First Road Trip and Impressions

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GetOffYourGas

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2015
Messages
1,181
Location
Syracuse, NY
Last week I took delivery of my new Bolt Premier. I immediately turned around and took it on a 687-mile road trip from Syracuse, NY to Newport, RI and back. Here are my thoughts and experiences from the perspective of a satisfied owner.

Background
I have been driving a Nissan Leaf for 5.5 years. When new, it provided about 75 miles of range. Over time, that has slowly decreased, and I was down to about 60 miles when I traded it. It had a maximum charge rate of 3.6kW (no QC port), so I was used to using it as a local-only vehicle. The point of all of this is that I am versed in the pros and cons of owning and driving an EV. I know how much speed and cold kills range. I am also used to the Leaf's horrid "Guess-O-Meter" which does more to instill range anxiety than to allay it. The Bolt's range meter is not deserving of that name, but more on that later.

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All packed up and ready to roll

Seat Comfort
At the forefront of my mind was seat comfort, thanks to many voices on this forum and others. I found the seats to be a little too firm, but not uncomfortable. Having sat in them for several hours straight, I am no longer concerned about them. I know many feel differently, and I'm not trying to diminish their concerns. Just that they are not a problem for me.

Navigation
Another concern of mine was navigation. The Bolt does not have built-in nav but relies on a smart phone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. I admit, I was a loud complainer about this fact, and it still bothers me a little. I do have an iPhone, and the CarPlay worked seemlessly. However, I had to take the phone out of my pocket, and make sure that I had the lightning cable. Minor hassles. At one point in my trip, I did not need navigation, so I didn't plug in the phone. I am used to having a map on the center screen while driving, but even that is not available without the phone providing it. Another minor irritation. I also still have concerns about navigation in remote locations, like when I'm trying to find a trailhead in the Green Mountains, for example. I know that cell phone service goes dark up in the mountains, and I would lose one of the great advancements in modern travel. Overall, while I like it when it works, it fails to work in several regular situations in which a true built-in nav would not.

Range Prediction
This is one of the most eye-opening experiences of driving a Bolt. The range predictor is amazingly accurate. I used the min/max/expected view, and seemed to track the expected spot-on. There were times when I knew the range would drop (for instance, when I had been driving at 55MPH, and then got onto the highway at 65MPH). The range predictor showed me that I was clearly less efficient than I had been, and was trending towards the min. The opposite happened when I got off the highway. Whereas in the Leaf I learned to expect initial range to drop like a stone, in the Bolt the car upheld its initial promise, and delivered. If this experience holds up, I cannot ever excuse myself for refering to the range predictor as a Guess-O-Meter or GOM.

Charging Performance
I had read up on this mystical "quick" charging thing, but never experienced it first hand until I was 150 miles from home, deep into my journey towards the coast. All of the QC I used were nominally 50kW units. This means that they provide up to 500V and 100A. Of course, the Bolt never gets anywhere near 500V. What I observed was that the car would pin the current at 100A as the voltage would slowly rise to about 370V (37kW). At this point, the voltage would remain constant, but the current would step down to about 63A (~23kW). This is all what I had expected, thanks to threads like this one: http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/vi...0&sid=644aa34ad782d00e6f6ea6baaafd4db7#p22910. I don't understand why there is a huge step down in current rather than a more gradual ramp, but that's what I get. So thank you, Zoomit, for the incredibly helpful and informative graphs!

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The end of a typical charge session. At this point, I had hit the first taper point and was pulling 62A at 387 V (24kW).

I stopped 6 time over my journey for charging. A typical stop for me was about 30-45 minutes. I spent the the time doing a variety of things - eating breakfast, eating lunch, reading a book, checking in on social media (to share my journey with my friends), and grocery shopping for the weekend. For the most part, the time flew by. Only once did I really notice the extra wait. Although one of my mistakes was stopping to charge too early. Being unfamiliar with the car and the chargers, I was playing it safe. As a result, every charge session hit the taper point, and I received less energy overall than if I had driven deeper into the battery.

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Not normally a fan of DD, but they have a charger so I had breakfast.

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Plenty to do at this charging stop

Charging Network
This is my biggest gripe, and it has nothing to do with the car. The QC worked very well. The locations were so-so. All had things to do, but only one had a cafe available! For a coffee drinker like myself, this was disappointing. All of them also had a single QC. The single point of failure led me to be more cautious, and I was charging much sooner than I could have, as noted above. Luckily, they all worked and I did not have to wait behind any other cars. All of the chargers were EVGo. I know that isn't the most favorable company on this forum, but beggers can't be choosers.

Every charger I used welcomed me with a screen announcing that Nissan Leafs with No-Charge-To-Charge charge there for free. In other words, Nissan is subisidizing what little infrastructure we have. BMW was mentioned on some (but not all) of them as well. GM has stated in the past that they have no plans to help subsidize the growth of the network. I think this is a big mistake and I hope they reconsider it. The Bolt is a huge step forward. When paired with a robust QC network, it could be revolutionary.

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At Newport - no destination charging here!

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Round-Trip stats

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More Road-Trip stats

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Energy Score. Certainly not hypermiling this trip!

Conclusion
So overall, I am blown away by this car. I started out the trip being a little nervous. Afterall, I was about to drive the number of miles in one weekend that I used to drive in a month with the Leaf. The Bolt has opened a whole new world of electric travel to me, and I cannot wait to stretch it even farther. Now I just need to start pushing on companies to consider installing DC chargers...
 
Very nice report, thank you.

I miss the built in nav too. We were up in Vermont last weekend and Apple maps went blank a few times. Now we pack our old Garmin for backup.

But I don't miss the short range. Every time we get down to 1/4, I think, ya, that's about a full Leaf.
 
Great report, and you picked the best colour for your Bolt, too!

Here in Vancouver BC we have a not-too-bad quick charging network that stretches into the interior and down the coast all the way to California, so I'm looking forward to some road trips too. Great to know that yours went so well.
 
Thanks guys.

Now that I'm home, I am trying to keep the average SoC between 40-60%. I set the timer for about 4 hours after I leave, so it's at about 60% at the end of the day. I also enabled the "priority charge" feature which automatically tops it up to 40% regardless of the timer. I quickly realized that 40% charge was far more energy than my Leaf had at 100%.

I love this color, too. I have seen it in every color offered, and the Kinetic Blue is my favorite.
 
I probably won't do this exact trip again, but if I did, I would probably only stop 4 times over the trip, instead of 6. The first would probably be Auburn, MA. But I wouldn't try to charge past the taper point either, so I'd never go above about 70% except when I started. The trip is overall faster that way.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
Last week I took delivery of my new Bolt Premier.

Background
I am also used to the Leaf's horrid "Guess-O-Meter" which does more to instill range anxiety than to allay it. The Bolt's range meter is not deserving of that name, but more on that later.Thank you for this! I am sick and tired of others demeaning the Bolt EV's Mileage Gauge

Seat Comfort
I'm not trying to diminish their concerns. Just that they are not a problem for me. Subjective, but I agree and I enjoy the "lumbar effect the seats have on my back!

Navigation
Another concern of mine was navigation. The Bolt does not have built-in nav but relies on a smart phone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. I admit, I was a loud complainer about this fact, and it still bothers me a little. Thank you for this! I have been roundly ridiculed on this forum for my continued voicing of my beliefs on the "missing Nav" promised to us by GM CEO Mary Barra at the 2016 CES Keynote speech!

Range Prediction
This is one of the most eye-opening experiences of driving a Bolt... If this experience holds up, I cannot ever excuse myself for refering to the range predictor as a Guess-O-Meter or GOM.Thank you for this!

Charging Performance
I spent the the time doing a variety of things - eating breakfast, eating lunch, reading a book, checking in on social media (to share my journey with my friends), and grocery shopping for the weekend. For the most part, the time flew by. Only once did I really notice the extra wait. Although one of my mistakes was stopping to charge too early. Being unfamiliar with the car and the chargers, I was playing it safe. Kudos to YOU!

Charging Network
GM has stated in the past that they have no plans to help subsidize the growth of the network. I think this is a big mistake and I hope they reconsider it. The Bolt is a huge step forward. When paired with a robust QC network, it could be revolutionary.I could not agree more!

Conclusion
So overall, I am blown away by this car. I started out the trip being a little nervous. Afterall, I was about to drive the number of miles in one weekend that I used to drive in a month with the Leaf. The Bolt has opened a whole new world of electric travel to me, and I cannot wait to stretch it even farther. Now I just need to start pushing on companies to consider installing DC chargers...
Welcome to the Future!

The Model 3 is in production "hell" but we are driving to our hearts content!

14,000+ for me...
 
Thanks for posting your experience, Brian...and congratulations again.

To me, the inside of the Bolt feels a little narrow though headroom & legroom were fine. Just from a "feel" standpoint, does the Bolt's cabin feel larger or smaller than the Leaf, and if you can, describe the real-life / practical differences between the cargo areas (though on that point, I understand if it's too soon - you just got the car!). I carry a lot of stuff around, and prefer not to keep folding the rear seats.

4.59 miles / kWh is impressive for the trip - even without the use of HVAC. You mentioned you could see the range estimate fall as you hit 65 mph...so did you do most of the trip at 55?
 
MichaelLAX - Thanks! Keep driving into the future :)

Oilerlord - Thanks!

I agree that the Bolt feels narrower than the Leaf.
Both cars have more headroom than I wish they did. I simply don't need it, and the extra height adds extra wind resistance. Plus, the height makes the car look a little awkward.
The Bolt seems to have more legroom, especially for the front passenger. My wife's purse is not under foot like it was on the Leaf and is on the CMax.
Overall, the Bolt feels smaller on the inside than the Leaf.

You're right about the luggage space - it's too soon to tell. I only took a duffle bag and a small backpack with me on this trip. When I make my next trip to BJ's, I'll have a much better sense of the trunk space. From specs, the Bolt is larger - 16.9 cubic ft to the Leaf's 14.5 cubic ft. (Note that I had a 2012 Leaf with the "hump" in the trunk which was removed in the 2013+ models, yielding a total of 24 cubic ft). The Bolt's trunk looks smaller, but I have the false floor and the cargo shade installed. I have stowed the false floor, but haven't removed it completely. Again, I will know for certain when I do some serious shopping.
 
oilerlord said:
4.59 miles / kWh is impressive for the trip - even without the use of HVAC. You mentioned you could see the range estimate fall as you hit 65 mph...so did you do most of the trip at 55?

I forgot to address this question. I too was impressed with the efficiency. I would estimate that about 60% of my miles were done at 65MPH, about 30% at 55MPH and 10% at surface-street speeds (i.e. no greater than 45MPH). I didn't ever coast in neutral or draft, simply set the CC and let it ride. I did also boost my tire pressure to 42PSI which helps coasting.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
You're right about the luggage space - it's too soon to tell. I only took a duffle bag and a small backpack with me on this trip. When I make my next trip to BJ's, I'll have a much better sense of the trunk space. From specs, the Bolt is larger - 16.9 cubic ft to the Leaf's 14.5 cubic ft. (Note that I had a 2012 Leaf with the "hump" in the trunk which was removed in the 2013+ models, yielding a total of 24 cubic ft). The Bolt's trunk looks smaller, but I have the false floor and the cargo shade installed. I have stowed the false floor, but haven't removed it completely. Again, I will know for certain when I do some serious shopping.

I think the Bolt's overall cargo area (rear-seats folded) is actually a little larger than my B250e, but how it's configured is a compromise for me. I really liked the Spark EV, and while rear-seat legroom was fine, the space behind the rear seats doesn't work for us. The Bolt seems similarly designed for rear passenger comfort at the expense of cargo space. I really like that our dog crate fits perfectly behind the rear seats, something that wouldn't happen with the Bolt. I'm not sure (yet) if that's a deal breaker, or just an inconvenience but I'm looking forward to see if GM comes out with an EV about the size of an Equinox - even if the added size results in a drop in range / efficiency.
 
Cargo space with the rear seats up is really all that matters to me. I have kids, so if I'm hauling stuff, I almost always have rear passengers. And of course, leg room is less important for young kids than for adults. I have the luxury of having access to my father's minivan whenever I need to haul truly large stuff, so seat-down cargo room is never really an issue.
 
GetOffYourGas-

The whole “energy score” thingy is a joke.
Meaningless.
Pointless.

The software in it sucks.
It lowers your score the more you hypermile!
And apparently 100 degrees F is optimim (of coarse with no air conditioning) according to mine.

Miles per kWh is the only score you want to watch.
It is pretty darn accurate, and consistent.
4.6 miles per kWh is EXCELLENT!

5.0 is hypermiler
4.0 is good
3.0 is average with some highway and climate control
2.5 is below average
2.0 is poor

Chevy / EPA rate the car based on 3.9 kWh.
(3.9 x 60 kWh battery = 234 miles per “fillup”.)
 
I hauled my boat this weekend, and stuffed the trunk full of lifejackets, fenders, sails, the outboard, etc. Without the false floor or the cargo shade, it feels similar in size to the Leaf's trunk. It actually isn't as deep as the Leaf's because the floor actually still has that foam block underneath it.

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GPSMan -
That's my impression too. Half of those factors are beyond my control anyway (terrain and outside temp). My driving technique was not particularly conservative. I didn't do any jack-rabbit starts, but I was not feathering the accelerator either. I was simply driving. As noted above, the only thing that I did do was stay within the speed limit. I know some people balk at that idea, but I drive all my cars about the same way. What may be surprising to people is how many cars and trucks I passed who were going under the speed limit. Even in Massachusetts (for those not in the northeast, Massachusetts drivers have a bit of a reputation. I'll spare you the nickname they're given...). For those who cruise at 80+, the good news is that the Bolt is perfectly capable of that. The bad news is that physics catches up to you real quickly at those speeds, and kills your efficiency.
 
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