Forbes: How Chevrolet is conducting final tests on Bolt EV

[klaus]

Interesting read

Full article here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2016/06/13/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-gets-closer-as-it-appears-in-residential-neighborhoods/#3016bb681db3

Images from article of pre-production Chevy Bolt EV caught in the wild:

 

[lukestuke]

I really hope my GM dealer and the dealership network does a better job of embracing these than they did with the GM Volt.

Last time I tried to buy a Volt the dealer spent 30 minutes trying to put me into a Cruze, and then another 15 minutes to try and convince me the ELR was an all-electric vehicle!

 

[evdriver]

Wow quite an extensive system, wasn't aware of all of the different lengthy tests they are doing on the Bolt EV.

On the other hand, you have Tesla who is on the rush to compress the normal delays and get vehicles out - and we all know why, but it is riskier for sure.

 

[Anonymous]

I think if you want a car with better quality control, the GM Bolt is probably the EV to go with.

1. GM is carefully designing and thoroughly testing their Bolt to get it right
2. Tesla is pushing hard to speed up the timeline on the Model 3 that is very highly desired and will help revolutionize the Auto Industry.

Personally I will likely still go with the Tesla Model3 because of specs and supercharging despite the bugs it might have (of course I will test drive and seriously consider a Bolt EV when it comes available)

 

[Anonymous]

Great article, thanks for sharing on the Bolt Forum! I don't always appreciate the complexity behind putting a new car on the road. Since we drive it every day and see thousands of them, we take it for granted!

 

[omar]

Neither does Elon (haha snap - just couldn't resist)

 

[openminded]

The most advanced and modern approach is to dispense with testing and have your PR department and Twitter account attack anyone who would even suggest your products have problems

 

[omar]

I bet the Bolt will be a reliable EV - the Volt is very reliable.

 

[Diggle]

I really hope my GM dealer and the dealership network does a better job of embracing these than they did with the GM Volt.

Last time I tried to buy a Volt the dealer spent 30 minutes trying to put me into a Cruze, and then another 15 minutes to try and convince me the ELR was an all-electric vehicle!

Yeah, otherwise Bolt EV market will suffer. On the other hand, a lot of dealers weren't certified to sell Volt but they now want to get certified to sell Chevy Bolt EV to make sure they don't miss out on two major electric cars.

 

[Anonymous]

Does anyone else notice that GM has testers who are dragging charging cords across their front lawn? That strikes me as the kind of thinking that will doom the sales of a car like this. The Chevy dealers and employees need to invest in their own home infrastructure so they can fully understand how convenient it is to own an EV. Someone who charges the car on a 120V outlet with extension cord is more likely to dismiss the car as a science project. Chevy continues to demonstrate they don't get it, and that picture is just a very small demonstration of that.

 

[DucRider]

Does anyone else notice that GM has testers who are dragging charging cords across their front lawn? That strikes me as the kind of thinking that will doom the sales of a car like this. The Chevy dealers and employees need to invest in their own home infrastructure so they can fully understand how convenient it is to own an EV. Someone who charges the car on a 120V outlet with extension cord is more likely to dismiss the car as a science project. Chevy continues to demonstrate they don't get it, and that picture is just a very small demonstration of that.

That's reading a lot into one picture. We don't know if the person driving that Bolt was visiting a friend, only had use of the car for a week, was waiting to get an L2 EVSE installed or anything at all really. We just have a Bolt charging at L1 with an extension cord. Did that with my Fit EV once a a cousins house at the edge of my range to prevent having to top off on the way home.
BMW has a 3 day test drive available on their i3. Probably better than 90% of those are charged on L1. When Chevy starts their overnight test drive, it will be the same. Maybe that was a unit that employees took turns test driving for a couple of days (you seem to assume they had it for a long term test).

 

[Rivu]

Does anyone else notice that GM has testers who are dragging charging cords across their front lawn? That strikes me as the kind of thinking that will doom the sales of a car like this. The Chevy dealers and employees need to invest in their own home infrastructure so they can fully understand how convenient it is to own an EV. Someone who charges the car on a 120V outlet with extension cord is more likely to dismiss the car as a science project. Chevy continues to demonstrate they don't get it, and that picture is just a very small demonstration of that.

Very interesting observation and I have to agree. Chevy Bolt dealers need better infrastructures.

 

[Anonymous]

That's reading a lot into one picture. We don't know if the person driving that Bolt was visiting a friend, only had use of the car for a week, was waiting to get an L2 EVSE installed or anything at all really

The article subject was extended testing phase. My comment was directly related to that picture included in an article claiming GM employees are doing extended tests. Without L2 charging and garage parking like the majority of EV owners, a tester is going to make poor conclusions on the suitability of a Bolt for their daily driver with 120V extension cord charging.

 

[mark111]

Wow quite an extensive system, wasn't aware of all of the different lengthy tests they are doing on the Bolt EV.

On the other hand, you have Tesla who is on the rush to compress the normal delays and get vehicles out - and we all know why, but it is riskier for sure.

It's better when they test the cars extensively. Makes the cars safer for us. I don't appreciate Tesla rushing the process.

 

[Anonymous]

It's better when they test the cars extensively. Makes the cars safer for us. I don't appreciate Tesla rushing the process.

These articles refute the "Tesla rushes things out" misconceptions.

http://www.teslarati.com/upcoming-tesla-autopilot-1-01-improved-fleet-learning/
http://insideevs.com/tesla-provides-autopilot-update/

Our Tesla has been updated with 3 major improvements in just one year.

Other auto makers do not have over the air updates, so can only ship the software once (for the most part) and then only rarely update it with an inconvenient service appointment.

I like Tesla's approach, and as an owner, I know all about it.