2017 Bolt
By the time Hurricane Harvey flooded our 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan we had decided that our minivan days were over. Our youngest daughter was in a boarding school and our other two kids were getting themselves to school. My wife has a 15 mile round trip commute which makes her an excellent candidate for a BEV. We’d already decided that we would be selling the minivan and had been contemplating a BEV. I was getting tired of having her say right after I took my shoes off that her car needed gas. A colleague’s husband worked for the local electric utility and had the first Nissan Leaf in Houston back in 2011 as a company car so I was aware of the battery degradation issues with the Leaf and the range issues with it and several of the other early BEVs.
By November our lives were starting to get back to normal and our house repair was nearly complete. The settlement offer from the flood insurance was within a few dollars of our contractors estimate and I had some idea what our budget was for a new car.
Among the affordable BEV’s that were starting to come on the market was the Chevrolet Bolt. The Bolt offered decent range at an affordable price and by the fall of 2017 was available for purchase from dealer inventory. TESLA was taking orders for the Model 3 which was not yet in production and already had a long waiting list. The Bolt (especially in the LT trim) was half the price of the Model S. I have a neighbor who used her VW DieselGate payout to buy two Bolt LT’s. One in Black and the other in White.
For 2017 the Bolt was offered in 2 trim levels, the LT and the Premier. Neither came standard with Level 3 DC fast-charging capability. At the time there were only 2 CCS Level 3 DC fast chargers in Texas. They were in Georgetown, TX about 180 miles from my house so I was okay with not having that option. For my wife’s commute Level 1, 120 volt charging (3.5 – 5 miles of added range per hour at 8 or 12 amps respectively) in our driveway was more than adequate. The Bolt’s nominal 238 mile range (twice that of any closely priced competitors then on the market) would cover her commute for the entire week with range to spare. Since she plugs it in every evening when she comes home she starts every day with a full battery. When our son ended up attending UT Austin in the fall of 2020 we had enough range to get to Austin and no difficulty finding hotels that offered Level 2, 240 volt chargers on PlugShare.
The website gmauthority.com has details on the two trim levels. The Premier offered more standard features and had a better package of driver assistance technologies. I was particularly interested in the Driver Confidence II Package which was only offered on the Premier trim. While I’d moved away from my (and my parents) history of buying base trim vehicles I’d never bought the top trim level.
The dealership near our house only had the LT in stock, but from the perspective of fit (my wife & I have different heights and, critically, inseams and have in the past passed on vehicles that we couldn’t both comfortably drive) the LT and Premier have identical seats (wrt to size, position and adjustability) so we went and test drove that car. The dealership near my work had a Black Premier in stock and was offering it for $5oo below supplier price. A dealership about 30 miles from my house (and 60 miles from my work) had a Premier in Kinetic Blue (a premium color) and was willing to match the price on the Black Bolt. They also alerted me to an additional rebate that was being offered by Costco. It was close to the end of November and they’d had the Bolt on the lot since early September. Early on each dealership was allocated one Bolt. All of the other vehicles that they had in inventory were Pickup Trucks, SUVs, Corvettes, and Camaros. We reached a deal the morning of the 28th and said that we’d be up there after dinner. They clearly plugged the car into a 120 volt outlet at that point because when we took delivery the car was showing an estimated range of 39 miles. With that little range margin, I stayed off the highway on my drive home.
So how slow is level 1 charging at 8 amps? We bought the car on Tuesday night and plugged it in as soon as we got home. My wife drove it to work each day (Wednesday – Friday) and plugged it in as soon as she got home. We did not drive it on Saturday nor on Sunday. It was mid-afternoon on Sunday before the 60 kWh (nominal) battery indicated that it was fully charged. By the end of the weekend I’d read through the manual and figured out how to set up location based charging so that the car would always charge at 12 amps when plugged in at home. I also learned about a setting called Hilltop Reserve. With this setting my Bolt only charges to 90%. With this setting you have the ability to use regenerative braking every time you drive (in L the Bolt will come to a full stop without touching the brake pedal) and by not charging to 100% you minimize the potential for battery degradation. As a general rule I only charge to 100% when I’m going to take a long trip (such as visiting my son in Austin).
In June 2019 the boarding school that our younger daughter attended closed down and we enrolled her in a local school for her senior year of high school. In January 2020 she got her license and we needed a third car. For her 4 mile round trip commute I purchased a 2011 Nissan Leaf. I’ll cover that car next week in Chapter 21. The plan was that when she went off to college in the fall of 2020 my wife would start driving the Leaf and I’d start commuting to NASA JSC in the Bolt. Level 1 charging would not support my roughly 75 mile roundtrip commute so we decided to install a Level 2 EVSE (Electric Vehicle Servicing Equipment) in our garage.
ChargePoint @ Home EVSE
My distribution panel is outside on the diagonally opposite corner of the house. My laundry room is upstairs and my garage did not have a 240 amp circuit. The ChargePoint @ Home EVSE will support a 50 amp charge rate if hardwired or a 40 amp charge rate if plugged into a NEMA 14-50 outlet. My Bolt will only accept AC power at a maximum of 32 amps so I went with the plug in configuration. I also decided that in the interest of future proofing I wanted a 100 amp sub panel in my garage. While the Leaf wouldn’t benefit from a Level 2 charger my next BEV probably would. Ford had already announced the F150 Lightning that was capable of drawing 80 amps from a Level 2 charger.
By the time we decided to install the Level 2 charger we were several months into COVID and I couldn’t find an electrician to do the job. Only one submitted a bid and when I asked for details he ghosted me. My city in their building code says that a homeowner who can convince the city inspector that they can do the job to code can pull a permit and do the install themself. After seeking an electrician for several months I drew up a plan and bill of materials and ran them by a colleague at work who is an electrician. I submitted the plan and a statement of my qualifications to the city. Within a couple of days they approved the permit. The hardest part of this job was digging a trench around the perimeter of the house to bury the supply cable for the sub-panel. I paid a landscaper to dig the trench. As a postscript since COVID hit I haven’t made the commute more then 3 days in any week. The Level 1 charger would have supported that.
With the exception of the battery fire recall the car has been drama free. I’ve rotated the tires and checked the alignment on a regular basis and have replaced the cabin air filter. I’ve had this car just over 5 ½ years and as I type we’ve driven it 30,149 miles. Many reviews of the Bolt say love the car hate the company. I love the car but I’m ambivalent about the company. This is not only the first GM product I’ve owned it’s the first I even test drove. Some of the design choices they made to hit their price point didn’t save them that much money. In 2019 they changed the sun visor and the seat foam and increased the battery capacity. For 2023 they introduced a power seat. GM recently announced that starting with the new BEVs sold in 2024 they will no longer be supporting Apple Car Play and Android auto. At this point in time my next BEV will not be a GM product. By the time we decided that we needed a BEV equipped with Level 3 DC fast-charging capability that was capable of taking an extended multi-day road trip, we bought another 2017 Chevrolet Bolt. That car which will be Chapter 22 is now my daily driver (and it’s not blue (:).
With respect to the battery fire recall that issue was overblown. According to news reports 19 Chevrolet Bolts caught fire before GM decided to replace the batteries on all Bolts delivered with batteries from LG Chem of South Korea. From forum posts and NTSB reports the cars that cars that caught fire for the most part shared three characteristics. They were equipped with Level 3 DC fast-charging capability; they were frequently charged from low charge states (typically less then 10%) to high charge states (typically greater then 90%); and they had a high number of miles. There were a few that appeared to not be equipped with Level 3 DC fast-charging capability, but they too had a high number of miles. Several had exceeded 100,000 miles in 3 years of ownership. My low-mileage Bolt was probably never at risk. I’m very happy to have the larger 66 kWh battery and the reset of the battery warranty. I got my new battery in May 2022 at 24,506 miles. At that point in time I’d seen no degradation in the battery.
Thanks, this was an interesting read. One thing that shines out for me is that in this extensive and detailed account, you only very briefly mention the actual car itself, and what you think of it (“I love it”). I’m a fan of electric vehicles, but it’s very clear that a typical modern BEV is very much an appliance, and discussions around owning such an appliance are typically around costs and logistics rather than the “character” of the car. This isn’t a problem, it’s just an observation.
I made the same observation as I was proof reading it. The truth is that most of the miles on this Bolt have been driven by my wife and children. I have a second Bolt that will be Chapter 22. We’ve put about 24,000 miles on that one and most of those miles I’ve driven. It’s equipped for DC fast charging and I’ve made several multi-day cross country trips. I decided that I’d talk more about the car in that post 🙂
Hopefully it is a few years off, but at this point, a used Bolt or Volt is probably at the top of the list for my next car. So my question is how is it as a highway car? I’m not concerned about range, just ride and comfort and noise? My concern is that the Bolt has a shorter wheelbase than anything I’ve driven regularly and is probably narrower than anything as well.
On the 2017 the seats are very firm and if you’re larger not comfortable for a longer drive. I’m 5′ 4″, not slim, but not overweight. My wife is taller and on the heavy side. She’s okay on a trip from Houston to Austin, but wouldn’t want to go from Houston to Dallas. Per gmauthority.com GM overhauled the seats for 2022 The overhaul also included a power adjustable driver seat as standard on the 2LT trim and an option on the 1LT trim.
Overall the ride and comfort is not bad. On older highway segments with joints in the concrete close together it can be a little choppy. It may have a bit more wind noise (or it may just be that the wind noise isn’t masked by the engine noise like it would be in an ICE vehicle).
I’ve contemplated replacing this Bolt with a 2023. As much as I like my low mileage 2017 I’d probably recommend buying a 2022 or 2023 when you start looking for a used Bolt in in a few years.
Dan Cluley: I can tell you with confidence that I love my 2023 Bolt EV (1LT). It is very comfortable on the highway and still a great little city car. The ride isn’t like a 1977 Cadillac Fleetwood, but it’s compliant and does well. I’ve read where Chevy improved the ride and comfort a lot from the 2017/2018/2019 models. Not sure about the 2020 or 2021. But basically anything 2022 or 2023 has been better. Hope that helps.
Thanks to both of you. Real world experience is always nice to have.
That seems to track with what I’ve read of the Bolt, it’s far better than originally reported and gets better as the price comes (came) down over the last few years. The current model with the changes they’ve made since introduction would likely work well for us as a second EV and especially the price after rebates etc is phenomenal… The main thing holding me back is just dealing with a dealer, after my last new vehicle purchase almost two years ago I don’t particularly want to interact with another GM (or any) dealer if it can be avoided. So no big rush on that count…I’m glad you are enjoying the car and that it’s working well for you!
I have a 2020 Bolt, similar miles, and my battery was replaced in April of 2023. I like the car a lot. Relative to a 4 cylinder hatchback, the electric is far better. Very quiet, very smooth, acceleration of a powerful car, not an economy one. Handling feels confident, but let down by the fairly greasy low resistance tires. When charged at home, the cost per mile is 20-30% of running on gas, but having to use a public charger negates a lot of the cost advantages. The interior seems appropriate if you’re considering it like a hatchback, but as a luxury halo model is a bit short of things to get excited about. One thing about it that’s super is the leather steering wheel. It is covered with the softest leather and feels very satisfying to touch. 10/10 for the wheel. Driven in L for the one pedal driving, I consider the energy measurements and indicators a challenge to stay off the brakes when I’m driving, and I average 4.3 miles per KWH, a rise of over a mile above what it was averaging as a dealership runner before I bought it.
Is it perfection? No, but it really is satisfying to drive and own.
It’s definitely not a sports car. I’ve got a ramp on my commute with a recommended speed of 45 mph. When traffic allowed, with either my Talon or my Dart I’d regularly keep it on cruise control at 60 for that ramp.
With the battery weight down low the center of gravity on the Bolt is actually comparable to the Talon or the Dart but with the low resistance tires it feels more like I’m driving my Cherokee in corners and I slow to the recommended speed.
Acceleration had me thinking small block Chevy (or better) of my youth (think 1968 Camaro which could go 0 – 60 in 7.4 secs) when we test drove. It’s easily accelerates the quickest of any car I’ve owned. Google says 0 – 60 in 6.5 secs for the Bolt, 9.8 secs for the 73 Charger that was my first car, 9.4 secs for my 1996 Eagle Talon and 9 secs for my 2013 Dodge Dart.
Highway efficiency is great as long as you’re willing to travel at a reasonable speed. The Bolt is not the most aerodynamic car on the road. Drag resistance at higher speeds will reduce your range.
I’m on a time of use plan and charge for free between 9 pm and 7 am. When commuting I keep up with traffic flow when it’s not uncomfortably above the speed limit. If I’m on a longer trip and will have to stop and charge before I reach my destination (with my other Bolt that has DC fast charging) I limit myself to 65 mph. Any faster than that and I spend more time on the charger then I save on the road.
The actual sweet spot where the ring around the speedometer stops being solid green and acquires a yellow tinge is a little slower (around 62 iirc). Driving slower then 60 on a Texas highway signed for 75 or more will get you killed.
I’ve found that every MPH over about 65 exacts a measurable penalty in range. The car is happy to do it, it just costs in range. I feel like with sticky rubber, it’d handle like a hot hatch but that would also exact a penalty. As for its quickness, i know what the numbers are, and it feels quick for sure. At the same time, without the drama of an ICE car making those same numbers, it doesn’t feel as fast. This is also the times in which there’s a Jetsons type sound in the car that’s from the powertrain which gives it all a kind of feel that’s more Disney than 340 Demon. I’ve owned a Northstar Cadillac that the numbers say wasn’t as fast but which did feel faster because of the V8 noises and dramatic shifts. Electric isn’t like that at all, the speed builds in a smooth rush that doesn’t have the ups and downs of ICE. You keep expecting it to shift and it just doesn’t.
Aerodynamics plays a signifcant role in EV range at highway speeds. It’s the primary reason to choose the Bolt EV instead of the larger, heavier EUV version.
Although the stated difference in EPA range is only 12 miles in favor of the Bolt EV (259 vesus the EUV’s 247), it appears that actual difference at highway speeds is much greater (>25 miles), and that can be attributed to the much smoother frontal are of the EV versus the larger, blockier front end of the EUV.
The point is, if any significant highway driving is foreseen, the Bolt EV might be a better choice than the EUV.
Interesting, detailed article. Thanks.
Statistically speaking, I’m within 13 years of EOL, so I’ll probably never own a BEV. That makes it more interesting to learn about the experiences of others. Thank you for sharing this.
The Bolt could’ve been a contender if it weren’t for the one-two punch of not only the pandemic, but a potential fire hazard which ended up as a recall of every Bolt battery up to 2022 (which, for many, didn’t really seem warranted). And for those waiting, charging was limited to 80%.
Then, as newer EVs arrived, there was the DCFC thing. Not only was it a $750 option on the 1st generation, but it was at 55kW. For 2017, that rate was actually fine but, today, it’s among the slowest (if not ‘the’ slowest) DCFC EV. Many DCFC stations are now at 150kW, or even 350kW, making 55kW charging seem dog-slow.
A real shame because, if not for these quibbles which GM didn’t have all that much control over, the Bolt could have been the EV game-changer the 2nd generation Prius was.
The silver lining was, due to the above issues, GM felt they needed to lower the Bolt’s price quite a bit. Then, thanks to the IRA, the Bolt also became eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit, making the final price for a brand-new, base 1LT Bolt EV ~$20k. That’s only about $3k more than the cheapest car available in the US (a ‘really’ stripped Nissan Versa sedan).
New Bolt sales have increased significantly, as anyone who has tried to find one can attest. Unfortunately, 2023 production will be the last, ending this coming November.
Regarding the Bolt fire hazard: If you can beat the odds and have your Bolt burn, you’re overdue for playing the Lottery. Last figure I got was 19 fires out of 149,000 cars built.
Yeah, that’s how badly it was overblown in the media. And by every EV hater in every autoblog comments section. Primarily the latter.
Interesting about the stipulation that you have to convince the inspector you know what you are doing to do the electrical work yourself.
In my state it is the state that does electrical permits in all but a growing number of cities, when I just installed a EVSE circuit in one of my houses the only stipulations are that the homeowner does the work themselves and that you can’t sell the house within 1 year of purchasing it, if it is an existing house. For new construction you can’t sell the house within 2 years of your occupancy permit.
It is left up to the inspector at the time of inspection to determine if you did it per code.
I don’t understand why the default for many of the convenience cords is only 8a when a 15a circuit is the minimum and that is rated for 12a for a 3hr or greater load. For my primary residence I’ve got a detached garage so yeah digging is going to be required and I plan to put a 100a sub panel in when I do get around to it. For now charging at 110v/8a does it for our PHEV but since the garage has a 20a circuit I do have a charger I picked up, in part to test the new circuit at the other house, that will charge at 16a on 110v. So I just need to install a 20a rated GFCI at the first outlet and then a 20a outlet where I plug in the charger.
Default is 8 amps because most circuits are shared. My garage circuit has a freezer, a refrigerator, a WiFi router (the Level 2 charger and my garage door opener have trouble seeing the router in the house) and a trickle charger for me Jeep plugged into in as well as intermittent loads from lights, the garage door opener and charging my lawnmower and weed whacker batteries.
I’ve installed two dedicated 20 amp, 120 volt circuits and two dedicated 50 amp, 240 volt circuits to support EV charging.
Interesting, but it confirms that for me my 1.5L turbo 2021 Civic EX is what I need. Around a 360 mile range with refills taking less than 5 minutes! Power seat and decent ride/handling under all road conditions. Acceleration that matches some early so-called “muscle” cars, but with EPA clean exhaust.
Last night, with A/C on, driving in our metro area the car was getting a bit over 38mpg. Plus no EXPEN$IVE battery pack to ever replace with the probable pollution that will create. After all: where does that electricity come from that recharges the EV battery?IMO, EVs are currently nothing but a “feel good” hype that in total creates more pollution overall than a modern ICE car. 🙂 DFO
Dennis: I have an extensive history around cars (been in this business for 24 years now). I’ve sold many brands from Honda, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Chevrolet and now Mazda and Volvo. I have both professional and personal experience with EV’s. There’s one thing I do know about and it’s cars both older and new. Ask me about sports and I will become quiet and not say anything because I don’t know anything about sports. Ask me about chemistry and the same thing. But cars I do know.
So it seems like you may feel like EV’s are bad and that’s ok. But I would encourage you to learn about them and truly know more. You may be quite surprised once you actually learn more about them. They still may not be for you, but at least you won’t say things like above that are mostly not true.
I’m in my early 60’s as of this writing and I’m looking to replace my now 15 year old sedan. I typically hold on to my new car purchases for 10 years or more. I’ve been very interested in EVs as I think they would be fine for my actual lifestyle, excluding long drives. While I currently have a house, I can foresee a move to an apartment somewhere in that 10 year expected ownership period. Very few of the local apartment complexes near me have any kind of BEV charging facilities, and for the few that do, they’re very few. As it stands now, I’d have to go to a shopping center or a dedicated charging station if I couldn’t charge at my domicile.
I fully expect that gasoline will be around for the long term future, so we’re looking at another gasoline fueled car to replace our current car. I’m a bit disappointed by this as I was hoping that BEV acceptance would have been greater by now. I have a feeling that the variability of charging infrastructure (and other issues) has kept many interested people from “pulling the trigger” on a BEV.
I was highly interested in the OP’s experiences with the Bolt, as that was one of my initial choices. There are only three Chevy dealers (I think) in the area that have Bolts, and only one or two at a time. Unless I were interested in a pickup or a SUV, where I would have dozens of choices, I’m stuck with whatever they get. In addition, my wife doesn’t care for the looks of the Bolt (or the EUV), so there’s another hurdle. However, Chevrolet is supposed to release a BEV Equinox and BEV Blazer in the next several months or so, maybe that would be a possibility.
I’m glad to see the OP had a (generally) good experience with the Bolt; I think that these vehicles will be continually refined and only get better. Maybe I can consider one as a used car in the future.
Look at a plug-in hybrid with a fifty mile or so range. It’s the perfect compromise for most people: 90% of the time, you’re going to be driving an EV. The rare exceptions, you’ve got a good old gasoline car.
If I have any disappointment with the current car industry, it’s how few manufacturers are going in heavily on plug-in hybrids. Something about “the worst enemy of good is perfect” . . . . . .
Agree, my son has a 2018 Chevy Volt In the NYC suburbs. He gets at least 50 miles range on electric power alone. This is sufficient for day-to-day driving around the area. He plugs in the car every time he arrives home. He doesn’t even use his freestanding garage, but rather plugs it in to the charger mounted on the side of his house next to the driveway.
Dennis, your comment on refueling is the classic stance taken by someone who has no experience whatsoever in driving an EV. Mainly, you’re thinking in terms of a gas car, drive until the vehicle is almost dead on the road, then refuel it in five minutes. And only trips over 250 miles matter (I assume, because that’s the only kind of trips I hear someone of your stance talking about).
Hey, it takes you five minutes to refuel your car. It takes me thirty seconds – the time it takes to open the plug door, pull the charger off the wall, plug it in, check the readout to see when it’ll be done, and walk into the house. Period. I do almost every time I charge the car, and I’ve never been stranded any distance from home with a discharged battery yet. And I don’t have to pre-plan anything. If I suddenly have to go somewhere unplanned, I just go out, unplug the not-yet-fully-charged car (it doesn’t matter) and run the errand. And replug when I get back home.
As to this constant mention of long trips: In all honesty, just how many do you take every year? The wife and I have two Bolts at home, and a Kia Sedona, which is my reenactment car. Since I had the motorcycle accident in early May, my reenactment schedule for this year has been totally in the toilet. Which means the van sits with a car cover on it, a battery tender hooked up 24/7/365, and once a month I get in it and use it for ‘something’ once a month just to get the engine running. Any reenactments I do within the state of Virgina were moved to the Bolt years ago, I do those round trips on one charge no problem.
Battery pack replacement. Way overblown. I’m definitely getting a minimum of 100,000 miles out of my battery packs, or GM is doing yet another replacement (yes, I got the recall on both cars, most likely both were totally unnecessary) for free.
And I suggest you go to some reference on EV’s and pollution that doesn’t have a right wing bias. You’re definitely quoting bad information on that front.
Regarding your last point, I know EV haters like to crow about the pollution caused by the power plants that provide the electricity for charging. Yet, the US is rapidly moving away from coal-fired plants, the most polluting type, AND it’s much easier to regulate and control emissions from the 12,000 or so utility-scale power plants in our nation than to do so for the millions of ICE vehicles in daily use.
Great read. Thanks. Since I have a 2023 Bolt EV (not EUV), I found this to be of great interest. I should say that this ’23 Bolt 1LT is not my first EV. In 2015 I had a great little Spark 1LT EV that was fantastic for shorter or town only trips since it only had about 90 miles of range. The next was a PHEV (plug in hybrid) 2021 Volvo S60. That was a very nice car, but the EV only range was about 23, so I ended up burning gas on every trip to/from work. Now I have the ’23 Bolt and LOVE IT!!
First for those asking about comfort: The seats are not like what I’d love (hint, it would be seats from an late 80’s Buick PA), but they are still comfortable for nearly all driving. The car handles very well, is quiet and extremely fun to drive. The sticker did show 259 miles of range, but I’ve never seen that yet. It’s always better! I’ve had the car for 6 months and almost 7,000 miles so far, and when I was still charging to 100% the range was as follows. In the cooler months it would top about 285. Now that it’s warmer, it was topping out as high as 320. This was consistent, so I dropped my charge level to 90% and now when fully charged I have 285 +/- 3 miles. I am beyond satisfied with that.
As for the measure of an EV’s “MPG”, that’s done by the miles per KWH. I’ve researched this to find that a good number is 3.8 miles/kwh. A great number is 4 to 4.2 miles/kwh. I’m now at 4.5 miles/kwh and I should note that I don’t act crazy about getting the best efficiency I can. I drive fairly normal but with a slight edge towards economy.
Lastly, I actually work for a car dealer with Mazda and Volvo. Working in the fleet department, I often drop vehicles off all over the LA (California) area. Any more, when I get into some of the Volvo’s and nearly any Mazda, I can tell you that I feel like they all drive like antiques compared to my EV. I honestly can’t see myself ever going back to ICE again. I’m not against them, I just don’t see going back.
This was naturally an interesting read, because at the beginning of this year I purchased a 2017 Bolt Premier, with 60,000 miles, which had just had its battery replaced, from a private seller. It’s my first BEV but I bought it for an unusual reason: it was the least-expensive car I could find (except for various CVT-equipped Nissans I wouldn’t touch) with both a large-screen rear-view camera and a 360-degree overhead view. I’m a stiff-necked senior with bad eyes in a community full of huge SUVs and pickups and I’ve learned to fear backing up.
The Bolt of course also has cross-traffic and blind-spot alerts, plus a wide-angle digital rear view mirror you can also turn on if you want to. Apple CarPlay also of course. This sounds like trivial stuff that ought to be standard these days, but the 360-degree overhead camera in particular is surprisingly hard to find even on cars costing two or three times the price.
I did also want a powerful car without paying the price, and the Bolt certainly delivers there, being the fastest-accelerating car I’ve ever owned. It’s hard to use anything near full power though, because the torque steer is pretty alarming.
But, I knew going into it that I wouldn’t necessarily be saving much money on “fuel” compared to the 30+ mpg gasser I already owned. Here in my part of California PG&E charges a stiff 45¢ per KwH when all fees are taken into account (and yes, I have an EV-specific time-of-use plan). Meantime, my Bolt typically achieves 3.6-3.8 miles/KwH. I know most Bolt owners do more; I’m a conservative driver who rarely exceeds 65 mph, but I think I’ll do better when it comes time to replace the cheap Lionheart tires that are on the car now.
I am happy about the anticipated lack of repair needs moving forward, and I was heartily sick of oil changes and the California smog check requirements, both of which seem like a contstant hassle, especially when you own multiple cars. Also, I almost always drive in “L” mode, where the engine (er, motor) braking gives me a greater feeling of security and also means that cruise control can maintain a constant speed both uphill and downhill.
Finally, I drive about 35 miles per day at most, and have my own garage, where I charge the car from a standard 110v outlet. (With the mileage I do, it’s more than ample.) I like the Bolt: I guess I don’t love it, at least not yet, but that’s partly because it’s white, which just plays up the appliance-like nature. If my car was painted in the one-year-only “shock” yellow, I would probably feel a little different.
I’m not an EV zealot (*all* cars are bad for the environment) and I also have no desire to make a long trip where I have to depend on public charging stations. Apart from the bad reputation they have for reliability, I really feel that as EVs move more into the mainstream, these stations will become a point of conflict for gun-toting Americans, or a magnet for criminals who want to prey upon those who are waiting for their cars to charge. There’s a lot that needs to change.
One thing I hate about the Bolt: I’m 6’2”, 230 pounds, and the driver’s seat is the most uncomfortable I’ve encountered in any car ever. Unforgivably bad. To avoid feeling like I’m sitting in a bucket, with no support and the edges of the frame cutting into my sides, I have to use two pillows, which are a hassle to position every time I get in the car. (Can’t be strapped in place since the strap would block the side airbag.)
All that said, the Bolt was the right choice for me. And it was great purchasing from a private seller instead of a dealer.
“One thing I hate about the Bolt: I’m 6’2”, 230 pounds, and the driver’s seat is the most uncomfortable I’ve encountered in any car ever. Unforgivably bad. To avoid feeling like I’m sitting in a bucket, with no support and the edges of the frame cutting into my sides, I have to use two pillows, which are a hassle to position every time I get in the car. (Can’t be strapped in place since the strap would block the side airbag.)”
There are several posts at http://www.chevybolt.org about upgrading the seats either by adding foam or using a seat cover.
No disrespect, but this OLD 🐕 DOG thinks that anyone who buys a BOLT must be completely NUTS! 😉
One of my nicknames when I was in the Navy was Squirrel Bait 🙂
Rick W: You and I normally agree as I think we both like bigger and older cars with a luxury flair.
So no disrespect, but can I ask why you say that? I’ve had some very good cars over the years with my last one being a 2021 Chevy Malibu that was fantastic. I truly loved it and wish I could get another but in EV. I now have the 2023 Bolt 1LT EV and like this car equally to the Malibu, but with zero visits to the gas stations. What I think is nuts is that GM killed the Bolt at the end of this year.
I’ll say the same thing to you that I say to every other EV denier: Drive one for a few days before you start making pronouncements.
Over the past three years, with a lot of time spent on auto blogs, I’m constantly being told that I’m crazy for owning one, they can’t possibly work, can’t possibly be practical, and I’d have to do major inconvenient changes to my life to even try to make one work.
The reality that, over the past three years, I’ve replaced the two primary transportation gasoline-fueled cars with EV’s, have never been stranded juiceless on the road, and have not had to do any kind of change to our driving habits (other than replacing pulling off into a gas station for ten minutes when the fuel gauge hits “E” by plugging in the charger every time the cars are parked at home) is ignored.
Because, of course, that goes against a fervently held belief that EV’s cannot possibly work in day to day situations.
If I’ve learned anything over the past three years it’s that I don’t drive as much as a really thought I did. And it feels really weird to have to gas up a car anymore – what a waste of time.
You will never convince him; as you may have noticed, he’s Johnny One-Note yearning for the bygone days of the big battle cruisers.
Syke: Your last line got me! As some may know, I also own two beautiful (to me) older Cadillac’s. One 1986 Seville and one 1988 Cimarron. Of course, I don’t drive them much, but I do start them once per week at least and normally try to take them for a short drive when I do.
I did this routine this past Saturday evening and decided to “gas up” the Seville since it was finally just below half. This was the first time in about 6 months that I have stopped for gas, and boy did that feel strange. It also hurt!! It cost me $45 for just that half tank of gas! I sure don’t miss that or the smells or touching those grimey gas pumps.
In my town the Bolt has become very common just in the last year. It’s sort of the new Prius, and often driven by people who would otherwise never own a domestic car. And there is no Chevy dealer in town, and only one in the county 30 miles away. Still, Tesla’s outnumber Bolts five to one.
It would be interesting to compare sales numbers between the 2nd gen Prius, Bolt, and Tesla. The Bolt’s execution certainly makes it ‘seem’ like the natural follow-up for the same market as the Prius (the Bolt’s predecessor, the Chevy Volt, was a direct competitor), but I would imagine the sales numbers for the Model 3 tell a different story.
It would be further interesting to see from which vehicle new Model 3 buyers came.
I have been interested in electrics for ages, long before they became practical. The wife and I even test drove a Zap Xebra once. That was a sad excuse for a car. About 2014 we were looking at the Leaf and for some reason the great lease deals evaporated about a month before we were ready to buy so we went to a Chevy dealer and looked at the Spark EV. We leased one and it truly was the beta test for the Bolt. 140 horses, 400 foot pounds of torque, great fun as a city car. In 2017 the lease was coming due and the Bolt was announced. We went to the dealer, checkbook in hand, ready to buy. Within a minute we could tell that it was a no-go solely because of the seats. We bought the Spark at the end of lease for much less that the residual and still have it today. It remains a viable city car.
I’d been following things and was reading that the seats had been improved. OK, the wife and I went to our favorite dealer to check it out. We parked and there was a beautiful oasis blue one right in front. The wife looked at me and asked if that was a Bolt, I said yes, and she said We’re buying a car today aren’t we. It was a base model with all the options. We both love it. Absolutely trouble free. The battery was replaced a little over a year after the recall started. I think I warmed the service manager’s heart whe I said I didn’t mind the wait, this was the same as getting a new car after 40K miles.
I have a level 2 EVSE in my garage, Chevy was offering a $500 rebate on Bosch Powermax units when we got the Spark so I literally got the unit for the shipping charges. I hard wired it myself (slight trepidation as I first flipped the 40 amp breaker) and it hasn’t missed a beat in nine years. 120 volt charging would have worked for the Spark but filling the Bolt’s 65kWh battery with a 1.4 kW level one unit is, well do the math – it would take forever.
The Bolt has been completely trouble free. The OE tires were sad, they lowered my opinion of Michelin. I was actually happy when I took a nail and I had an excuse to get new rubber. I may have lost a percent or two of range with my Vredesteins but the difference, especially in the rain, is well worth it.
It’s not the most comfortable car I’ve ever had, or the best handling, but the Bolt is a keeper. It’s good on the open road, we’ve done Portland to Seattle without issue. The public charging infrastructure is getting better but still is lacking. EV’s are practical for many people now and the Bolt is priced right, it will be interesting to see how Chevy handles it’s successor.
Among the EV community, we’re already finding out: 1. More expensive (somewhat expected). 2. Physically bigger (I love small cars, I get tired of the manufacturers shoving me into bigger ones). 3. Say goodbye to Apple CarPlay (a deal breaker for me). 4. Nebulous promises that there will be another Bolt (but don’t hold your breath).
Having finally found my first Chevrolet in decades that I’m actually happy to own, I’m setting my sights on something else two years from now when it’s time to trade the ’17 Premiere in. Unfortunately, to me, this is typical GM.
Be glad you passed on the Spark. No, it’s not a bad car, it’s actually a rather good ‘compliance car’. One of the guys in our EV car club had one for years. Then the battery started to go, and GM basically said, “piss off, we’re not supporting the car anymore.”
What GM didn’t realize is that the guy had an EV podcast that’s been going for a few years now, and had developed enough reach that he’s high on the list of all those crazy new EV startups coming up with new vehicular concepts, and has been showing up at monthly car club gatherings with all sorts of new vehicles (we’re waiting for the day he shows up with a pre-production Aptera).
He went public on this experence with the Spark. Within 48 hours, someone at GM had gotten in touch with him, doing a complete turnaround on the “we’re no longer supporting the car” and arranging a warranty battery replacement on his. And supposedly the Spark is now still getting some degree of support, although he shortly sold his, figuring he’d had his run of luck with the car.
I still love the little cars, they’re definitely good within their range limitations, but you’re taking a real chance if you own one. And there’s nowhere near the aftermarket battery replacement that the first generation Leaf has.
I read your account with great fascination, as a fair bit of it paralleled my experiences over the past three years since I bought the first (of two) Bolts currently in the family garage. I was especially pleased with your experiences with Level 1 charging, which is all too often treated as a bad joke on the EV scene. You’ve shown that, under the proper circumstances, it’s quite viable.
I had it ‘easy’ wiring up the garage for Level 2 – all I needed was an unfortunate electrical fire in November 2019 that burned the garage to the ground, devastated my antique bicycle repair shop, and trashed 20 years of vintage parts collecting, as well as a late 1930’s Humber ladies roadster (the rod braked Downton Abbey bikes) that I was restoring for a WWII British Land Army reenactment group. Since everything had to be redone from scratch, of course I had 240v, 30amp circuit with two plugs (one inside, one on the wall off the garage door) installed. Yes, I knew eventually we’d be going whole hog on EV’s, so I wanted to be able to charge both the wife’s and my cars simultaneously.
As you discovered “Bolt fires” are one of those things that, if you can break those odds you need to start playing the Lottery, yesterday. As it took five weeks to get my first charger delivered, I happily made do with Level 1, supplemented by free Level 2 every Sunday at the local IBEW training center which was 500 yards from my favorite craft brewer. Drive up for Sunday bingo, plug in for a few hours, play a few cards, have a few beers, and pick up enough juice that the Level 1 could handle the rest of the week.
Definitely a convert to EV’s, our rarely used Kia Sedona is the only remaining four wheeled ICE vehicle left, and it’s under a car cover with a battery tender plugged in 24/7/365 just to ensure the van works on the rare occasion we need it.
Had to laugh at your Kia Sedona being your reenacting vehicle. My Cherokee is just the tow vehicle for my reenacting vehicle. Th WWII Jeep is my reenacting vehicle.
Sorry to hear about your fire. I lost a similar collection to Hurricane Harvey so I feel your pain. A 30 amp circuit is just barely enough for a Bolt (if you set the charger to only offer 24 amps. I went with 50 amp circuits to future proof a little. My plugs are both just inside the garage door on either side of the driveway and I run the wire out under the door.
The next owner might park a car inside but my daily drivers live outside. The garage belongs to the Jeep and it’s companion WWII ¼ ton trailer.
You haven’t had it down to Jamestown for Military Thru the Ages in March, have you? If so, we’ve met. I’m one of the msmbers of the Jamestown Guard who usually spends a fair bit of time yakking vehicles with the WWII crowd, especially motorcycles.
I’ve been living in Texas since 2006. My March event is a living history weekend in College Station, TX. My daughter has spent a few summers with the
Center for Archaeology, Preservation and Educationin Gloucester, VA
THANKS TO EVERYONE for the great article followed by many real world comments ! .
I’m an old Mechanic so of course I’m a die hard ICE lover but sooner or later I’ll need to buy a modern vehicle and these comments really make me less wary of BEV’s .
I wonder if I can rent one just to see ? .
I still drive 100miles / week so the range thing concerns me .
Also good to hear that ” Vredesteins” are in fact good tires .
I bought a set of five in 2016 and ran them hard then set the vehicle aside until January 2023 and shortly one tossed a 4″ X 6″ bit of tread but didn’t go flat nor did it handle poorly, I replaced all five and am happily motoring on .
-Nate
Nate wrote:
“I wonder if I can rent one just to see ?”
I think that all the major agencies offer BEV’s. Hertz has a deal with Tesla. Not sure what’s offered by other agencies. Budget, Avis, National and Sixt all showed them as an option for my trip to Boston next week.
On my way back from Des Moines a few weeks ago I charged my Bolt next to a couple from Houston that had reserved a “managers choice” at the last minute when their car developed a mechanical problem on their way out of town and ended up with a Bolt EUV. They said it was their third “managers choice” in a row that ended up being an EV.
Nate wrote:
“I still drive 100miles / week so the range thing concerns me.”
Even the Nissan Leaf that’ll be my chapter next week would work for 100 miles a week if you’ve got a 120 V outlet accessible in your garage or driveway and aren’t trying to do that all in one day or two consecutive days.
Nate: I’m not an old mechanic, just old. haha. Well, not too old. Anyhow, my tastes in vehicles is quite different from what many would choose. Example, I’d rather jump in a Cadillac Cimarron and go for a ride instead of an old Mustang or Corvette. No disrespect to owners of those cars. Point being that I’m a little strange when it comes to what I like. With that said, I still feel that I’m a motor-head and I have zero issues with ICE vehicles. After all, I still have two older ones in my garage as I write this. But I can tell you that going EV has been way easier for me than I would have thought. To be honest, I just can’t see myself ever going back to ICE for my daily driver.
Range: If you drive 100 miles per week, they you are actually a great candidate for an EV. I drive about 250 miles per week and have zero regrets or issues. Good luck finding something to rent.
Thanx Dan and others who gave rental ideas .
I may just do that to get my feet wet as sooner or later I’ll be unable to keep an ICE going .
Just because I like ICE powered vehicles (I have four packages of parts for different vintage vehicles next to the computer right now) doesn’t mean I don’t think electrics are the future .
As I have said right here many times before : the _instant_ they crack the battery nut so an EV will go a week before needing a charge, that’s the death knell for my beloved smog pots .
-Nate
Interesting account on the transition to electric and some food for thought.
You work at NASA JSC? Do we have a rocket scientist in the Curbivore Contributor group?
I’ve worked Environmental Control and Life Support Systems for most of my career so not strictly speaking a rocket scientist. The actual rocket engines are designed/managed by NASA Marshall in Huntsville, AL. That said there is a lot of commonality between the ECLSS and Prop Hardware (tanks, plumbing, valves, heat exchangers etc.) frequently they come from the same vendors and are built out of the same materials with the major difference being size. On Artemis we pressurize our water tanks from the same He tanks that prop uses to pressurize the propellent tanks for the thrusters.