Driving with the heater and going 76MPH. "Y I gET nO RaNGe?". Tell me you've never driven an electric car without telling me you've never driven an electric car.
I drive for Uber as a retired person here in Southern California, and I just just went over the 5000 mile mark since January 1st, when I bought my 2023 bolt euv lt with the redline package like yours. I also have the comfort and safety package. In Southern California, it has been cold for us in the morning for the past month, with the high 30's in the morning. When I start driving around 745am, I get a starting range of 333 to 343 miles on the best condition with 303 miles in the middle range. After driving for about for approximately 6 hours and putting 175 to 200 miles, it still shows enough miles in the mid range to go to 290 to 300 miles. I do 75- 25 % street to highway driving daily. I have a total driving for the past month of 4.3 mi/kw. During the cold mornings , I used my heated seats and heated steering wheel, with almost no loss of range. If you want to see my results, I will be more than happy to share. The last few days, the low temperature has been around 45 and the high of 69. Hopefully, this helps. Maybe the driving habits of the driver prior to your trip has lowered the overall mileage projected distance.
@Henry Tran yes sir. I drove last night and went 299 miles with 6% left on the battery. When I went to the supercharger , it started charging at 6%. I was averaging 4.6kw/mile. The 2021 bolt ev never came close to this. I've started my morning after a full charge anywhere high 330's to the 360's.
That’s the way EVgo does it. Best way to do it is charge 10 or 15 percent to around 60. Just like you would not run your gas tank dry before filling up. You would put some in at 15 or 20 percent. Gas cars also lose 10 to 20% of range in winter and at higher speeds, people just don’t keep track - they simply put in more gas. In short, your not using it or understanding it correctly.
In Kansas there was no ccs fast chargers between home and our destination so our only option was to fully charge and just make it there. Thanks for the view!
I got my Bolt in November, have put 1,500 miles on it so far. Have averaged 4.7miles/KwH which is 300+ miles range. It is definitely evident that efficiency goes down on very cold mornings and slightly on the freeway. But overall is pretty darn efficient. Depends highly on how you are driving it too, if you speed your efficiency goes down, if you accelerate quickly your efficiency goes down, if you always need climate efficiency goes down. Same rules basically as a ICE car. I would assume most who buy this EV are cost conscious to a degree and would want to drive it in an efficient way. 75mph is fast for this car, I doubt most who drive very rarely reach that speed.
I hear your frustration. You did well by knowing that using the heater and speed affects your range. I have a 2020 bolt. Drive it all over the place. Drafting is your friend. Not right behind, but about a second behind the lead car will really add the miles, by increasing efficiency. Here in the early days of EVs, make your efficiency score into a game. You will enjoy the trip more and be able to go farther. Bonus tip Don't turn off the heat, just don't make it your primary heat source. Heated seats and wheel use way less KWH.
You keep quoting the 247 mile range but that’s for combined driving. At highway speeds the range 225. Which isn’t that far off from the 200 miles you got going there
76 mph is the big downfall and 55 degrees kills 10% easy. Heated seats and 65 mph goes a long way. I did 215 mile trip in 35 degree weather at night with cruise at 60mph.
Your speed by far was the largest factor. As reflected by the "technique" being your largest power detriment on the consumption statistics. Incresed speed hurts you in two ways higher drag and more power to move faster. All EV lose miles in higher speed, the more aerodynamic you car is the less it will from drag.
I remember the day of driving my 99 Explore at 75 mph and losing range do to speed. So no different between the Ice and the EV. Speed just kills range.
Ev go costs out the charging by the minute you're plugged in. So filling the slow part of the battery (80-100%) is going to significantly add to the filling cost. You'd do far better in terms of charging time and money if you break up the trip into 2 or 3 smaller charging sessions from low to maybe 60 or 80% capacity
Yeah it sounds like EV go is just way more than the EA stations we are used to here locally. Unfortunately we do have any CCS charging stations between our house and the Kansas City area so the full 180 miles has to be driven in one shot. Thanks for the view!
There is a charging station in Topeka. Use "A better route planner" to plan your route, Do not fool around going to 100% charge. You could have made the quick stop in Topeka.
I lived in Wichita for a while and worked for KFDI radio. I can imagine driving an EV there as a commuter would be great because it is so flat. The difference between 75 and 65 in terms of range is dramatic. I just charge more because I hate going slow but other people keep it at 65 and get much better range.
Hey buddy, I have the 2023 Red line in black, and I’ve had it since Oct. 2022. Living in Los Angeles I get average of 300 miles daily. Can’t imagine what your doing wrong. Hills are a bigger draw on your battery if you had any. 😊
I drive for Uber and Lyft, I bought my Bolt EUV Launch edition in the summer, I would get nearly 300 miles on a consistent bases running the Air conditioning. I live in NH and the range dropped dramatically in winter driving. I also installed Winter tires which reduced the range, my range average is between 180 to 220 miles a day in winter. That range is fine for me in winter as I knew it would drop.
I hear and feel your pain. I don't think you are doing anything wrong, but you do need to understand that range varies dramatically based mainly on speed. I believe the EPA highway test is based on 65mph and that is where you see 233 miles. (The advertised combo city/hwy range for the car is 247.) I saw a great video where they rant the Bolt EUV at 70mph and it had a range of 230 miles. Car and Driver tested the car at 75mph and found the range to be 190 miles. Someone else posted a test averaging 80mph and the range dropped to 170 miles. Just like any smaller car, the efficiency is going to vary dramatically with load, speed, topography, etc. Again, I don't see that you did anything wrong. But I also don't think many people who own/drive the Bolt EUV are going to plan for 180 miles in between charges, regardless of the weather, unless they drive at lower speeds. I believe it is a great car for driving around town and for trips like you just made. You took the car about as far as anyone would dare given the speed and the time of year. Congratulations on finding the practical limits for the car -- without finding yourself without any juice left and on the side of the road in a Kansas winter.
I was going to say I see a big range difference between 65 mph and 75 mph for my little Honda Fit. It doesn't surprise me that there would be a big hit at the higher speed.
Aerodynamic drag proportional to speed is exponential, not linear. If you double the speed, drag increases by the square of the delta-vee: double the speed, from, say, 35 mph to 70mph, and drag increases by a factor of 4. I drive a 2019 Prius Prime, and it's easy to see this in EV mode. At 35 mph on city streets, in flat terrain, no use of heat or a/c, the car gets 6.8 miles per kW-hr. At 70 mph on the freeway, this drops to about 3.4 miles/kW-hr. And the Prius Prime has a very low drag coefficient to begin with. The Bolt is a much boxier car, so the range loss at high speeds due to drag is probably worse.
@@ChaseKolpath - Where this really becomes noticeable is the difference in fuel consumption between 55 mph (if you can stand to drive that slow), and 75 mph. My Prius Prime in Hybrid mode gets 68 mpg at 55 mph (no wind, flat terrain), but driving it at 75 mph on the same freeway, and the fuel economy drops dramatically, to only 45 mpg. That's a 34% decrease in fuel economy. At 35 mph on city streets, where the regen braking can have a significant impact, I've gotten 85~90 mpg in this car.
It's WINTER when you filmed this...of course you are missing range. My EUV says it has 200 miles of range out of 249...but that's to be expected. I drive very conservatively and locally, that's where this car is happy. Want more range? Get a more expensive EV....and even then you'll still see range decreases in cold weather.
Don't know much about the Bolt, does it have a heat pump? Heat pumps make a big difference in range during cold temps. I would also recommend down loading the Windy app on your phone to see if you have a tail wind or head wind. While you said you know that EV's mileage decrease at highway speeds it's hard to change the "mind" after all your adult life experiences in ICE cars that highway mileage increases due to gearing.
The bolt is less than 30k. Of course it doesn't have a heat pump. Besides, heat pumps are good in mild weather but god awful in very cold weather. Resistive heat is instant while in the best case scenario you have to wait for components to warm up before extracting heat from them. He was driving at over 75MPH in the cold, presumably with the heat on too. The battery isn't going to keep much of its advertised range
Yes this was a worst case test drive for sure, 75-80mph, heater on, cold weather ect. but a real world result at least if a bolt is driven like a "normal" car on a trip. Thanks for the view!
It does look darn good, the wife says if they offered it in a all electric version she would do it. She says she is done with going to gas stations lol Thanks for the view!
Window sticker range is about 50 MPH average speed at 75°F... In the winter months expect 25% to 30% below that. To figure your live real range All you have to do is times your current consumption by 66. Example 2.5X66=165miles range The range is not missing, The math checks out! You just have to keep your efficiency above 3.7 to get your 245 miles
In very cold weather, can't you pre-condition (warm up) the battery temperature before starting the charge? Does the Bolt not support this? 50 miles of range loss because the battery can't be pre-conditioned in cold weather would be a deal-breaker for most prospective EV buyers.
First and foremost, that 247 number is a COMBINED average at about 70°F, with highway tested speeds being 65mph (hence why the green ring fades to yellow faster than 65mph). EV range is affected by cold on two fronts, the first is that the cold literally makes the battery less efficient and the second is that cold air is more dense than warm air, so you're essentially pushing through "thicker" air. Then there is the terrain that can affect range, meaning was your home at a higher elevation than the IKEA, so you'd be using less energy there and more energy back? To add to that, what direction was the wind blowing and were you driving into the wind going home? Because driving into the wind will use more energy. ON TOP of all of that (I know, I know), your speed is negatively affecting range and the heater in the Bolt is not very efficient, also negatively affecting range... All these reasons (minus the speed issue) are why it's generally accepted that in the winter, EVs lose up to 40% of projected range. Add speeds in excess of 65mph and that loss percentage gets higher. Unfortunately, there's no good way to advertise range to people who are used to MPG and miles to empty. If you use the 115MPGe rating, you then have to explain to people that they only have a "2.5 gallon tank", which they won't understand. If you use the range number, you get the issues that you faced. The only real way to measure efficiency is by the miles per kWh, but that's so foreign to people that they won't understand that 3.5mi/kWh will only get 227.5 miles of range on the Bolt and 4.0mi/kWh will get 260 miles of range on the Bolt. AND THEN those mi/kWh numbers will yield completely different range numbers on a different EV with a different sized battery. Good luck with the Bolt, it's been a great car for me, but it's definitely not a long range EV like a Tesla that has access to both faster charging speeds and more fast charging stations.
I'm sure in the beginning of the gas powered car, a lot of things were misunderstood and oversold... Great content and let us know once you locate the missing miles...
Yes i wish everything we bought would be like advertised or shown in a picture with the tiny fine print. Wouldn't be nice to get your fast food like the pictures. Did you not know that ev's lose range at higher speeds and colder weather? Did you not want to stop and charge again without turning off the heat? I'm never in that big of a hurry to turn off my heat on my bolt. I can stop and charge a little. Was this video a forced enactment to show the big downsides? When i bought my bolt i knew what to expect. I drive mine over 90 percent of my driving. But i also have gas vehicles also.
I found this on EPA website..........The "city" program is designed to replicate an urban rush-hour driving experience in which the vehicle is started with the engine cold and is driven in stop-and-go traffic with frequent idling. The car or truck is driven for 11 miles and makes 23 stops over the course of 31 minutes, with an average speed of 20 mph and a top speed of 56 mph. The "highway" program is created to emulate rural and interstate freeway driving with a warmed-up engine, making no stops (both of which ensure maximum fuel economy). The vehicle is driven for 10 miles over a period of 12.5 minutes with an average speed of 48 mph and a top speed of 60 mph. Both tests are performed with the vehicle's air conditioning and other accessories off.
This is an issue with thinking it's just like any other car. But it's an issue with both the weather and speeds. Plus the head winds. Now the rating is for a blended 65 mph max speed in warmer weather. Plus you should have checked in some mid trip charging. As it is more expensive to charge to 100% on DCFC. I normally set up a short 20 minute charge time after about 120 miles to start. You should see some videos for State of charge. And others with range tests.
I have also learned that the range they say it city driving. Highway speed equals about 25-35% loss then add cold weather loss and that will be your real range. You can bank on that every time. Not all EV battery have loss the same. Tesla is the least.
Imagine how hard it was to explain that gasoline cars need their oil replaced every 3000 miles - back when those were novel. This is just a mismatch of expectations and technology
They really need to advertise the range at a constant 70mph. The advertised range assumes a much lower speed that people don’t travel at for long road trips.
I was excited to watch this first test because we are in the market for a vehicle to replace our 2009 Ford Escape. We are focused on an EV or a hybrid with roughly $35,000 to spend. I've ordered a 2023 RAV4 hybrid, thinking this is still the best of both worlds, and living in New Hampshire, we experience lots of cold weather, an electric vehicle's kryptonite. Our other car is a 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium Hybrid. Average 45 MPG in the summer and down to 40 MPG if it's extremely cold. My wife would punch me if I shut off the heat or her seat in the cold. Does your wife miss her Prius?
I do miss my Prius! I will be the first to buy an all electric Prius if that ever happens. We had no heat, no heated seats, no phone charging, wouldn't use the window defroster and told me I couldn't turn up the radio either lol. It was an adventure and no one got punched lol
You keep saying "Yes, I understand" about loss of range due to drag at 76mph and the use of the heater, but you still seem to not understand. Btw, $47 to charge is robbery. They must charge by time vs. by kWh. Because the Bolt architecture caps DC fast charging at 50kW or so (slow by newer car standards) and steps down as you go, timed chargers are almost always going to hurt you badly.
No joke or exaggeration- the Bolt heater is a 7.5kw heater. I’m still learning about the Bolt, but I assume that the cabin heater core is in the same coolant loop with the battery heater. The batteries do require some heat to operate at peak efficiency. Please keep in mind that 7.5kw is highly similar power output to a typical 40 gallon hot water heater in your home. I don’t know why it is that high power- if I had to guess it is because the batteries need it more than the cabin heater core. I’m sure plenty of other people have told you that it is much more efficient to use the seat heaters, and keep the cabin heater turned down to a more chill temperature say 55 or 60F where it’s comfortable in heavy winter clothes and not cold enough to make a nose drip while letting your butt soak heat into your blood vessels. I do not know the power ratings of the seat heaters, but a guess would be 500w each, maybe 750w for the fronts. 100w would be fine for the steering wheel, and 50w for each mirror. You can see how that would save money. You probably can’t turn off the heater completely because the battery needs to be heated, but you can turn off whatever juice it needs to add to make the cabin hot as you did. The cost of charging on the road is horrendous. I don’t want to imagine how crappy that is. I bought my Bolt EUV to be a work taxi. We have one trip we might make to see my parents which is 192 miles- nearest charger is at 178. I’d be interested to know from you how the range changed driving at night due to the headlights, and adding weight. I will attempt to make that trip one time in the Bolt paying close attention to power use just to show off the car. We got ours in ice blue 😊 base Premiere. I’ll also be curious to see if I can either disconnect the rear seat heater, or remove a fuse so that my daughter doesn’t accidentally turn it on. I also hope that Chevy or someone will make software for the cameras to be used like Tesla cams in the event of an accident. With home charging, I’m sure your wife will enjoy the Bolt EUV as a work taxi and grocery getter. I’d definitely take the truck for the next trip to pick up furniture whether it was winter or not. The Bolt’s slow DC charger is not a road tripper. You can install up to a 50a home charger as the Bolt will handle 11kWh, but as an electrician I do not recommend it more than 40 amps in a garage. Even if you have a 40 amp charger, find the slowest charge rate that meets your needs. There are so many calculations that electricians routinely overlook with a high amp continuous load- terminal heat ratings, ambient temperature factors- and that on top of continuous load calculations that I’d recommend #4 wire if the installation will handle it. I don’T true Q-Merit. They just take a commission from local electrical companies, and their marketing video shows a “qualified installer” installing a completely non-weatherproof outlet and box on the side of the customer’s house. Obviously marketing can’t be bothered to thoroughly discuss their plans with any of those dirty low life’s that do the work. Best idea, find a good place to install a hardwired charger in the garage, and you’ll be set. Don’t go for a plug-in type if you can help it. Don’t hire the cheapest contractor, hire one you that has reviews you can trust. You can call your local code enforcement to ask if a courtesy call will cost you, or find out if a permit is required.
You assume far too much about the bolt. The coolant loops for the electronics, battery, and cabin heat are all entirely seperate and do not exchange heat aside from incidental radiation. The battery has its own heater entirely independent from the cabin heat. Either can be on or off in their entirety, or in a range of power levels. The battery heater is part of the battery coolant loop and will taper off the harder the car gets driven thanks to the battery creating its own heat. Please research what you're talking about as well. In the US, a 240volt water heater is about 4 kw, a little over half of the bolt's cabin heating power.
Here is a radical idea, take 15 minutes to charge it, and there are plenty of charging stations, sounds like your state has charging infrastructure issues, in New York it costs me $15 to fully charge my Tesla, so $50 to charge a Bolt means you are getting screwed my friend! Seems like Kansas doesn't want people switching to EV's
You are missing the miles because of your speed and possibly if you were running the heater. I think EPA bases its estimate on 55 mph. Lower temperature definitely will be the other big one so when you get back home do a reset and go to a DC Fast Charger and I think you will be fine until you have to drive faster than 55 mph again.
That was our 1st time charging at a ev go location vs. a EA station and we were both shocked at the price but it was our only option for CCS charging in the area. Thanks for the view!
"Yes, I understand that cold weather and high speeds reduce range on EVs, but ..... that seems a little ridiculous to me, so I'm gonna complain about it a lot when I really should be paying attention to the road." Take a different car, dude.
Going to have to learn to plan your trips a little bit better. Since you're trying to drive it as if it was a gasoline car you should have stopped for about 15 minutes and put forty more miles on it. Your range is only as good as your last drive cycle and how many kilowatts per mile you get in that drive cycle! I use regenerative braking all the time. 247 miles of range is only an average if you drive faster will use more accessories you will get less range. I have a 2023 Bolt Euv also when it warms up outside 75 degrees the car is capable of getting over 300 miles of you just have to learn how to drive it! After you fully charged and do a reset you'll get 3.8 which is about 247 miles average!
Awesome thanks for the info. Yeah I guess we were just assuming we would drive our 181 miles and have 50ish remaining, stop and charge for a bit and head back home lol I am excited to see once it warms up and she isn't using so many heated systems to see our results. Thanks for the view!
You would of been better to break the charging sessions in half. Once you hit 80 pct you ought to have unplugged (or earlier). Watch your charging curve. When you start to take in less kw’s unplug and move on. Plan to stop later. Your car will charge faster with a lower soc and it’ll be easier on the battery. Typical new EV driver issues here bud.
@@TylerPotter I think they say is to turn on the seat heaters and the steering wheel heaters and not turning on HVAC for efficiency as I guess it uses more electricity than using the seat and steering wheel warmers
I recently drove 170 miles to the beach during cold weather. My GOM aka guess-o-meter got down to 208 miles from 259.....aka 51 miles. I was extremely upset but I knew what caused it. I did try to drive 55 mph even in 70 mph speed limits. I had to use the defroster so I would not lose my life. My Bolt EV is back up to a few miles off of 259 and I am happy. Again.....cold weather, driving above 55 mph and using heater/defroster will cause you to lose quite a bit of range. It's what the car is. Warmer weather will help get it back up and not running heater/air conditioning/defroster. Most electric vehicles have similar problems and heat pumps in some cars help with the heater/defroster/airconditioning issue. If you drive at 76 mph you WILL lose range....that is a given. Research EPA to see if they use 55 mph as their guideline. Also get another vehicle with a heat pump and only charge to 80% or less.
Yes, all cars loose range in the winter; EV's make the difference more obvious. My egolf is rated at 125 miles EPA. It gets about 150 in summer; 100 in the winter.
Welcome to EV life. They can really suck with range, and that's normal. I still run a 2011 Leaf, so I'm just impressed that you're driving out of town!
I watched the first 30 seconds of this video, and I'm not watching the rest of it. It sounds like you did very little research before buying this car. Video is not totally useless though, it will help show others what to expect when considering an EV purchase. Sometimes the Bolt is not the best EV for someone's particular situation, and sometimes an EV is not a wise decision at all. If they can expand charging infrastructure, improve battery tech, improve range, then maybe that will change but that's going to take some time.
We have loved the additional room and range over our last Mini SE. I'm interested to see how it is once we finally get into some warm weather here in Kansas.
We unfortunately needed the full 100% to make it the 181 miles back home as there is no chargers in between Wichita and the Kansas city area on the turnpike. Thanks for the view!
You did nothing wrong … I did a 180 mile trip this fall, NJ into PA, 40-50s temp, bolt EV 1LT, 259 advertised range, set auto temp 70, pre warmed car in garage while plugged in, 90% of ride on highway with minor but consistent elevation changes… got to destination with 37 miles left on GOM … not first time I have done the trip… first time barely made it there … things that have improved the range: 1- cruise to 70 not above 2-prewarm car so heater pulls less energy to heat cabin throughout trip 3-one pedal driving on non highway exclusively to regen some life back to battery 180 is my planned max range in fall / winter although this summer (88 degrees) I did that trip and the GOM at the end read 60 miles left… Remember that the Bolt is a commuter so long trips aren’t desirable due to slow charging speed… if state charges by minute you are going to hurt, if by kilowatt then MUCH cheaper than ICE (I got 50 kw for 20 bucks other day without a plan on chargepoint provider) hope that helps! And enjoy the car! I love the Bolt (my son’s) and I’m getting the EUV this year
If you live somewhere with residential electric rates between 10¢~12¢ per kW-hr, running a Chevy Bolt or similar small EV, will typically cost between 2.5 to 4 cents per mile, depending on your driving habits (speed, and deliberate use of regen braking as often as possible), and how much cold or heat you can stand before you resort to using the heater or a/c. Compare this to running a typical small gas-powered car like a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic (38 mpg) on $4.00'gallon gas at about 10.5¢/mile. The gas car actually costs even more than that, when you consider the cost of engine oil changes and other maintenance that gas cars need, but EV's don't. At the other extreme, for people living in Hawaii or rural Alaska, where electric rates can be as high as 38¢/kw-hr, the cost advantage of an EV is much less, and it's possible that a Hybrid like a Prius, getting 55 mpg, will actually cost less to run than a Bolt, as long as gasoline stays under $5.00/gallon.
Making a simple math calculation: Bolt has 55 kWh battery. To charge to 100% you need 65 kWh with unimaginable charging loss in the winter. 50$ charge divided on 65 equal 77 cents per kWh. The maximum charge per kW on EA is 45 cents. Conclusion: at EVGO station you were charged per kW but also per minute which might be Kansas law requirement. I use an old 2005 Prius. In cold I get 37 mpg. For 50 $ I can buy 14 gallons in North West USA - 3.5 $ per gallon. That gasoline can propel me at least 500 miles with heater on. In conclusion: Bolt is a cool runabout car for commute but terrible for road trips. For instance I can get in cold 27 mpg in my Chrysler Pacifica PHEV on highways thus 50 $ will last in comfort heated cabin at least 350 miles running on gasoline since obviously the battery will be depleted at that distance. And by the way locally when outside is 40 degrees Fahrenheit I can get 28 miles in pure EV mode with just heated seats and stearing wheel. Locally here the price of hydropower is around 9 cents per kWh. Thus for those 28 miles I charge overnight slowly but it costs me less than 3$. Your distance one way would cost me locally less than 17 $ several days of commute and charging overnight. And if I would have a Bolt for commute only for the distance you paid 50 USD I would pay for home charging 3.5 $ in the summer and 5.7 $ in the winter.
Plan another charge session along your trip. An extra stop would have been faster and cheaper than charging to 100% at a fast charger. That 80% to 100% must have been excruciatingly slow. Suggest more ev research and don't compare to gas car. Especially in the cold. EVs are making heat, while gas cars are just taking advantage of the 66% energy loss of the combustion process to produce propulsion.
Looking at plug share there is literally no CCS chargers between Wichita and the overland park kansas city area on the map. You've got to remember this is Kansas and they actually penalize EV owners and charge us more ever year on our license plates because it is an electric car.
I don’t know what’s shocking about that range loss on the interstate. If you want a road trip car in the winter you’re driving the wrong car. Get a Tesla Model 3. I have the 2023 Permier in the same Utility Truck White and that’s about what I get but I also only drive it 75 miles round trip. You need to lower your expectations from a low cost Government Motors vehicle. It’s place is near the bottom of the food chain in the automotive world.
Hey Tyler, thanks for sharing your experience with your Chevy EV. To me, electric vehicles have a long way to go to be practical!! You have to be sweating bullets hoping that you'd make it home. I'll keep my gas engine for a long time!!! 👍👍🙂
My former employer had bought Bolts. Those things are crap, typical GM poor quality. Within 2 years it's range dropped from 380 km to 280 km. That's a huge hit for two years, makes me wonder what year 5 will look like, probably 100 km range and you'll have to spend $25k to get a new battery pack.
This was our 1st time charging with an EV GO charger and the slow 50kw bolt and the fact EV GO charges you by the min for charging made it really expensive!
The fact that summer will "extend" your range is immaterial! The range is given by the manufacturer and it didn't NEARLY get the "advertised" range. That's false advertising in my book!!
SLOW DOWN, Do some more homework. Every vehicle takes a hit on MPG or range with increased speed. The EPA rating test is NOT done at 75mph. You will have to modify the way you drive. Go look for range tests that have been done and what speeds those tests were done at and what the temps were. You have a lot of learning to do. You do understand 247 miles is the combined range and not the highway range? Slow down and learn. All EV's are affected.
We have a few newer RAM 1500's in the shop for that issue, all of them have still be under warranty and a new mirror replacement takes care of the issue. Thanks for the view!
Driving with the heater and going 76MPH. "Y I gET nO RaNGe?".
Tell me you've never driven an electric car without telling me you've never driven an electric car.
To be fair our 114 mile rated Mini SE made it on a 118 mile trip at 70mph in 100*+ heat with the A/C blasting the whole time lol
So, the answer is, go slow and freeze your ass off?
Try one or the other, or a compromise of both, anon neophyte. @@user-vt7jb9jn7q
I drive for Uber as a retired person here in Southern California, and I just just went over the 5000 mile mark since January 1st, when I bought my 2023 bolt euv lt with the redline package like yours. I also have the comfort and safety package. In Southern California, it has been cold for us in the morning for the past month, with the high 30's in the morning. When I start driving around 745am, I get a starting range of 333 to 343 miles on the best condition with 303 miles in the middle range. After driving for about for approximately 6 hours and putting 175 to 200 miles, it still shows enough miles in the mid range to go to 290 to 300 miles. I do 75- 25 % street to highway driving daily. I have a total driving for the past month of 4.3 mi/kw. During the cold mornings , I used my heated seats and heated steering wheel, with almost no loss of range. If you want to see my results, I will be more than happy to share. The last few days, the low temperature has been around 45 and the high of 69. Hopefully, this helps. Maybe the driving habits of the driver prior to your trip has lowered the overall mileage projected distance.
Thanks for sharing, we are planning to pick up today.
Was just in Oceanside. Such a beautiful area. 🌴🌊
@J Spence Yes sir. Only in Southern California, where you can play beach volleyball in the day and snow skiing in the evening
Your range is in the 300's? For the 2023 Bolt EUV?
@Henry Tran yes sir. I drove last night and went 299 miles with 6% left on the battery. When I went to the supercharger , it started charging at 6%. I was averaging 4.6kw/mile. The 2021 bolt ev never came close to this. I've started my morning after a full charge anywhere high 330's to the 360's.
That’s the way EVgo does it. Best way to do it is charge 10 or 15 percent to around 60. Just like you would not run your gas tank dry before filling up. You would put some in at 15 or 20 percent. Gas cars also lose 10 to 20% of range in winter and at higher speeds, people just don’t keep track - they simply put in more gas.
In short, your not using it or understanding it correctly.
In Kansas there was no ccs fast chargers between home and our destination so our only option was to fully charge and just make it there. Thanks for the view!
I got my Bolt in November, have put 1,500 miles on it so far. Have averaged 4.7miles/KwH which is 300+ miles range. It is definitely evident that efficiency goes down on very cold mornings and slightly on the freeway. But overall is pretty darn efficient. Depends highly on how you are driving it too, if you speed your efficiency goes down, if you accelerate quickly your efficiency goes down, if you always need climate efficiency goes down. Same rules basically as a ICE car. I would assume most who buy this EV are cost conscious to a degree and would want to drive it in an efficient way. 75mph is fast for this car, I doubt most who drive very rarely reach that speed.
I hear your frustration. You did well by knowing that using the heater and speed affects your range. I have a 2020 bolt. Drive it all over the place. Drafting is your friend. Not right behind, but about a second behind the lead car will really add the miles, by increasing efficiency. Here in the early days of EVs, make your efficiency score into a game. You will enjoy the trip more and be able to go farther. Bonus tip Don't turn off the heat, just don't make it your primary heat source. Heated seats and wheel use way less KWH.
All good info! Thanks for the view!
You keep quoting the 247 mile range but that’s for combined driving. At highway speeds the range 225. Which isn’t that far off from the 200 miles you got going there
That is true I'm interested to try again once it is warmer out. Thanks for the view!
76 mph is the big downfall and 55 degrees kills 10% easy. Heated seats and 65 mph goes a long way. I did 215 mile trip in 35 degree weather at night with cruise at 60mph.
Wow yeah I ended up lower the speed on the way home to make sure we got home. Thanks for the view and info!
Your speed by far was the largest factor. As reflected by the "technique" being your largest power detriment on the consumption statistics. Incresed speed hurts you in two ways higher drag and more power to move faster. All EV lose miles in higher speed, the more aerodynamic you car is the less it will from drag.
I remember the day of driving my 99 Explore at 75 mph and losing range do to speed. So no different between the Ice and the EV. Speed just kills range.
Ev go costs out the charging by the minute you're plugged in. So filling the slow part of the battery (80-100%) is going to significantly add to the filling cost. You'd do far better in terms of charging time and money if you break up the trip into 2 or 3 smaller charging sessions from low to maybe 60 or 80% capacity
Yeah it sounds like EV go is just way more than the EA stations we are used to here locally. Unfortunately we do have any CCS charging stations between our house and the Kansas City area so the full 180 miles has to be driven in one shot. Thanks for the view!
There is a charging station in Topeka. Use "A better route planner" to plan your route, Do not fool around going to 100% charge. You could have made the quick stop in Topeka.
I lived in Wichita for a while and worked for KFDI radio. I can imagine driving an EV there as a commuter would be great because it is so flat.
The difference between 75 and 65 in terms of range is dramatic. I just charge more because I hate going slow but other people keep it at 65 and get much better range.
Hey buddy, I have the 2023 Red line in black, and I’ve had it since Oct. 2022. Living in Los Angeles I get average of 300 miles daily. Can’t imagine what your doing wrong. Hills are a bigger draw on your battery if you had any. 😊
We were doing 80+ with the heat on. Thanks for the view!
I drive for Uber and Lyft, I bought my Bolt EUV Launch edition in the summer, I would get nearly 300 miles on a consistent bases running the Air conditioning. I live in NH and the range dropped dramatically in winter driving. I also installed Winter tires which reduced the range, my range average is between 180 to 220 miles a day in winter. That range is fine for me in winter as I knew it would drop.
That's great mileage under these conditions.
That is pretty awesome range! Thanks for the view!
The biggest problem in all this is how Evgo charges 70 cent a kilowatt.
I hear and feel your pain. I don't think you are doing anything wrong, but you do need to understand that range varies dramatically based mainly on speed. I believe the EPA highway test is based on 65mph and that is where you see 233 miles. (The advertised combo city/hwy range for the car is 247.) I saw a great video where they rant the Bolt EUV at 70mph and it had a range of 230 miles. Car and Driver tested the car at 75mph and found the range to be 190 miles. Someone else posted a test averaging 80mph and the range dropped to 170 miles.
Just like any smaller car, the efficiency is going to vary dramatically with load, speed, topography, etc. Again, I don't see that you did anything wrong. But I also don't think many people who own/drive the Bolt EUV are going to plan for 180 miles in between charges, regardless of the weather, unless they drive at lower speeds. I believe it is a great car for driving around town and for trips like you just made. You took the car about as far as anyone would dare given the speed and the time of year. Congratulations on finding the practical limits for the car -- without finding yourself without any juice left and on the side of the road in a Kansas winter.
I was going to say I see a big range difference between 65 mph and 75 mph for my little Honda Fit. It doesn't surprise me that there would be a big hit at the higher speed.
Yeah I will be interested to do another trip once it is warmer and maybe drop the speed down a little bit. Thanks for the view!
Aerodynamic drag proportional to speed is exponential, not linear. If you double the speed, drag increases by the square of the delta-vee: double the speed, from, say, 35 mph to 70mph, and drag increases by a factor of 4. I drive a 2019 Prius Prime, and it's easy to see this in EV mode. At 35 mph on city streets, in flat terrain, no use of heat or a/c, the car gets 6.8 miles per kW-hr. At 70 mph on the freeway, this drops to about 3.4 miles/kW-hr. And the Prius Prime has a very low drag coefficient to begin with. The Bolt is a much boxier car, so the range loss at high speeds due to drag is probably worse.
@@ChaseKolpath - Where this really becomes noticeable is the difference in fuel consumption between 55 mph (if you can stand to drive that slow), and 75 mph. My Prius Prime in Hybrid mode gets 68 mpg at 55 mph (no wind, flat terrain), but driving it at 75 mph on the same freeway, and the fuel economy drops dramatically, to only 45 mpg. That's a 34% decrease in fuel economy. At 35 mph on city streets, where the regen braking can have a significant impact, I've gotten 85~90 mpg in this car.
I also bought a 2023 Bolt EUV. Range is definitely low in the winter I’m looking forward to summer driving! Looking forward to more bolt content!
Thanks and congrats on your purchase! I also an looking forward to the warmer months and seeing what it shows for range! Thanks for the view!
It's WINTER when you filmed this...of course you are missing range. My EUV says it has 200 miles of range out of 249...but that's to be expected. I drive very conservatively and locally, that's where this car is happy. Want more range? Get a more expensive EV....and even then you'll still see range decreases in cold weather.
Yall are braver than me. I couldn't handle the range anxiety 🤦♂️
The way home was not fun lol At one point it was showing 5 miles short of getting home on range.... Thanks for the view!
Our Tesla MY and M3 are usually about 30% off real world v. stated range on the highway.
Thanks for the info and the view!
Don't know much about the Bolt, does it have a heat pump? Heat pumps make a big difference in range during cold temps. I would also recommend down loading the Windy app on your phone to see if you have a tail wind or head wind. While you said you know that EV's mileage decrease at highway speeds it's hard to change the "mind" after all your adult life experiences in ICE cars that highway mileage increases due to gearing.
The bolt is less than 30k. Of course it doesn't have a heat pump. Besides, heat pumps are good in mild weather but god awful in very cold weather. Resistive heat is instant while in the best case scenario you have to wait for components to warm up before extracting heat from them. He was driving at over 75MPH in the cold, presumably with the heat on too. The battery isn't going to keep much of its advertised range
Yes this was a worst case test drive for sure, 75-80mph, heater on, cold weather ect. but a real world result at least if a bolt is driven like a "normal" car on a trip. Thanks for the view!
Time for a 2023 Prius.
It does look darn good, the wife says if they offered it in a all electric version she would do it. She says she is done with going to gas stations lol Thanks for the view!
Honestly I don’t consider 40° to be that cold
I agree with you! That why is seemed so crazy that we were loosing range so fast. Thanks for the view!
Window sticker range is about 50 MPH average speed at 75°F... In the winter months expect 25% to 30% below that. To figure your live real range All you have to do is times your current consumption by 66. Example 2.5X66=165miles range The range is not missing, The math checks out! You just have to keep your efficiency above 3.7 to get your 245 miles
Awesome thank you for the info!
In very cold weather, can't you pre-condition (warm up) the battery temperature before starting the charge? Does the Bolt not support this? 50 miles of range loss because the battery can't be pre-conditioned in cold weather would be a deal-breaker for most prospective EV buyers.
I'm not sure on the bolt I will have to do some research. Thanks for the view!
If you would drive at 65 mph your range would be considerably higher.
Yeah on the way home I dropped it down to 70 at least. I think if it wasn't so cold we would have been a lot better off. Thanks for the view!
First and foremost, that 247 number is a COMBINED average at about 70°F, with highway tested speeds being 65mph (hence why the green ring fades to yellow faster than 65mph).
EV range is affected by cold on two fronts, the first is that the cold literally makes the battery less efficient and the second is that cold air is more dense than warm air, so you're essentially pushing through "thicker" air. Then there is the terrain that can affect range, meaning was your home at a higher elevation than the IKEA, so you'd be using less energy there and more energy back? To add to that, what direction was the wind blowing and were you driving into the wind going home? Because driving into the wind will use more energy.
ON TOP of all of that (I know, I know), your speed is negatively affecting range and the heater in the Bolt is not very efficient, also negatively affecting range...
All these reasons (minus the speed issue) are why it's generally accepted that in the winter, EVs lose up to 40% of projected range. Add speeds in excess of 65mph and that loss percentage gets higher.
Unfortunately, there's no good way to advertise range to people who are used to MPG and miles to empty. If you use the 115MPGe rating, you then have to explain to people that they only have a "2.5 gallon tank", which they won't understand. If you use the range number, you get the issues that you faced.
The only real way to measure efficiency is by the miles per kWh, but that's so foreign to people that they won't understand that 3.5mi/kWh will only get 227.5 miles of range on the Bolt and 4.0mi/kWh will get 260 miles of range on the Bolt. AND THEN those mi/kWh numbers will yield completely different range numbers on a different EV with a different sized battery.
Good luck with the Bolt, it's been a great car for me, but it's definitely not a long range EV like a Tesla that has access to both faster charging speeds and more fast charging stations.
It has been great so far and we like the longer range and interior room vs. our previous Mini SE. Thanks for the view!
I live in Wisconsin so I want to know what it’s like when it’s 10 below zero. Because that’s a thing here, on occasion.
It wouldn't be very happy if left outside, but probably would be a little better off in a garage. Thanks for the view!
I'm sure in the beginning of the gas powered car, a lot of things were misunderstood and oversold... Great content and let us know once you locate the missing miles...
Will do! Thanks for the view!
The best way to get all your range is to go 45mph, downhill with a tail wind.
Or on the trailer behind the truck lol Thanks for the view!
Yes i wish everything we bought would be like advertised or shown in a picture with the tiny fine print. Wouldn't be nice to get your fast food like the pictures.
Did you not know that ev's lose range at higher speeds and colder weather?
Did you not want to stop and charge again without turning off the heat? I'm never in that big of a hurry to turn off my heat on my bolt. I can stop and charge a little.
Was this video a forced enactment to show the big downsides?
When i bought my bolt i knew what to expect. I drive mine over 90 percent of my driving. But i also have gas vehicles also.
I found this on EPA website..........The "city" program is designed to replicate an urban rush-hour driving experience in which the vehicle is started with the engine cold and is driven in stop-and-go traffic with frequent idling. The car or truck is driven for 11 miles and makes 23 stops over the course of 31 minutes, with an average speed of 20 mph and a top speed of 56 mph.
The "highway" program is created to emulate rural and interstate freeway driving with a warmed-up engine, making no stops (both of which ensure maximum fuel economy). The vehicle is driven for 10 miles over a period of 12.5 minutes with an average speed of 48 mph and a top speed of 60 mph. Both tests are performed with the vehicle's air conditioning and other accessories off.
Wow that is very interesting thank you for the info!
This is an issue with thinking it's just like any other car. But it's an issue with both the weather and speeds. Plus the head winds. Now the rating is for a blended 65 mph max speed in warmer weather. Plus you should have checked in some mid trip charging. As it is more expensive to charge to 100% on DCFC. I normally set up a short 20 minute charge time after about 120 miles to start. You should see some videos for State of charge. And others with range tests.
Unfortunately there are no DC fast charging between the 2 destinations, but that would have been a better option. Thanks for the view!
I have also learned that the range they say it city driving. Highway speed equals about 25-35% loss then add cold weather loss and that will be your real range. You can bank on that every time. Not all EV battery have loss the same. Tesla is the least.
Awesome thanks for the info and the view!
Thanks for sharing the trip ! Do you think there maybe something wrong with the battery ?
This probably isn't a battery problem. This is just a worst case scenario for ev range; cold temperatures and high speeds
Imagine how hard it was to explain that gasoline cars need their oil replaced every 3000 miles - back when those were novel. This is just a mismatch of expectations and technology
@@JP-sw5ho seems more of misinformation by the companies. Why not be honest with the customer ? Prob not going to sell well in Alaska,
It was just the speed and cold that killed our range. I'm excited to see what the range shows once we warm up here in Kansas. Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter thanks that cam swap is bad fast on your short !
They really need to advertise the range at a constant 70mph. The advertised range assumes a much lower speed that people don’t travel at for long road trips.
This would be great info on the window sticker. Thanks for the view!
I was excited to watch this first test because we are in the market for a vehicle to replace our 2009 Ford Escape. We are focused on an EV or a hybrid with roughly $35,000 to spend. I've ordered a 2023 RAV4 hybrid, thinking this is still the best of both worlds, and living in New Hampshire, we experience lots of cold weather, an electric vehicle's kryptonite. Our other car is a 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium Hybrid. Average 45 MPG in the summer and down to 40 MPG if it's extremely cold. My wife would punch me if I shut off the heat or her seat in the cold. Does your wife miss her Prius?
I do miss my Prius! I will be the first to buy an all electric Prius if that ever happens. We had no heat, no heated seats, no phone charging, wouldn't use the window defroster and told me I couldn't turn up the radio either lol. It was an adventure and no one got punched lol
@@kstorrer No radio. I might have punched him. Sorry Tyler
It was dire times lol we needed to make it home so anything that took power had to go lol
You keep saying "Yes, I understand" about loss of range due to drag at 76mph and the use of the heater, but you still seem to not understand. Btw, $47 to charge is robbery. They must charge by time vs. by kWh. Because the Bolt architecture caps DC fast charging at 50kW or so (slow by newer car standards) and steps down as you go, timed chargers are almost always going to hurt you badly.
Yes this EVgo location was by the min. vs. kWh to it was pretty killer on price. Thanks for the view!
No joke or exaggeration- the Bolt heater is a 7.5kw heater. I’m still learning about the Bolt, but I assume that the cabin heater core is in the same coolant loop with the battery heater. The batteries do require some heat to operate at peak efficiency. Please keep in mind that 7.5kw is highly similar power output to a typical 40 gallon hot water heater in your home. I don’t know why it is that high power- if I had to guess it is because the batteries need it more than the cabin heater core.
I’m sure plenty of other people have told you that it is much more efficient to use the seat heaters, and keep the cabin heater turned down to a more chill temperature say 55 or 60F where it’s comfortable in heavy winter clothes and not cold enough to make a nose drip while letting your butt soak heat into your blood vessels. I do not know the power ratings of the seat heaters, but a guess would be 500w each, maybe 750w for the fronts. 100w would be fine for the steering wheel, and 50w for each mirror. You can see how that would save money. You probably can’t turn off the heater completely because the battery needs to be heated, but you can turn off whatever juice it needs to add to make the cabin hot as you did.
The cost of charging on the road is horrendous. I don’t want to imagine how crappy that is. I bought my Bolt EUV to be a work taxi.
We have one trip we might make to see my parents which is 192 miles- nearest charger is at 178. I’d be interested to know from you how the range changed driving at night due to the headlights, and adding weight. I will attempt to make that trip one time in the Bolt paying close attention to power use just to show off the car. We got ours in ice blue 😊 base Premiere. I’ll also be curious to see if I can either disconnect the rear seat heater, or remove a fuse so that my daughter doesn’t accidentally turn it on. I also hope that Chevy or someone will make software for the cameras to be used like Tesla cams in the event of an accident.
With home charging, I’m sure your wife will enjoy the Bolt EUV as a work taxi and grocery getter. I’d definitely take the truck for the next trip to pick up furniture whether it was winter or not. The Bolt’s slow DC charger is not a road tripper. You can install up to a 50a home charger as the Bolt will handle 11kWh, but as an electrician I do not recommend it more than 40 amps in a garage. Even if you have a 40 amp charger, find the slowest charge rate that meets your needs. There are so many calculations that electricians routinely overlook with a high amp continuous load- terminal heat ratings, ambient temperature factors- and that on top of continuous load calculations that I’d recommend #4 wire if the installation will handle it. I don’T true Q-Merit. They just take a commission from local electrical companies, and their marketing video shows a “qualified installer” installing a completely non-weatherproof outlet and box on the side of the customer’s house. Obviously marketing can’t be bothered to thoroughly discuss their plans with any of those dirty low life’s that do the work. Best idea, find a good place to install a hardwired charger in the garage, and you’ll be set. Don’t go for a plug-in type if you can help it. Don’t hire the cheapest contractor, hire one you that has reviews you can trust. You can call your local code enforcement to ask if a courtesy call will cost you, or find out if a permit is required.
Wow thank you for all of the info and tips! Thanks for the view!
You assume far too much about the bolt. The coolant loops for the electronics, battery, and cabin heat are all entirely seperate and do not exchange heat aside from incidental radiation. The battery has its own heater entirely independent from the cabin heat. Either can be on or off in their entirety, or in a range of power levels. The battery heater is part of the battery coolant loop and will taper off the harder the car gets driven thanks to the battery creating its own heat.
Please research what you're talking about as well. In the US, a 240volt water heater is about 4 kw, a little over half of the bolt's cabin heating power.
What were the winds like? It’s always windy in Kansas and you were driving into them probably the whole way back.
It actually wasn't terribly windy in Kansas for once but the cold and speed killed us. Thanks for the view!
Here is a radical idea, take 15 minutes to charge it, and there are plenty of charging stations, sounds like your state has charging infrastructure issues, in New York it costs me $15 to fully charge my Tesla, so $50 to charge a Bolt means you are getting screwed my friend! Seems like Kansas doesn't want people switching to EV's
Kansas literally penalizes you every year with an additional charge of $100 on your car tags due to it being an electric vehicle!
You are missing the miles because of your speed and possibly if you were running the heater. I think EPA bases its estimate on 55 mph. Lower temperature definitely will be the other big one so when you get back home do a reset and go to a DC Fast Charger and I think you will be fine until you have to drive faster than 55 mph again.
I will be interested to see on a warmer drive next time. Thanks for the view!
I find that ev go costs about 3 times as much to fill up as Electrify America or EV Connect do
That was our 1st time charging at a ev go location vs. a EA station and we were both shocked at the price but it was our only option for CCS charging in the area. Thanks for the view!
"Yes, I understand that cold weather and high speeds reduce range on EVs, but ..... that seems a little ridiculous to me, so I'm gonna complain about it a lot when I really should be paying attention to the road."
Take a different car, dude.
My guess is that the range is based on 1 person and 60 degrees or warmer.
Doing some research it looks like 70* is the magic number. Thanks for the view!
Going to have to learn to plan your trips a little bit better. Since you're trying to drive it as if it was a gasoline car you should have stopped for about 15 minutes and put forty more miles on it. Your range is only as good as your last drive cycle and how many kilowatts per mile you get in that drive cycle! I use regenerative braking all the time. 247 miles of range is only an average if you drive faster will use more accessories you will get less range. I have a 2023 Bolt Euv also when it warms up outside 75 degrees the car is capable of getting over 300 miles of you just have to learn how to drive it! After you fully charged and do a reset you'll get 3.8 which is about 247 miles average!
Awesome thanks for the info. Yeah I guess we were just assuming we would drive our 181 miles and have 50ish remaining, stop and charge for a bit and head back home lol I am excited to see once it warms up and she isn't using so many heated systems to see our results. Thanks for the view!
My Fiat 500e gets about 50% of the range in winter (~40°) vs. what it gets in summer (~80°)
Wow that is pretty crazy, how many miles do you have on the 500e now?
@Tyler Potter, just over 25K. I've only had it about 18 months, since about 21K
You would of been better to break the charging sessions in half. Once you hit 80 pct you ought to have unplugged (or earlier). Watch your charging curve. When you start to take in less kw’s unplug and move on. Plan to stop later. Your car will charge faster with a lower soc and it’ll be easier on the battery. Typical new EV driver issues here bud.
Did you use your seat heaters Tyler?
Not on the way home I was too afraid of running out of battery!
@@TylerPotter I think they say is to turn on the seat heaters and the steering wheel heaters and not turning on HVAC for efficiency as I guess it uses more electricity than using the seat and steering wheel warmers
I recently drove 170 miles to the beach during cold weather. My GOM aka guess-o-meter got down to 208 miles from 259.....aka 51 miles. I was extremely upset but I knew what caused it. I did try to drive 55 mph even in 70 mph speed limits. I had to use the defroster so I would not lose my life. My Bolt EV is back up to a few miles off of 259 and I am happy. Again.....cold weather, driving above 55 mph and using heater/defroster will cause you to lose quite a bit of range. It's what the car is. Warmer weather will help get it back up and not running heater/air conditioning/defroster. Most electric vehicles have similar problems and heat pumps in some cars help with the heater/defroster/airconditioning issue. If you drive at 76 mph you WILL lose range....that is a given. Research EPA to see if they use 55 mph as their guideline. Also get another vehicle with a heat pump and only charge to 80% or less.
Yes I am excited to see what the warmer weather will bring for the car. Thanks for the view!
68 mph, for me is ok, and you won't arrive very late time wise it's not consideration.
Yes, all cars loose range in the winter; EV's make the difference more obvious.
My egolf is rated at 125 miles EPA. It gets about 150 in summer; 100 in the winter.
That is interesting thanks for the info. I'm not sure I've even seen a golf e in person before.
Welcome to EV life. They can really suck with range, and that's normal. I still run a 2011 Leaf, so I'm just impressed that you're driving out of town!
Wow what is it's full charge range down to now after 12 years of use?
I watched the first 30 seconds of this video, and I'm not watching the rest of it. It sounds like you did very little research before buying this car. Video is not totally useless though, it will help show others what to expect when considering an EV purchase. Sometimes the Bolt is not the best EV for someone's particular situation, and sometimes an EV is not a wise decision at all. If they can expand charging infrastructure, improve battery tech, improve range, then maybe that will change but that's going to take some time.
Step one: Read your car's manual.
We have loved the additional room and range over our last Mini SE. I'm interested to see how it is once we finally get into some warm weather here in Kansas.
Don't charge to 100%......look at your DC Fast Charging curve and decide whether you want to charge to 80% or less.
We unfortunately needed the full 100% to make it the 181 miles back home as there is no chargers in between Wichita and the Kansas city area on the turnpike. Thanks for the view!
You did nothing wrong … I did a 180 mile trip this fall, NJ into PA, 40-50s temp, bolt EV 1LT, 259 advertised range, set auto temp 70, pre warmed car in garage while plugged in, 90% of ride on highway with minor but consistent elevation changes… got to destination with 37 miles left on GOM … not first time I have done the trip… first time barely made it there … things that have improved the range:
1- cruise to 70 not above
2-prewarm car so heater pulls less energy to heat cabin throughout trip
3-one pedal driving on non highway exclusively to regen some life back to battery
180 is my planned max range in fall / winter although this summer (88 degrees) I did that trip and the GOM at the end read 60 miles left…
Remember that the Bolt is a commuter so long trips aren’t desirable due to slow charging speed… if state charges by minute you are going to hurt, if by kilowatt then MUCH cheaper than ICE (I got 50 kw for 20 bucks other day without a plan on chargepoint provider)
hope that helps! And enjoy the car! I love the Bolt (my son’s) and I’m getting the EUV this year
If you live somewhere with residential electric rates between 10¢~12¢ per kW-hr, running a Chevy Bolt or similar small EV, will typically cost between 2.5 to 4 cents per mile, depending on your driving habits (speed, and deliberate use of regen braking as often as possible), and how much cold or heat you can stand before you resort to using the heater or a/c. Compare this to running a typical small gas-powered car like a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic (38 mpg) on $4.00'gallon gas at about 10.5¢/mile. The gas car actually costs even more than that, when you consider the cost of engine oil changes and other maintenance that gas cars need, but EV's don't.
At the other extreme, for people living in Hawaii or rural Alaska, where electric rates can be as high as 38¢/kw-hr, the cost advantage of an EV is much less, and it's possible that a Hybrid like a Prius, getting 55 mpg, will actually cost less to run than a Bolt, as long as gasoline stays under $5.00/gallon.
Thanks for the view and good info!
Making a simple math calculation: Bolt has 55 kWh battery. To charge to 100% you need 65 kWh with unimaginable charging loss in the winter. 50$ charge divided on 65 equal 77 cents per kWh. The maximum charge per kW on EA is 45 cents. Conclusion: at EVGO station you were charged per kW but also per minute which might be Kansas law requirement.
I use an old 2005 Prius. In cold I get 37 mpg. For 50 $ I can buy 14 gallons in North West USA - 3.5 $ per gallon. That gasoline can propel me at least 500 miles with heater on.
In conclusion: Bolt is a cool runabout car for commute but terrible for road trips.
For instance I can get in cold 27 mpg in my Chrysler Pacifica PHEV on highways thus 50 $ will last in comfort heated cabin at least 350 miles running on gasoline since obviously the battery will be depleted at that distance.
And by the way locally when outside is 40 degrees Fahrenheit I can get 28 miles in pure EV mode with just heated seats and stearing wheel. Locally here the price of hydropower is around 9 cents per kWh. Thus for those 28 miles I charge overnight slowly but it costs me less than 3$. Your distance one way would cost me locally less than 17 $ several days of commute and charging overnight.
And if I would have a Bolt for commute only for the distance you paid 50 USD I would pay for home charging 3.5 $ in the summer and 5.7 $ in the winter.
Yes apparently the EVgo locations are pay by the min. vs. by the kw like the EA stations. Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter Thank you for answering. I still believe that Bolt EV is an awesome tool for local commute with no competition in its efficiency.
Uhhh just because the speed limit is 75 doesn't mean you have to drive 75+. Try 65 next time. I love 55 myself. What's the rush?
We did drop it down to 70 on the way home to reduce a little battery usage and it did help. Thanks for the view!
The higher the speed, the more the drag the least efficient mileage
The cooler weather didn't help either. Thanks for the view!
These things are pretty much around town cars or only to be driven in the summer lol
It did make it there and back and we didn't end up walking so I'll call it a win lol Thanks for the view!
Plan another charge session along your trip. An extra stop would have been faster and cheaper than charging to 100% at a fast charger. That 80% to 100% must have been excruciatingly slow. Suggest more ev research and don't compare to gas car. Especially in the cold. EVs are making heat, while gas cars are just taking advantage of the 66% energy loss of the combustion process to produce propulsion.
Looking at plug share there is literally no CCS chargers between Wichita and the overland park kansas city area on the map. You've got to remember this is Kansas and they actually penalize EV owners and charge us more ever year on our license plates because it is an electric car.
@TylerPotter I live in NC, $140.25 extra to own an EV each year. I feel ya, the charging infrastructure is coming, hang in there
I don’t know what’s shocking about that range loss on the interstate. If you want a road trip car in the winter you’re driving the wrong car. Get a Tesla Model 3. I have the 2023 Permier in the same Utility Truck White and that’s about what I get but I also only drive it 75 miles round trip.
You need to lower your expectations from a low cost Government Motors vehicle. It’s place is near the bottom of the food chain in the automotive world.
I think in warmer weather we would have been a lot better. Thanks for the view!
We drive in L which increases range. Were you driving in L?
I don't believe the EUV has the L shifter position like the non-EUV but I might be incorrect.
Why would anyone ever buy an EV?
A new car with a warranty for $23K that you never have to put gas in is a pretty cheap new car! Thanks for the view!
Hey Tyler, thanks for sharing your experience with your Chevy EV. To me, electric vehicles have a long way to go to be practical!! You have to be sweating bullets hoping that you'd make it home. I'll keep my gas engine for a long time!!! 👍👍🙂
Yeah on the way home it was not fun! I think I looked at the range screen about 1000 times!
My former employer had bought Bolts. Those things are crap, typical GM poor quality. Within 2 years it's range dropped from 380 km to 280 km. That's a huge hit for two years, makes me wonder what year 5 will look like, probably 100 km range and you'll have to spend $25k to get a new battery pack.
Luckily the batteries are covered under the 8yr 100k mile warranty. Thanks for the view!
Strandman 100 percent had a broken car. While the chargers suck. They don’t suck that bad. That video provided false information.
This was our 1st time charging with an EV GO charger and the slow 50kw bolt and the fact EV GO charges you by the min for charging made it really expensive!
@@TylerPotter yea ev gos pricing is bad. I have a model 3 and used there tesla plugs which max out around 50 kws and it was a really expensive charge
The fact that summer will "extend" your range is immaterial! The range is given by the manufacturer and it didn't NEARLY get the "advertised" range. That's false advertising in my book!!
Actually, the EPA determines official range for a vehicle.
Yeah temp, speed and usage really effects EV's range. Thanks for the view!
SLOW DOWN, Do some more homework. Every vehicle takes a hit on MPG or range with increased speed. The EPA rating test is NOT done at 75mph. You will have to modify the way you drive. Go look for range tests that have been done and what speeds those tests were done at and what the temps were. You have a lot of learning to do. You do understand 247 miles is the combined range and not the highway range? Slow down and learn. All EV's are affected.
We have a few newer RAM 1500's in the shop for that issue, all of them have still be under warranty and a new mirror replacement takes care of the issue. Thanks for the view!
The cost to charge and the lack of range definitely makes owning an ev like that not worth owning. I will stay with gas vehicles.
The EVgo chargers are by the min vs. by the kw for charging so it is way more expensive at those locations. Thanks for the view!
Really Tyler?? Did you REALLY think this trip was a good idea??
We did make it there and back without walking so I'll call it a win! Thanks for the view!
@@TylerPotter BARELY. 3% left. But I'll say this, cajones of steel.