What do you guys think of electric cars (like the bolt)?

[oil pan 4]

It's going to be kind of like the leaf.
Nissan said the leaf would be good for 100+ miles of driving.
The EPA gave it a more realistic rating of around 80 miles. If you want to drive the speed limit and maximize battery life, not running it dead it's probably really only good for around 60 miles between charges.
So I would expect the same with the bolt. 250 miles times 0.6 real world driving factor, so I really wouldn't be surprised if it was good for 150 to 180 real world normal driving miles.
Charging shouldn't be a problem with a 6.6kw charger.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Maybe? If the above post is correct and freeway range is under 200 miles...it really leaves very little in the margins if anything at all. Also, I don't know what kind of draw the systems have when the car is off and parked.

What are your typical freeway speeds? The amount of time sitting will affect range since the Bolt has active heating/cooling to protect the battery. It only runs when temps get very hot or very cold, but it is a consideration.

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

I would expect the same with the bolt. 250 miles times 0.6 real world driving factor, so I really wouldn't be surprised if it was good for 150 to 180 real world normal driving miles.

The Bolt is EPA rated to 255 miles of range. Most on here get better than EPA ratings.

Here's what Neil and family is getting:

[oil pan 4]

My leaf says crazy things like that too.
It was actually showing 121 miles when it was fully charged that day.
I know the only way it would ever go anywhere near 120 miles on a single charge driving on the highway is if it was on my car trailer being pulled along by my diesel suburban.



Edit, that's the wrong pic.
It's this one.



Also mine was around $35,000 cheaper, no financing and no mandatory full insurance coverage.
I know it only covers about 90% of my driving needs, leaving me with $35,000, plus rent on that money, plus about another $60 per month for having liability only so I can buy gas once a month for my firebird.

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

What are your typical freeway speeds? The amount of time sitting will affect range since the Bolt has active heating/cooling to protect the battery. It only runs when temps get very hot or very cold, but it is a consideration.



The Bolt is EPA rated to 255 miles of range. Most on here get better than EPA ratings.

Here's what Neil and family is getting:

I set an absolute, unwavering floor of 50mph on the freeway (PSLs are mostly 75, the remainder is majority 70 and maybe 10 miles of 65). In practice, that floor tends to be closer to 55. I have some frontage roads I take which add about a half hour, lots of 35-45 driving; that's all on the way in and pre-dawn, headlights required. Return trip doesn't offer similar options. Upper speeds for me are usually 60, more only if I get a decent draft (rare), I see I am the cause of a line of traffic, or on the downhills near where I actually live.

[oil pan 4]

The leaf does not like going 75mph.
It burns electricity at a rate of about 22 to 24kw.
But when I slow it down to about 60mph I'm a lot closer to 10kw.

As your speed doubles you are doing 4x as much work twice as fast.

[NeilBlanchard]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I was told by multiple people that there is zero regen with brake pedal use. Is this not the case?

I was shocked to learn Tesla has zero regen with brake pedal use, which basically forces use of 1-pedal mode to recapture as much of that kinetic energy as possible when slowing.

When the car is in D, there is integrated regen on the brake pedal. There is also a paddle on the left back of the steering wheel. You just have to look at the dash to while braking to confirm this.

[NeilBlanchard]

When I drive on the highway, it is usually around 55MPH, though when I can follow someone (to lower the wind drag), I go up to 65MPH if that's what it takes to stay behind them. My spouse and son both drive faster than I do.

It depends completely on air temperature what your actual range on the highway will be. Cold air has significantly higher density, and if you have to use the heat, and/or the battery pack has to be warmed, then the range is affected.

The WORST range we have see was driving at 55MPH when it was about 9F and gusting winds. We saw about 150 miles estimated (the median number). There were four people in the car, and we needed seat heaters (which have minimal effect) and the defroster to keep the windows clear - which used about 25% of the total energy! The batter conditioning (heating) took another ~8-10%.

The EPA range on the Bolt EV is 238 miles (not 255 stated above).

Air conditioning is not as hard on the range as heating, so until you drive 75+ and crank the A/C down to 68F, you could probably do 200+ miles. Run the A/C at 78-80F (which dries the air) and keep it 55-60MPH, and it should do fine.