Chevrolet Bolt & Bolt EUV

I'm trying to remember... was the refresh such as better seats pushed from 2020 to 2021, or 2021 to 2022? Or just dead?

2021 Chevy Bolt EV Premier Gains Fast Charging As Standard
https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/10/2021-chevy-bolt-ev-premier-gains-fast-charging-as-standard/

Has some other remarks about 2021, 2022 model years and EUV.

Okay, Bolt owners (cwerdna, Paul Gipe etc.), I need a quick tutorial. I'm considering leasing a Bolt given the good deals available (despite it falling well short of many of my requirements), but will rent one first to get some energy use data on a typical trip. I've found a 2020 Bolt LT w/QC which is currently available next week, and where the hassle factor to pick it up (BART + bus + 1-mi. walk): isn't too bad.

I'm waiting to see if it rains in the Sierra this weekend, and that it suppresses or even extinguishes the "Creek" fire, which has been smoking up the Sierra from about Mammoth north to Tahoe since Sept. 3rd. Current AQI along the Eastern slope is in the unhealthy to very unhealthy range, so unless it gets a lot better I won't go.

Assuming the trip happens, a few questions.

1. Are there any charging quirks I need to know about, like holding the handle up to initiate? I plan to use EA and maybe Chargepoint QCs, and possibly a free Clipper Creek L2 in Lee Vining.

2. I've had a Chargepoint card for several years, although it's gone unused. My understanding is that they will put a $20 credit from your CC on the card when you first use it. True?

3. Re EA, will a CC do, or should I really get the app? Do I need the app in order to get the + deal ($0.31/kWh)? I should be using well over the 33.3 kWh that justifies opting for the + plan.

4. Reading the 2020 Bolt owner's manual, it appears that it only keeps track of total energy usage since the last 'full' charge. Is this correct, or will it reset after a lesser charge? I intend to fully charge the car at an EA site a couple miles from home to get as complete energy info as possible on the trip (and work out any bugs with my EA account) and will be recording info at various sites along the way, but also plan charging stops closer to the Sierra, in Tracy (EA, 165 miles to Bridgeport) and/or Oakdale (Chargepoint, 129 miles), to maximize my charge before starting the climb to the east side, and give me more cushion in case the EA site in Bridgeport (ca. 200 miles & 6,300' net elev. gain from home, crossing a 9,624' pass enroute) is offline. My only backup on the east side are the free L2s in Lee Vining, 25 miles south, so if Bridgeport doesn't work I'll need hours of L2 to get back.

5. Any other Bolt-specific quirks I should know about?

Thanks.

GRA:
Yay! Make SURE it has DC FC if you want it. It MUST have the orange flap covering the two holes below the J1772 part. Don't waste your time if it doesn't have it. Visual aid at https://allev.info/2020/03/can-dcfc-be-added-later/. It will also be a $750 line item on the window sticker. Chevy dealers I've seen all have a window sticker button/link and will show that item, if present.

1) Yes. Hold up the handle on any stations w/heavy cables until the plug is locked to the car, which is probably all EA stations. You can hear the lock mechanism at ~2:30 into video at https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-and-spark-ev-charging-port-issues-and-corrections.

Check Plugshare for all sites that you plan to use and backups.

2) Don't know now. I put on the initial $25 or whatever very early on. I believe the min amount is lower than when I started. I guess you can put nothing on and try. But, be prepared to deal w/their site or calling them if it doesn't work, to add the CC.
https://www.chargepoint.com/drivers/support-faq/ says
"How do I pay for charging?

When you sign up for a free ChargePoint account, you provide payment info so you’ll be ready to charge wherever you go. The first time you use a public station with a fee, we’ll charge you $10 to keep as a balance on your account. If you only use free stations or only charge at home with ChargePoint Home, you’ll never be charged."

Be sure to install the ChargePoint app and login to it before leaving from home. Ditto for EVgo and any other networks along the way, except maybe EA: just run but don't sign up yet.

Back to CP, login to your ChargePoint account and check that your card is linked to your account. One that's not linked nor activated is probably useless. I used CP most days at my work pre-COVID but it was all free at work. I've used paid CP a few times this year, so far. I have 3 CP RFID cards, all linked to the same account. One more might come with your Bolt (mine did, has a Chevy logo on it).

3) You REALLY should use the app for EA. Some CC readers don't work. Search https://insideevs.com/news/389891/exclusive-interview-electrify-america-problems-solutions/ for credit card reader.

As for the Pass+ price of 31 cents/kWh, I'm pretty sure you MUST use the app for that. I don't think there's ANY way to do that w/o it. When I signed up on EA, I was initially forced to choose Pass or Pass+ and be stuck with that for a month. Now after downgrading from Pass+ to Pass, they seem to allow upgrading at any time.

If you don't know if you'll use EA, just bring a few CC's along and sign up for Pass+ via their app while at a working EA site. If you are sure you will use it, wait until 0 to 3 days before the trip and sign up if you worry about when the Pass+ month clock starts ticking.

4) "it appears that it only keeps track of total energy usage since the last 'full' charge. Is this correct, or will it reset after a lesser charge?" -

I don't bother with this as my charging habits are intentionally quirky (e.g. avoiding charging at home on PG&E rates). What it considers "full" is dictated target charge level (skip 1:40 into https://insideevs.com/news/339311/video-overview-2019-chevy-bolt-gives-drivers-more-control/). There are quirks like if I am say at 80% battery then drop the target charge level to 40%, I think the energy usage in kWh and its trip odo will reset to 0. After learning of home and away settings for that, I set home to 40% and away to 100% (usually), so beats me when it resets. I just ignore it now.

If start with 100% and leave target charge level at 100% then do a bunch of partial charges in between NOT going to 100%, it will not reset. So, you could see stuff like energy used 150 kWh and 600 miles traveled.

You may want to watch the video at https://electricrevs.com/2018/07/17/watch-a-bolt-ev-at-a-chargepoint-express-250-charge-at-up-to-55-kw/ to get a sense of the ramp down. However, 2020 has more gentle ramp downs and not those sharp drops.

I won't be able to answer your path and charging location questions until later tonight or this week. Hope someone else can.

Thanks for the detailed reply. To be clear, the Bolt I found is the one on Turo I hope to rent, and the owner specifically listed it as having QC; I wish they required that on Turo, 'cause I wasted some time last year reserving and then canceling one that didn't.

Unfortunately, the Chargepoint QC site in Groveland that I really need to be open, as it's best positioned for the majority of my Sierra trips, has been sitting untouched since I inspected it last October, waiting for a transformer. There is a rumor on Plugshare that it "might" be open by the end of this month, but I'm not holding my breath, given CEC's lack of urgency completing many of their other sites, esp. on 395.

BTW, believe me that I've been all over Plugshare whenever I plan such trips - they're simply not possible otherwise, given the limited charging opportunities along the way.

Anyway, owing to Yosemite still requiring advance reservations even if you're just transiting, and the uncertainty of whether I'm going or not, I'm taking a different route to the east side than I normally do, via 108 instead of 120. This is 300' less climb and on a somewhat slower road but similar distance, and close enough to my usual route/distance/conditions to provide useful data. It also takes me through Bridgeport, which is otherwise a 50 mile (RT) detour the opposite direction (N instead of S) to where I'm typically heading after reaching 395. For an experiment that's okay, but not for routine use.

BTW, while I'm considering a lease, the more I learn about some of the requirements to get the deals quoted by GCR etc., the less likely I'll qualify. Seems for the low-ball number they gave ($154/month +$154 down) I'd have to be an existing Costco member living in San Francisco! I don't mind spending$60 to join Costco if I could get that rate, but it seems you had to be a member as of September 1st. And I don't live in the City!

Also, I'd have to overcome my aversion to giving money to a company that's supporting Trump's EPA against the state. The problem with this is that if I refuse to give money to any corporation that's acted in opposition to my political or environmental desires or ethics, I quickly run out of vehicle options.

GM and Toyota (RAV4) are on the wrong side of the CAL/EPA fight, but on the right side is VW (ID.4); enough said. I consider Tesla's behavior re AP to be dangerously irresponsible, and even Kia/Hyundai lied about EPA mileage. Sigh. Subaru needs to offer a desirable, affordable ZEV AWD wagon/CUV; they know what behavior their customers expect of them, and so far at least they haven't violated that (or haven't been caught).

When all is said and done, it may make the most sense just to rent a BEV on Turo when I want to take a trip within its reasonable distance. The cost of a rental for 4 days or so is approximately the same as a monthly lease, and as 2020+ Bolts and other CCS BEVs with 235+ mile range increasingly appear on Turo, hopefully finding ones that are more accessible to me will become easier. And I'll keep my ICE for the trips that current BEVs make too much hassle. I'll still go to the trouble of finding out what lease deal I _do_ qualify for, before deciding.

Guy,

Just saw this and I have zoom meeting shortly for six couples here on leasing Bolts this year. We and another couple drove down to San Diego--500 mile, 14 hour, round trip--Saturday to buy two Bolts.

Quickly,

EA--yes, use the app. CC readers don't always work--but they can when you need them as I found out the hard way.

CP, EVgo, as noted above. Make sure you have live accounts and you know how to use them (easy) and EA (not as easy).

On our return trip from San Diego I found that Chevy's Energy Assist app is working much better than before and was actually useful. I used it and ABRP. For some reason I couldn't use ABRP on the road and had to rely on the Assist app and it worked.

For newbies, I recommend leasing. You can get in a long-range EV for <$100/mo. In certain cases for <20/mo!

Paul

Thanks, Paul. Where are you seeing sub-$100/month leases? I've seen IIRR a Bolt lease listed for that locally, but IIRC it required $3,885 down so didn't seem all that great a deal, as you'd be out that if the car was totaled as you drove it off the lot!

For you and cwerdna, approximately how long does it take to charge from 15 or 20% to 100%? 75 minutes? 90? Obviously I'd prefer to limit my enroute charging to 80% or less, but given the dearth of charging options and the unknowns of a trip involving multiple actual or potential range-reducing factors in a car I have no experience with, I plan to be conservative.

GRA said:

Thanks, Paul. Where are you seeing sub-$100/month leases? I've seen IIRR a Bolt lease listed for that locally, but IIRC it required $3,885 down so didn't seem all that great a deal, as you'd be out that if the car was totaled as you drove it off the lot!

For you and cwerdna, approximately how long does it take to charge from 15 or 20% to 100%? 75 minutes? 90? Obviously I'd prefer to limit my enroute charging to 80% or less, but given the dearth of charging options and the unknowns of a trip involving multiple actual or potential range-reducing factors in a car I have no experience with, I plan to be conservative.

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I don't recommend putting any $ down on a lease due to the risk that you mention. Look at the total cost of the lease over its life. Feel good low monthly payments aren't worth it, in my book. But, paying some upfront will save some $ on interest (still not worth it to me).

Sorry, hard for me to characterize as I almost never DC FC starting from that low and don't go usually to 100% on DC FC as it gets real slow near the top (down to ~9 kW somewhere past 90%). If you look at https://electricrevs.com/2018/07/17/watch-a-bolt-ev-at-a-chargepoint-express-250-charge-at-up-to-55-kw/, Jeff started at 13% reported to the charger and it took him about 76 minutes to reach 90% on a 60 kWh car. His charge ended early as he had hilltop reserve enabled (removed from '19+ Bolts and replaced by the more flexible target charge level screen).

cwerdna said:

GRA said:

Thanks, Paul. Where are you seeing sub-$100/month leases? I've seen IIRR a Bolt lease listed for that locally, but IIRC it required $3,885 down so didn't seem all that great a deal, as you'd be out that if the car was totaled as you drove it off the lot!

For you and cwerdna, approximately how long does it take to charge from 15 or 20% to 100%? 75 minutes? 90? Obviously I'd prefer to limit my enroute charging to 80% or less, but given the dearth of charging options and the unknowns of a trip involving multiple actual or potential range-reducing factors in a car I have no experience with, I plan to be conservative.

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I don't recommend putting any $ down on a lease due to the risk that you mention. Look at the total cost of the lease over its life. Feel good low monthly payments aren't worth it, in my book. But, paying some upfront will save some $ on interest (still not worth it to me).

Sorry, hard for me to characterize as I almost never DC FC starting from that low and don't go usually to 100% on DC FC as it gets real slow near the top (down to ~9 kW somewhere past 90%). If you look at https://electricrevs.com/2018/07/17/watch-a-bolt-ev-at-a-chargepoint-express-250-charge-at-up-to-55-kw/, Jeff started at 13% reported to the charger and it took him about 76 minutes to reach 90% on a 60 kWh car. His charge ended early as he had hilltop reserve enabled (removed from '19+ Bolts and replaced by the more flexible target charge level screen).

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Thanks that info is far better than nothing, and is in line with what I was expecting.

As it happens the rain that had been in the forecast for the area of the Creek fire this weekend is no longer expected, and as the air quality where I want to hike/climb is still in the red and purple range, it seems much less likely that I'll do the trip. All of last month was lost for that reason, and now it looks like most or all of this month may be out as well. Which means the window to do the trip before the first snow closes the passes for the season is shrinking rapidly.

I couldn't do this trip last year for similar reasons, although then it was due to lack of a car on Turo.

I try to resolve the Down Payment Dilemma by telling people to put down no more than they are willing to lose.
(Says the guy who just helped his housemate put $5800 in trade-in equity down on a new Leaf.)

GRA said:

I'd have to be an existing Costco member living in San Francisco! I don't mind spending$60 to join Costco if I could get that rate, but it seems you had to be a member as of September 1st. And I don't live in the City!

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https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/costco-discount-loopole.36344/ has some chatter about the Costco deal, including a possible loophole and a possible date change but ummm... Sept 30th has already passed.

I do confirm at the bottom it says https://www.costcoauto.com/save/model.aspx?makeId=7&model=bolt

‡To qualify for the Chevrolet Costco member-only incentive, you must: (1) be a current Costco member by September 30, 2020; (2) register with Costco Auto Program online or through its call center to receive a certificate with your unique promotion code; (3) present your certificate and unique promotion code to any Chevrolet dealer at time of visit; (4) take delivery between October 1, 2020, and January 4, 2021, of a new and eligible 2020 or 2021 Chevrolet Blazer, Colorado, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe or Traverse, or 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer to receive the $1,000 incentive; or 2020 or 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV to receive the $3,000 incentive. The member-only incentive will be applied at time of eligible purchase or lease and is compatible with most publicly available Chevrolet incentives for which you qualify. This incentive cannot be combined with HR Voucher Coupon. Subject to change without notice.

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I haven't followed anything about this deal so I can't comment about whether there's a catch or an actual good deal.

I came across https://www.facebook.com/richrebuilds/posts/752376179008756 in a Bolt group. He (Rich Rebuilds) says

Let the record show. I am officially apologizing for all of the negative yet hilarious things I’ve said about the Chevy bolt. It is absolutely, positively THE BEST electric car value on a budget you can get today. You can literally get a used one for 13k. 13k for 240 miles of range!

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I had no idea he'd made fun of Bolts but I knew he had done all sorts of Tesla repair work, usually on salvage ones. He posts a lot of videos at https://www.youtube.com/c/RichRebuilds/videos, a few of which I've seen.

https://insideevs.com/news/421995/2020-chevy-bolt-dc-fast-charge-video/ may be be useful to GRA, but they only go from 4% to 80% on a 2020 Bolt...

From a post in a Bolt group, they posted of pic of a screenshot for a deal at Cumming Chevrolet in National City, CA. I drilled down and found https://www.cummingchevrolet.com/VehicleSearchResults?offer=390728790&search=new&year=all&make=Chevrolet&model=Bolt%20EV&trim=all&cs=390728790#close. They allegedly have 2020 Bolt LT's with DC FC inlet at $21,685 and $23,615. I wonder if it's legit.

There a good little car. I can’t figure out why there is still at least a couple dozen brand new 2019’s in this province. Maybe the dealers aren’t budging. Weird.

Has anyone tried putting a bike in the back of a Bolt (with the seats down)?I've got a hybrid with a large (61cm) frame, and I'm curious if anyone had succeeded in fitting one back there.

No, but Googling for site:chevybolt.org bike in back turns up some chatter. Sounds like people tend to get hitch mounted racks. You could also go with a rack on the top, but at least on '19 Bolt, only the Premier trim has roof rails. It was n/a on LT.

The above isn't a topic of interest of mine so it's not something I've looked into.

I'd foud one mention on mychevybolt.com of someone who'd gotten their wife's road bike back there but nonecre men's frames; everything else I saw was about racks. Being able to put my bike back there would make rental pick up and drop-off easier for me, and should I lease one I prefer to carry a single bike inside for aero reasons. Multi bikes can go on a rack.

I think I'm going to try and rent one next week even if the weather/AQI doesn't cooperate. I hate to waste a 500+ miles RT without doing anything, at the destination, but I need the energy and charging time data as well as other practical info to help me decide whether to lease, so it's worth it.

Bolt leases have been designed, so far, to prevent you from buying the car, with outlandish residuals. Maybe that is changing. Still, if this is just a bridge car, that doesn't really matter.

Re: GRA's number 4 point, I don't know his route and I'm certainly not familiar at all with that part of the CA. Other than Tracy, I'd never even heard of the other towns. I had to look them up on Plugshare and yeah, there's not a lot of CCS charging in/around some of those places.

Besides J1772 (better bet), maybe GRA can borrow a https://shop.quickchargepower.com/JDapter-Stub-40-Amp-Tesla-Charge-Station-Adaptor-JDPTRSTB.htm or equivalent to use https://www.tesla.com/destination-charging, if he finds any. It'd be even better if he could also borrow a NEMA 14-50 EVSE and try to find some 14-50 plugs. In my over 7 years of EV driving, I've never ever had the means to charge using such an adapter nor NEMA 14-50, so I've never tried.

If he had an alternative trip that took him to places https://drivethearc.com served well, he could get some free or discounted CCS juice, depending on when he showed up at a given station. I just used DTA to get free juice tonight. Left home with about 58% SoC and left the DC charger with ~94 or 95% SoC. I didn't want to go much higher as I don't want my car to sit at such high SoC for really long periods of time. The rate was down to 10 kW by that point but thermal management (well, at least the AC compressor) didn't kick in. I started at 44 kW but IIRC, the particular chargers I've used on DTA don't really go much higher than that, certainly not 50 kW.

I've raised the hood while DC charging including tonight and it seems the battery coolant pump still runs even if the compressor doesn't. The hot and cold refrigerant lines were just outside air temp, neither hot nor cold. I could feel a bit of warmth from somewhere under the hood but the radiator fan wasn't running.

When thermal management kicks in, one of the lines gets hot and the other gets very cold (w/condensation building on it). They connect to a Mahle expansion valve. And, the (liquid Dexcool) coolant hoses for battery cooling/heating when the compressor runs during charging/battery thermal management become cold + the radiator fan runs, blowing hot air into the engine compartment.

5) On other tricks: on a rental, you probably won't be able to use the My Chevrolet app. It's the only way to see a 1% increment % SoC display, short of using Torque Pro w/the right PIDs (I still haven't gotten around to this). Bolt has no % SoC display, only 20 battery bars on the left (worth about 5% each) and 1 to 3 GOMs. There is this:

Radio Power Down : This allows for automatic conservation of high voltage battery power based on level of battery charge.
Select Off, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, or 10%. When the selected high voltage battery power level is reached, a message will show on the infotainment display

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which you could set.

Also, if both the stupid power loss and cord theft alerts are enabled (both fricking on by default on '17 to '19 Bolts, and probably '20), if you unplug the J1772 handle when the car's locked, the stupid honk alarm will sound after about 10 seconds: HONK HONK HONK! Cycle will repeat for awhile. It doesn't matter if the car's done charging. It blows my mind that ever since '11 Volt, that GM would continue to ship ALL their EVs/PHEVs with these stupid settings on by default. We had this problem at work w/Volt, Spark EV and Bolt + at (formerly) free public L2 charging. From Bolt FB groups, many people don't know that they can be disabled.

On the '11 Volt, supposedly there's no UI and I hear that you had to take to the dealer to disable it but I think one of the disables or both don't actually work. I know of no other brand of EV/PHEV w/such stupid honk alarms for unplug and my work had virtually all of them.

Also, there are some Bolts with bad cells/module which can exhibit symptoms like range collapse (like https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21700). https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/range-indicator-inaccuracy-strands-me-once-and-almost-another-time.36287/#post-559615 has a quick example. When I have time, I plan to run my Bolt really low, maybe to dead or near dead near a charger to see if my car's defective. I don't know since I don't think I've ever run my Bolt very low.

Reserved the car on Turo for Mon.-Fri., have the EA (Pass+) and Chargepoint apps, so I should be good to go.

Re J1772s on trips, those can only be charging of last resort or an occasional top off, as the places I go/sleep lack them

14-50s are even less use for me, as they're almost invariably at RV parks which, with one exception (Silver Lake on the June Lake Loop), are nowhere near the trailheads. Also, I have no desire to stay at or pay for staying at them, as my typical campsite consists of a groundckoth, pad and sleeping bag on any flat spot, available almost anywhere for free, and lacking screaming children, loud TVs and stereos or drunken parties.
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In any case, as the owner of the RV park in Lee Vining told me when I was checking out potential charging sites a few years back, they are completely booked for the season months in advance, so I'd have to hope someone cancelled at the last minute to have a chance of charging. Silver Lake was equally full when I parked at the trailhead last time.

If I do lease I'd certainly have a portable EVSE with a NEMA 14-50 plug or adapter to take along, but that's essentially for emergencies. Only enroute QCs meet my needs, as most of the places I park my car lack not only charging but electricity.

Also, install the EVgo app. I can't speak to whether if you choose PAYG vs. membership (https://www.evgo.com/charging-plans/) whether you're locked in for a month.

That said, ChargePoint and EVgo have a roaming agreemnt (https://www.evgo.com/ev-drivers/partner-roaming/ and https://www.chargepoint.com/about/news/chargepoint-and-evgo-announce-roaming-agreement-expanding-access-charging-nationwide/). Apparently, you can start charging on EVgo DC FCs with a ChargePoint account/card.

As I think I've posted about before, I encountered a Bolt driver (who didn't seem to know much) at a DrivetheARC (and thus EVgo) location who was roaming. He started his charge using either CP card or app and was paying when he could've gotten totally free DC FC juice at that charger. At that time, all DTA promo tickets were for 100% discount. He was also charging to very full so his charging rate had really fallen. He paid a pretty penny for that charge.

That's too bad about the lack of electricity at places you might be at. Even 8+ hours at 120 volts * 12 amps is better than nothing. And, overnight while on J1772 will get you plenty of juice. Even if it's only 208 volts * 30 amps max, that'll get you about 6 kW, so for an 8 hour stop, 48 kWh would've come out of the station. As the marketing folks at Nissan said at a Leaf test drive EVent I went to in Nov 2010 (before Leaf went on sale), how many hours at day is your car sitting idle doing nothing? Those are opportunities where your car can be charged.