I love the "arm-chair" analysis and discussion format, you guys are making some excellent content. My wife and I looked at the Bolt EUV when we were considering buying an EV. The Bolt was surprisingly nice, I actually was more comfortable in that, than the Model 3. Eventually I decided on the Tesla for the sake of the charging network and charging speed. Given that we had the Tesla, and the kids are getting older (11,12,16), my wife took it on a 4000 mile road trip, from TX to AZ, AZ to NV (Vegas), and NV to CA (San Fran) and back. Since we had the Model 3 LFP, a total of 4 people in the car and driving in 114F and my wife's lead foot, it was amazing what she accomplished - the car performed admirably. Though it would have been nice to have the 2024 with the now updated range of 360 miles! She was averaging about 180 to 200 miles in-between charges. And a trip of the magnitude would have definitely been easier on gas as you can imagine she spent hours, which added up to at least an extra day on the road. On the other hand, there were many times she noted that the charges were a welcome break from the trip. EVs sort of force you stop and "smell the roses".... To summarize, we got the car with 4 miles on the odometer, it now has over 21,000. We use Tessi app to deeply inspect our information (which I highly recommend, highly - for your channel). It shows our degradation is spot on with the fleet average of cars of the same year, make, and miles. We're at ~3% loss, and we're withing .02% of the fleet average. Anyway, just sharing, no point to make in particular. Just that EVs are awesome, fun, and the FUD is just silly.
The Tessie app is great and now it has a new feature where you can actually see how much time you’re spending on auto pilot or FSD. It actually breaks down the percentage per trip, which is great.. I also was torn between the bolt and the Tesla and went with the Tesla model 3. No regrets there are, however I still have a soft spot for the bowl when I see them going down the freeway.
We have had a Leaf with the very unreliable and slow CHAdeMO fast charger and had major troubles every road trip. You think the CCS charger is large, try that one. We actually really like the car for day to day life, just not road trips. We have now added a Model Y and wow, what a huge difference. We are really looking forward to a long road trip with it. I love the videos and the real life experiences and information.
Great job again! As I said before, we're experiencing much the same contrasts in our change from a Bolt to an Ioniq 5. We make regular trips between the Tampa area and north central Ohio. The Bolt would spend about 5-1/2 hours at chargers and the Ioniq 5 spends about 2 hours charging. Our only gripe is the CCS reliability. We've never been skunked, but we sure have had to switch plugs a lot of time. Only two things kept us from getting an M3 rather than the Ioniq 5. One was the driver interface. I've driven a few and I don't think my wife would ever agree to learning how to master it. The other is that, around here, Teslas are about as ubiquitous as Camrys. Keep on driving & filming. 👍👍
The Supercharger network compared to CCS is absolutely night and day. Which is why I say that Tesla opening up it's network to all is the biggest game changer to EV adoption in North America since the founding of Tesla itself, which began the whole thing worldwide.
We recently purchased a Tesla Model Y. Tesla was running a crazy .99% APR, $0 down, and up front full $7500 tax credit. It just made sense to buy one. We installed an EV charger ourselves at home (husband has electrician background). The installation was very easy and done in one day. We use a Coop for our electricity out here in the boonies of Johnson County and they offered us a rebate for installing a charger at our house. We have owned the Model Y for 3 full months now and our monthly electric bill has only gone up $60/month with at home charging. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I have put nearly 6K miles on the Model Y in the three months because I enjoy driving it so much. Now my husband wants a Model 3 because he was so impressed with the Model Y. (He was an EV skeptic when we bought my Y.)
Is this Johnson County Ks? I purchased a used 21 model Y back in June. I’ve driving more miles in the past few months that I have on any previous vehicle. Been to Colorado (camping in the back) Nebraska, it’s just so easy and fun to drive. Can’t stay out of it lol.
I think the impact of charging speeds only really matters if you're the type of person who is able to drive for many hours on end with little to no break time, which is not the case for me. My longest driving trip to date is Seattle to San Francisco, which I did in 2007 using a gas-powered Honda Civic. Even though the car did fuel in 5 minutes, I found myself needing to stop a lot to stay awake, with both the frequency and duration of my rest breaks being not that different from the charging stops a Bolt would have needed to complete the same trip. It's also worth noting that if you want to go somewhere really far, like cross-country, the fastest way there is almost certainly via airplane, so it really doesn't matter what car you drive, as long as it has enough range to get you to the airport and back. At the time that I bought my car, the price difference between the Bolt and a Model 3 was over $10,000. While the Model 3's faster charging and supercharger access can be nice, I think I made the right decision that it wasn't worth so nice to be worth paying an extra 10 grand over.
I road trip a bolt a total about 3200 miles this past summer but my longest leg was about 530 miles One leg. Most of the rest of the legs were around 400 so although I did take long, I did plan out my stuff so revisiting something or exploring new area while my car charged. I didn’t find it annoying but then again I wasn’t pressed for time. I think it comes down to use case and you have to be very aware of what the car can and cannot do. Thanks to your planning videos i mapped out a very good trip with no issues in terms of charging or finding chargers or having chargers,available. Obviously there are many other cars would’ve made that trip a lot faster especially the 560 mile leg, but with two teenagers and a skeptical electrical vehicle passenger in my wife. My strategy was that we were supposed to be in the car long as possible, stop and charge while we explored….
We probably won’t take our Bolt more than 500 miles due to the stops needed. We have done 3 in that range and it takes 2 stops of 1 hr or more or do the trip each way. In our old car or truck it’s a one stop 10-20 min. Each way. We run 4.5 miles to kw around town at 11 cents kw from TVA and 4-5 times that on the road. We use Tesla and regular ccs units. I shoot for min 200 miles between stops as I hate stopping 😅. If we could charge at the Tesla speed we would go on more longer trips but we bought the Bolt in Jan used with one year GM warranty with 20 K miles like new for $10 K out the door from the GM dealer in Kansas. We love it for what we bought it for. 2.5 cents per mile local cost.
I've been driving Model S since 2016, currently 2023 MS Plaid. I also plan my trips with a spreadsheet. I travel from Sun City, TX to WI, MN and ND a couple of times a year. My last trip I logged all times for the first day just to check my calculations. It was 851 miles from SC, TX to Collinsville, IL where I spent the night. Planned to leave at 7:00 but actual was 7:10. Planned arrival in Collinsville was 8:20, actual was 8:13 so I was 17 minutes faster than expected. All Interstate travel was at 80 mph except for TX when it was 90 just to keep up with traffic. The leg from Ardmore, OK to Tulsa was not Interstate and was much slower. Five charging stops plus Collinsville. 15, 17, 18, 23 and 29 minutes to charge. The 29 minutes was excessive and I charged way too long because I went to BWW for a beer while charging. I've documented before that it's more efficient (time wise) to drive faster and charge more often. Hope this helps some who are concerned about "range anxiety". It doesn't exist with a Tesla on the Interstate.
Trips in a Tesla are so easy it takes all the adventure out of it. You need to make that trip in a base Nissan Leaf S with 40 kWh battery and chademo charging.
The cost almost doesn't matter. Most of the time I charge at home. Once or twice a year I *might* need to go to a DCFC, but at that point reliability and speed matters much more and even then I'd prefer to use a destination charger when possible.
Pretty amazing that Hertz has high mileage Tesla model Y for under 30K and base model Y under 25 K. Chevy Bolt EUV under 20K and Bolts under 15 K . Seems like a perfect opportunity to check out an EV.
With the Bolt, charging to 60% makes more sense. After that it slows down charging. With Tesla and other networks available to charge now, most trips can be done by charging to 60% and you spend less time charging.
When I was first Turo’ing EV’s to see which one I liked, the first one I Turo’d was the Bolt EUV. I’ll never forget pulling up to this big parking lot and trying to charge it. This is the very first time I’ve ever charged an EV. So I get to a EVgo station, go up to the unit and see this big plug and pulled it to put in the car. I literally thought something was not right. I just couldn’t believe it was so clunky heavy And I literally thought I was doing something wrong or it was the wrong plug. And it did not work. Then I had to go to another unit and do this again. All these companies that went to NACS has totally made the right move because we would maybe never hit for adoption if everybody was using CCS handles. There is no way somebody that might be handicapped, elderly, or maybe a smaller person could deal with that heavy cord and plug. So thank goodness we all are making the switch to the right plug. The one that is easy for anybody to pull in and out.
My main reason for buying a Tesla in 2022 was I wanted an EV that I could be confident in getting a reliable and stress-free experience when driving cross-country. At that time, there was no other car maker that could guarantee a seamless road tripping experience. I've never regretted that decision.
On your trip you where ICEd, and luckily the cord was long enough to reach your M3, you should consider carrying a extension charge cord. It has come in handy a few times for me. You should check it out. They’re only for destination charges and you have to watch the amps.
What I just heard was that for a Senior Citizen who has to stop every two hours (if you know you know) 😂😂. There is not a lot of difference. No question that Tesla has the better charging network. It would seem that your Bolt EV on the Tesla network would lower your Bolt charging time.
Chevy are bringing out a new Bolt in 2026 (after deciding not to kill it altogether). It would be very surprising if they didn't improve the DC charging speed at the same time. If they don't they will lose sales to competitors who do, like the Kia E3. These small EVs are where market penetration is most possible.
@@matthewprather7386 It must be noted that that speed is for the Tesla base model with the LFP pack only. All other none LFP Teslas reach 250kW charging speeds. So it's actually a massive difference between a Bolt and a Tesla. Most other Teslas would have done that trip on much less time spent charging than the Model 3 they used. The Model 3 LFP also has the least range, so other Teslas would need to stop much less often. The next model up, the Model 3 long range RWD, would do that same trip with around 10 stops only, vs the 15 stops they did on this trip.
@@ziploc2000 Manufacturers sometimes use the same model name on a completely different car for marketing. Mustang MachE is an example. Do you have any specs on the new Bolt?
I like Luke and Rachel’s channel, and the comments. I road trip in either one of my PHEV’s, so it is interesting to hear others speak about their adventures too. I am leaving on another road trip tomorrow. But I have it down to a science. Like I say on my channel, YMMV. For my trip, economy, and time charging, I can make 850 miles with 2 charges, (level 2, one hour stop at each location, one of them is always free, $2 per hour at the ChargePoint. 10 or 11 gallons, in 13 hours. Gasoline is $5 a gallon in Ca, but across the state line in Arizona it is $2.95 a gallon. so economy is 3.1 miles per kWh going south and 42 mpg. There is a 4300 foot elevation rise outbound, starting at 15 foot and ending at 1700 foot. On the return trip I can get 4.1 miles per kWh. And 48 mpg. I am still undecided on the Tesla, due to the cost of finance, cost of insurance, and the vehicle cost. My 2.45% interest rate has me content for the time being. I will rewatch the video again to see how much power was used. Thanks for showing off your adventures here.
I have a 2020 Bolt. I think it's great-- so far. I don't have time or money to road trip much (yet) and where I'm located, the charging infrastructure seems iffy. Haven't acquired the NACS adapter yet, which I'm hoping relieves more of the range anxiety when i can use the Tesla superchargers. Driving to work and back home is great. A few stops in between, also no problem, but watching the bottom number on the dash (minimum miles to empty) drop almost 2 miles for every mile i drive on the highway/interstate at 70 mph doesnt make me feel better. Havent been through a cold winter yet, but I'm expecting half the range im getting now (and im still in 80% jail).
@ziploc2000 Geico tried to raise my rates substantially when we got the Model 3, so I switched to Allstate to keep my rate where it was with a Subaru Crosstrek.
Great video guys. Quick question, did you use FSD much on your road-trip? I’m getting old and might have missed it. We have it again free for 30 days and I do not like it. I’m editing a video now about it and a couple other things. We did find out the exact same thing as your guys, we saved about 6 or 7 hours of charging from the Tesla to our Bolt time during our 1250 mile one way journey to south Florida. Stay safe
We used FSD starting on the second day. It was a big help on the trip. When we got back, it updated from 12.3.6 to 12.5.4.1 which eliminated most of the nag. But I do not like the new version either. The speed setting isn’t as easy as it was before. We have a video a filmed about, but it hasn’t been edited yet.
My Bolt has a NACS (Tesla) adapter. So that makes a big difference if you don't have to use those garbage Electrify America or EVGO chargers. But in the end my Model Y is much better on a road trip simply because of the lower charging times. One thing you did not mention is the built in route planner in the Tesla is way better too.
Keep in mind that the top half of a battery charging event goes way slower than the bottom half. For fastest throughput when road tripping, the goal should be to keep the battery charge level between 10% and 50% if you are able, which will add charging stops. This is only for fastest overall times on road trips. If you need more time at a particular stop (rest room, stretch, or food break), that’s the time to let the car charge to a higher percentage.
The title says "on road" and all we get is some obvious charging comparisons for almost 20 minutes. The bolt and the tesla drive differently, have different suspension, different safety features, different trip estimation algos, there's nothing about this in the video.
Haha. You know, I have a Bolt (second one now) and love it. However, I really prefer a true sedan body style over an SUV or even a hatch, but will admit the Bolt hatch design gives it amazing space use. Anyhow, I really like the new Model 3 because it's so much more quiet and rides much better than the 2023 and older cars. So a 2024 Model 3 would be a perfect car for my taste. But then there's Musk. And so I'm right back to my Bolt and did I say how much I love it? Great car without Musk baggage. It's great to hear them (GM) talking about a "Bolt family", so maybe I'll get a smaller Bolt sedan after all.
@@danielberning1240I never thought I'd be in what I consider an SUV. I think Bolt is about the best 1 size fits all design +/-, even better if they make variants. I like that 1st gen was in production for so long - reliability & parts.
@@rp9674 Sorry, I wasn't trying to say the Bolt EV is an SUV. When I got mine, the dealer tried hard to get me to buy the EUV and I said no. Overall, I just don't like SUV's. However, I do like the smaller hatch designs like the VW Gold as my favorite. The Bolt EV isn't bad looking, but I much prefer a nice car (sedan). Here's to hoping the Bolt family includes a sedan.
@danielberning1240 I was just saying to me bolt is an SUV I know it's probably a crossover or some other category, I too prefer the EV to the euv, size, performance, range. I like the look of the bolts, but could be a little better, I would also like a lower ride.
Rachel is a dance teacher. 5,6,7,8 is what a lot of dance teachers and choreographers use those numbers to count beats before the dancers begin. It happens so often that there’s a joke that those are the only numbers dance teachers know, so…..they’re the only wines on the clock.
Cost of Non telsa charger. A year ago was cheape today vs 1 yr ago. With inflation. Recalculate the current charge today if you charge on trip with Volt
Not really surprised the Tesla did better, we know it will charge faster than the Bolt, we know the Tesla charger network is years ahead of the patchwork alternative, and the Tesla is likely more aerodynamic at freeway speeds. But the Tesla Network is opening up to other marques including GM, so some of that advantage is going away. The Kia E3, a similar size to the Bol,t promises a 150kW charging rate, and will be available in the USA in 2025 Q1 (we are told). The Bolt will be returning with new battery (and motor?), no longer Ultium but whatever they call it, and it MUST offer 150kW charging or it will lose market share to the Kia E3. If the Bolt had 150kW charging and you could use the Tesla chargers, would you still hire a Tesla, or take your Bolt? Seems to me the saving the rental on the Tesla would be worth taking the Bolt. I object to the Tesla partly because of Musk's support of Trump. Trump has promised to kill the Biden charger network if he is elected. If that happens, who benefits? Musk, because everyone will be using his chargers. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours? For BILLIONS of dollars.
I love the "arm-chair" analysis and discussion format, you guys are making some excellent content.
My wife and I looked at the Bolt EUV when we were considering buying an EV. The Bolt was surprisingly nice, I actually was more comfortable in that, than the Model 3. Eventually I decided on the Tesla for the sake of the charging network and charging speed.
Given that we had the Tesla, and the kids are getting older (11,12,16), my wife took it on a 4000 mile road trip, from TX to AZ, AZ to NV (Vegas), and NV to CA (San Fran) and back. Since we had the Model 3 LFP, a total of 4 people in the car and driving in 114F and my wife's lead foot, it was amazing what she accomplished - the car performed admirably. Though it would have been nice to have the 2024 with the now updated range of 360 miles! She was averaging about 180 to 200 miles in-between charges. And a trip of the magnitude would have definitely been easier on gas as you can imagine she spent hours, which added up to at least an extra day on the road. On the other hand, there were many times she noted that the charges were a welcome break from the trip. EVs sort of force you stop and "smell the roses"....
To summarize, we got the car with 4 miles on the odometer, it now has over 21,000. We use Tessi app to deeply inspect our information (which I highly recommend, highly - for your channel). It shows our degradation is spot on with the fleet average of cars of the same year, make, and miles. We're at ~3% loss, and we're withing .02% of the fleet average.
Anyway, just sharing, no point to make in particular. Just that EVs are awesome, fun, and the FUD is just silly.
I have the Tessie app as well
The Tessie app is great and now it has a new feature where you can actually see how much time you’re spending on auto pilot or FSD. It actually breaks down the percentage per trip, which is great.. I also was torn between the bolt and the Tesla and went with the Tesla model 3. No regrets there are, however I still have a soft spot for the bowl when I see them going down the freeway.
We have had a Leaf with the very unreliable and slow CHAdeMO fast charger and had major troubles every road trip. You think the CCS charger is large, try that one. We actually really like the car for day to day life, just not road trips. We have now added a Model Y and wow, what a huge difference. We are really looking forward to a long road trip with it. I love the videos and the real life experiences and information.
Great job again! As I said before, we're experiencing much the same contrasts in our change from a Bolt to an Ioniq 5. We make regular trips between the Tampa area and north central Ohio. The Bolt would spend about 5-1/2 hours at chargers and the Ioniq 5 spends about 2 hours charging. Our only gripe is the CCS reliability. We've never been skunked, but we sure have had to switch plugs a lot of time. Only two things kept us from getting an M3 rather than the Ioniq 5. One was the driver interface. I've driven a few and I don't think my wife would ever agree to learning how to master it. The other is that, around here, Teslas are about as ubiquitous as Camrys.
Keep on driving & filming. 👍👍
We just got our 2nd model Y and loving it
The Supercharger network compared to CCS is absolutely night and day. Which is why I say that Tesla opening up it's network to all is the biggest game changer to EV adoption in North America since the founding of Tesla itself, which began the whole thing worldwide.
We recently purchased a Tesla Model Y. Tesla was running a crazy .99% APR, $0 down, and up front full $7500 tax credit. It just made sense to buy one. We installed an EV charger ourselves at home (husband has electrician background). The installation was very easy and done in one day. We use a Coop for our electricity out here in the boonies of Johnson County and they offered us a rebate for installing a charger at our house. We have owned the Model Y for 3 full months now and our monthly electric bill has only gone up $60/month with at home charging. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I have put nearly 6K miles on the Model Y in the three months because I enjoy driving it so much. Now my husband wants a Model 3 because he was so impressed with the Model Y. (He was an EV skeptic when we bought my Y.)
We drive the crap outta our model 3, and $60 is just about what it costs us too.
We may be in the same county.
Is this Johnson County Ks? I purchased a used 21 model Y back in June. I’ve driving more miles in the past few months that I have on any previous vehicle. Been to Colorado (camping in the back) Nebraska, it’s just so easy and fun to drive. Can’t stay out of it lol.
I’m in Johnson County, TX
@@LynelSeawood Same. I have never put so many miles on a vehicle so quickly before this either.😄
I think the impact of charging speeds only really matters if you're the type of person who is able to drive for many hours on end with little to no break time, which is not the case for me. My longest driving trip to date is Seattle to San Francisco, which I did in 2007 using a gas-powered Honda Civic. Even though the car did fuel in 5 minutes, I found myself needing to stop a lot to stay awake, with both the frequency and duration of my rest breaks being not that different from the charging stops a Bolt would have needed to complete the same trip.
It's also worth noting that if you want to go somewhere really far, like cross-country, the fastest way there is almost certainly via airplane, so it really doesn't matter what car you drive, as long as it has enough range to get you to the airport and back.
At the time that I bought my car, the price difference between the Bolt and a Model 3 was over $10,000. While the Model 3's faster charging and supercharger access can be nice, I think I made the right decision that it wasn't worth so nice to be worth paying an extra 10 grand over.
That bucees has become my go to for pre and post smokies backpacking trips. The supercharging and brisket sandwich go well together.
I road trip a bolt a total about 3200 miles this past summer but my longest leg was about 530 miles One leg. Most of the rest of the legs were around 400 so although I did take long, I did plan out my stuff so revisiting something or exploring new area while my car charged. I didn’t find it annoying but then again I wasn’t pressed for time. I think it comes down to use case and you have to be very aware of what the car can and cannot do. Thanks to your planning videos i mapped out a very good trip with no issues in terms of charging or finding chargers or having chargers,available. Obviously there are many other cars would’ve made that trip a lot faster especially the 560 mile leg, but with two teenagers and a skeptical electrical vehicle passenger in my wife. My strategy was that we were supposed to be in the car long as possible, stop and charge while we explored….
Love it! I don't think I'm built for hours of driving anyway.
We probably won’t take our Bolt more than 500 miles due to the stops needed. We have done 3 in that range and it takes 2 stops of 1 hr or more or do the trip each way. In our old car or truck it’s a one stop 10-20 min. Each way. We run 4.5 miles to kw around town at 11 cents kw from TVA and 4-5 times that on the road. We use Tesla and regular ccs units. I shoot for min 200 miles between stops as I hate stopping 😅. If we could charge at the Tesla speed we would go on more longer trips but we bought the Bolt in Jan used with one year GM warranty with 20 K miles like new for $10 K out the door from the GM dealer in Kansas. We love it for what we bought it for. 2.5 cents per mile local cost.
I've been driving Model S since 2016, currently 2023 MS Plaid. I also plan my trips with a spreadsheet. I travel from Sun City, TX to WI, MN and ND a couple of times a year. My last trip I logged all times for the first day just to check my calculations. It was 851 miles from SC, TX to Collinsville, IL where I spent the night. Planned to leave at 7:00 but actual was 7:10. Planned arrival in Collinsville was 8:20, actual was 8:13 so I was 17 minutes faster than expected. All Interstate travel was at 80 mph except for TX when it was 90 just to keep up with traffic. The leg from Ardmore, OK to Tulsa was not Interstate and was much slower. Five charging stops plus Collinsville. 15, 17, 18, 23 and 29 minutes to charge. The 29 minutes was excessive and I charged way too long because I went to BWW for a beer while charging. I've documented before that it's more efficient (time wise) to drive faster and charge more often. Hope this helps some who are concerned about "range anxiety". It doesn't exist with a Tesla on the Interstate.
Trips in a Tesla are so easy it takes all the adventure out of it. You need to make that trip in a base Nissan Leaf S with 40 kWh battery and chademo charging.
The cost almost doesn't matter. Most of the time I charge at home. Once or twice a year I *might* need to go to a DCFC, but at that point reliability and speed matters much more and even then I'd prefer to use a destination charger when possible.
Pretty amazing that Hertz has high mileage Tesla model Y for under 30K and base model Y under 25 K. Chevy Bolt EUV under 20K and Bolts under 15 K . Seems like a perfect opportunity to check out an EV.
With the Bolt, charging to 60% makes more sense. After that it slows down charging. With Tesla and other networks available to charge now, most trips can be done by charging to 60% and you spend less time charging.
When I was first Turo’ing EV’s to see which one I liked, the first one I Turo’d was the Bolt EUV. I’ll never forget pulling up to this big parking lot and trying to charge it. This is the very first time I’ve ever charged an EV. So I get to a EVgo station, go up to the unit and see this big plug and pulled it to put in the car. I literally thought something was not right. I just couldn’t believe it was so clunky heavy And I literally thought I was doing something wrong or it was the wrong plug. And it did not work. Then I had to go to another unit and do this again. All these companies that went to NACS has totally made the right move because we would maybe never hit for adoption if everybody was using CCS handles. There is no way somebody that might be handicapped, elderly, or maybe a smaller person could deal with that heavy cord and plug. So thank goodness we all are making the switch to the right plug. The one that is easy for anybody to pull in and out.
You got me on video at the EV show! 😂
I’m 60 , closing in on 61. I know 😂😂😂😂 I own a Bolt EUV the same color as his.😎
My main reason for buying a Tesla in 2022 was I wanted an EV that I could be confident in getting a reliable and stress-free experience when driving cross-country. At that time, there was no other car maker that could guarantee a seamless road tripping experience. I've never regretted that decision.
On your trip you where ICEd, and luckily the cord was long enough to reach your M3, you should consider carrying a extension charge cord. It has come in handy a few times for me. You should check it out. They’re only for destination charges and you have to watch the amps.
What I just heard was that for a Senior Citizen who has to stop every two hours (if you know you know) 😂😂. There is not a lot of difference.
No question that Tesla has the better charging network. It would seem that your Bolt EV on the Tesla network would lower your Bolt charging time.
It would save some time but Bolt still has slow 55kW charging rate vs Tesla’s 170+kW rate.
Chevy are bringing out a new Bolt in 2026 (after deciding not to kill it altogether). It would be very surprising if they didn't improve the DC charging speed at the same time. If they don't they will lose sales to competitors who do, like the Kia E3.
These small EVs are where market penetration is most possible.
@@matthewprather7386 It must be noted that that speed is for the Tesla base model with the LFP pack only. All other none LFP Teslas reach 250kW charging speeds. So it's actually a massive difference between a Bolt and a Tesla. Most other Teslas would have done that trip on much less time spent charging than the Model 3 they used.
The Model 3 LFP also has the least range, so other Teslas would need to stop much less often. The next model up, the Model 3 long range RWD, would do that same trip with around 10 stops only, vs the 15 stops they did on this trip.
@@ziploc2000 Manufacturers sometimes use the same model name on a completely different car for marketing. Mustang MachE is an example. Do you have any specs on the new Bolt?
I like Luke and Rachel’s channel, and the comments. I road trip in either one of my PHEV’s, so it is interesting to hear others speak about their adventures too.
I am leaving on another road trip tomorrow. But I have it down to a science. Like I say on my channel, YMMV.
For my trip, economy, and time charging, I can make 850 miles with 2 charges, (level 2, one hour stop at each location, one of them is always free, $2 per hour at the ChargePoint. 10 or 11 gallons, in 13 hours. Gasoline is $5 a gallon in Ca, but across the state line in Arizona it is $2.95 a gallon. so economy is 3.1 miles per kWh going south and 42 mpg. There is a 4300 foot elevation rise outbound, starting at 15 foot and ending at 1700 foot. On the return trip I can get 4.1 miles per kWh. And 48 mpg.
I am still undecided on the Tesla, due to the cost of finance, cost of insurance, and the vehicle cost. My 2.45% interest rate has me content for the time being. I will rewatch the video again to see how much power was used.
Thanks for showing off your adventures here.
I have a 2020 Bolt. I think it's great-- so far. I don't have time or money to road trip much (yet) and where I'm located, the charging infrastructure seems iffy. Haven't acquired the NACS adapter yet, which I'm hoping relieves more of the range anxiety when i can use the Tesla superchargers. Driving to work and back home is great. A few stops in between, also no problem, but watching the bottom number on the dash (minimum miles to empty) drop almost 2 miles for every mile i drive on the highway/interstate at 70 mph doesnt make me feel better. Havent been through a cold winter yet, but I'm expecting half the range im getting now (and im still in 80% jail).
Got a Bolt and a Model 3. NIGHT AND DAY.
The Bolt is a nightmare. The 3 is a dreams.
What's the insurance on each? I hear Teslas are expensive to insure, but have no data to support that assertion.
@ziploc2000 Geico tried to raise my rates substantially when we got the Model 3, so I switched to Allstate to keep my rate where it was with a Subaru Crosstrek.
Great video guys. Quick question, did you use FSD much on your road-trip? I’m getting old and might have missed it. We have it again free for 30 days and I do not like it. I’m editing a video now about it and a couple other things. We did find out the exact same thing as your guys, we saved about 6 or 7 hours of charging from the Tesla to our Bolt time during our 1250 mile one way journey to south Florida. Stay safe
We used FSD starting on the second day. It was a big help on the trip. When we got back, it updated from 12.3.6 to 12.5.4.1 which eliminated most of the nag. But I do not like the new version either. The speed setting isn’t as easy as it was before. We have a video a filmed about, but it hasn’t been edited yet.
According to Out of Spec, Teslas are more efficient than Lucids. In fact, Teslas are the most efficient cars they have tested.
Do most EV cars today have adapters to use the Tesla Supercharger stops?
Not yet. Some do and some don’t. It depends on the make of the car. They’re supposedly working on it.
excellent insite... i chose there Tesla model 3 for the same reasons over the bolt plus its more comfortable
My Bolt has a NACS (Tesla) adapter. So that makes a big difference if you don't have to use those garbage Electrify America or EVGO chargers. But in the end my Model Y is much better on a road trip simply because of the lower charging times. One thing you did not mention is the built in route planner in the Tesla is way better too.
Did it really need 15 charging stops, or could you have shortened it at all?
We could have shortened it. We just prefer shorter driving legs
@@SpinnerEV Were you charging to 80 or 100% each time?
Keep in mind that the top half of a battery charging event goes way slower than the bottom half. For fastest throughput when road tripping, the goal should be to keep the battery charge level between 10% and 50% if you are able, which will add charging stops. This is only for fastest overall times on road trips. If you need more time at a particular stop (rest room, stretch, or food break), that’s the time to let the car charge to a higher percentage.
The title says "on road" and all we get is some obvious charging comparisons for almost 20 minutes. The bolt and the tesla drive differently, have different suspension, different safety features, different trip estimation algos, there's nothing about this in the video.
Bolt: color matched door handles & a hatch - game over.
Bonus Bolt's musk free
True
Haha. You know, I have a Bolt (second one now) and love it. However, I really prefer a true sedan body style over an SUV or even a hatch, but will admit the Bolt hatch design gives it amazing space use. Anyhow, I really like the new Model 3 because it's so much more quiet and rides much better than the 2023 and older cars. So a 2024 Model 3 would be a perfect car for my taste. But then there's Musk.
And so I'm right back to my Bolt and did I say how much I love it? Great car without Musk baggage. It's great to hear them (GM) talking about a "Bolt family", so maybe I'll get a smaller Bolt sedan after all.
@@danielberning1240I never thought I'd be in what I consider an SUV. I think Bolt is about the best 1 size fits all design +/-, even better if they make variants. I like that 1st gen was in production for so long - reliability & parts.
@@rp9674 Sorry, I wasn't trying to say the Bolt EV is an SUV. When I got mine, the dealer tried hard to get me to buy the EUV and I said no. Overall, I just don't like SUV's. However, I do like the smaller hatch designs like the VW Gold as my favorite. The Bolt EV isn't bad looking, but I much prefer a nice car (sedan). Here's to hoping the Bolt family includes a sedan.
@danielberning1240 I was just saying to me bolt is an SUV I know it's probably a crossover or some other category, I too prefer the EV to the euv, size, performance, range. I like the look of the bolts, but could be a little better, I would also like a lower ride.
Me looking at the pillow trying to figure what it means 🧐
Rachel is a dance teacher. 5,6,7,8 is what a lot of dance teachers and choreographers use those numbers to count beats before the dancers begin. It happens so often that there’s a joke that those are the only numbers dance teachers know, so…..they’re the only wines on the clock.
Admit it, you like the Bolt better :)
Cost of Non telsa charger. A year ago was cheape today vs 1 yr ago. With inflation. Recalculate the current charge today if you charge on trip with Volt
Good point
Not really surprised the Tesla did better, we know it will charge faster than the Bolt, we know the Tesla charger network is years ahead of the patchwork alternative, and the Tesla is likely more aerodynamic at freeway speeds.
But the Tesla Network is opening up to other marques including GM, so some of that advantage is going away.
The Kia E3, a similar size to the Bol,t promises a 150kW charging rate, and will be available in the USA in 2025 Q1 (we are told). The Bolt will be returning with new battery (and motor?), no longer Ultium but whatever they call it, and it MUST offer 150kW charging or it will lose market share to the Kia E3.
If the Bolt had 150kW charging and you could use the Tesla chargers, would you still hire a Tesla, or take your Bolt? Seems to me the saving the rental on the Tesla would be worth taking the Bolt.
I object to the Tesla partly because of Musk's support of Trump. Trump has promised to kill the Biden charger network if he is elected. If that happens, who benefits? Musk, because everyone will be using his chargers. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours? For BILLIONS of dollars.
It’s a tough call. I like both cars, but if the Bolt charged faster we probably wouldn’t have bought the Tesla from Hertz.