I don't own an EV, but my impression of chargers is, there is Tesla, and then there is everything else,(which are reliably unreliable). I don't know what the reality is, but Mrs. Munro allegedly told her husband Sandy (she owns a Riven pickup), that they will never go on a long distance road trip in anything but a Tesla. Yeah.
@@jonahbert111 your pretty much on the nose their (at least in the US) I think a big part of it is Tesla stations rarely have less than 8 stalls at a location so if a stall goes down it's not as big a deal as at say an EA where if 1 goes down that's 25% of the stations capacity
We're in ohio with our 2023 bolt EUV and honestly, on the recent days that were -35 with windchill, we didn't have to go out at all. For the people who say EVs aren't ready, I think it's entirely dependent on your use. I'm sure it would make holiday travels longer and more planning...but we don't travel for the holidays so I'm not bothered by it. If and when we travel it's the summer.
@@williamegler8771 Why reply? Unless you're driving 200 miles to work every day I don't see how that's a problem. EVs are little snow plows, put on a good set of snow tires, crank the heat, and plug it in when you get back home, and you're good to go.
that was unreal to watch, just crazy how different this road trip was compared to my model y. I have hit full charging speed at those temps, but have a 30% hit on range if i had the heat up. really enjoyed this video, living life on the edge with the bolt🔌
Thanks for the video. Slower charging EVs and extremely cold weather don't seem to mix. Hopefully this gets better before they EVs are mandated. I hope for longer range, faster charging, and better availability of reliable chargers.
Somehow, there always seems to be a Walmart... ⚡ Really interesting trip report from a region we don't typically see much EV coverage. Thanks and Happy New Year.
Thanks for doing this. I think it gives people realistic expectations in regards to what to expect from a Bolt in cold weather. Certainly, the newer BEV’s are doing better with faster DC fast charging and energy efficient heat pumps. Still have a ways to go to match the convenience for gas, but BEV’s have really come a long way in a very short amount of time.
Great video Alex. I also live in Rochester and have had 3 electric vehicles now. Its good to see Minnesota's charging network growing. Be it at a snails pace. I had a 2017 Fiat 500E and even in the coldest of temps I could easily do my 40 mile round trip commute. My 2019 VW E Golf made that even better and could even take trips to the parents or in laws in the cities. The 2022 Kia E Niro with heat pump was a game changer. I could do 98% of my normal driving without worry about finding a charger. Due to life circumstances changing I don't currently have any of them. I moved this last September so I still need to get a level 2 charger installed at my new house. I am hoping within the next year to get either a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Audi Q4 Etron.
Hello neighbor! Hope to see you at the next Rochester Electric Vehicles meetup! I didn't know the 2022 Niros had a heat pump. I definitely have Ioniq 5 envy with that 800V architecture. Check out my JuiceBox install video if you're looking for tips on installing a Level 2 charger at your new house! ua-cam.com/video/WBevyuzKic0/v-deo.html
@@alexkno11 Are the Rochester Electric Vehicle meetups still at the Farmers Market at the fair grounds? I took my Niro to the first one they had there in 2022. Yes the Niro EX Premium with the cold weather package have the heat pump. I did watch your video. I would love to be able install my own charger but my garage is way under powered. It only has 40amp service for both door openers and all the lights and outlets. My step dad is an electrician so i will have him take a look and give a rough idea what would need to be done and how much it will cost.
@@matthewbraith6039 Yup, they've historically been at the Farmer's Market. I don't see any meetups on the calendar, but I'm sure some will be added once spring rolls around. My garage subpanel is only 40A as well; I figured the 32A JuiceBox would coexist with my garage door opener and lights, but not much more. I'd recommend a hardwired or NEMA 5-20 16A 240V EVSE. With that you can charge your Niro 0-100% in about 18 hours, and if you already have 12 gauge wire you can simply convert it at the breaker panel to 240V if that's the only outlet on the circuit. Interested to hear what your step dad has to say though!
Good on you to explain how cold temperatures effect battery charging. Many newer and higher performing BEV, like Tesla, Hyundia GEMP, Porsche/Audi etc, have very powerful battery heaters that will pre-heat (condition) the battery BEFORE a charging session so when you pull up to the DC Fast charger, the battery is already warmed up enough to take the full rate. That is assume there is enough extra energy to use for heating the battery
Definitely preconditioning when it comes to a new model three. it takes a lot of heat from the motors and other ways of scavenging than just pure electricity..
@@alexkno11 preconditioning in my Model 3 uses about 5 to 7 kWh of energy (depending on weather). It can be the difference between an hour+ charging session and a 20 minute charging session.
That was quite educational, neighbor! Thank you! Usually, I don't take my Bolt out for long winter trips here in Canada. I do most of my driving in the city and most of my charging at home (with a Level 2 charger installed in my garage). But, it's interesting to watch people do stuff that I don't. :)
It is good that you documented this and informed people that it is okay to run the heater when the charging rate is below capacity. It is also good that you didn't have any mishaps. The arctic blast brought the temperatures down to about the same level where I am at but we didn't have any snow. It makes me glad that I have a PHEV and could rely upon the gasoline engine when the cold was hindering battery efficiency and power outages/public charging station issues were sometimes making the electrons be unavailable.
It's definitely nice being able to switch over to ICE when it's cold out or if charging isn't an option. I just wish more PHEVs had bigger batteries and fast charging.
@@alexkno11 I am absolutely with you on those desires. Max "electric only" range and "does it have a CCS charge port" are the first two questions when I am looking at the potential new PHEV for this household. As a matter of fact, I saw your response as I was about to head to dinner and the place I am going has been chosen because it has J-1772 chargers within walking distance so I can get at least a few electrons while out & about.
EVs have come a long way in such a short time. I like to see what’s it gonna be like in 10 yrs. time. This video was a great eye opener. I liked it & learned some. My next vehicle is definitely an EV but to do it right, looks like I gotta get a Phd in it first … lots of research. Thx.
There's a bit of a learning curve, but I tend to over analyze a bit too much because it's fun. The range-o-meters and charging screens on these vehicles do a great job of taking environmental and driving conditions into account on their estimates. Given that, and a tool like Plugshare, and you should have pretty good luck planning road trips and finding out if an EV will work for you. Thanks for watching!
Great video. Very interesting. My greatest concern is getting to a planned charger and it not working. That concerns me much more than range anxiety. We have a ways to go regarding infrastructure
I agree, I've been especially nervous when planning a charge in a remote area with just one fast charger; it's great when there are at least two separate fast chargers in a town, or at the very least, a backup Level 2 charger that can pump in 20-30 miles/hour. But so far, I haven't been stung yet!
I own a Bolt and I have to say you sir have brass balls. Range goes down dramatically of course and many chargers don't work. I love my car for local driving but would never road trip in the dead of a MN winter.
I’m in Michigan and drive a 2020 Chevy Bolt. I’m retired so when it’s bitter cold out, like a week ago, I just avoid going out unless I have to. Even then for short trips to the store, doctor, family. I have been charging to 90% pending battery replacement due to the battery recall. In cold weather, my range is about 160 miles. In optimum warm weather it’s 250+. It handles well enough on ice and snow, I just don’t like going out in it. I did get stuck in a snow drift leaving my sister’s house on Christmas night but, with help of some shoveling and pushing by my nephew, I got out fairly quickly. Two gasoline powered vehicles got stuck there as well. ( It’s 50+ degrees now and the snow has melted).
@@alexkno11 Sometimes, if the roads are good and temperatures aren’t too cold, say above 20 degrees Fahrenheit, I may make a round trip of about 100 miles or so. Never had a problem.
You can get an adapter (at various outlets, including Amazon) that lets you use a Tesla destination charger with any J-1772 vehicle for Level 2 charging. It's about $160 and worth it when only Tesla chargers are available. It does NOT work on a "SuperCharger" but Tesla in Europe is already modifying it's chargers with additional CCS cords/plugs so we will be able to use Tesla Super Chargers in a year or so here.
Liked the video and appreciate your positive attitude. The Bolt ev (ampera) here in Germany is a great car but the charging speed is something that kind of kills the whole package. If at least the battery could be pre conditioned that would be great. My Ioniq 28 can charge mich faster but I think in those weather conditions I would not be much faster than you were do to the smaller battery and more frequent charging stops. You got yourself a new subscriber 👍
Thanks Alex you put together a nice and informative video. I did a very similar video with our ID.4 in the same storm only a bit further south in Texas. We were around 10° F.
Such a bummer these cars were limited to 55kW at best. Glad they're "fixing" it with the next generation. These are still great cars; I went with the Volt in the end.
If you don't mind saying, I'd appreciate knowing what tyres you were using in that weather. Thanks very much for taking the time to make this video. We had a cold snap that almost got as bad as yours, with temps in the single digits F. My range was about the same as your GOM was showing. That was the worst I've seen, after 25K reliable miles. In the warm weather here, it's not unusual for the centre figure of the GOM to show 300 miles or better.
Thank you for the video and android auto charging lession. My '23 Lt euv is scheduled to be built mid-January, and am learning everything I can about my first EV. It seldom gets colder than -10C (14F) where I live on the west coast of Canada. I always have snowflake-on-mountain winter tires on dedicated wheels, and on the Bolt I want to run 205/60x16 or 205/65x15 winters on cruze or sonic wheels; bizzak ws90s are amazing (they're like claws), but I use michelin x-ice now as they roll a little easier. I chose the Bolt because of price and efficiency (using less electricity is plainly less expensive); I'll charge at home most of the time, so the charging speed doesn't bother me.
Can't beat the Bolt when it comes to efficiency for the price! I've been thinking about getting a set of winter ties - curious how your experience goes when your Bolt arrives. Thanks for watching!
In the future I do think there will be indoor chargers in these northern areas (I’m in Michigan.) There’s no reason you can’t pull in and charge indoors (no exhaust problems) and I do think people would pay a premium for the convenience. They could install a lounge with vending machines (even selling things like AirPods, I’ve seen videos of that very thing in Europe at charging locations.) The charging area wouldn’t even have to be warm, just not freezing. It’s all going to be very different, but better IMHO. My Bolt is on order, put the deposit down in October so I’m hoping I’ll have it by March.
Indoor charging with lounges would be so nice! Union Station in St. Paul has a Level 2 charger inside an enclosed heated parking garage. It was probably one of the nicest places I've charged in a while, especially because it was cold out that day. Thanks for watching!
To be honest for a single person or grow couple okay without rushing u go far away but if u driving far with children i think is a bad option be in a charger waiting 1 or 2 hours to get same battery charger but thanks for taking u time sharing this video 👍👍👍
I have another video coming soon where I interview a young couple with a toddler. Spoiler: they've made road trips in their VW ID.4 and said they stop more for the toddler than to charge!
That's a good argument for why even the slower dc fast charging cars should have battery preconditioning. Huge difference between waiting 1 hour and 2 hours to charge when it's warm vs cold.
several EVs have options for battery heating in order to deal with cold weather issues. Canada spec in particular usually has this as standard For longer trips I'd look at retrofitting a Webasto somehow - several people have fitted chinese diesel heaters into the trunk space for this issue
I was charging at that same EA charger at Worthington 2 weeks ago. With my Bolt 2022 and the temperature around 14⁰F I was charging at 44 kwh. To put some real world numbers to EV driving in winter vs non-winter. We have a 2022 Chevy Bolt. In the non-winter months I am getting: With 85% city and 15% highway 4.3-4.7 miles / kwh (6.9 - 7.6 km/kwh) and range ~300 miles (480 km) Highway at 60 mph (97 kph) 3.9 miles / kwh and range ~250 miles (400 km) Highway at 75 mph (120 kph) 3.1 miles / kwh and range ~200 miles (320 km) In December I am getting: With 85% city 15% highway 2.7 miles / kwh and range ~175 miles (281km) The Bolt reports ~ 35% of the energy used is for the climate control. The Bolt does not have a heat pump and uses resistant heating. Most of these are short trips 1 to 15 miles. On the 256 mile trip from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls averaging ~55 mph (88 kph) with a 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 kph) headwind and temperatures starting at 15F (-9C) and ending at 5F (-15C) I averaged 2.7 m/kw with a range of 175 miles. We were driving in snow and the roads were not great which explains my slower speeds. Interestingly only 12% of the energy used was for the climate control. Much less than our daily driving. Which shows the initial heating of the cabin takes more energy than keeping it warm. Time I spent charging 55 minutes in Mankato (while eating a nice dinner at the restaurant across the street) and 44 minutes at Worthington, we would have only needed to charge for 30 minutes but as I was about ready to head back to the car I got into a 15 minute discussion about EV with the employees of Casey's. Keep in mind the Bolt is about the slowest charging EV you can buy. But it is also the cheapest. Most EV have 150 to 350 kw chargers, the Bolt only had a 55 kwh charger. But for the couple times a year I go on longer trips I can wait. My daily driving it chargers in my garage and I spend far less time charging it that it takes to fill up my ICE car with gas. Because you plug it in and let it charge overnight as you sleep.
I appreciate the stats! Interesting how your newer Bolt seems to charge faster at cold temperatures; would be interested to learn if GM updated the temperature-governed kW rate on the refreshed 2022+ models.
@@alexkno11 you are welcome. The charging speed may depend on battery level as well. I also purchased a Tesla to J1772 adapter to use with Tesla destination chargers. It won't work with Tesla superchargers but it works well with the destination chargers. I used it at our hotel. So if you need to go back to that site with the destination chargers only it might be worth it. I paid $159 on Amazon for a lectron adapter. I love our Bolt It is a great commuter car.
Unfortunately the bolt has different heat/coolant loops for cabin vs battery. They are 2 separate systems. GM really needs to add a battery preconditioning button to preheat the battery on route to the dcfc. Yes it will Rob energy but if the battery can get up to 70f it should pull 54KW.
We loved our BOLT, made two WASHINGTON TO MASSACHUSETTS trips towing a MYPOD camper. We had from EVs are a gimmick to you're adventurous towing with an EV...great vid man
@@alexkno11 -40 miles, that's with 2 adults, a 65 pound dog, a ARB cooler in the back cargo. Effortless. Camp grounds, America's largest charging network. The MYPOD is only 600 pounds, and we didn't need a heater at 20 DG
Excellent video. This confirms that a Chevy Bolt is an urban, daily commuter vehicle and not for long-distance trips. To be mainstream, EVs MUST be able to keep the passengers warm (i.e. comfortable) in frigid temperatures and be able to be charged quickly without needing an technical expert to operate the charging equipment. If this means sold-state batteries with their ability to charge quickly and have a very high charge density then so be it. I want EVs to succeed. We need improvements, however.
I agree with most of your points. I wanted to demonstrate that the Bolt is capable of a long-distance road trip in the dead of winter, and it is, but it's certainly not easy. However, I don't think we need to wait for solid-state batteries or more advancements for EVs to become mainstream. Tesla truly has the winning formula when it comes to cold weather performance and fast, reliable charging. I'm sure advancements will be made, but my Tesla Model Y is my only vehicle now and it's leagues beyond the Bolt in these key areas. Thanks for watching!
Very interesting and informative video. Short and succinct. I don’t understand why one would want to drive and EV and have to worry about getting to their destination in such cold weather?? Of course, I’m retired and set in my ways. I really don’t care to sit at a charging station for such long periods, especially in such cold weather. I live just north of Minneapolis so I know the conditions you are talking about. I’ve seen much worst temperature conditions in my life. The 1970’s had several extremely cold winters (temperature below zero for around 2 weeks). There are vehicles with better charging characteristics, but they cost much more than your Bolt, but perhaps worth it for these cold winters. The biggest issues that I see beyond the range capability are “price of an EV compared to ICE”, “length of time to charge (even up to 80%), and “lack of charging infrastructure at present”. Hopefully, battery technology will improve allowing faster charging times and longer ranges. Infrastructure growth will take time. Thanks again.
Not everyone lives where it's frigid. The winter storm dropped GA, where I live, into the single digits. That RARELY happens. When it does, I don't leave the house unless I have to, and I'm NOT traveling in it. I don't even have the wardrobe anymore to deal with snow and freezing temperatures, so...why would my car need to?
You can set charger stops for more frequent, less time at the charger. We usually on long trips space them at 50% or 150 miles to stretch and let the dog out
Same trip in a Tesla Model 3, no stopping to Marshall and the heat at 72 degrees, and with the Tesla Supercharger network you know in advance if there are any stalls down if you needed them. In this same storm in Colorado several E.A. stalls would NOT work because it was TOO COLD, nice planning on that one E.A. Can you pre-heat the cabin before departure. With the added return trip only one stop in Worthington @ 30 minutes and that was the ONLY Supercharging on the whole run.
It's amazing how much better the Teslas (and the supercharger network) are at road trips. Yes, I can preheat the cabin while charging, which is a definite must. I sure hope EA figures out the cold weather issues with those BTC chargers.
I like data, so I tend to go overboard. The car's range meter does a really good job of taking HVAC, outdoor temperatures, and driving speed into account. The car's Charging screen will even (accurately) estimate when the car will be 80% complete fast charging. I just like doing all the math myself to check the numbers. :)
Awesome video. I just put a deposit on a 2023 Bolt on Monday. I'm really excited about it. I'm not much of a road tripper so charging speeds isn't a big deal for me. Almost a hundred percent of the time I'll be charging from home. Because the Bolt does have slower charging speeds I assume the battery degradation will be a lot less than on cars with much faster charging speeds. So I guess the car will last much longer. Does that make sense? 🚙 🇺🇸
We love our 22 Bolt. We also almost always charge at home and the charging speed doesn't matter to much, but for those occasionally trips it will work.
Hi there West Coast, my feedback from the GM "Electric Folks" at the Auto Show was that the "charging curve", which they called an Algorithm, is limited due to their experience with the Bolt battery fires. Even thought their root cause analysis showed charging rate was not a contributor, GM will continue to "baby" the battery because they do not want another problem. I do agree that lower charge rates will lengthen battery life, but recent numbers on battery life are coming in better than expected across the board, so not sure if worth it.
If you aren't maxing out amps there's no reason to not max out heat while waiting to charge in the cold. And ya, if that coolant heats the battery all the better.
At -17 I got 2 miles per kwh so fully charged at 80% I get about 127 miles per charge. I have to add, I have crossclimate 2 tires which eats some of the range as well. works for me I only need 70 miles per day and I have a level 2 charger at home to charge at night. I wouldn't do a long trip in the winter but in the summer I will be ok. I don't drive long distances anyway I fly.
They're quite practical for most use cases. For times when its below zero and you need to do a road trip, then it's nice having another vehicle or an EV that performs better in the cold.
@@alexkno11 that is incorrect. They are almost never practical. If you have to have another vehicle for cold temperatures that proves they are not practical.
after watching a lot of these videos about charging in the cold, the one thing i feel would be of some help is a heater of some sort on the tips of these chargers. maybe im wrong but maybe a small heating element on the tips of the cable to keep ice etc from messing up the connection.
The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by General Motors from 1996 to 1999. ... It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed with wet batteries it was great for warm climate and the city , GM had a electric car in 1912 as well then
If you're doing a 480 mile road trip in subzero temperatures every week, then yes, a $25k Bolt EV isn't for you. But for periodic road trips and daily commuting, they're great vehicles.
Hey just proved how bad EVs are. If you noticed this guy did not look very happy while doing his road trip. You can tell it was a nuisance having to worry about range and getting to charging stations.
there must be some sort of battery temp hack. i watched a guy in Florida charge for 320 mi range. the temperature thing seems like a real downer for winter use
Im not against EVs but 45 minutes out of my day is a long time ! I work 12 to 14 hours a day can fuel once a week and it only takes 10 minutes with pay at the pump and im back on the road.
@@jo9732 When you buy an EV, keep your gas car so you can still use it 3-4 times a year you might need one for times like this. You can have both an EV and a gas car, nothing wrong with that. As for the guy working 12s a day, the car charges at home while you are sleeping, so you won't even be spending 10 mins at the pump a week. This is a journey he took through negative-degree weather, he essentially did a worse-case scenario to show you how it is, but for your weekly work travels you will never even need to charge in public.
@@ihateu1979 I live in Minnesota we have alot if worse case days. Then the power gos out im an essential worker charging a car might get someone killed but am vary open to the idea if it being a second car or truck. I do see what you mean words are hard to interput emotions im not being negative. :)
@@duaneulman9915 I understand, but if you aren't doing a 400 mile journey then you should be fine. In negative degree weather, many people have been reporting 150 mile range on the low end of the Chevy bolt. If you only refuel once a week then 150 miles daily on a full charge is more than enough for what you need.
@@ihateu1979 Everyone is differant with my job I never know if its 10 or 100 miles jobs sites change and charging not always available. Still not a working mans vehicle.
My diesel sedan can do 810 (Interstate) miles on a tankful. And at -5F I can have the heat at 75. And I can refuel in about 4 minutes at any one of 40,000 stations coast-to-coast.
@@1drhnsd1 And the electricity that charges your battery comes from moonbeams and rainbows! And the lithium in your battery comes from the lithium fairy,not by strip mining millions of square miles.
This is why I own a PHEV. My daily commute is all electric and around town. Long trips I can go 500 miles. I never gave to sacrifice heat, adjust my driving style.
PHEVs are great; I got my start with a Chevy Volt. The advantage full EVs comes with are lower maintenance and all electric medium distance trips. Longer road trips are doable but just require a bit more planning.
I’m surprised how little battery conditioning the Bolt does in cold weather. It doesn’t even seem to do very much, if any, heating while actively charging. Adding some more aggressive battery heating could improve charge times significantly. 20 kW is just painful.
It's certainly a test of patience charging at 20kW. I'd gladly give up a couple % of my battery to enable faster cold weather charging. I'd really love to do a cold weather fast charging comparison with a 2023 Bolt to see if they improved its charging rate. I think GM was just playing very conservative with the early Bolts in order to demonstrate their batteries don't degrade quickly (which they definitely don't, speaking from experience).
Different coolant for battery heating/cooling than for cabin. Battery heat level is about 2.5 kw (max) and cabin heat is about 7.5 kw (max). It would be nice to use cabin heater as a charge prep warmer for the battery on cold travel days, but that’s for later cars/battery tech.
@@allangibson8494 - hey, you may be onto something here! There is coolant in the bottom of the battery, so if you use one of those patch type heaters, the heat that would get into the battery would go a long way toward a pre-warmer.
crazy your car isn't turning on the battery heater. my 23 bolt euv turns it on everytime i highway drive and the battery is cold. even after it being plugged in and prewarmed for 20 minutes even. i wish i could control when it cycled, since it doesn't need to come on when highway driving. the draw itself should warm it. and the battery heater is a separate circuit from the cabin heater. they use the same a/c system though. i'm not sure what temp low is, but the setting above is the lowest i'd go in winter. mine says 17c. i drive with winter tires which i keep at 40 to minimize range drop from them. but i got the size for 16" rims for winter, to minimize loss again. think they are 1 size skinnier, but 2 aspect ratio sizes taller. or 205/60/16 i think to match the 215/50/17 height.
And the Model 3 starts at $45,000 and the Bolt at $25,000 in the US. The base model Model 3 is the only Tesla that qualifies for the tax credit (the rest are too expensive).
My biggest issue with the model 3 is I want traditional dash with cluster in front of me. Also, having to look to the right and toggle through screens to change wipers or turn on the heat via a touchscreen while driving seems an unnecessary safety risk. I like it otherwise.
Great video, but I have to admit, I just cannot see why anyone would want an EV with all of the inconveniences - sitting for hours to recharge, driving without heat so you can make it to your destination, more frequent stops than you’d have with a fuel vehicle, etc. Maybe it’s just me, but I never have an extra 3-4 hours in a day to sit around and wait on charging. I do think it is a great technology, very cool, but if you have to regularly make long trips, or live in cold climates like you do, it just doesn’t seem to make practical sense.
If electric cars truly catch on in America and we get to 80% evs it's going to explode your electric bill. And where is the gas tax that fixes the road going to come from. Charging cheaply at home will not last long. I will buy an ev when it's fully solar power and has an over 500 mile range.
Every video I see of road trips convinces me that EVs aren't ready to be an only car. That being said, will still be buying a Bolt in March but still keeping my truck for road trips, cold/bad weather, hauling, camping, off-roading, etc.
I'd say the Bolt EV isn't ready to be your only car. But with a Tesla, or a faster charging CCS car like the Hyundai Ioniq 5? It probably could be! But there will always be those fringe cases where a gas car would be nice. Hoping to go 100% electric some day soon.
@@alexkno11 I think for my use case a plug-in hybrid truck is the perfect “only” vehicle. I regularly do 500+ mile trips with a camper. Also drive in extreme cold and weather in CO mountains every weekend. It’s gonna be a while before any EV is good at that, if ever. But my trips around town during the week are usually never more than 40 miles a day which would be perfect for plug-in hybrid EV driving. Unfortunately no one makes a plug-in hybrid truck. If anyone ever does will probably sell the truck and bolt and get one.
Having to wait just to get to your next stop is a waste, im gonna stick with gas engines , people with busy schedules don't have 45min waiting to charge.
I pulled out my laptop and took a conference call during my Electrify America charging session, so it fits with my busy schedule with a little give and take. If you're a frequent road-tripper, I wouldn't recommend a Bolt EV. But it can be done!
@@jo9732 lmao. I charge at home 98% of the time (through the night). The two times that we've needed to charge outside of our home charger, has been lunch and dinner.
This is one of the big weak points of the Bolt's fast charging performance. To begin with it's pretty slow, but the fact it doesn't have battery pre-conditioning hurts it even more. Some people will thrash the battery before charging during cold weather (Heavy accel and regen) to warm it up. I'm not sure how much that helps since I haven't tested it myself.
Interesting, I've never thought to do that. I probably won't be the first to volunteer to do that, but I'd be interested in picking up an OBD-II sensor to create a plot of charging speed vs. battery temperature. I'm really curious if blasting the heat in the cabin before charging improves charging rates in cold weather. That on-road battery preconditioning in the Teslas sounds like a killer feature in cold climates.
I'm kinda curious how actually being buried and frozen in deep snow will affect chargers. Plows can only get so close so you'll either be waiting for the snow to melt or digging it out.
Looks like some folks are already doing that! There's a fast charger in Cantwell, Healy, Denali, and one coming soon to Trapper Creek. Source: plugshare.com
I feel like I've had similar adventures! That cold weather "fast" charging is a test of patience. Thanks for the video! I'm curious - do you work on wind turbines? In your trip you mentioned traveling to wind farms. I'm a big fan of green energy. Wind power is huge here in Iowa, as I know it is in Minnesota as well.
I work "virtually" on wind turbines, yes! It's pretty incredible how much wind energy we have up here in the Upper Midwest; I definitely keep an eye on the wind forecasts when I have flexibility on when to chage my car.
Great video.. documenting your experience.. If they manufactures would just add a button to allow you to select battery preconditioning.. the charging rate would be much better.. even some of the new cars don't' offer this. Tesla does it automatically when navigating to the superchargers. And they scavenge heat from motors and cabin to condition the battery. I could probably make this entire trip on one tank of gas in my Prius.. and it would cost me $40 in gas. And I would not worry about being cold, or running the heat. I absolutely LOVE the Chevy Bolt.. its a fantastic car for local driving.. Rideshare...etc. But If I got one, I would keep my older gas car for road trips I think.. Or get a Tesla that can do both.. But lots more money for the car. Just depends on how your going to use the car... and your time restrictions during road trips.
What you mentioned about doing this trip in a Prius is exactly the reason I've held on to my Chevrolet Volt. I seldom drive it in warmer weather though. This trip I took was to prove to myself it's possible to live without the Volt, but a more advanced EV would make it easier. I hope simple things like battery preconditioning get added to cars like this. Even if the new GM EVs don't have it, I should think they could add it down the line via their Ultifi platform?
@@alexkno11 Chevy volt is a great car too. Kind of a good blend of both power trains. Yeah I don't understand the lack of preconditioning in non Teslas. There are some that do it. But there are a lot that do not. The odd thing is that almost all EVs do some kind of thermal conditioning under certain circumstances. So I don't understand why they can't put a software button in there forcing a preconditioning situation for maybe a 30-minute window or something.
I'm afraid so. I could have probably eliminated the last 30m charging session, but I wanted to play it safe given the weather. Hopefully GM fixes the cold weather charging performance of the Bolt, as I would have only needed ~30-45 minutes of charging if it was warmer.
The bolts slow charging speed is so bad for road trips. One of the slowest charging cars out there. Which is why it’s one of the cheapest cars out there
@@_cjmccullough very true. It's why I'm eager to get into a faster charging EV at some point. But for many, it's the cheapest option, and while road trips take a little longer in a Bolt, they can be done!
@@alexkno11 I liked your video. It shows that there's many thing to consider when buying a EV. If you have two cars and intend to drive the EV mostly around town who cares if it takes 8 hours to charge over night.
Does your car not have a heating grid in the battery housing to warm up the battery in cold weather? I thought all EV's have this? Also, how did the energy cost work out; if you had been driving a hybrid like a Toyota Prius, which gets about 45~50mpg (depending on terrain and individual driving habits), how would your total cost for gasoline have compared to the cost of using these EV fast chargers? All of the public Level 2 chargers that I've used for my Prius PHEV are free, so I've never paid for a charge except at home, where my residential service is 11¢/kw-hour. Most of the Level 3 fast chargers that I've heard about in my city (Sacramento, CA) cost between 35~45¢/kw-hour. People with Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf cars here, report a yearly average of 4.5 miles/kw-hour. The closest Electrify America station to me is at a Wal-Mart, and they charge 43¢/kw-hr for either L2 or L3 charging. So if you can get 4.5 miles for 43¢, that's 9.5¢/mile. On in-town trips at 35mph (lower speeds extend range), the Bolt should be capable of 6 miles/kw-hr if you aren't using the heater or a/c. This is 7.16¢/mile. In my Prius PHEV, in Hybrid mode (burning gasoline on a long road trip), I get 55 miles for $3.50 worth of gasoline - that's 6.36¢/mile. In Minnesota in winter, driving a Hybrid, you would be heating the cabin with waste heat from the gas engine, and not having to burn electricity that you paid 43¢/kw-hour for. So it really comes down to where you live, and where you can charge an EV in your town, as to whether an EV saves money in the long term compared to the most efficient Hybrids and PHEV's. If you live somewhere with winter weather that never gets much below 40°F, and you can charge at home most of the time for 10¢/kw-hr (usually midnight to 06:00am with EV incentive discounts from some power companies), then a small EV (Bolt or Leaf) will be cheaper to run than most gasoline vehicles, and if gas rises back to $5.00/gallon, as it was for several months earlier this year, then an EV is definitely cheaper to run than a gas car, even a Hybrid like the Prius is going to cost more to run. But if you mostly have to charge at places like Electrify America, that are charging 4 to 5 times more than what residential electricity costs to charge an EV at home, and you live somewhere with extremely cold winters or extremely hot summers (forcing you to run the a/c several months of the year), then I don't see that a Bolt or a Leaf is clearly less expensive to operate than a Prius. As long as gasoline stays below $3.50/gallon anyway. This was a great Real-World performance evaluation, thanks!
Kinda surprised that you had to charge on the way. I tought it would get to minneapolis and you could just charge there. Even my 3 years old Kona would do that in -4.
My trip from Rochester to Minneapolis was easy. My work has a Level 2 charger which I used while I was there. I agree the trip from Minneapolis to Marshall should have been doable as it was only 150 miles. I guess that's just an artifact of the cold temps and relatively poor cold weather performance of the Bolt.
The Bolt is one of the most efficient cars on the market it is also the cheapest EV in the market. The range on a good day is 259miles. Below zero temps, will drop that down at least 40% giving you a best range of around 156 miles. The Bolts DC fast charging rate Is 55KW which is one of the lowest for a new EV. In a hypothetical 1-100 SOC the car takes almost 2.5 hrs to charge, which is quite bad. The Bolt is not designed to be a road tripper, it is a runabout to be charged predominantly overnight on a level 2 charger. Its 2023 11kw charger bats well over average in the home charging game (it used to be a 7KW one). Given MN's awful charging fast charging infrastructure (although not as bad for a slow charging car like the Volt since there are a few 50kw chargers) careful planning is required. I personally would not road trip a Bolt in extremely cold weather, particularly in Minnesota with its very poor rural cell phone coverage. You also "discovered" another cold weather demerit for the Bolt, no battery preconditioning that's why the battery is charging so slow in cold weather. The Bolt is a great EV for anyone interested in the lowest price and wants it for city commuting duty, even in the nastiest cold weather it can serve that duty with aplomb. For running around in the Minnesota rural byways....not so much, better keep a second gas vehicle handy, particularly in the winter. I'm in central WI, an area with similar characteristics to yours however I'm in the other end of the spectrum, with a dual motor EQS which has a battery almost twice as large. When the storm hit it was -14 (absolute not chill) here and the car delivered around 200 miles of range. Yesterday it was in the 20s, on a road trip to the UP I got around 275 miles on a full charge.
When ev's can COMFORTABLY do 500+ miles on one charge AND recharge in the same time it takes to stick a full tank of fuel in, THEN I will look into buying one. Until then no thank you!!
How many miles per day do you drive? If you can charge overnight at home, there’s no waiting for fueling for the miles you drive each day. No gas station stops - ever.
There has GOT to be a way to upgrade the cables from the charge port to the battery (they are crap and GM cites that as a reason not to allow a faster charge rate… and apparently deemed changing to a better wire too expensive) and a way to hack the BMS to allow for something more reasonable like 100-150kw
This is too much effort to do a simple road trip. It's like driving a gas car in 1912 along the same route. You have no idea if you will make it if one thing goes wrong.
I'll admit this was a tough trip. But this was a fringe case in subzero temperatures, in rural Minnesota, in a $25k EV. Soon, fast charging will be more ubiquitous, and the cheapest 2023 EVs will have much faster charging rates. Thanks for watching!
Android auto has something called "Game Snacks" that you can play while you're parked. But they're pretty basic and it seems to be more of a gimmick than anything. I thought an update was coming to Android Auto that would allow you to watch UA-cam videos while parked, but I haven't seen that yet.
So with these driving conditions in mind, how long would you say you could confidently drive before having to plug-in? I have a 160KM daily commute (Total there and back, one way is 80KM). I think okay, in the summer time, sure no problem but I do wonder when temps dip into the -20 degreess in the winter time here in Canada - especially as the vehicle ages.
In the worst conditions, I've seen ~50% of the rated range on my Bolt. So, that'd be about 130 miles, or 209 km. I think you'll be fine doing 160km/day, but if you can find a wall outlet to plug in to during the day, that'd be ideal. Good luck!
Thanks for this video. These cars are super cool for around town but this driving more than 100 miles is too much of a pain in the assets for what it is.
sort of waste of time plugging into a 120 v at those cold temps,,, all it would do is just warm up the battery,, very little power would even go into the battery,, likely days to charge
How would you like to fill up with 7000 miles (Ethanol) or 10,000 miles (gasoline) and do it in the Fall and again in Spring. The fuel is solar made for 3 cents/kwh and you get 120 MPGe or 3.56 mi/kwh HWY and 8.9 mi/kwh in city.
Yikes! Tesla charging is so much more convenient and efficient. Car will precondition the battery so it’s warm and can accept charge at full rate. And no app needed for Supercharger - just plug it in. My Model 3LR is also much more efficient than Bolt EV. I get close to 5mi/kWh at 80 mph. Heat pump also helps. New Bolt and other new EVs might be much better than the misery experienced on this trip.
Yes, Tesla has everyone beat when it comes to vehicle efficiency and reliable fast charging. The Bolt supports "Plug and Charge" on the EVgo network which provides a similar experience to initiating a session at the superchargers, thought have yet to try it. I've heard that on-road battery preconditioning is a boon to boosting charging rates at superchargers; hopefully other automakers catch on to that. Thanks for the comment!
A gas car is even more convenient 0-100% 500 mile range in about 3 minutes, i'll keep driving gas car till EV can charge 100% in 3 minutes ok i give it 5 minutes
I’m not sold on EV’s at all I just don’t have the patience for that concept of having to stop constantly hoping and praying that the charging stations are operable and weather affecting the range. I’ll leave that anxiety to you EV lovers
This giant winter storm has definitely been a good torture test for EVs, the charging network and the electrical grid.
100%
Fascinating. I'd always wondered if running the heat on a level 3 charger slowed the charging. Thanks for clearing that up.
that thing charges so slow that there is nothing anyone could do to make it charge slower lol,, other than plugging it into a home wall plug
Great video showing real world winter highway range in northern US. The first true range test I could find on the bolt. Thanks!
Nice video! Driving a Bolt long distances in bitter cold is really living on the edge. The charging stations really need to improve reliability.
I don't own an EV, but my impression of chargers is, there is Tesla, and then there is everything else,(which are reliably unreliable). I don't know what the reality is, but Mrs. Munro allegedly told her husband Sandy (she owns a Riven pickup), that they will never go on a long distance road trip in anything but a Tesla. Yeah.
@@jonahbert111 your pretty much on the nose their (at least in the US) I think a big part of it is Tesla stations rarely have less than 8 stalls at a location so if a stall goes down it's not as big a deal as at say an EA where if 1 goes down that's 25% of the stations capacity
As a fellow Minnesotan currently looking at a Bolt, I found this very informative! Thanks.
Thank you for sharing this. This is a real world EV road test.
Thanks for watching!
We're in ohio with our 2023 bolt EUV and honestly, on the recent days that were -35 with windchill, we didn't have to go out at all. For the people who say EVs aren't ready, I think it's entirely dependent on your use. I'm sure it would make holiday travels longer and more planning...but we don't travel for the holidays so I'm not bothered by it. If and when we travel it's the summer.
That is so cold! I was in the teens with my Tesla and I found whatever they do to heat the battery really worked
Some people are essential workers and don't have a choice of whether to say at home or not.
@@williamegler8771 Why reply? Unless you're driving 200 miles to work every day I don't see how that's a problem. EVs are little snow plows, put on a good set of snow tires, crank the heat, and plug it in when you get back home, and you're good to go.
@@williamegler8771 lol they wouldn't have to. I'm just saying I didn't go out. But a loss of 15% range wouldn't have meant I couldn't make it to work.
First class instructional video. Thank you
that was unreal to watch, just crazy how different this road trip was compared to my model y. I have hit full charging speed at those temps, but have a 30% hit on range if i had the heat up. really enjoyed this video, living life on the edge with the bolt🔌
I've certainly noticed an improvement in range, charging, and practicality since getting my Model Y! Thanks for watching
Well done Alex! I had the opportunity to drive one of these vehicles the other week and loved it! Sport mode is good fun 😃
Thanks Gabe! Happy New Year!
How's the ride quality in them? Looks like they'd ride really rough due to how small they are.
Thanks for the video. Slower charging EVs and extremely cold weather don't seem to mix. Hopefully this gets better before they EVs are mandated. I hope for longer range, faster charging, and better availability of reliable chargers.
Somehow, there always seems to be a Walmart... ⚡ Really interesting trip report from a region we don't typically see much EV coverage. Thanks and Happy New Year.
Thanks for doing this. I think it gives people realistic expectations in regards to what to expect from a Bolt in cold weather. Certainly, the newer BEV’s are doing better with faster DC fast charging and energy efficient heat pumps. Still have a ways to go to match the convenience for gas, but BEV’s have really come a long way in a very short amount of time.
Great video Alex. I also live in Rochester and have had 3 electric vehicles now. Its good to see Minnesota's charging network growing. Be it at a snails pace. I had a 2017 Fiat 500E and even in the coldest of temps I could easily do my 40 mile round trip commute. My 2019 VW E Golf made that even better and could even take trips to the parents or in laws in the cities. The 2022 Kia E Niro with heat pump was a game changer. I could do 98% of my normal driving without worry about finding a charger. Due to life circumstances changing I don't currently have any of them. I moved this last September so I still need to get a level 2 charger installed at my new house. I am hoping within the next year to get either a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Audi Q4 Etron.
Hello neighbor! Hope to see you at the next Rochester Electric Vehicles meetup! I didn't know the 2022 Niros had a heat pump. I definitely have Ioniq 5 envy with that 800V architecture.
Check out my JuiceBox install video if you're looking for tips on installing a Level 2 charger at your new house! ua-cam.com/video/WBevyuzKic0/v-deo.html
@@alexkno11 Are the Rochester Electric Vehicle meetups still at the Farmers Market at the fair grounds? I took my Niro to the first one they had there in 2022. Yes the Niro EX Premium with the cold weather package have the heat pump.
I did watch your video. I would love to be able install my own charger but my garage is way under powered. It only has 40amp service for both door openers and all the lights and outlets. My step dad is an electrician so i will have him take a look and give a rough idea what would need to be done and how much it will cost.
@@matthewbraith6039 Yup, they've historically been at the Farmer's Market. I don't see any meetups on the calendar, but I'm sure some will be added once spring rolls around.
My garage subpanel is only 40A as well; I figured the 32A JuiceBox would coexist with my garage door opener and lights, but not much more. I'd recommend a hardwired or NEMA 5-20 16A 240V EVSE. With that you can charge your Niro 0-100% in about 18 hours, and if you already have 12 gauge wire you can simply convert it at the breaker panel to 240V if that's the only outlet on the circuit. Interested to hear what your step dad has to say though!
buy audi e yrón
I recently purchased A bolt EV, I really appreciate that Fiat 500e came with standard heated seats as opposed to $1,000 upgrade.
Good on you to explain how cold temperatures effect battery charging. Many newer and higher performing BEV, like Tesla, Hyundia GEMP, Porsche/Audi etc, have very powerful battery heaters that will pre-heat (condition) the battery BEFORE a charging session so when you pull up to the DC Fast charger, the battery is already warmed up enough to take the full rate. That is assume there is enough extra energy to use for heating the battery
Having that option would be a game changer. I wonder how much battery preconditioning consumes vs. how much it helps?
Definitely preconditioning when it comes to a new model three. it takes a lot of heat from the motors and other ways of scavenging than just pure electricity..
@@alexkno11 preconditioning in my Model 3 uses about 5 to 7 kWh of energy (depending on weather). It can be the difference between an hour+ charging session and a 20 minute charging session.
That was quite educational, neighbor! Thank you!
Usually, I don't take my Bolt out for long winter trips here in Canada. I do most of my driving in the city and most of my charging at home (with a Level 2 charger installed in my garage). But, it's interesting to watch people do stuff that I don't. :)
It is good that you documented this and informed people that it is okay to run the heater when the charging rate is below capacity.
It is also good that you didn't have any mishaps.
The arctic blast brought the temperatures down to about the same level where I am at but we didn't have any snow.
It makes me glad that I have a PHEV and could rely upon the gasoline engine when the cold was hindering battery efficiency and power outages/public charging station issues were sometimes making the electrons be unavailable.
It's definitely nice being able to switch over to ICE when it's cold out or if charging isn't an option. I just wish more PHEVs had bigger batteries and fast charging.
@@alexkno11 I am absolutely with you on those desires. Max "electric only" range and "does it have a CCS charge port" are the first two questions when I am looking at the potential new PHEV for this household.
As a matter of fact, I saw your response as I was about to head to dinner and the place I am going has been chosen because it has J-1772 chargers within walking distance so I can get at least a few electrons while out & about.
Nice to see some cold weather videos from a fellow midwesterner!
EVs have come a long way in such a short time. I like to see what’s it gonna be like in 10 yrs. time. This video was a great eye opener. I liked it & learned some. My next vehicle is definitely an EV but to do it right, looks like I gotta get a Phd in it first … lots of research. Thx.
There's a bit of a learning curve, but I tend to over analyze a bit too much because it's fun. The range-o-meters and charging screens on these vehicles do a great job of taking environmental and driving conditions into account on their estimates. Given that, and a tool like Plugshare, and you should have pretty good luck planning road trips and finding out if an EV will work for you. Thanks for watching!
so glad i got a volt and dont have to really think about all this cold weather stuff but still save basically 90% on gas
Great video. Very interesting. My greatest concern is getting to a planned charger and it not working. That concerns me much more than range anxiety. We have a ways to go regarding infrastructure
I agree, I've been especially nervous when planning a charge in a remote area with just one fast charger; it's great when there are at least two separate fast chargers in a town, or at the very least, a backup Level 2 charger that can pump in 20-30 miles/hour. But so far, I haven't been stung yet!
I own a Bolt and I have to say you sir have brass balls. Range goes down dramatically of course and many chargers don't work. I love my car for local driving but would never road trip in the dead of a MN winter.
I’m in Michigan and drive a 2020 Chevy Bolt. I’m retired so when it’s bitter cold out, like a week ago, I just avoid going out unless I have to. Even then for short trips to the store, doctor, family. I have been charging to 90% pending battery replacement due to the battery recall. In cold weather, my range is about 160 miles. In optimum warm weather it’s 250+. It handles well enough on ice and snow, I just don’t like going out in it. I did get stuck in a snow drift leaving my sister’s house on Christmas night but, with help of some shoveling and pushing by my nephew, I got out fairly quickly. Two gasoline powered vehicles got stuck there as well. ( It’s 50+ degrees now and the snow has melted).
It's a great vehicle for commutes and short trips. Longer trips in cold temperatures are tough, but they can be done. Thanks for watching!
@@alexkno11 Sometimes, if the roads are good and temperatures aren’t too cold, say above 20 degrees Fahrenheit, I may make a round trip of about 100 miles or so. Never had a problem.
You can get an adapter (at various outlets, including Amazon) that lets you use a Tesla destination charger with any J-1772 vehicle for Level 2 charging. It's about $160 and worth it when only Tesla chargers are available. It does NOT work on a "SuperCharger" but Tesla in Europe is already modifying it's chargers with additional CCS cords/plugs so we will be able to use Tesla Super Chargers in a year or so here.
Liked the video and appreciate your positive attitude. The Bolt ev (ampera) here in Germany is a great car but the charging speed is something that kind of kills the whole package. If at least the battery could be pre conditioned that would be great. My Ioniq 28 can charge mich faster but I think in those weather conditions I would not be much faster than you were do to the smaller battery and more frequent charging stops. You got yourself a new subscriber 👍
Thanks for watching!
Thanks Alex you put together a nice and informative video. I did a very similar video with our ID.4 in the same storm only a bit further south in Texas. We were around 10° F.
Such a bummer these cars were limited to 55kW at best. Glad they're "fixing" it with the next generation. These are still great cars; I went with the Volt in the end.
I'm very excited for the Chevy Equinox which will have 3x faster DC Fast Charging than the Bolt. The Volt is a great car too. Thanks for watching!
@@alexkno11 check out the mazda MX-30 r-ev
@@BigBoss-kq8mb 😅
Very cool and a coincidence that I have family in Austin as well. Wish you good luck on your Bolt adventures.
Its interesting about how the heating works. (re: having extra power for heater but the charger is only using a finite amount) . Thanks for the video
I love the amzoil beanie in what is basically a a human torture test dealing with ev and winter :)
Haha yes, I didn't realize the irony until I started editing. They make great wind turbine gearbox oil!
Oh man ! So cold 🥶 I gotta do a review of the bolt - great lil car
If you don't mind saying, I'd appreciate knowing what tyres you were using in that weather.
Thanks very much for taking the time to make this video.
We had a cold snap that almost got as bad as yours, with temps in the single digits F. My range was about the same as your GOM was showing. That was the worst I've seen, after 25K reliable miles. In the warm weather here, it's not unusual for the centre figure of the GOM to show 300 miles or better.
I have Michelin Energy Saver All Season tires (which weren't inflated properly at filming). Thanks for watching, and happy Bolting!
Thank you for the video and android auto charging lession.
My '23 Lt euv is scheduled to be built mid-January, and am learning everything I can about my first EV. It seldom gets colder than -10C (14F) where I live on the west coast of Canada.
I always have snowflake-on-mountain winter tires on dedicated wheels, and on the Bolt I want to run 205/60x16 or 205/65x15 winters on cruze or sonic wheels; bizzak ws90s are amazing (they're like claws), but I use michelin x-ice now as they roll a little easier.
I chose the Bolt because of price and efficiency (using less electricity is plainly less expensive); I'll charge at home most of the time, so the charging speed doesn't bother me.
Can't beat the Bolt when it comes to efficiency for the price! I've been thinking about getting a set of winter ties - curious how your experience goes when your Bolt arrives. Thanks for watching!
@@alexkno11 -- I'll let you know :)
In the future I do think there will be indoor chargers in these northern areas (I’m in Michigan.) There’s no reason you can’t pull in and charge indoors (no exhaust problems) and I do think people would pay a premium for the convenience. They could install a lounge with vending machines (even selling things like AirPods, I’ve seen videos of that very thing in Europe at charging locations.) The charging area wouldn’t even have to be warm, just not freezing. It’s all going to be very different, but better IMHO. My Bolt is on order, put the deposit down in October so I’m hoping I’ll have it by March.
Indoor charging with lounges would be so nice! Union Station in St. Paul has a Level 2 charger inside an enclosed heated parking garage. It was probably one of the nicest places I've charged in a while, especially because it was cold out that day. Thanks for watching!
@@alexkno11 I just need to get the seed capital, I like this idea! Basically rural areas, any place with a DG, this would be a winner I think.
@@ConservatEV- battery is still dense and cold, so indoors doesn’t help the car much. The experience would be much nicer for the passengers, though!
To be honest for a single person or grow couple okay without rushing u go far away but if u driving far with children i think is a bad option be in a charger waiting 1 or 2 hours to get same battery charger but thanks for taking u time sharing this video 👍👍👍
I have another video coming soon where I interview a young couple with a toddler. Spoiler: they've made road trips in their VW ID.4 and said they stop more for the toddler than to charge!
Agree. Too much of a hassle. Great for around town though.
That's a good argument for why even the slower dc fast charging cars should have battery preconditioning. Huge difference between waiting 1 hour and 2 hours to charge when it's warm vs cold.
several EVs have options for battery heating in order to deal with cold weather issues. Canada spec in particular usually has this as standard
For longer trips I'd look at retrofitting a Webasto somehow - several people have fitted chinese diesel heaters into the trunk space for this issue
I was charging at that same EA charger at Worthington 2 weeks ago. With my Bolt 2022 and the temperature around 14⁰F I was charging at 44 kwh.
To put some real world numbers to EV driving in winter vs non-winter.
We have a 2022 Chevy Bolt. In the non-winter months I am getting:
With 85% city and 15% highway 4.3-4.7 miles / kwh (6.9 - 7.6 km/kwh) and range ~300 miles (480 km)
Highway at 60 mph (97 kph) 3.9 miles / kwh and range ~250 miles (400 km)
Highway at 75 mph (120 kph) 3.1 miles / kwh and range ~200 miles (320 km)
In December I am getting:
With 85% city 15% highway 2.7 miles / kwh and range ~175 miles (281km)
The Bolt reports ~ 35% of the energy used is for the climate control. The Bolt does not have a heat pump and uses resistant heating. Most of these are short trips 1 to 15 miles.
On the 256 mile trip from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls averaging ~55 mph (88 kph) with a 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 kph) headwind and temperatures starting at 15F (-9C) and ending at 5F (-15C) I averaged 2.7 m/kw with a range of 175 miles. We were driving in snow and the roads were not great which explains my slower speeds.
Interestingly only 12% of the energy used was for the climate control. Much less than our daily driving. Which shows the initial heating of the cabin takes more energy than keeping it warm.
Time I spent charging 55 minutes in Mankato (while eating a nice dinner at the restaurant across the street) and 44 minutes at Worthington, we would have only needed to charge for 30 minutes but as I was about ready to head back to the car I got into a 15 minute discussion about EV with the employees of Casey's. Keep in mind the Bolt is about the slowest charging EV you can buy. But it is also the cheapest. Most EV have 150 to 350 kw chargers, the Bolt only had a 55 kwh charger. But for the couple times a year I go on longer trips I can wait. My daily driving it chargers in my garage and I spend far less time charging it that it takes to fill up my ICE car with gas. Because you plug it in and let it charge overnight as you sleep.
I appreciate the stats! Interesting how your newer Bolt seems to charge faster at cold temperatures; would be interested to learn if GM updated the temperature-governed kW rate on the refreshed 2022+ models.
@@alexkno11 you are welcome. The charging speed may depend on battery level as well. I also purchased a Tesla to J1772 adapter to use with Tesla destination chargers. It won't work with Tesla superchargers but it works well with the destination chargers. I used it at our hotel. So if you need to go back to that site with the destination chargers only it might be worth it. I paid $159 on Amazon for a lectron adapter. I love our Bolt It is a great commuter car.
Unfortunately the bolt has different heat/coolant loops for cabin vs battery. They are 2 separate systems.
GM really needs to add a battery preconditioning button to preheat the battery on route to the dcfc. Yes it will Rob energy but if the battery can get up to 70f it should pull 54KW.
According to GM if you navigate to a charger using the onboard Google maps it will pre condition sadly I don't own a bolt (yet) so I can't confirm
@@KiRiTO72987 Only on GM's Ultium platform (Equinox EV, Blazer, Silverado & Hummer). The Bolt does not have this capability, I own one.
We loved our BOLT, made two WASHINGTON TO MASSACHUSETTS trips towing a MYPOD camper. We had from EVs are a gimmick to you're adventurous towing with an EV...great vid man
Wow, now that's a road trip! I've been wanting a camper but I'm a bit worried towing with the Bolt. How did the mypod impact your range?
@@alexkno11 -40 miles, that's with 2 adults, a 65 pound dog, a ARB cooler in the back cargo. Effortless. Camp grounds, America's largest charging network. The MYPOD is only 600 pounds, and we didn't need a heater at 20 DG
Excellent video. This confirms that a Chevy Bolt is an urban, daily commuter vehicle and not for long-distance trips. To be mainstream, EVs MUST be able to keep the passengers warm (i.e. comfortable) in frigid temperatures and be able to be charged quickly without needing an technical expert to operate the charging equipment. If this means sold-state batteries with their ability to charge quickly and have a very high charge density then so be it. I want EVs to succeed. We need improvements, however.
I agree with most of your points. I wanted to demonstrate that the Bolt is capable of a long-distance road trip in the dead of winter, and it is, but it's certainly not easy. However, I don't think we need to wait for solid-state batteries or more advancements for EVs to become mainstream. Tesla truly has the winning formula when it comes to cold weather performance and fast, reliable charging. I'm sure advancements will be made, but my Tesla Model Y is my only vehicle now and it's leagues beyond the Bolt in these key areas. Thanks for watching!
Very interesting and informative video. Short and succinct. I don’t understand why one would want to drive and EV and have to worry about getting to their destination in such cold weather?? Of course, I’m retired and set in my ways. I really don’t care to sit at a charging station for such long periods, especially in such cold weather. I live just north of Minneapolis so I know the conditions you are talking about. I’ve seen much worst temperature conditions in my life. The 1970’s had several extremely cold winters (temperature below zero for around 2 weeks). There are vehicles with better charging characteristics, but they cost much more than your Bolt, but perhaps worth it for these cold winters. The biggest issues that I see beyond the range capability are “price of an EV compared to ICE”, “length of time to charge (even up to 80%), and “lack of charging infrastructure at present”. Hopefully, battery technology will improve allowing faster charging times and longer ranges. Infrastructure growth will take time. Thanks again.
Not everyone lives where it's frigid. The winter storm dropped GA, where I live, into the single digits. That RARELY happens. When it does, I don't leave the house unless I have to, and I'm NOT traveling in it. I don't even have the wardrobe anymore to deal with snow and freezing temperatures, so...why would my car need to?
You can set charger stops for more frequent, less time at the charger. We usually on long trips space them at 50% or 150 miles to stretch and let the dog out
Brrrrr. So cold. Nice vid!
Alex, look at getting a Tesla to J1772 adapter, useful to have in the trunk for when you run into Tesla destination chargers like you did at 06:47.
Same trip in a Tesla Model 3, no stopping to Marshall and the heat at 72 degrees, and with the Tesla Supercharger network you know in advance if there are any stalls down if you needed them.
In this same storm in Colorado several E.A. stalls would NOT work because it was TOO COLD, nice planning on that one E.A.
Can you pre-heat the cabin before departure. With the added return trip only one stop in Worthington @ 30 minutes and that was the ONLY Supercharging on the whole run.
It's amazing how much better the Teslas (and the supercharger network) are at road trips. Yes, I can preheat the cabin while charging, which is a definite must. I sure hope EA figures out the cold weather issues with those BTC chargers.
There is so much data to absorb! Hope these EV'S can get a little simpler over time.
I like data, so I tend to go overboard. The car's range meter does a really good job of taking HVAC, outdoor temperatures, and driving speed into account. The car's Charging screen will even (accurately) estimate when the car will be 80% complete fast charging. I just like doing all the math myself to check the numbers. :)
Awesome video. I just put a deposit on a 2023 Bolt on Monday. I'm really excited about it. I'm not much of a road tripper so charging speeds isn't a big deal for me. Almost a hundred percent of the time I'll be charging from home. Because the Bolt does have slower charging speeds I assume the battery degradation will be a lot less than on cars with much faster charging speeds. So I guess the car will last much longer. Does that make sense? 🚙 🇺🇸
We picked up our 2023 bolt euv a month ago and we're loving it! We also charge at home 98% of the time. So not a problem for us either! Enjoy!!!
We love our 22 Bolt. We also almost always charge at home and the charging speed doesn't matter to much, but for those occasionally trips it will work.
Hi there West Coast, my feedback from the GM "Electric Folks" at the Auto Show was that the "charging curve", which they called an Algorithm, is limited due to their experience with the Bolt battery fires. Even thought their root cause analysis showed charging rate was not a contributor, GM will continue to "baby" the battery because they do not want another problem.
I do agree that lower charge rates will lengthen battery life, but recent numbers on battery life are coming in better than expected across the board, so not sure if worth it.
@@captspiff6922 Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
From everything I’ve seen battery degradation on the Bolt is even less than in Teslas. Like almost none.
This video should be titled,
"Yes, that was another setback from a time perspective..."
If you aren't maxing out amps there's no reason to not max out heat while waiting to charge in the cold. And ya, if that coolant heats the battery all the better.
Good video. In Arkansas I try to let the seat and wheel keep me warm on my 84 mile trip to Tulsa. Lots of clothes too!
That heated steering wheel is a godsend. Stay warm down there!
Good video mate
At -17 I got 2 miles per kwh so fully charged at 80% I get about 127 miles per charge. I have to add, I have crossclimate 2 tires which eats some of the range as well. works for me I only need 70 miles per day and I have a level 2 charger at home to charge at night. I wouldn't do a long trip in the winter but in the summer I will be ok. I don't drive long distances anyway I fly.
Great video sharing the experience of a ev in winter. Plug share is a good app but I think there are some chargers that are not on the app.
Thanks for exposing the shortcomings of the EV. I am interested buying one, but not until they become practical.
They're quite practical for most use cases. For times when its below zero and you need to do a road trip, then it's nice having another vehicle or an EV that performs better in the cold.
@@alexkno11 that is incorrect. They are almost never practical. If you have to have another vehicle for cold temperatures that proves they are not practical.
after watching a lot of these videos about charging in the cold, the one thing i feel would be of some help is a heater of some sort on the tips of these chargers. maybe im wrong but maybe a small heating element on the tips of the cable to keep ice etc from messing up the connection.
I think that's a good idea! Or at least a more water tight storage holster for the plug.
They should have roofs over them like most gas pumps.
The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by General Motors from 1996 to 1999. ... It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed
with wet batteries it was great for warm climate and the city , GM had a electric car in 1912 as well then
Its crazy pay money for this experience
So basically it's pretty sketchy to buy electric car
If you're doing a 480 mile road trip in subzero temperatures every week, then yes, a $25k Bolt EV isn't for you. But for periodic road trips and daily commuting, they're great vehicles.
Hey just proved how bad EVs are. If you noticed this guy did not look very happy while doing his road trip. You can tell it was a nuisance having to worry about range and getting to charging stations.
@@graystone3392 Exactly
there must be some sort of battery temp hack. i watched a guy in Florida charge for 320 mi range. the temperature thing seems like a real downer for winter use
Im not against EVs but 45 minutes out of my day is a long time ! I work 12 to 14 hours a day can fuel once a week and it only takes 10 minutes with pay at the pump and im back on the road.
Agree. These cars seem like a huge pain in the ass. They are cool. And around town as a grocery getter. Yeah. But as a real car you depend on? Nah.
@@jo9732 When you buy an EV, keep your gas car so you can still use it 3-4 times a year you might need one for times like this. You can have both an EV and a gas car, nothing wrong with that.
As for the guy working 12s a day, the car charges at home while you are sleeping, so you won't even be spending 10 mins at the pump a week. This is a journey he took through negative-degree weather, he essentially did a worse-case scenario to show you how it is, but for your weekly work travels you will never even need to charge in public.
@@ihateu1979 I live in Minnesota we have alot if worse case days. Then the power gos out im an essential worker charging a car might get someone killed but am vary open to the idea if it being a second car or truck.
I do see what you mean words are hard to interput emotions im not being negative. :)
@@duaneulman9915 I understand, but if you aren't doing a 400 mile journey then you should be fine. In negative degree weather, many people have been reporting 150 mile range on the low end of the Chevy bolt. If you only refuel once a week then 150 miles daily on a full charge is more than enough for what you need.
@@ihateu1979 Everyone is differant with my job I never know if its 10 or 100 miles jobs sites change and charging not always available.
Still not a working mans vehicle.
Great video. Kyle Conner in Colorado could not get the newest EA chargers to work during the Elliot storm.
Saw that... I think the ones I used were ABBs and Signets, but I'd have to go back and check.
This xar is very power hungry in the cold.. I have a model 3 with a heatpump and the range change is no more than 20 % in these Temps
My diesel sedan can do 810 (Interstate) miles on a tankful. And at -5F I can have the heat at 75. And I can refuel in about 4 minutes at any one of 40,000 stations coast-to-coast.
While polluting the air the entire 810 miles.
@@1drhnsd1 And the electricity that charges your battery comes from moonbeams and rainbows! And the lithium in your battery comes from the lithium fairy,not by strip mining millions of square miles.
@@jackfitzpatrick8173 🤣🤣🤣🤣
This is why I own a PHEV. My daily commute is all electric and around town. Long trips I can go 500 miles. I never gave to sacrifice heat, adjust my driving style.
PHEVs are great; I got my start with a Chevy Volt. The advantage full EVs comes with are lower maintenance and all electric medium distance trips. Longer road trips are doable but just require a bit more planning.
I’m surprised how little battery conditioning the Bolt does in cold weather. It doesn’t even seem to do very much, if any, heating while actively charging. Adding some more aggressive battery heating could improve charge times significantly. 20 kW is just painful.
It's certainly a test of patience charging at 20kW. I'd gladly give up a couple % of my battery to enable faster cold weather charging. I'd really love to do a cold weather fast charging comparison with a 2023 Bolt to see if they improved its charging rate. I think GM was just playing very conservative with the early Bolts in order to demonstrate their batteries don't degrade quickly (which they definitely don't, speaking from experience).
Different coolant for battery heating/cooling than for cabin. Battery heat level is about 2.5 kw (max) and cabin heat is about 7.5 kw (max). It would be nice to use cabin heater as a charge prep warmer for the battery on cold travel days, but that’s for later cars/battery tech.
Thanks for the info!
Or put a rubber strip heater on the battery pack like is fitted for oil sump heating in Canada.
@@allangibson8494 - hey, you may be onto something here! There is coolant in the bottom of the battery, so if you use one of those patch type heaters, the heat that would get into the battery would go a long way toward a pre-warmer.
crazy your car isn't turning on the battery heater.
my 23 bolt euv turns it on everytime i highway drive and the battery is cold.
even after it being plugged in and prewarmed for 20 minutes even.
i wish i could control when it cycled, since it doesn't need to come on when highway driving.
the draw itself should warm it.
and the battery heater is a separate circuit from the cabin heater.
they use the same a/c system though.
i'm not sure what temp low is, but the setting above is the lowest i'd go in winter.
mine says 17c.
i drive with winter tires which i keep at 40 to minimize range drop from them.
but i got the size for 16" rims for winter, to minimize loss again.
think they are 1 size skinnier, but 2 aspect ratio sizes taller.
or 205/60/16 i think to match the 215/50/17 height.
I think the model 3 is the best small EV on the market bought mine 2 years ago and whole heartedly recommend it over a bolt EV or any other
Bolt much cheaper
And the Model 3 starts at $45,000 and the Bolt at $25,000 in the US.
The base model Model 3 is the only Tesla that qualifies for the tax credit (the rest are too expensive).
My biggest issue with the model 3 is I want traditional dash with cluster in front of me. Also, having to look to the right and toggle through screens to change wipers or turn on the heat via a touchscreen while driving seems an unnecessary safety risk. I like it otherwise.
Who wants to give any money to Elon?
Great video, but I have to admit, I just cannot see why anyone would want an EV with all of the inconveniences - sitting for hours to recharge, driving without heat so you can make it to your destination, more frequent stops than you’d have with a fuel vehicle, etc. Maybe it’s just me, but I never have an extra 3-4 hours in a day to sit around and wait on charging. I do think it is a great technology, very cool, but if you have to regularly make long trips, or live in cold climates like you do, it just doesn’t seem to make practical sense.
Telsa allow you to surf the websites ie internet and watch movies on Netflix, Disney plus etc… so many choices while you charge up.
Tesla definitely has a leg up on everyone when it comes to the infotainment system!
How is it living on a charger, must cost alot of money charging all the time. No thanks sticking with gas
90% of my charging is done at home on a Level 2 charger. Costs ~$7 a "tank" for 130 to 300 miles of range depending on weather.
Sounds like a plan; no one's forcing anyone to get an EV.
@@alexkno11 Do you use your personal vehicle as a work vehicle?
It's like $7.30 a week to charge at home. For us (in ohio).
If electric cars truly catch on in America and we get to 80% evs it's going to explode your electric bill. And where is the gas tax that fixes the road going to come from. Charging cheaply at home will not last long. I will buy an ev when it's fully solar power and has an over 500 mile range.
Nicely done video. I wonder if GM or other manufacturers will offer cold weather packages to better warm batteries in the future.
I hope so! At least catch up to Tesla and include heat pumps and on-road battery preconditioning in their vehicles.
Every video I see of road trips convinces me that EVs aren't ready to be an only car. That being said, will still be buying a Bolt in March but still keeping my truck for road trips, cold/bad weather, hauling, camping, off-roading, etc.
I'd say the Bolt EV isn't ready to be your only car. But with a Tesla, or a faster charging CCS car like the Hyundai Ioniq 5? It probably could be! But there will always be those fringe cases where a gas car would be nice. Hoping to go 100% electric some day soon.
@@alexkno11 I think for my use case a plug-in hybrid truck is the perfect “only” vehicle. I regularly do 500+ mile trips with a camper. Also drive in extreme cold and weather in CO mountains every weekend. It’s gonna be a while before any EV is good at that, if ever. But my trips around town during the week are usually never more than 40 miles a day which would be perfect for plug-in hybrid EV driving. Unfortunately no one makes a plug-in hybrid truck. If anyone ever does will probably sell the truck and bolt and get one.
@@Chops00 The Ford 150 may be delivered as a plug-in Hybrid.
Having to wait just to get to your next stop is a waste, im gonna stick with gas engines , people with busy schedules don't have 45min waiting to charge.
I pulled out my laptop and took a conference call during my Electrify America charging session, so it fits with my busy schedule with a little give and take. If you're a frequent road-tripper, I wouldn't recommend a Bolt EV. But it can be done!
We stop for food or shopping which we would normally do anyway. No wasting time here!
@@daniellelouise7587you stop for food every 90 miles? Wow. Must be Hungry.
@@jo9732 lmao. I charge at home 98% of the time (through the night). The two times that we've needed to charge outside of our home charger, has been lunch and dinner.
Why don’t they put a protective canopy over the charging station like at the gas stations. They look so ratchet with out it.
Hopefully someday! They have protected canopies in California with solar cells on the roof. www.yelp.com/biz/electrify-america-baker
This is one of the big weak points of the Bolt's fast charging performance. To begin with it's pretty slow, but the fact it doesn't have battery pre-conditioning hurts it even more. Some people will thrash the battery before charging during cold weather (Heavy accel and regen) to warm it up. I'm not sure how much that helps since I haven't tested it myself.
Interesting, I've never thought to do that. I probably won't be the first to volunteer to do that, but I'd be interested in picking up an OBD-II sensor to create a plot of charging speed vs. battery temperature. I'm really curious if blasting the heat in the cabin before charging improves charging rates in cold weather. That on-road battery preconditioning in the Teslas sounds like a killer feature in cold climates.
Nice vid. 🔥✨👌
I'm kinda curious how actually being buried and frozen in deep snow will affect chargers. Plows can only get so close so you'll either be waiting for the snow to melt or digging it out.
When you can make it from Anchorage to Fairbanks in January I'll be impressed.
Looks like some folks are already doing that! There's a fast charger in Cantwell, Healy, Denali, and one coming soon to Trapper Creek. Source: plugshare.com
I feel like I've had similar adventures! That cold weather "fast" charging is a test of patience. Thanks for the video! I'm curious - do you work on wind turbines? In your trip you mentioned traveling to wind farms. I'm a big fan of green energy. Wind power is huge here in Iowa, as I know it is in Minnesota as well.
I work "virtually" on wind turbines, yes! It's pretty incredible how much wind energy we have up here in the Upper Midwest; I definitely keep an eye on the wind forecasts when I have flexibility on when to chage my car.
Great video.. documenting your experience..
If they manufactures would just add a button to allow you to select battery preconditioning.. the charging rate would be much better.. even some of the new cars don't' offer this.
Tesla does it automatically when navigating to the superchargers. And they scavenge heat from motors and cabin to condition the battery.
I could probably make this entire trip on one tank of gas in my Prius.. and it would cost me $40 in gas. And I would not worry about being cold, or running the heat.
I absolutely LOVE the Chevy Bolt.. its a fantastic car for local driving.. Rideshare...etc.
But If I got one, I would keep my older gas car for road trips I think..
Or get a Tesla that can do both.. But lots more money for the car.
Just depends on how your going to use the car... and your time restrictions during road trips.
What you mentioned about doing this trip in a Prius is exactly the reason I've held on to my Chevrolet Volt. I seldom drive it in warmer weather though. This trip I took was to prove to myself it's possible to live without the Volt, but a more advanced EV would make it easier. I hope simple things like battery preconditioning get added to cars like this. Even if the new GM EVs don't have it, I should think they could add it down the line via their Ultifi platform?
@@alexkno11
Chevy volt is a great car too. Kind of a good blend of both power trains.
Yeah I don't understand the lack of preconditioning in non Teslas. There are some that do it. But there are a lot that do not. The odd thing is that almost all EVs do some kind of thermal conditioning under certain circumstances. So I don't understand why they can't put a software button in there forcing a preconditioning situation for maybe a 30-minute window or something.
Holy cow. 5 hours for a 150 mile trip????
I'm afraid so. I could have probably eliminated the last 30m charging session, but I wanted to play it safe given the weather. Hopefully GM fixes the cold weather charging performance of the Bolt, as I would have only needed ~30-45 minutes of charging if it was warmer.
The bolts slow charging speed is so bad for road trips. One of the slowest charging cars out there. Which is why it’s one of the cheapest cars out there
@@_cjmccullough very true. It's why I'm eager to get into a faster charging EV at some point. But for many, it's the cheapest option, and while road trips take a little longer in a Bolt, they can be done!
@@alexkno11 I liked your video. It shows that there's many thing to consider when buying a EV. If you have two cars and intend to drive the EV mostly around town who cares if it takes 8 hours to charge over night.
@@tombernard1665- hey, you’re getting it!
Does your car not have a heating grid in the battery housing to warm up the battery in cold weather? I thought all EV's have this? Also, how did the energy cost work out; if you had been driving a hybrid like a Toyota Prius, which gets about 45~50mpg (depending on terrain and individual driving habits), how would your total cost for gasoline have compared to the cost of using these EV fast chargers? All of the public Level 2 chargers that I've used for my Prius PHEV are free, so I've never paid for a charge except at home, where my residential service is 11¢/kw-hour. Most of the Level 3 fast chargers that I've heard about in my city (Sacramento, CA) cost between 35~45¢/kw-hour. People with Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf cars here, report a yearly average of 4.5 miles/kw-hour. The closest Electrify America station to me is at a Wal-Mart, and they charge 43¢/kw-hr for either L2 or L3 charging. So if you can get 4.5 miles for 43¢, that's 9.5¢/mile. On in-town trips at 35mph (lower speeds extend range), the Bolt should be capable of 6 miles/kw-hr if you aren't using the heater or a/c. This is 7.16¢/mile. In my Prius PHEV, in Hybrid mode (burning gasoline on a long road trip), I get 55 miles for $3.50 worth of gasoline - that's 6.36¢/mile. In Minnesota in winter, driving a Hybrid, you would be heating the cabin with waste heat from the gas engine, and not having to burn electricity that you paid 43¢/kw-hour for.
So it really comes down to where you live, and where you can charge an EV in your town, as to whether an EV saves money in the long term compared to the most efficient Hybrids and PHEV's. If you live somewhere with winter weather that never gets much below 40°F, and you can charge at home most of the time for 10¢/kw-hr (usually midnight to 06:00am with EV incentive discounts from some power companies), then a small EV (Bolt or Leaf) will be cheaper to run than most gasoline vehicles, and if gas rises back to $5.00/gallon, as it was for several months earlier this year, then an EV is definitely cheaper to run than a gas car, even a Hybrid like the Prius is going to cost more to run. But if you mostly have to charge at places like Electrify America, that are charging 4 to 5 times more than what residential electricity costs to charge an EV at home, and you live somewhere with extremely cold winters or extremely hot summers (forcing you to run the a/c several months of the year), then I don't see that a Bolt or a Leaf is clearly less expensive to operate than a Prius. As long as gasoline stays below $3.50/gallon anyway.
This was a great Real-World performance evaluation, thanks!
WoW. may cause a fight plugging that bolt into a 350kw charger ..... that makes people freak out !!!
Oh I know... luckily I was the only one there that day! I had some issues with the 150kW charger, hence why I used the 350kW.
I don't see myself road tripping any time soon
Kinda surprised that you had to charge on the way. I tought it would get to minneapolis and you could just charge there. Even my 3 years old Kona would do that in -4.
My trip from Rochester to Minneapolis was easy. My work has a Level 2 charger which I used while I was there. I agree the trip from Minneapolis to Marshall should have been doable as it was only 150 miles. I guess that's just an artifact of the cold temps and relatively poor cold weather performance of the Bolt.
The Bolt is one of the most efficient cars on the market it is also the cheapest EV in the market. The range on a good day is 259miles. Below zero temps, will drop that down at least 40% giving you a best range of around 156 miles. The Bolts DC fast charging rate Is 55KW which is one of the lowest for a new EV. In a hypothetical 1-100 SOC the car takes almost 2.5 hrs to charge, which is quite bad. The Bolt is not designed to be a road tripper, it is a runabout to be charged predominantly overnight on a level 2 charger. Its 2023 11kw charger bats well over average in the home charging game (it used to be a 7KW one). Given MN's awful charging fast charging infrastructure (although not as bad for a slow charging car like the Volt since there are a few 50kw chargers) careful planning is required. I personally would not road trip a Bolt in extremely cold weather, particularly in Minnesota with its very poor rural cell phone coverage. You also "discovered" another cold weather demerit for the Bolt, no battery preconditioning that's why the battery is charging so slow in cold weather. The Bolt is a great EV for anyone interested in the lowest price and wants it for city commuting duty, even in the nastiest cold weather it can serve that duty with aplomb. For running around in the Minnesota rural byways....not so much, better keep a second gas vehicle handy, particularly in the winter. I'm in central WI, an area with similar characteristics to yours however I'm in the other end of the spectrum, with a dual motor EQS which has a battery almost twice as large. When the storm hit it was -14 (absolute not chill) here and the car delivered around 200 miles of range. Yesterday it was in the 20s, on a road trip to the UP I got around 275 miles on a full charge.
When ev's can COMFORTABLY do 500+ miles on one charge AND recharge in the same time it takes to stick a full tank of fuel in, THEN I will look into buying one. Until then no thank you!!
How many miles per day do you drive? If you can charge overnight at home, there’s no waiting for fueling for the miles you drive each day. No gas station stops - ever.
@@graystone3392 EV batteries will outlast the car, and move on to a 2nd storage life. Can’t say that about engines/transmissions.
Imagine a Bolt with 350kW charging.
There has GOT to be a way to upgrade the cables from the charge port to the battery (they are crap and GM cites that as a reason not to allow a faster charge rate… and apparently deemed changing to a better wire too expensive) and a way to hack the BMS to allow for something more reasonable like 100-150kw
What kind of tires are you using for winter driving? Nice video thanks for posting.
Michelin Energy Saver All Season tires. Thanks for watching!
This is too much effort to do a simple road trip. It's like driving a gas car in 1912 along the same route. You have no idea if you will make it if one thing goes wrong.
I'll admit this was a tough trip. But this was a fringe case in subzero temperatures, in rural Minnesota, in a $25k EV. Soon, fast charging will be more ubiquitous, and the cheapest 2023 EVs will have much faster charging rates. Thanks for watching!
Can you watch a movie or play games while you wait on your volt to charge?
Android auto has something called "Game Snacks" that you can play while you're parked. But they're pretty basic and it seems to be more of a gimmick than anything. I thought an update was coming to Android Auto that would allow you to watch UA-cam videos while parked, but I haven't seen that yet.
So with these driving conditions in mind, how long would you say you could confidently drive before having to plug-in? I have a 160KM daily commute (Total there and back, one way is 80KM). I think okay, in the summer time, sure no problem but I do wonder when temps dip into the -20 degreess in the winter time here in Canada - especially as the vehicle ages.
In the worst conditions, I've seen ~50% of the rated range on my Bolt. So, that'd be about 130 miles, or 209 km. I think you'll be fine doing 160km/day, but if you can find a wall outlet to plug in to during the day, that'd be ideal. Good luck!
You would think they have a level 2 charger at a windfarm.
We have them at several, but not all! Unfortunately the one I stopped at had a Tesla destination charger, but I don't have an adapter to use it.
Thanks for this video. These cars are super cool for around town but this driving more than 100 miles is too much of a pain in the assets for what it is.
Thanks for watching!
So if you forget your phone, you can't charge your car?
sort of waste of time plugging into a 120 v at those cold temps,,, all it would do is just warm up the battery,, very little power would even go into the battery,, likely days to charge
How would you like to fill up with 7000 miles (Ethanol) or 10,000 miles (gasoline) and do it in the Fall and again in Spring. The fuel is solar made for 3 cents/kwh and you get 120 MPGe or 3.56 mi/kwh HWY and 8.9 mi/kwh in city.
Yikes! Tesla charging is so much more convenient and efficient. Car will precondition the battery so it’s warm and can accept charge at full rate. And no app needed for Supercharger - just plug it in. My Model 3LR is also much more efficient than Bolt EV. I get close to 5mi/kWh at 80 mph. Heat pump also helps. New Bolt and other new EVs might be much better than the misery experienced on this trip.
Yes, Tesla has everyone beat when it comes to vehicle efficiency and reliable fast charging. The Bolt supports "Plug and Charge" on the EVgo network which provides a similar experience to initiating a session at the superchargers, thought have yet to try it. I've heard that on-road battery preconditioning is a boon to boosting charging rates at superchargers; hopefully other automakers catch on to that. Thanks for the comment!
We sold our 2019 TM3 this year because we could no longer support crazy as F##K Elon Musk.
Agreed ! Really makes a big difference
@@MHdollrevievs you supported Elon when you bought it. Selling it is only a financial statement.
A gas car is even more convenient 0-100% 500 mile range in about 3 minutes, i'll keep driving gas car till EV can charge 100% in 3 minutes ok i give it 5 minutes
I’m not sold on EV’s at all I just don’t have the patience for that concept of having to stop constantly hoping and praying that the charging stations are operable and weather affecting the range. I’ll leave that anxiety to you EV lovers
My gasoline vehicle has worse range in the extreme cold also. I lose about 40 miles.
Thanks for commenting! Cold weather definitely impacts all power trains.