GRA said:
... unlike the Bolt owner in the GCR article, which is why I wanted to get your times as well as hers. You weren't going to make all the beginner mistakes she did.
To cover the 400 miles while using 125 amp "50kW" charge stations at 40kW average rate (charging the Bolt EV battery ONLY between 0%-65% SOC only) every 75-125 miles requires this much time:
50mph = 8.0 driving + 1.4 charging = 9.4 hours
55mph = 7.3 driving + 1.6 charging = 8.9 hours
60mph = 6.7 driving + 1.7 charging = 8.4 hours
65mph = 6.2 driving + 1.9 charging = 8.1 hours
70mph = 5.7 driving + 2.0 charging = 7.7 hours
75mph = 5.3 driving + 2.4 charging = 7.6 hours
80mph = 5.0 driving + 2.8 charging = 7.8 hours
I'd throw in an arbitrary 30-60 minutes for fumbling with chargers, key fobs, getting lost, etc.
Notice that the "sweet spot" for time is 70-80 mph to drive that trip, just like the typical freeway speed of any car in California.
The longest gap that she had between 125 amp chargers was 127 miles from Salinas to San Luis Obispo. All the rest was easy.
For you "cheapskates", driving slow will save you money, but not time:
At ten cents per minute on the EVgo $14.95 monthly plan:
50mph - 83 min charging @ 10 cents per minute = $8.30
55mph - 97 min charging @ 10 cents per minute = $9.70
60mph - 104 min charging @ 10 cents per minute = $10.44
65mph- 111 min charging @ 10 cents per minute = $11.11
70mph - 125 min charging @ 10 cents per minute = $12.50
75mph - 143 min charging @ 10 cents per minute = $14.30
80mph - 167min charging @ 10 cents per minute = $16.70
Charging time is dependent on both charger speed and vehicle consumption rate. Since she drove by many perfectly good 125 amp "50kW" chargers while using 60 amps chargers, just a little education and a little planning can fix that.
But, assuming good planning and an average charge rate of 40kW (0.666 kWh per min) between 0% and 65% State Of Charge (SOC), then she could VERY easily drive 75-125 miles between charging locations.
Bolt EV Energy Consumption Rate
Flat, dry, hard surface roadway
Warm ambient temperature (above 60F / 15C)
No cabin heater use
Windows Up
50mph - 4.9 miles/kWh (204 wattHours per mile)
55mph - 4.6 miles/kWh (217 wattHours per mile)
60mph - 4.3 miles/kWh (233 wattHours per mile)
65mph - 4.0 miles/kWh (250 wattHours per mile)
70mph - 3.6 miles/kWh (278 wattHours per mile)
75mph - 3.2 miles/kWh (313 wattHours per mile)
80mph - 2.7 miles/kWh (370 wattHours per mile)