Chevy Bolt EV - 238 Mile Range $30K after incentives

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

I have not come across the auto climate control comments - can you summarize this?

Some people have experienced problems where the temperature fluctuates all over the place by tens of degrees F. It appears this might be caused by damaged wiring on some cars.

I haven't even seen a Bolt in person, so I'm only relaying other things I've read.

As far as seat comfort and interior go, I'm not that interested in discussing it. As you say, it's subjective, and the only way I'll know if it meets my expectations is to sit in the car. I have very low standards for interior design too. Plastic is fine by me as long as the cabin noise is low. I'm more concerned with having a logical layout of controls and efficient use of space.

One thing I heard mentioned is that the Bolt uses resistance heating instead of a heat pump. If so, that is disappointing.

The AC is a heat pump, so reversing it to provide heat should be a fairly straightforward task. Nissan figured it out for the Leaf 4 years ago.

[JSH]

The Bolt using resistance heating instead of a heat pump is a bit of a letdown but the car has so much extra range it likely won't be much of an issue in actual use. My Spark also has resistance heat at can consume 30% of the battery during my commute. However even with "only" 82 miles of range I get by OK.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Some people have experienced problems where the temperature fluctuates all over the place by tens of degrees F. It appears this might be caused by damaged wiring on some cars.

I haven't even seen a Bolt in person, so I'm only relaying other things I've read.

One thing I heard mentioned is that the Bolt uses resistance heating instead of a heat pump. If so, that is disappointing.

The AC is a heat pump, so reversing it to provide heat should be a fairly straightforward task. Nissan figured it out for the Leaf 4 years ago.

I have never liked the "auto " climate setting on any car I've ridden in, manual seems the way to go.

The only time a "heatpump" is in a usable temperature range here in mid Wisconsin is during November and March, all other months are too hot or too cold for it to operate (aka above 40 or below 15)

Heat pumps are less efficient than AC in cooling and I op below 15f

That said I have no use for resistance heating, rather have a diesel heater.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

The Bolt EV has a small amount of regen in D when you lift your foot on the accelerator, and it has regen integrated onto the brake pedal. It is correct about the switch on the back of the left side of the steering wheel.

Driving the Bolt EV in L greatly increases the regen on the accelerator, and that makes the steering wheel switch less of an increase.

Most of the comments on the Bolt forum suggest there is no regen in D mode when using the brake pedal. Annoyingly, I didn't pay attention when I took one for a test drive.

One commenter said there is regen using the brake pedal, but that it's very limited, less than driving in L mode and letting off the pedal.

What I don't get is the button activated brake on the steering wheel. Why confuse people with 3 ways to decel (let off accelerator, press steering wheel button, step on brake pedal)?

Anyhow, I'm still annoyed the car doesn't have a coast mode. There is no reason for it not to have that.

The chief engineer said D mode has creep because that's what people are used to. Manually shifted cars don't have creep, so I see no reason to build that feature into an EV. Creep is a consequence of how automatic transmissions work, not a feature.

Can someone straighten me out once and for all on the brake/regen thing? Can using the brake pedal max out the regen capability, or is it limited to something less than driving in L mode?

[vskid3]

It's been a couple months since I drove one, but I'm pretty sure I did most of the drive in D using the brake pedal to slow/regen and got pretty far into regen. I think the most I saw was 30 or 40kw of regen, but I was driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar area, so most of my focus was outside the windshield. I don't see why it wouldn't max out regen with the brake pedal in D. At worst, maybe the friction brakes start biting towards the max.

I'm with you on the coasting and creep. I don't really care if they have that as the default, but it shouldn't be an issue to make it driver adjustable like some other EVs.

[NeilBlanchard]

I have only had two brief test drives in the Bolt EV, though I have been driving two EV's for almost 3 years. I am pretty certain there is mild regen on the accelerator in D, similar to the Leaf. And I am also pretty certain that regen is blended onto the brake pedal in the Bolt EV.

I think engineers need to leave what people "expect" behind, and do things that make the best use of how an EV works. The VW e-Golf is the best design on this, as far as I know:

* Coast in D, adaptable creep (no creep until you are in stop and go traffic), hill holding (on uphills).

* 4 levels is regen on the accelerator, selected on the shifter - D1, D2, D3, and B in order of increasing regen.

* Fully blended regen on the brake pedal.

Another point that should be noted is that regen can only be as strong as the motor. Cars with more powerful motors can have stronger regen.

[sendler]

A Bolt review by an I3 driver.
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2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Extended Test Drive Review
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[NeilBlanchard]

My spouse and I are replacing our Leaf with a Bolt EV. The Bolt EV is the best match for us.

[NeilBlanchard]

We have had our Bolt EV for about a week and a half. We love it, and so far have charged it twice. I have it set to "hilltop reserve" so it charges to about 85% - this is so the regenerative braking always works the same, and it is very gentle on the battery.

About regen in D - lemme put it this way: my spouse noticed it has more regen in D than our Leaf did. She would definitely prefer it to coast, like our e-Golf does. And she is not an ecodriver. Driving in L is right out.

We fit very comfortably. Seating is upright and the legroom and headroom is outstanding. Entry and exit is the best. Visibility outward is very good. Handling is good. The only slight caveat is the ride is smooth and comfortable - but over some bumps, there is an odd jounce.

The average of all three drivers (and a couple of friends trying it out) is about 4.9 miles / kWh, or well over 300 miles per charge.

Having an EV with this much range is a revelation.

[cowmeat]

The average of all three drivers (and a couple of friends trying it out) is about 4.9 miles / kWh, or well over 300 miles per charge.

That's something people need to consider when researching EVs, it's not too hard to blow the estimated ranges out of the water if you drive them with care.

300 miles is a pretty decent range, more than I typically drive in a week. In a couple of years I'll probably trade in my Volt for a Bolt if they don't start showing a lot of range reduction with age