Do you think I'll be able to tow a small boat with the Bolt?

Chevy Bolt EV Forum

Help Support Chevy Bolt EV Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

madobee

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2016
Messages
7
I hope to buy a very small (175 lb) boat that I'll need to tow to various lakes. Do you think, with the batteries sealed at the bottom of the Bolt, a tow package (after-market) will be allowed?

Thanks!
 
You have (at least) three issues to consider:

1) Will an aftermarket tow hitch be possible to mount to the frame--Since the chassis is specific to this vehicle, there will be no "off the self" kits available, certainly not initially. If the chassis has some easy load introduction locations, it's reasonably likely a shop could make a custom tow hitch with a 1.25" Class I receiver. I got to think that your warranty for anything related to the suspension, battery and powertrain would be in jeopardy though.

2) Will the range still be sufficient to get to the lake--This will be a factor of the weight and drag associated with the boat. A small trailer and 175lb boat would be otherwise safe to tow with this size car. I'd guess a 25% hit to range, assuming the boat is pretty aerodynamic.

3) Will you be able to launch and recover the boat from the lake--The motor's torque and smarts will likely make it work very well on a wet ramp, at least as good as any other similar vehicle (Honda Fit). The challenge will be to what level the chassis will be submerged in the water. I'd say it's reasonably safe to submerge the rear suspension up the bottom of the chassis ahead of the rear wheels. That doesn't give you much room, but with a good winch and a steep enough ramp, you might be able to manhandle the boat in and out of the trailer.

I speculated about an AWD version of the Bolt EV in another thread here: http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=116. That version would require a significant redesign to the rear chassis and it seems plausible that GM would make a tow kit for it, or at least offer some load pick up points for an aftermarket kit. This is especially true if they try (harder) to position it in the market as a small CUV.
 
Thanks, Zoomit! You covered issues I had not considered. I guess my dream of a Bolt and a Twin Troller X10 will not come true. :( I may have to opt for the Volt then... or just rent a pick-up truck each time, but that will get old.

Thanks, again, for your thorough reply!
 
I wouldn't say that all hope is lost. GM wants to market the Bolt as a small CUV. A tow kit would help their cause. FOR ITS SIZE, the Bolt EV is pretty heavy and has plenty of torque. These are good things for towing small trailers.
 
You got me thinking. Here're a few more things to consider:

The Bolt might be sold in Europe as an Opel. Due to a variety if reasons, many small cars do have hitches in Europe. Seems like they'd design the chassis to accomodate a hitch for that market.

The Trax and Honda HRV do not have any rated tow capacity. These might be considered similar CUVs to the Bolt EV (in the bastardized car world we live in). The Trax Owners Manual states, "The vehicle is neither designed nor intended to tow a trailer." I would not expect more from the Bolt. Don't expect it to have a tow rating due to liability concerns.

The Trax does have the option for a 1 1/4" hitch. This is an "Accessory Carrier Mount, Includes 1-1/4" Receiver For Attaching Bike Or Ski Carriers" ($240). This MIGHT be an option on the Bolt. If so, a VERY small boat trailer, like you are considering, could be used with that hitch without much worry.

Then you'd just need to figure out the safe water height and see if it works.
 
People have been towing with the Leaf, the i3, etc.

It's usually only something small, and it sure affects range, but it is possible.
It won't be long after the Bolt EV's release and someone (probably Torklift) will build a trailer hitch for it.
 
This is a small boat and the Bolt should actually make a very good tow vehicle for light trailers:

Heavy for its size
Long wheelbase for its size
Low centre of gravity
Short rear overhang

Other issues as discussed above do need to be considered.
 
eTrailer.com offers a Class I trailer hitch for the Bolt. The trailer hitch has chain rings for towing a trailer but it looks like trying to connect trailering wiring harness will be a problem. There is a trailer wiring harness advertised for the Bolt but it’s designed for quarter panel lights and the Bolt has the rear lights in the rear hatch.

I would feel comfortable with doing occasional light towing with the Bolt but until someone figures out how to connect up the trailer lights I’m not going to pursue trailering with the Bolt.
 
ROTFL at both the original question, and several of the answers.

The Bolt, like any other subcompact, is so totally unqualified to tow a boat (well, maybe a canoe), that it's an insanely laughable concept. Brakes: totally inadequate. Frame: totally inadequate. Suspension: totally inadequate. Tires: Totally inadequate.

But maybe you should give it a try anyway. Be sure to film the results for us.
 
BoltWanabee said:
eTrailer.com offers a Class I trailer hitch for the Bolt. The trailer hitch has chain rings for towing a trailer but it looks like trying to connect trailering wiring harness will be a problem. There is a trailer wiring harness advertised for the Bolt but it’s designed for quarter panel lights and the Bolt has the rear lights in the rear hatch.

I would feel comfortable with doing occasional light towing with the Bolt but until someone figures out how to connect up the trailer lights I’m not going to pursue trailering with the Bolt.

The rear lights are in the bumper, or at least mostly in the bumper. Plus, depends on when you are towing. Some states/provinces don't require lights on the trailer if: you're driving in daytime, and the vehicle's lights are still visible past the trailer and the load
 
ScooterCT said:
ROTFL at both the original question, and several of the answers.

The Bolt, like any other subcompact, is so totally unqualified to tow a boat (well, maybe a canoe), that it's an insanely laughable concept. Brakes: totally inadequate. Frame: totally inadequate. Suspension: totally inadequate. Tires: Totally inadequate.

But maybe you should give it a try anyway. Be sure to film the results for us.

I disagree. The average weight of an American man is 195 pounds, towing a 175 lb boat is no different than adding an extra adult passenger.
(unsure how much a trailer weighs, but for a boat that size it could be a very small trailer).
Now if you had said the brakes weren't designed for 5 large passengers and a boat, then I could agree :)
 
madobee said:
Thanks, Zoomit! You covered issues I had not considered. I guess my dream of a Bolt and a Twin Troller X10 will not come true. :( I may have to opt for the Volt then... or just rent a pick-up truck each time, but that will get old.

Thanks, again, for your thorough reply!

Why not get a boat dolly or rig up a set of wheels on the boat? Then you don't have to even get your EV on a wet ramp or partially submerged. A 175 pound boat on a set of wheels should be easy to manhandle.

https://www.amazon.com/Brocraft-Standard-Launching-Inches-Wheels/dp/B01CE4FBVW/

81pIm%2BkgB5L._SX522_.jpg
 
ScooterCT said:
The Bolt, like any other subcompact, is so totally unqualified to tow a boat

WRONG!

Brakes: totally inadequate.

FALSE!

Frame: totally inadequate.

UNTRUE!

Suspension: totally inadequate.

WRONG!

Tires: Totally inadequate.

TOTALLY FINE!

But maybe you should give it a try anyway. Be sure to film the results for us.

I will. Since the Bolt's Electric drivetrain makes it more suitable than an ICE of equal size & weight.

I've towed a trailer that was 80% the weight of the EV and it was a delight. No worries. And the vehicle had a less than 100 HP motor and could tow 3,500 pounds. Recommened? No. Possible? Yes.

But I would also note I have extensive towing experience with all types of trailers and vehicles, large and small. The less your experience, the less (size & weight) you should tow. It's more about driver ability than vehicle abilty, IMHO.
 
No. And there's probably not an official one.

In general, it is related to cargo carying capacity, which for the Bolt I Think is 835 pounds.

Whether you put 835 pounds inside the car, or behind it doesn't matter much... except wind resistance should be considered.

My experience has been little cars can tow a lot, as long as you drive conservatively.

Accelerating slowly, 0 to 60 in 18 seconds with a 2,000 pound trailer is less strain on the car than accelerating the 3500 lb. car alone zero to 60 mph in 6 seconds.

Remember, power is work divided by time.
200 horsepower can do a lot of work, if you give it extra time. Plus you need torque for towing and this car has lots of it. More than most cars. Nearly up there with small trucks. My last SUV (designed for modest towing) had like 166 lb/ft of torque. The Bolt has 266 lb/ft. A ridiculous amount for a little car!
 
https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2017/Chevrolet/BOLT%20EV/Owner's%20Manual.pdf

Page 246 of the online manual will hopefully educate those of you still ignorant and irresponsible enough to consider towing with the Bolt.I quote: "The vehicle is neither designed nor intended to tow a trailer."

I'm an engineer, not a lawyer, so take my interpretation of that sentence with a grain of salt. But I strongly suspect that section in the owner's manual is Chevy's way of telling you that you'll be sued into poverty when your brakes fail or you lose control of your Bolt under sudden hard braking with a trailer and load for which this overweight and under equipped vehicle was MOST DEFINITELY NOT DESIGNED TO HANDLE. And you'll void your warranty. And you'll probably be fined or lose your license if caught. That's after the state policeman laughs himself silly and recovers enough to write the citation - you might try to escape while he/she is ROTFL with me.

And, best of all, you'll be immortalized on a YouTube video after you wreck your Bolt - you know, along with all the other imbeciles that do ignorant and irresponsible things with cars.

But I expect some bonehead (like in this thread above) will still put the travelling public at risk just to indulge his own ignorance.
 
ScooterCT said:
https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2017/Chevrolet/BOLT%20EV/Owner's%20Manual.pdf

Page 246 of the online manual will hopefully educate those of you still ignorant and irresponsible enough to consider towing with the Bolt.I quote: "The vehicle is neither designed nor intended to tow a trailer."

I'm an engineer, not a lawyer, so take my interpretation of that sentence with a grain of salt. But I strongly suspect that section in the owner's manual is Chevy's way of telling you that you'll be sued into poverty when your brakes fail or you lose control of your Bolt under sudden hard braking with a trailer and load for which this overweight and under equipped vehicle was MOST DEFINITELY NOT DESIGNED TO HANDLE. And you'll void your warranty. And you'll probably be fined or lose your license if caught. That's after the state policeman laughs himself silly and recovers enough to write the citation - you might try to escape while he/she is ROTFL with me.

And, best of all, you'll be immortalized on a YouTube video after you wreck your Bolt - you know, along with all the other imbeciles that do ignorant and irresponsible things with cars.

But I expect some bonehead (like in this thread above) will still put the travelling public at risk just to indulge his own ignorance.

I would like to point out that there are two fuses on the Bolt EV that are identified for Trailer Interface Modules, so it does appear that the Bolt EV is design to pull trailers even if the Owners Manual says it is not. The Curt trailer hitch for the Bolt EV has eyes for trailer changes and was available even before the Bolt EV even came out, so there were manufactures planning for the Bolt EV to tow long before the Bolt EV went into production. I don't think there is single BEV or PHEV on the road that doesn't have trailer hitches and trailer wiring harness available for and I haven't heard of a single case where any BEV or PHEV lost it's warranty or got a ticket because it was pulling a trailer.

A lot of your post is just ridiculous and has no basis in reality. Your never going to lose control or have your brakes fail if you never have more than a moderate trailer load and you drive responsibly. Chevrolet is not going to void your warranty just because you have a trailer hitch and they would have to prove that pulling a trailer caused a problem before they could refuse to make a repair. No state is ever going to fine you or pull your license if you are pulling a trailer that does not exceed the hitch rating and it's extremely unlikely you would ever get pulled over unless you were pulling something ridiculous.
 
The Bolt was built in two years, or about five years faster than normal. They probably grabbed a fuse box from the corporate parts bin. Remember, vehicles from a maker share parts all the time. And the Bolt is built on a shared platform.

Tow away dude. You're obviously far more brilliant than all the design and product safety engineers at GM.

s
 
Page 246 of Bolt owner's manual: "The vehicle is neither designed nor intended to tow a trailer."

For those of you out there who just don't care about the above, or who think it's just legalese that you can safely ignore (hey, you might be right - maybe the Bolt is an outstanding tow vehicle).

1. For your own protection, contact your insurance provider before you tow. Show them the statement above. Ask if they will cover you in the event of an accident, even though you are performing an action explicitly disallowed by the manufacturer of the vehicle. Get their answer in writing. Personally, I would love to be the lawyer on the other side of the bar after your accident, but that's another thread.

2. Also, and this is for your protection, not mine. Call your state police. Read the statement from the manual. Then explain you intend to tow. And ask if they have a problem with that.

3. Lastly, go to your purchasing Chevy dealer and talk to the service manager. Show them page 246 of the manual. Explain to them you intend to fit a hitch and tow your Bolt. Ask if it in any way invalidates your Bolt warranty.

Or don't do any of the above, because you're an incredibly irresponsible blockhead.
 
Back
Top