I work from home 3-days a week and drive to Carlsbad, 125 miles away for my in-office days. I stay overnight. It's a 250-mile roundtrip.
Originally I had posted my questions in the thread I created http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6049 because I was trying to figure out whether a Bolt, which I loved from a couple of test drives would work for me as my only car.
I picked up my Chevy Bolt this past weekend. This posting is a trip report of my first roundtrip drive to the office.
Prologue
I am not a car person. Being originally from back east, I did not even learn to drive until I was nearly 30 years old. For me, a car has always been a "major appliance." Similar to buying a washing machine. Did it do the job and was it economical to run. I have tended to buy economy cars and kept them for 10 years. I must admit that I once did splurge and buy a "luxury" car. That car was a Subaru Forester that I also kept for 10 years.,
My interest in an electric car was brought about by two things. 1) I installed solar and am producing more than enough electricity, and; 2) the Bolt has a range of 238 miles.
After test driving the Bolt and getting answers to my questions, I decided I wanted to lease one something also new to me. Given changes in technology, I thought it might be better at present to lease than own.
I found what I considered a good deal in my local area and took the plunge and splashed out on what would be the second "luxury" car I've had.
The Terrain
My 125-mile drive to work is from the desert to the coast, in strong head and side winds and up and down hills and through mountain passes.
Preparation for the Trip
I did some driving locally to get comfortable with the Bolt and learn how to drive in D and L and also how to use the regenerate on demand paddle.
I also visited a local EVgo fast charger and did a "dress rehearsal" charging up. I wanted to make sure that I did a run-through, so I was not panicked at 9 at night or 5 in the morning trying to figure out how to do it.
I plugged in the Bolt (like a toaster) into an 110 household outlet. I decided that the car needed a name, and so it was christened "Faraday."
Day 1 - Heading to Work
As is typical I was up at 3 and on the road by 4 AM. Faraday had a full charge.
I was determined to drive differently and more efficiently. That meant not driving west on the 10 like a bat out of hell at 80. I stayed in the right-hand lane and did a leisurely 60 to 65, fighting with my lead foot for quite a while.
I found the dash controls useful by a bit alarming. It was good to have the feedback, but it was almost too much feedback. Like a Tex Avery cartoon, I imagine my battery spilling out electrons all over the road behind me, but I soon calmed down.
I continued to experiment changing between D and L, getting a feel for each on a long trip.
I did at one point have to overtake a few vehicles, and I was delighted at the pickup and lack of hesitancy the Faraday showed. Quite a confident car.
We took our first major uphill challenge, going up and through the pass on the 60. Faraday was great going up, none of the complaining gears of my previous car. On the way down in D, Faraday was also great. When I leveled out, I saw that I had more electricity and a higher max mileage on the guess-o-meter than we did when we started the incline.
It was pretty much smooth sailing all the way to the office. I also became much more comfortable and stopped looking at the controls as much.I parked at work with 153 miles (Min 124 / Max 183). The display said that I had left.
Day 1 - After Work - Charging
I had tried the EVgo during my dress rehearsal over the weekend, so I thought I'd try the ChargePoint located at a hotel not far from my own. It's also a DC Fast, and I received a RFID card with the owner's manual and other material. I activated the card when I was home.
The hotel has only one spot for the charger, and I was happy to see that it wasn't occupied. I tapped the card and once given the go ahead, plugged Faraday in. The ChargePoint station said it would charge to 80% and the display on the Bolt showed an 80% line. Not sure why that is a limit? However, it did go on charging past the 80%. I left with about 220 miles indicated. It took about 55 minutes. I know I probably overdid it, but this being my first round trip, I wanted to err towards being more cautious.
The EVgo is located near a Starbucks, which means in theory that I could charge while I have my morning coffee. The EVgo also has two stations, but I'm a bit paranoid about them being occupied, not being able to charge, needing to get to the office, etc, etc.
I'll have to give this option a try next week.
Day 2 - The Drive Home
The drive home was my first experience in bumper to bumper traffic on the 15. Traffic was much heavier than usual.
Again, I tried to focus on my driving technique.
I did think I found a problem with my car and will have to schedule some time to take it back to the dealer. I can shift to L just fine, but not from L to D. I press the side button and push forward but nothing happens. More frightening, it shifts from L to N, but then I can shift back to D. It simply won’t go from L to D.
It was very warm, with the sun beating on me due to the low angle in the west. I didn’t turn on the AC. I’ll save that for another drive. But the interesting point about this was I opened the windows. I usually didn’t do this because of the noise, but now I realize that some of the noise was from the road and most of it was from the ICB car I used to drive. Faraday being so quiet, made opening the windows possible and even enjoyable.
Part of the drive home is up to the 74 and through the mountain pass, by far the steepest grade of the whole journey. Faraday was using battery power at, for my eye, an alarming rate. Once up and over, I still had more than enough mile left to get home.
The rest of the drive was uneventful. I stayed in the right-hand lanes, which was hard for me because typically I’d be over to the left doing 80+ in the mad dash to get home. Another lesson learned was that it didn’t make all that much of a difference in the length of the drive.
Conclusion
The Bolt was a pleasure to drive, much more so than my ICB car. It was wonderful even to be able to take the steepest grade without a screaming engine. The Bolt did it effortlessly.
I was stressed because this was my first roundtrip and there was the fear of suddenly running out of juice. Not sure why. When I arrived home, I still had a minimum range of over 100 miles.
I have been using the enhanced display, and I like all of the information but wonder if this is contributing to my stress? Perhaps it’s TOO much information for me just now.
I wasn’t happy about not being able to shift from L to D and jumping to N. Perhaps it’s something I’m doing, but I think not. I don’t fancy a trip to the dealer. But this isn’t a major issue, just inconvenient.
In summary, I’m extremely pleased with the Bolt and the EV experience. I’m not an EV enthusiast. I’m not even a car enthusiast. As I said at the start, a car is little more than a major appliance to me. My attitude may have changed slightly since moving to California and spending, as I do, 6 hours a week in a round trip commute to the office, but it hasn’t changed much. I suppose that in the market of car buyers, I might be the next wave. Not an early adopter, and not a particularly green embracer, though I also find that attractive. I’m probably that wave of buyer who likes technology, and for whom the Bolt and the range it offers is a plausible and practical transportation solution. I love love, love, love, love, the idea of not having to wait in line at Costco for gas EVER again.
Originally I had posted my questions in the thread I created http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6049 because I was trying to figure out whether a Bolt, which I loved from a couple of test drives would work for me as my only car.
I picked up my Chevy Bolt this past weekend. This posting is a trip report of my first roundtrip drive to the office.
Prologue
I am not a car person. Being originally from back east, I did not even learn to drive until I was nearly 30 years old. For me, a car has always been a "major appliance." Similar to buying a washing machine. Did it do the job and was it economical to run. I have tended to buy economy cars and kept them for 10 years. I must admit that I once did splurge and buy a "luxury" car. That car was a Subaru Forester that I also kept for 10 years.,
My interest in an electric car was brought about by two things. 1) I installed solar and am producing more than enough electricity, and; 2) the Bolt has a range of 238 miles.
After test driving the Bolt and getting answers to my questions, I decided I wanted to lease one something also new to me. Given changes in technology, I thought it might be better at present to lease than own.
I found what I considered a good deal in my local area and took the plunge and splashed out on what would be the second "luxury" car I've had.
The Terrain
My 125-mile drive to work is from the desert to the coast, in strong head and side winds and up and down hills and through mountain passes.
Preparation for the Trip
I did some driving locally to get comfortable with the Bolt and learn how to drive in D and L and also how to use the regenerate on demand paddle.
I also visited a local EVgo fast charger and did a "dress rehearsal" charging up. I wanted to make sure that I did a run-through, so I was not panicked at 9 at night or 5 in the morning trying to figure out how to do it.
I plugged in the Bolt (like a toaster) into an 110 household outlet. I decided that the car needed a name, and so it was christened "Faraday."
Day 1 - Heading to Work
As is typical I was up at 3 and on the road by 4 AM. Faraday had a full charge.
I was determined to drive differently and more efficiently. That meant not driving west on the 10 like a bat out of hell at 80. I stayed in the right-hand lane and did a leisurely 60 to 65, fighting with my lead foot for quite a while.
I found the dash controls useful by a bit alarming. It was good to have the feedback, but it was almost too much feedback. Like a Tex Avery cartoon, I imagine my battery spilling out electrons all over the road behind me, but I soon calmed down.
I continued to experiment changing between D and L, getting a feel for each on a long trip.
I did at one point have to overtake a few vehicles, and I was delighted at the pickup and lack of hesitancy the Faraday showed. Quite a confident car.
We took our first major uphill challenge, going up and through the pass on the 60. Faraday was great going up, none of the complaining gears of my previous car. On the way down in D, Faraday was also great. When I leveled out, I saw that I had more electricity and a higher max mileage on the guess-o-meter than we did when we started the incline.
It was pretty much smooth sailing all the way to the office. I also became much more comfortable and stopped looking at the controls as much.I parked at work with 153 miles (Min 124 / Max 183). The display said that I had left.
Day 1 - After Work - Charging
I had tried the EVgo during my dress rehearsal over the weekend, so I thought I'd try the ChargePoint located at a hotel not far from my own. It's also a DC Fast, and I received a RFID card with the owner's manual and other material. I activated the card when I was home.
The hotel has only one spot for the charger, and I was happy to see that it wasn't occupied. I tapped the card and once given the go ahead, plugged Faraday in. The ChargePoint station said it would charge to 80% and the display on the Bolt showed an 80% line. Not sure why that is a limit? However, it did go on charging past the 80%. I left with about 220 miles indicated. It took about 55 minutes. I know I probably overdid it, but this being my first round trip, I wanted to err towards being more cautious.
The EVgo is located near a Starbucks, which means in theory that I could charge while I have my morning coffee. The EVgo also has two stations, but I'm a bit paranoid about them being occupied, not being able to charge, needing to get to the office, etc, etc.
I'll have to give this option a try next week.
Day 2 - The Drive Home
The drive home was my first experience in bumper to bumper traffic on the 15. Traffic was much heavier than usual.
Again, I tried to focus on my driving technique.
I did think I found a problem with my car and will have to schedule some time to take it back to the dealer. I can shift to L just fine, but not from L to D. I press the side button and push forward but nothing happens. More frightening, it shifts from L to N, but then I can shift back to D. It simply won’t go from L to D.
It was very warm, with the sun beating on me due to the low angle in the west. I didn’t turn on the AC. I’ll save that for another drive. But the interesting point about this was I opened the windows. I usually didn’t do this because of the noise, but now I realize that some of the noise was from the road and most of it was from the ICB car I used to drive. Faraday being so quiet, made opening the windows possible and even enjoyable.
Part of the drive home is up to the 74 and through the mountain pass, by far the steepest grade of the whole journey. Faraday was using battery power at, for my eye, an alarming rate. Once up and over, I still had more than enough mile left to get home.
The rest of the drive was uneventful. I stayed in the right-hand lanes, which was hard for me because typically I’d be over to the left doing 80+ in the mad dash to get home. Another lesson learned was that it didn’t make all that much of a difference in the length of the drive.
Conclusion
The Bolt was a pleasure to drive, much more so than my ICB car. It was wonderful even to be able to take the steepest grade without a screaming engine. The Bolt did it effortlessly.
I was stressed because this was my first roundtrip and there was the fear of suddenly running out of juice. Not sure why. When I arrived home, I still had a minimum range of over 100 miles.
I have been using the enhanced display, and I like all of the information but wonder if this is contributing to my stress? Perhaps it’s TOO much information for me just now.
I wasn’t happy about not being able to shift from L to D and jumping to N. Perhaps it’s something I’m doing, but I think not. I don’t fancy a trip to the dealer. But this isn’t a major issue, just inconvenient.
In summary, I’m extremely pleased with the Bolt and the EV experience. I’m not an EV enthusiast. I’m not even a car enthusiast. As I said at the start, a car is little more than a major appliance to me. My attitude may have changed slightly since moving to California and spending, as I do, 6 hours a week in a round trip commute to the office, but it hasn’t changed much. I suppose that in the market of car buyers, I might be the next wave. Not an early adopter, and not a particularly green embracer, though I also find that attractive. I’m probably that wave of buyer who likes technology, and for whom the Bolt and the range it offers is a plausible and practical transportation solution. I love love, love, love, love, the idea of not having to wait in line at Costco for gas EVER again.