Bolts in Arizona heat

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gogogut

New member
Joined
Nov 28, 2022
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1
Hello all,
First time poster.
I am considering purchasing a Bolt EUV and live in southern Arizona. I would love some insights from those with experience dealing with the high desert temperatures of Phoenix, Tucson, etc. I would love to know more about:
1) Range/Battery issues with high heat. For example, how much is range affected on road trips in the heat? My family likes to do trips to Rocky Point, which is typically about 4 hours and 230 miles with no charging options on the way. Doable? Risky with AC running and highway speeds?
2) Remote start and preconditioning. Does the Bolt do a good job of cooling the interior before getting in so that you don't burn your legs on the hot plastic seats? I currently have to put towels across the black pleather seats on my current car for several months in order to not king my kids' leg and minimize the heat radiating off of the seats.
3) Keeping the lighter interior clean. I have 3 kids and wonder if the lighter interior (Dark Ash Gray/Sky Cool Gray) gets dirty easily. My current black seats stay fairly clean, but as stated above, they get too hot for my kids to use during the summer. So color choice comes down to the answers to questions 2 and 3. I personally like the way the lighter looks and hope that it will help keep it cooler, but if they get dirty easily, then I would stick with the darker color (Jet Black.Nightshift Blue).
4) Tire wear. Does the added weight of the battery pack mean that you go through tires more often? Arizona roads seem to thrash car tires, and I wonder if that happens more rapidly on an EV.
5) 12V battery wear. Does an EV go through the 12V battery even faster than an ICE car? I seem to go through a battery on my minivan every 2-3 years and wonder if the Bolt would similarly drain it quickly.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you may offer!
RJ
 
Yeah .. taking the car down to ~18 miles range is risky without running AC .. with AC it's not doable.

The Plugshare app is showing a single NEMA 14-50 electric outlet in Ajo (see pic). I believe the Bolt EUV level 2, 7.2 kW charger that comes with the car will plug into that.

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You can expect about 25-30 miles of range for every hour you're on that kind of charger.
 
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