced speed with which the battery can accept a fast charge above 65%.
Also, if you are using the fastest 125 amp "50kW" chargers, don't drive slowly between charging spots to save energy. Drive normal freeway speeds of 65-75mph (105km/h to 120 km/h) to get the fastest overall speed in your journey. Above 75mph is not recommended, due to the relatively poor aerodynamics of the Bolt EV.
The Bolt EV will charge at an average speed of about 42kW at 125 amps while charging from 15% to 65%, which adds about 21kWh into the battery in about 30 minutes, and 30kWh in 45 minutes.
Using 2.5 miles is added per minute at 42kW, while beginning the charge at 0% to 20%, will result in:
*75 miles / 120km added in 30 minutes (42kW average at 125 amps)
*110 miles / 175km added in 45 minutes (charge rate may slow slightly)
*125 miles / 200km added in 60 minutes (charge rate slows significantly)
To add 238 EPA miles / 380km of range would require well over two hours of charging and is not recommended for enroute charging unless there isn't another DC fast charger (or your destination) within range.
Obviously, the actual range is dependent on how fast you consume it, but we are assuming normal freeway speeds in nice weather on mostly level roads using an average consumption of 3.6 miles per kWh (277 Wh per mile) / 5.75km per kWh (174 Wh per km).
Again, to have the lowest overall travel time, it is not advantageous to drive slower to get improved energy consumption, since the fast chargers can upload power so much faster than you can consume it.
Cold weather, cabin heater use, wind, sustained high speed, hills, mountains, rain, snow, low tire pressure, etc, all adversely affect range and increase energy consumption.
EVgo network chargers are all on 30 minute timers. To add 125 miles will take about an hour (again, if starting at 0% to 20%), and you need to interrupt your lunch or coffee break to swipe your EVgo card every 30 minutes. Fortunately, most other networks are on 2 hour timers. Charging above 65% will severely reduce the charge rate, and is not recommended, unless absolutely needed to reach the next charger, destination, or to compensate for adverse weather conditions.
Sure, when you leave your home or hotel, charge up all the way to 100% if you want to. But, you really want enroute chargers to be about 75-125 miles apart for the lowest overall travel time.
The car will charge the fastest from 0% to about 65%. The strategy is to burn down the battery at your first charge location to 10-20% remaining (or lower, if you are adventurous) and then charge for 30-60 minutes to add 75-125 miles of range each time.
In addition, you really only want to use the fastest chargers, and those that are the best are the ones that are 125 amps.
ABB, Signet, Efacec, Tritium and others build fast DC chargers that are 125 amp capable, and may be labeled by their network in the USA as either EVgo, ChargePoint, Greenlots, OpConnect, etc. Of course, you'll want to have established accounts with each of the networks you plan to use.
The BTC chargers used at some locations by the EVgo network are only 100 amp capable, making your charge time increase about 25%.
The stand-alone CCS ChargePoint units (they won't have a CHAdeMO plug on them) are only half power (60 amps), so I would avoid them like the plaque. They will DOUBLE your charge time, and are really only useful if there is no other option.
With a little experience, you'll be arriving at chargers with a low battery %, which is why it is wise to pick locations with more than one charger. Just one charger at a location could be broken, vandalized, busy, blocked, etc, and a low battery % limits your options.
Use PlugShare to verify that folks are not having recent problems with the charger(s) at your planned stops. Be sure to filter for "CCS" only.
If the Bolt EV were sold in Japan, it would have to have CHAdeMO, just like both the BMW i3 and Tesla (with a Tesla supplied adaptor). The Bolt EV cannot currently use CHAdeMO or Tesla Supercharger DC fast chargers, nor can it use GB/T in China.
Obviously, this planning only works mostly in the west and east coasts of the USA where there is adequate charging infrastructure, but it works almost everywhere in Europe and U.K.
So, in summary, plan your trips with chargers that are 75-125 miles apart, only charge enough to get to the next charger that is 75-125 miles away plus about 10-20%, and so on. This will take 30-60 minutes on the fastest 125 amp "50kW" chargers. Bump up your reserve to 30% or more in adverse weather, or climbing hills.
Try not to charge over 65% unless absolutely required. Use the fastest chargers rated at 125 amps, and plan to find locations that have more than one charger, or another nearby charger in case they are blocked or broken.
jhm614
Well-known member
Chevy currently has 40 autonomous Bolts in the field but plans to build, depoly and test 'thousands' in 2018
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-autonomous-exclusive-idUSKBN15W283
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-gm-autonomous-exclusive-idUSKBN15W283
GRA
Well-known member
TonyWilliams said:
Tony, you ought to post this at mychevybolt.com. Not everyone reads MNL or IEVS.
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