I own a 2019 Bolt EV in Maine that had it's battery replaced with the 259 mile range version and I regularly get 300+ miles driving on rural roads (45-55mph) during the summer. The car is just incredibly efficient.
I live in Maine as well. I’m considering buying a bolt eventually but I worry about finding charging locations. Do you have trouble or do you charge at home?
Good point. I have looked at the mpge and the Bolt is one the best, I think the Tesla M3 is the best. Some EVs are not great in this area. Narrow width and low height help.
@@gardudley3328yeah you’ll want to charge at home, having a full tank every time you leave means you can do a ton of driving. When you take long trips, you’ll plan out accordingly.
19:45 GM did a pretty good job of keeping the Bolt EV/EUV drivable all the way down to empty. Acceleration is definitely limited, but it is still capable of accelerating to and maintaining freeway speeds.
@@doddsalfa Sure, but I'm referring to when the battery is low or "Reduced Propulsion" mode. Even at ~5%, the Bolt EV's battery can output ~100 kW or so.
That's a pretty good range, 230 miles, for the 80% of us who live in urban areas (according to the 2020 census, 80% in urban areas), that's not a problem at all. Most commutes are like 30 miles so you could go nearly a week without charging it if you're using it for that! Also bear in mind, 60 kWh = about 2 gallons of gas. Most gas cars couldn't go 230 miles on 2 gallons of gas. 🙂
@@samusaran7317 LOL Our Bolt has cost me a grand total of $53 in maintenance over two years. In addition to this, I have free L2 charging at work, making my commute $0 per week, and that free charging also covers 99% of my driving on my days off. Show me a car that is cheaper to operate than this.
Based on my experience with the Bolt EV, the following is the sequence of what happens when the battery gets low. From the video, it sounds like the EUV is similar: 15% - battery meter changes color from green to orange (should see 3 bars, as each bar is 5%). 10% - "charge vehicle soon" notification ~7% - "propulsion power is reduced" notification; guess-o-meter switches to "Low" (*) 5% - the last bar on the battery meter is flashing 2% - battery meter shows zero bars; a message appears asking if you want to turn on "low power mode". Low power mode shuts off the display screen, but has negligible impact in terms of actually saving power. 0% - "out of energy. Charge vehicle now" notification. I never personally ran the battery this low, but based on another Out of Spec video, the car is still drivable for at least a little bit with around 2-4 kWh power. This is at least enough to maneuver the car a few feet around a charging station due to a broken charger, cable not quite reaching, etc.
I ran mine out in winter temps, and at 5%, you better find a charger. Car will die with 5% in winter. I was 2.5 miles away on rural roads from the charger. Luckily I had roadside assistance coverage via onstar. I pay for the smartphone remote access to preheat car in the winter, cut it off in spring.
There's really no excuse for GM to remove range estimates at low SOC unless the batteries are widely out of balance. It should always be there for the driver to make informed decisions, or at least switch to counting usable kWh remaining since they show throttle in kW. Also at 2%, "Low Power Mode" should stop balancing the 12V battery and allow the AGM to discharge to 12.2V (50% SOC or 1/2 depth of discharge) until power is again provided from the high voltage battery pack through the Auxiliary power module (the DC-DC voltage step down converter). Additionally, if it is daytime, the car should read the brightness level of the sky using its daylight sensor on the dash and turn the exterior headlights off, saving an additional ~100W of power which also slows the AGM's self-discharge. This is what i'd expect from a true Low Power Mode. Most importantly, there is no sacrifices to the driver in terms of drivability or safety. I should also mention that if GM chose a LIFEPO4 or Li-ion chemistry for its automotive 12V battery, it could match the charging rate of the high voltage battery pack while charging at a DCFC, ensuring this low power mode could be used every time in the same conditions and without re-charging while driving (reducing range). However, because they are using AGM (and 50 Ah), it would take just over 3h at a 0.3C rate to fully charge and would draw only 15A (~200W) to charge with.
I have a 2023 bolt and I am really surprised how much I love driving it! I just didn't expect that. And the single pedal driving mode is now my favorite way to drive.
Good review, Jordan. In my opinion, the Bolt EUV Premier is far and away the best bang for the buck. We just got back from a 2,900+ mile trip in our '22 Bolt EUV. I think reviewers get a little carried away with the importance of charging speed. I'm not sure if it's a bragging rights thing or a reaction to gas car fans always saying how much faster they can refuel than EV cars. But what we found on our trip was that sometimes we had to wait for the car and other times, the car had to wait for us. It's all a matter of how often you can combine charging and meals, how deeply you discharge, and how much charge you need to reach the next charger. Waiting on the car for a few minutes now and then let us stretch our legs and kept us alert and refreshed. At least we never had to leave a restaurant before we were done eating to avoid penalties at the chargers. But, if they would have upgraded the charging to 100 kW, that would have been great. I would agree that the seat bottoms are a little on the firm side, but I had no pain after a 14-hour day on the road in our EUV. As for the turn signal sound, I imagine you're too young to remember the bi-metal clickers that cars used to use to regulate the blinker rate and make the indicator sound. The Bolt approximates that sound pretty well if I remember correctly. It's an old fashioned sound. But, where the Bolt really shines is around town efficiency. I regularly get over 5 miles/kWh going back & forth to work on mostly 45-50 mph roads. That's as well as my Prius Prime did. On our road trip, we averaged about 3.8 driving at the speed limit.
@@roberthicks686 can't beat the price. Good luck with whatever you get. Will this be your first BEV? We got out first one in July 2021 and our second, going full BEV, in January. I will never own another fossil fuel vehicle.
I’m waiting for a Red Premium completely loaded EUV no point in waiting for the tax credit. My tax credit is maxed for a couple of years now. Should work in my case. The gas savings covers (and then some) car payment after a down payment. Looking forward to the upgrade from my 23 year old Buick.
Bolts are pretty much the only affordable EVs that aren't strictly urban commuters. Charge peak isn't good and the 50% cutoff on peak charging is bad, but it's still the best in my price range that's actually usable for 90% of my needs. Definitely looking forward to getting mine.
@@jackfishcampbell6745 if you can find one it's basically equivalent in range/usefulness and theoretically at a similar price via Edmunds. But actually finding one in the Midwest seems like a no go as far as I've seen. Plus the battery swap on the bolts means you're practically getting a brand new EV for the price of used *shrugs
@@jackfishcampbell6745 On the east coast I could hardly find a Nero EV. @undrachvrsage is spot on though, the charge time may not be the best on a long vacation journey but for about 90% of usage leaving for another city or day to day life, the Bolt EV is perfect, let alone the Bolt EUV!
@@wtmayhew I live in Winnipeg Manitoba which is 400 miles northwest of Minneapolis , I haven't checked lately but were in short supply in June 19 when we bought ours . On that day there were no EV's no PHEV's and two HEV's on dealer lot's in Winnipeg , a metro of 800,000 . There was a fully loaded white Touring though , which we purchased . At least back then you could order a new Niro and receive your car . Now , who knows . Our neighbour works at a Toyota dealership told me last fall 9 months to offer a year to get a new Toyota .
I just got one with the 2023 6g price decrease and am very happy with it. It’s a very good commuter car and glad I can charge at my local movie theater or mall for free. I just did a road-trip from Seattle to Portland and back and it was nice. No range anxiety. I still can’t recommend EV’s yet but this is good choice for commuting or small trips.
11:00 No, the Bolt does not do battery conditioning the way you described. It will not pre-condition the battery before a charge. What the screen was referring to was extra conditioning done to maintain battery health.
I feel people are very confused about the Bolt. I have a Bolt and am *very* happy with it. The way GM has the Bolt configured, I believe they are marketing to an urban/suburban customer. It was never meant as a long range, constant use car. It was meant to get around town and small trips. Yes, it has a long-range battery but that means you don't need to charge as often when used as less than a 50 miles/day vehicle. The slow charge would be annoying if you took many long trips but as News Coulomb's channel has demonstrated it's not that bad if the right charging strategy is used. Chevrolet had something about a study that said most EV owners charge at home. My Bolt is only charged once a week (the weekend) on the 110v supply and it's fully charged before the workweek begins and I have never been "stranded" because I can always use an DCFC to throw in a few dozen KWs. As for the seats: I have leather seats and they have better comfort than the cloth seats but it's not like they are great for long distance comfort compared to the much more expensive alternatives.
I'm not confused, I'm annoyed, because I want one, but I want it to be my only car, make sense? Therefore it has to charge even marginally better, like 75kw with a nice flat curve. And seats need to not suck.
I feel like you could replace Bolt with EV in your comment and it would universally hold true. I'm in the market and looking at the Bolt now, and have no interest in taking long range highway trips with it, wrong tool for the job. When people realize this, then maybe EV sales will take off. We don't need more long range EVs, we need more 200-250 mile range EVs that are affordable, they already are superior to gas powered cars for urban/suburban customers.
With liquid cooling, it's still surprising they couldn't let the battery charge at a 1C rate or a little more to ~80%. If they just could have gotten it to ~75kW charging, it would be much more bearable taking those occasional long trips. Recharging 70-80% of the pack would be cut down to 40 minutes instead of about an hour. Still a long time, but a considerable amount of time saved. Would be nice to have a commuter than can be used for more than that. Sometimes having a second vehicle isn't an option, and with a decent sized battery, it could be an ideal car to take somewhere 600-800 miles away if it had 1.5-2x the charging speed. The Bolt is a good value, especially if you rarely go on trips. But charge speed is puzzling, I mean the Leaf can hold 70kW with an air cooled battery for a good chunk of time and still maintain a relatively flat charge curve thereafter. I think if Chevy makes a new Bolt type of vehicle on Ultium with 125-150kW max charging at a similar price point, that will be a game changer.
@@Matt-dx3wo definitely not saying ev’s don’t road trip well, they all drive so well. But most people will have a hard time adjusting to the extra time spent charging, planning very specific routes, those that do then great on them.
my aunt has this car. I got to drive it two weeks ago, kinda fell in love with it, now I want one. I was expecting to hate it from how everyone else seems to like to hate on it.
I recently purchased a BOLT euv from Rydell Chevrolet in Northridge, California. I got the premier package, no sunroof, no bose sound package or the self chev cruise system. Overall, I think it's a great commuter car. I drive roughly 45 miles a day and it charges back to 80% within 2 hours. GM also offers a free level 2 charger install at home in my garage As far as charging at home, it's great that I don't have to be stuck in line for 30 minutes at COSTCO or deal with the ridiculous gas prices. My next goal is to install a few solar panels so I can get free energy from the sun. I think Chevrolet did an outstanding job with the BOLT euv.
Great video. Just took delivery of an EUV spec’d the same way. After current GM rebate, state rebate and GM Uber driver discount, $12,300 was knocked off the MSRP.
I love a good value, and the Bolt is an excellent value. I'm not sure you mentioned the regen paddle on the back of the steering wheel, but it's something every EV should have. I would totally get the EUV if it had a faster charging rate. But, for people using it as a metro car, it's a great option.
My Partner and I drove our 2020 Bolt from Akron, OH to Santa Monica Pier, CA and followed Route 66 back to Chicago and home again. We did not find the slower charging speeds to be that big of a deal. Most of our charging manages to coincide with meal stops, plus we will reserve overnight stays at hotels with destination chargers to allow the car to get a full 100% charge for the next day.
When the Honda Clarity plug in Hybrid came out, it had the regen paddles and a lot of people did not like them. I use them all of the time. While the car supposedly has an EV range of 47 miles city, I usually have some charge left at 50 miles, but to be fair, I am a very careful driver and I use the regen paddles to control my coast down speeds, which is a great way to extend mileage when driving in town.
You don't even need the paddle. You can push the one pedal drive button and it'll regenerate every time you lift off the gas. I use one pedal driving exclusively and almost never touch the brakes, even when coming to a complete stop.
The 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV has an EPA-estimated combined MPGe of 115. The EPA-estimated city MPGe is 125, and the *highway MPGe is 104.* The EPA-estimated range is 247 miles.
Technique, from what I could find in an old Bolt write up is based on speed and changes in driving. So the fact that you were sitting at 70mph, that got you a down score; then maintaining that speed for long periods of time gave you another big down score.
Let us know the results of your more complete test of the Bolt. Can't wait to see how that test is different so I'll know what to look for when driving my Bolt.
Thanks for the range test on the Bolt EUV. I do not own a EV car at this time, just watching and learning what they can do and their limitations. Take care.
Very interesting EV. We were just in the market for a Bolt EV 2LT, with the $5,900 GM rebate on new models its a no brainer except the local dealership decided to add 5k “market adjustment” which basically made the rebate pointless so we decided to pass, really shitty situation.
No. Shitty dealer. Do yourself a favor. Look for an honest dealer (any Chevy dealer must provide service after the sale) and buy the best car currently available, EV or gas. The Bolt EUV will please on every drive.
"When I finally parked it(Bolt) at my home charging station, it had gone 322 miles on a single charge. Not bad for a car rated at 238 miles per charge. Even more impressive was the fact that I didn't really try very hard to get that many miles out of it. I spent plenty of time in traffic, which helped, but there were a few sections that I was moving along at 65-70 mph as well. No matter how you look at it, 322 miles out of a Bolt is pretty impressive." - Ed Hellwig Edmund's
@@JonathanRootD Nope. I have an EUV. I drove from Columbus Ohio to Cleveland Ohio and back (280 miles) on a full charge going 70mph the whole way. It was 70 degrees outside. I think Chevy's range estimates were with the old batteries, so no surprise you get more range out of the newer ones.
@@amirmoradi9595 I personally have driven a Bolt EV. But my 2018 Cadillac CT6 2.0E plug-in sees better EV range at 45 mph or 120 mpge than stop and go or 80-90 mpge.
I almost bought one of these to replace my 2018 Bolt, but went with a Model 3 instead. While I really do love everything about this car, the 50kW DCFC speeds just aren't acceptable anymore. Road-tripping my Bolt was not fun, regardless of how many people tell you it's toooootally manageable. But as a family city car or for someone that doesn't travel? Phenomenal value. Super Cruise in a car this cheap!
We just bought one in June and, for serious road trips, I agree with you. We are going a different way though. Likely keeping the Bolt EUV and trading in or selling our Model 3 to get something larger and more comfortable next spring or summer like the new Blazer EV, Ionic 5, Equinox, etc. We are no longer considering the Model Y. A car that sold for $54,000 in 2021 is NOT suddenly worth $66,000 in 2022 just because Tesla arbitrarily says that it is...
Not a whole lot of cars are very comfortable on long road trips to begin with. I've done them in compact cars many times, but they're never enjoyable that way.
@@earthzero7 We bought our Model Y last year (delivered June 2021) and absolutely love it, but the 15k cost difference today would put it out of our reach. Very lucky to have bought when we did. We got the red color and upgraded wheel package, and it was still quite a bit cheaper out the door than starting price is today. Tesla's going to get surpassed once people start realizing that cars like the Ioniq 5 and ID 4 are viable options. I don't think either one is as good as the Y, but they don't need to be a their price range.
Yeah, I have a 2017 Bolt. Love it, but the 55 kW charging limit requires a lot of patience on long trips. Road tripping in a Bolt is technically possible, not “totally manageable.” 😆 Congrats on your Model 3! 🎉
I am planning for the redline edition and trying to watch as many videos as possible. I know people have their reservations with electric cars, but this is where the world is going. I believe, the issues Chevy is having now will soon be worked out . Especially, with their battery recall. Like everything it’s a process and error . Thanks for providing valuable information.
Hello! 2022 Chevy Bolt EV owner here. Technique refers to using regen while driving. Depending on traffic and the more you use regen during one pedal drive and/or the regen pedal while breaking, the higher your score is. Same thing vice versa, the lesser amount of times you use it, the more your score goes down. Technique also refers to speed, meaning how constant you are and acceleration. If you're at a constant high speed (my dealer told me 50+ mph is deemed a high speed), the technique score goes down since you are using quite a large amount of kW for a good amount of time. If you accelerate pretty quickly (like testing the 0-60), you can around 100 kW just by accelerating! If you do this all the time, then your score goes down. It truly does come down to your breaking style, speed style, and aceleration style! The more effiecent you are (power wise), the more positive score you'll have on your technique.
I bought a used 2017 Bolt. Returned it to Carmax because of the slow charging time. Home charging was not an option at the time. Over an hour to 80%. I now love my Tesla Y with towing option. Of course towing eats an extra 40-50%. If the fix the charging time it would be a winner.
My next door neighbor just got a range of 706 miles with his new ford Maverick Hybrid ! 13.8 gal. fuel tank ! That's 51.15 miles to the gallon ! From a pick-up truck !
Regarding the "technique" scale on the range screen here is a post on that subject in a Bolt user group: "If you see negative numbers on technique, it suggests you are accelerating and decelerating too rapidly. Or, if it is highway driving, your speed is less efficient the faster you go." That was my guess.
This is my first week owning a 2023 Bolt EUV. So far im really enjoying it. Glad to see this video and range. Great information to ease my range anxiety. I mainly use this for commuting back and forth to work 70 mile plus or minus. Mostly highway drivng, so the information in this video helps a ton! Thanks!
I managed to snag one 6 weeks ago on 9/5/22. They are hard to find because all of them are committed to someone's order, or they are "in transit". Love my Bolt EV 2LT. Awesome.
I think a lot of people will like and buy the Bolt because it feels like a regular car that just drives more smoothly. Meaning it doesn't necessarily feel like an EV which will make people feel comfortable.
I like the fact that it’s not packed with gadgets- I think I can open/close the trunk and charge door myself lol. I agree with you and for me it’s at the top of my list because of that.
Great review! I rented a EUV for a business trip and had identical thoughts as you. Not having a precise SOC readout in percentage is truly a headache as a rental because you have to return the car at a certain level and above. The bar-based read out causes confusion for everyone involved. I also find the lack of a SOC at arrival and the unhelpful SOC near the bottom really really adds to the anxiety level. Not a bad car but definitely not as refined as other EVs I have rented.
My wife watched this with me last night, and literally had a nightmare she was driving our Leaf at 2% charge and couldn’t find a charger anywhere and went to a gas station and asked to plug into the standard outlet 🤣 You’re provoking range anxiety left and right.
My 2018 Bolt gets about 3.8-4.0 mi/kWh at 70 mph on fairly flat stretches at 70 deg. F. I'm not brave enough to take my battery that low. But technique improves if you drop the speed from 70 mph, and it tends to change with how smoothly I drive. They never should have changed the shifter. It is superior on the older Bolts and makes it a flick of the wrist way to change between one-pedal driving and standard. The only thing that GM really needs to change in the Ultium version is the DC charge rate. If they can get it to 150kW and keep it above 100kW up to 80% state of charge, it will be a winner. Right now the DC fast charging is painfully slow on long-distance road trips. That is a once every 6-months occurrence for me and charging at home is definitely the affordable way to operate it. Our power is $0.10 kWh so my per-mile cost is below $0.03. At the current $5.00/gallon gasoline where I live, it is x3 cheaper than any of the hybrid ICE machines.
Nothing cures my range anxiety more than pulling into the Buttonwillow charge point station on the I-5 Corridor with less than 20 miles of range left on my 2017 (2nd battery) Bolt.
I have a 2021 Tesla Y LR and a 2019 Chevy Bolt Premium. We drive the Tesla for trips because of the Supercharging. But the Bolt is so efficient and easy to drive, we actually put more miles on it for local driving. For 99% of your driving Chevy has the best pri ced solution, and I highly recommend it.
Excellent range test Jordan!! Good to see affordable working class EV being tested. The Bolts charging time is ridiculous by today's standards, but the Ultium platform Chevy Equinox is coming shortly.
On the one trip I’ve taken in 6 years of EV ownership where I needed to use DCFC, A better route planner says it would have only “cost” me about 20 more extra minutes of charging in the Bolt EUV vs my Model 3 LR.
@@jerryswags79 We really don't know the answer to that one. That may ultimately be up to GM themselves--at least officially. I wouldn't be surprised of the DIY community or some 3rd party company makes a battery and battery management system upgrade possible in the future, but you shouldn't base your purchase decision based on that assumption.
What sucks is the only negative thing about this vehicle is the charging speed. I can wait for the Equinox though, which also gives you a heat pump with the package, and most likely a better IC setup.
Great review and was wondering how the car would react on very low power. I just purchased the bolt euv and took it on a 1k mile trip and agree the charging speed takes forever. Charging added a few hours to the trip. I also agree a percentage indicator would be better. Chevy provides this while in Charging mode so why not while in driving mode. I do think the ev Charging stations map finder on the car is lacking updates and somehow should be auto updated with the plugnshare mobile app. Anyone reading this I highly recommend this app to find Charging stations as I found stations Chevrolet app did not have and I was close to low power situation. I love this car but after my long trip journey I do not recommend if plans are to use it for long distance frequent driving.
I unfortunately have experienced what happens when your bolt runs out of charge on the highway. Propulsion power gets cut abruptly and the car begins to rolls to a stop as if in neutral with all systems in the car losing power except for the cockpit screen.
There has to be an episode of American Greed on how much dealers are asking for market adjustments. GM cut price with good intentions but dealers are just failing the company by asking for market adjustments. That's why people go online and buy Tesla.
I like the range test videos but would really like it if you would also note the amount of power the charger provided to get the car back to 100% SOC. Then we would also know how efficient the on board charger is
@@dennislyon5412 The number of hp is irrelevant. All vehicles require sound and mature judgment in order to avoid self-inflicted damage ESPECIALLY if one is not the owner of the car.
@@rickcrna - there was a dip in the corner which caught him way off guard, and he had a yoke for steering, so probably shouldn’t have been doing that. Lesson learn’t, hopefully?
The bolt does not pre-condition for fast charging. "Battery conditioning" in the infotainment refers to battery or cooling to keep the battery at operating temp while driving (not to suddenly heat/cool in preparation for charging)
the Bolt also heats the battery when it is parked and its below 37° F when its plugged in it just slightly makes your charging time longer if the car is parked in the cold it will slowly drain the battery by using its own energy keeping it warm - do not leave your car unplugged in winter for several days or weeks at a time
The car appears aware of someone being on a hill. I think that affects the terrain rating. I purchased mine from a place at a higher elevation than my home, and after purchase and getting it home, it had a large green bar for the terrain rating.
3.5 m/kWh is good. I’ve found wind and temp kills. Temp you usually know ahead but wind sometimes surprises you. I will say in the winter, even only using enough heat to keep the windows defogged, even with rainx on inside, temps under 30. I find it good to plan on 160 miles at about 60 mph. For me it’s why it’s the best thing ever for daily commutes but almost has to be an extra vehicle for most. Which is how I use it. Thanks for the video!
This was a great video for the Bolt EUV. 233 miles is very respectable for straight highway driving and super cruise is awesome. I think this car is perfect for 80% of people and I can’t wait to get mine. Yes it has slower charging speeds but for the majority of charging taking place at home, and if the charging speeds were faster then it wouldn’t cost such an affordable rate plus unlike any other company, they install a charger for free in your house. This is the perfect introduction to EV’s and worse case you upgrade if you need more charging speeds later down the road.
I actually don't mind the charging speed on the EUV. I go to target or whole foods and what not pretty often and a lot of them have the chargers, where I live. I just plug in and go shopping, by the time I'm back, it's added extra 50 or so miles. Not too bad. Never a range anxiety driving in the city. Charging at home overnight even at level 2 gets your car filled up in about 7 hours. Seriously, it's a great value car that's even fun to drive.
It will also crank up the A/C when supercharging in the heat. I’ve had the A/C off and the efforts to cool the battery had the cabin feeling like an icebox (2017LT).
I had an appointment to test drive this car today, but when I got there found out they didn’t have any bolts until the end of the week🙄the receptionist made a mistake. Anywhoo I’ll go back next week and check it out. Update: test drove the bolt ev and really liked it. Going to order one soon. Plan to order the euv, but I believe I like the ev better especially in black with tinted windows and the price is right😉
Excellent job Jordan! I echo your sentiments about this EUV because I have a 2022 Premier with 3500 miles on it. I LOVE this car! I daily commute 90 to 125 miles for work, with about 60% of it on the freeway. I charge at home over night with level 2 (32 amp). I average 3.6 m/kw. What more could anyone ask for the price of this car?
I own a 22 Bolt EUV 'Launch Addition' and am constantly getting 268 miles per charge on my 60 mile commute -- about half highway and city. Have 3,300 miles and pleasantly surprised at the all around quality and functionality of this car, the Super Cruise is solid, works flawless in difficult under normal circumstances divided highway settings. The only weakness has been the Onstar system car communications, but manageable with patience. The navigation features are well thought out...the Bose sound system surprisingly good. Probably the best value in the EV market at this point.
According to the video, you can see that the fast charger was used. If you use a fast charger, it will only charge up to 80%. If you use 240V for home use, it can be charged up to 100%. Looking at the videos posted by others on UA-cam, there are many ranges where the BOLT EUV exceeds 450km (about 280miles).
"Battery conditioning" on the Bolt is not related to Preconditioning. It's just a measurement of energy used to regulate the battery temperature to keep it from getting too hot or too cold. In a hot desert climate and city driving, I would lose 8~10% just on battery conditioning to keep the pack cool. I've never been somewhere cold enough to have it spend energy to heat the battery, but it does have a dedicated 2.5kW ceramic heater for the purpose just in case.
The Bolt OS was derived from the Volt OS. It shows battery conditioning on really hot days even if the car was sitting. Also I noticed when coming out to the car for the trip home, the battery charge state increased some while sitting. I suspect it does not put regen energy back into the graph until you shut the car off. I guess a good way to test that would be to have a low battery, have someone tow you at 40 mph, hold the paddle and see if the graph goes up.
I would get the same low warning on my 2017 Bolt. It's definitely more annoying than helpful. I think technique is a combination of how efficiently you accelerate/decelerate, your speed, regenerative braking.
I believe the battery conditioning is just based on temperature and then it heats or cools the pack. Not warming battery for charging or cooling it for charging.
Hi there, There is a way to see the battery! Hit the FLOW button!!!! Also you can adjust fan speed on a button! I have a 2022 EUV and we love it!!! Thanks for your review.
Technique is for regeneration too. When you are constantly going 70 you are not regenerating your battery. It’s a better car for local stop & go traffic to regenerate the battery for more miles.
I love these videos! The Out of Spec guys are so funny, anything below about a $50,000 MSRP and I'm concerned someone is going to break out in hives or have an allergic reaction to the lack of a panoramic roof. 😁
Right?! The super luxury stuff spoiled them. Sure, it makes sense for a bleeding edge $80k HyperCar EV to be luxurious, but that stuff is actually holding back EV adoption because most EV drivers are rich and don’t need tax breaks, and Teslas network is fleshed out so why do we “need” government backing for EV stations? We need to move past that. 30k EVs need to exist and be popular, and that doesn’t happen when they get panned even though they stomp anything else in that price range.
You can actually get this is a fully loaded, with moonroof, bose speakers and supercruise for under $40k. Basically all the bells and whistles (except super fast charging) for less than base model on most ev's
Hey Jordon , the battery conditioning is refering to cold weather conditioning. When the batteries get to a certain cold temp then the battery heater kicks in.I am not certain at what temp this happens but we are talking Minnesota cold not Florida cold . May also working to cool the battery to keep battery from getting to hot.
I love the Bolt EUV. It’s is comfortable, fun to drive. It’s a daily driver. A lot of people focus on the slow charging rate, but i don’t do trips where I’d have to DC fast charge more than a few times a year. trips Percentage battery is available in the Chevy App which can be pulled up on the screen. Jordon mentioned not liking the the toggles for shifting, but I like them a lot. I’ve always disliked the rotating knobs for shifting.
I can answer the question on how it measures terrain. It's taking throttle position sensor data and comparing it to speed. A higher incline will require more throttle input to maintain speed.
Someone I was talking to brought up a good point: Isn't a car that holds its value really the best value car you can buy? They mentioned that although the Bolt is cheap to buy new, it likely won't hold its value as well as, say, a Tesla. After 3 years, a used Tesla has actually gone _up_ in value versus a Chevrolet Bolt which will have lost value. If an owner retains more of their money after 3 years, wouldn't that make the Tesla a better value than the Bolt?
Today's used car market isn't normal - my 2014 VW Sportwagen went up in value since I bought it 4 years ago too. When the used market returns to normal nobody should expect to buy a car and have it go up in value.
Great video….thanks I have experienced 2.7miles/kWh for 75 mph road speed, rain and 45f. Actual miles about.65% of indicated range at start. Was running the heat with flat terrain.
I notice Mr. Butler qualified his 300 mil range as being in the summer! Maine gets winter too, can't drive without headlights, heater/defroster on continuously, forget the heated seats but slow traffic in snow is a fact of life. A headwind costs 15% in range, same for hilly country so there goes 1/3 of your range on a winter day. How about getting stuck in a Boston snowstorm some January, nobody is getting home, roads will be littered with out-of-charge vehicles. If you get to a charging station the wait will be hours to get your turn just like a California highway in the summer. If anyone has a non-urban life these things might make a useful second car!
The battery % is in the mychevy app on the radio / touchscreen. It will also show you your SOC at your destination if you put it in Also you can adjust the fan speed with the physical buttons that are right below the touch screen…
One thing I’ve noticed with all EV brands is that they come no where close to the range the car says you have nor the alleged EPA miles to travel. The EV market just isn’t where it should be to really compete with gas vehicles at this point. Just what I’ve seen on a lot of EV true mileage travels. One caveat is that any EV can have the “perfect” conditions to gain more miles out of your trip though.
My 2014 Cruze is supposed to get 36 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. I'm lucky if it gets over 30 mpg. Not hitting EPA estimates isn't exclusive to EVs.
I have a 2018 EV Premier with the battery replaced and I agree about the seats, I"ve never driving it to Zero so can't comment about that. It's a great car for those of you who charge at home or who only take the occasional long trip.
The charging speed and the seat comfort were two big cost savings that Chevy did with the Bolt. If they hadn't done that, I would have absolutely loved my Bolt.... at least, until the battery fires started happening. It was the first EV that was just a car for me. Checked all the boxes.
It will do battery conditioning if needed, but I don't think it does it on the way to a charger. I don't think it anticipates charging. By the way, in the area above (and below) the range indicator, there is a trend line which will tell you if your efficiency is trending up or down. While you're driving, you can use the information panel to see how much of the 65kWh pack you've used to keep you from running out of juice.
@@jimv1983would be interesting to know how many of those actually even need a vehicle. If you live in a crammed NYC, San Francisco or Seattle apartment (and thus, no home charging) , you don't really need a vehicle to begin with, those are the few cities where public transport is actually a thing in America.
@@marinmarinhola just because someone can't charge at home doesn't mean they live in a big city. There are lots of apartments outside of the big cities like NYC, SF, etc. Plus, people in apartments aren't the only ones that can't charge at home.
I own a 2019 Bolt EV in Maine that had it's battery replaced with the 259 mile range version and I regularly get 300+ miles driving on rural roads (45-55mph) during the summer. The car is just incredibly efficient.
I live in Maine as well. I’m considering buying a bolt eventually but I worry about finding charging locations. Do you have trouble or do you charge at home?
I also live in Maine and just ordered a '23 Bolt EUV. How does it fair in the snow/ice?
Good point. I have looked at the mpge and the Bolt is one the best, I think the Tesla M3 is the best. Some EVs are not great in this area. Narrow width and low height help.
Will be getting one im doing my research the best ev out there for the money .
@@gardudley3328yeah you’ll want to charge at home, having a full tank every time you leave means you can do a ton of driving. When you take long trips, you’ll plan out accordingly.
19:45 GM did a pretty good job of keeping the Bolt EV/EUV drivable all the way down to empty. Acceleration is definitely limited, but it is still capable of accelerating to and maintaining freeway speeds.
The acceleration of this car is better than 90% of all American cars
@@doddsalfa Sure, but I'm referring to when the battery is low or "Reduced Propulsion" mode. Even at ~5%, the Bolt EV's battery can output ~100 kW or so.
Nice to see you guys reviewing/ testing cars affordable for the average person! Not everyone can afford a 50k plus car.
1980 cars cißt 500000
$50k for a Bolt? $29k will get you a bolt.
@kevinbarkema1666 it's not that much which is why they said it's nice to see them reviewing it
Bruh@@kevinbarkema1666
3:50 Shows 233 miles range available. . 21:05 Battery empty at.... 233.7 miles.
That's a pretty good range, 230 miles, for the 80% of us who live in urban areas (according to the 2020 census, 80% in urban areas), that's not a problem at all. Most commutes are like 30 miles so you could go nearly a week without charging it if you're using it for that! Also bear in mind, 60 kWh = about 2 gallons of gas. Most gas cars couldn't go 230 miles on 2 gallons of gas. 🙂
Can't wait to buy a Bolt! I plan on giving every gas station I pass the one finger salute!
did you buy one?
I think the EUV is the perfect second vehicle. We use ours for commuting and around town. Hard to beat the efficiency and value.
More money than common sense.
@@samusaran7317 Whose common sense?
@@samusaran7317 it’s like the cheapest ev on sale
@@samusaran7317 LOL Our Bolt has cost me a grand total of $53 in maintenance over two years. In addition to this, I have free L2 charging at work, making my commute $0 per week, and that free charging also covers 99% of my driving on my days off. Show me a car that is cheaper to operate than this.
Agreed. Looking to buy as a 2nd EV. I have an ID4 now.
Based on my experience with the Bolt EV, the following is the sequence of what happens when the battery gets low. From the video, it sounds like the EUV is similar:
15% - battery meter changes color from green to orange (should see 3 bars, as each bar is 5%).
10% - "charge vehicle soon" notification
~7% - "propulsion power is reduced" notification; guess-o-meter switches to "Low" (*)
5% - the last bar on the battery meter is flashing
2% - battery meter shows zero bars; a message appears asking if you want to turn on "low power mode". Low power mode shuts off the display screen, but has negligible impact in terms of actually saving power.
0% - "out of energy. Charge vehicle now" notification. I never personally ran the battery this low, but based on another Out of Spec video, the car is still drivable for at least a little bit with around 2-4 kWh power. This is at least enough to maneuver the car a few feet around a charging station due to a broken charger, cable not quite reaching, etc.
I ran mine out in winter temps, and at 5%, you better find a charger. Car will die with 5% in winter. I was 2.5 miles away on rural roads from the charger. Luckily I had roadside assistance coverage via onstar. I pay for the smartphone remote access to preheat car in the winter, cut it off in spring.
There's really no excuse for GM to remove range estimates at low SOC unless the batteries are widely out of balance. It should always be there for the driver to make informed decisions, or at least switch to counting usable kWh remaining since they show throttle in kW.
Also at 2%, "Low Power Mode" should stop balancing the 12V battery and allow the AGM to discharge to 12.2V (50% SOC or 1/2 depth of discharge) until power is again provided from the high voltage battery pack through the Auxiliary power module (the DC-DC voltage step down converter). Additionally, if it is daytime, the car should read the brightness level of the sky using its daylight sensor on the dash and turn the exterior headlights off, saving an additional ~100W of power which also slows the AGM's self-discharge. This is what i'd expect from a true Low Power Mode. Most importantly, there is no sacrifices to the driver in terms of drivability or safety.
I should also mention that if GM chose a LIFEPO4 or Li-ion chemistry for its automotive 12V battery, it could match the charging rate of the high voltage battery pack while charging at a DCFC, ensuring this low power mode could be used every time in the same conditions and without re-charging while driving (reducing range). However, because they are using AGM (and 50 Ah), it would take just over 3h at a 0.3C rate to fully charge and would draw only 15A (~200W) to charge with.
I have a 2023 bolt and I am really surprised how much I love driving it! I just didn't expect that. And the single pedal driving mode is now my favorite way to drive.
Good review, Jordan. In my opinion, the Bolt EUV Premier is far and away the best bang for the buck.
We just got back from a 2,900+ mile trip in our '22 Bolt EUV. I think reviewers get a little carried away with the importance of charging speed. I'm not sure if it's a bragging rights thing or a reaction to gas car fans always saying how much faster they can refuel than EV cars. But what we found on our trip was that sometimes we had to wait for the car and other times, the car had to wait for us. It's all a matter of how often you can combine charging and meals, how deeply you discharge, and how much charge you need to reach the next charger. Waiting on the car for a few minutes now and then let us stretch our legs and kept us alert and refreshed. At least we never had to leave a restaurant before we were done eating to avoid penalties at the chargers. But, if they would have upgraded the charging to 100 kW, that would have been great.
I would agree that the seat bottoms are a little on the firm side, but I had no pain after a 14-hour day on the road in our EUV. As for the turn signal sound, I imagine you're too young to remember the bi-metal clickers that cars used to use to regulate the blinker rate and make the indicator sound. The Bolt approximates that sound pretty well if I remember correctly. It's an old fashioned sound.
But, where the Bolt really shines is around town efficiency. I regularly get over 5 miles/kWh going back & forth to work on mostly 45-50 mph roads. That's as well as my Prius Prime did. On our road trip, we averaged about 3.8 driving at the speed limit.
I have another EV that's frankly a nicer vehicle but I think this vehicle offers a lot of value and is underappreciated for what it is.
Let it be under appreciated for a few more months. If VW keeps me waiting much longer I'm getting a Redline EUV in 2023.
@@roberthicks686 can't beat the price. Good luck with whatever you get. Will this be your first BEV? We got out first one in July 2021 and our second, going full BEV, in January. I will never own another fossil fuel vehicle.
@@MLHunt yes, $26,9XX for the regular Bolt EV makes it quite a deal!
I’m waiting for a Red Premium completely loaded EUV no point in waiting for the tax credit. My tax credit is maxed for a couple of years now.
Should work in my case. The gas savings covers (and then some) car payment after a down payment. Looking forward to the upgrade from my 23 year old Buick.
@@franklinmaurer8383 Your in luck as the $7,500 tax credit gets reinstated for GM, Tesla, and Toyota first of the new year.
Bolts are pretty much the only affordable EVs that aren't strictly urban commuters. Charge peak isn't good and the 50% cutoff on peak charging is bad, but it's still the best in my price range that's actually usable for 90% of my needs. Definitely looking forward to getting mine.
What about the Niro ? I have a 19 Niro Hybrid, great car . I'm sure the EV version would be better .
@@jackfishcampbell6745 if you can find one it's basically equivalent in range/usefulness and theoretically at a similar price via Edmunds. But actually finding one in the Midwest seems like a no go as far as I've seen. Plus the battery swap on the bolts means you're practically getting a brand new EV for the price of used *shrugs
@@jackfishcampbell6745 On the east coast I could hardly find a Nero EV. @undrachvrsage is spot on though, the charge time may not be the best on a long vacation journey but for about 90% of usage leaving for another city or day to day life, the Bolt EV is perfect, let alone the Bolt EUV!
@@jackfishcampbell6745 I live in a Midwest US state. The Niro is in very limed to no supply available in this area.
@@wtmayhew I live in Winnipeg Manitoba which is 400 miles northwest of Minneapolis , I haven't checked lately but were in short supply in June 19 when we bought ours . On that day there were no EV's no PHEV's and two HEV's on dealer lot's in Winnipeg , a metro of 800,000 . There was a fully loaded white Touring though , which we purchased . At least back then you could order a new Niro and receive your car . Now , who knows . Our neighbour works at a Toyota dealership told me last fall 9 months to offer a year to get a new Toyota .
I just got one with the 2023 6g price decrease and am very happy with it. It’s a very good commuter car and glad I can charge at my local movie theater or mall for free. I just did a road-trip from Seattle to Portland and back and it was nice. No range anxiety. I still can’t recommend EV’s yet but this is good choice for commuting or small trips.
When did you place your order? I submitted mine at the start of August and the dealer couldn’t give me an ETA.
a 2023 model?
@@brich2929 yes
11:00 No, the Bolt does not do battery conditioning the way you described. It will not pre-condition the battery before a charge. What the screen was referring to was extra conditioning done to maintain battery health.
Just picked one up for my mother in law. For the amount of local driving she does, this is a perfect car for her.
I feel people are very confused about the Bolt. I have a Bolt and am *very* happy with it. The way GM has the Bolt configured, I believe they are marketing to an urban/suburban customer. It was never meant as a long range, constant use car. It was meant to get around town and small trips. Yes, it has a long-range battery but that means you don't need to charge as often when used as less than a 50 miles/day vehicle.
The slow charge would be annoying if you took many long trips but as News Coulomb's channel has demonstrated it's not that bad if the right charging strategy is used. Chevrolet had something about a study that said most EV owners charge at home. My Bolt is only charged once a week (the weekend) on the 110v supply and it's fully charged before the workweek begins and I have never been "stranded" because I can always use an DCFC to throw in a few dozen KWs.
As for the seats: I have leather seats and they have better comfort than the cloth seats but it's not like they are great for long distance comfort compared to the much more expensive alternatives.
I'm not confused, I'm annoyed, because I want one, but I want it to be my only car, make sense? Therefore it has to charge even marginally better, like 75kw with a nice flat curve. And seats need to not suck.
I feel like you could replace Bolt with EV in your comment and it would universally hold true. I'm in the market and looking at the Bolt now, and have no interest in taking long range highway trips with it, wrong tool for the job. When people realize this, then maybe EV sales will take off. We don't need more long range EVs, we need more 200-250 mile range EVs that are affordable, they already are superior to gas powered cars for urban/suburban customers.
With liquid cooling, it's still surprising they couldn't let the battery charge at a 1C rate or a little more to ~80%. If they just could have gotten it to ~75kW charging, it would be much more bearable taking those occasional long trips. Recharging 70-80% of the pack would be cut down to 40 minutes instead of about an hour. Still a long time, but a considerable amount of time saved.
Would be nice to have a commuter than can be used for more than that. Sometimes having a second vehicle isn't an option, and with a decent sized battery, it could be an ideal car to take somewhere 600-800 miles away if it had 1.5-2x the charging speed.
The Bolt is a good value, especially if you rarely go on trips. But charge speed is puzzling, I mean the Leaf can hold 70kW with an air cooled battery for a good chunk of time and still maintain a relatively flat charge curve thereafter. I think if Chevy makes a new Bolt type of vehicle on Ultium with 125-150kW max charging at a similar price point, that will be a game changer.
@@mattz38 ok... there's plenty of EVs that road trip well. They make a fine tool!
@@Matt-dx3wo definitely not saying ev’s don’t road trip well, they all drive so well. But most people will have a hard time adjusting to the extra time spent charging, planning very specific routes, those that do then great on them.
This car is an exemplary value. I met a guy that got one for 21k. Given the price point it is superb!
Nice to see the estimate nailed the actual mileage driven. 🎯
This was going to be my feedback. The estimate looks pretty reliable when the terrain is not a factor. Great for planning!
my aunt has this car. I got to drive it two weeks ago, kinda fell in love with it, now I want one. I was expecting to hate it from how everyone else seems to like to hate on it.
I recently purchased a BOLT euv from Rydell Chevrolet in Northridge, California. I got the premier package, no sunroof, no bose sound package or the self chev cruise system.
Overall, I think it's a great commuter car. I drive roughly 45 miles a day and it charges back to 80% within 2 hours.
GM also offers a free level 2 charger install at home in my garage
As far as charging at home, it's great that I don't have to be stuck in line for 30 minutes at COSTCO or deal with the ridiculous gas prices.
My next goal is to install a few solar panels so I can get free energy from the sun.
I think Chevrolet did an outstanding job with the BOLT euv.
Great video. Just took delivery of an EUV spec’d the same way. After current GM rebate, state rebate and GM Uber driver discount, $12,300 was knocked off the MSRP.
So the dealer didn't mark-up your Bolt?
How much is your monthly? And for how many months? And how much down?
Yes, I am hoping to get the same deal.
@@kakashi3543 no markup
@@tomm3218 thanks! May I know the dealer?
I love a good value, and the Bolt is an excellent value. I'm not sure you mentioned the regen paddle on the back of the steering wheel, but it's something every EV should have. I would totally get the EUV if it had a faster charging rate. But, for people using it as a metro car, it's a great option.
Pretty sure it’s cheapest ev on sale, Nissan Leaf is also an affordable option
My Partner and I drove our 2020 Bolt from Akron, OH to Santa Monica Pier, CA and followed Route 66 back to Chicago and home again. We did not find the slower charging speeds to be that big of a deal. Most of our charging manages to coincide with meal stops, plus we will reserve overnight stays at hotels with destination chargers to allow the car to get a full 100% charge for the next day.
With all the incentives in California and the federal tax credit it brings the car down to just under 16k
When the Honda Clarity plug in Hybrid came out, it had the regen paddles and a lot of people did not like them. I use them all of the time. While the car supposedly has an EV range of 47 miles city, I usually have some charge left at 50 miles, but to be fair, I am a very careful driver and I use the regen paddles to control my coast down speeds, which is a great way to extend mileage when driving in town.
You don't even need the paddle. You can push the one pedal drive button and it'll regenerate every time you lift off the gas. I use one pedal driving exclusively and almost never touch the brakes, even when coming to a complete stop.
The 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV has an EPA-estimated combined MPGe of 115. The EPA-estimated city MPGe is 125, and the *highway MPGe is 104.* The EPA-estimated range is 247 miles.
Technique, from what I could find in an old Bolt write up is based on speed and changes in driving. So the fact that you were sitting at 70mph, that got you a down score; then maintaining that speed for long periods of time gave you another big down score.
Let us know the results of your more complete test of the Bolt. Can't wait to see how that test is different so I'll know what to look for when driving my Bolt.
Driving at 70 mph isn't very efficient, so I can understand Chevy dinging the driver for that "technique." It's just unavoidable sometimes.
Thanks for the range test on the Bolt EUV. I do not own a EV car at this time, just watching and learning what they can do and their limitations.
Take care.
Very interesting EV. We were just in the market for a Bolt EV 2LT, with the $5,900 GM rebate on new models its a no brainer except the local dealership decided to add 5k “market adjustment” which basically made the rebate pointless so we decided to pass, really shitty situation.
Call every dealer around until you find one that won't charge markup
No. Shitty dealer. Do yourself a favor. Look for an honest dealer (any Chevy dealer must provide service after the sale) and buy the best car currently available, EV or gas. The Bolt EUV will please on every drive.
"When I finally parked it(Bolt) at my home charging station, it had gone 322 miles on a single charge. Not bad for a car rated at 238 miles per charge. Even more impressive was the fact that I didn't really try very hard to get that many miles out of it. I spent plenty of time in traffic, which helped, but there were a few sections that I was moving along at 65-70 mph as well. No matter how you look at it, 322 miles out of a Bolt is pretty impressive." - Ed Hellwig Edmund's
BS you had to hyper mile that.
@@JonathanRootD Bolt EV's regularly see 300 miles range with newest battery.
@@JonathanRootD Nope. I have an EUV. I drove from Columbus Ohio to Cleveland Ohio and back (280 miles) on a full charge going 70mph the whole way. It was 70 degrees outside. I think Chevy's range estimates were with the old batteries, so no surprise you get more range out of the newer ones.
If you're only doing city driving, sure.
@@amirmoradi9595 I personally have driven a Bolt EV. But my 2018 Cadillac CT6 2.0E plug-in sees better EV range at 45 mph or 120 mpge than stop and go or 80-90 mpge.
I almost bought one of these to replace my 2018 Bolt, but went with a Model 3 instead. While I really do love everything about this car, the 50kW DCFC speeds just aren't acceptable anymore. Road-tripping my Bolt was not fun, regardless of how many people tell you it's toooootally manageable. But as a family city car or for someone that doesn't travel? Phenomenal value. Super Cruise in a car this cheap!
We just bought one in June and, for serious road trips, I agree with you. We are going a different way though. Likely keeping the Bolt EUV and trading in or selling our Model 3 to get something larger and more comfortable next spring or summer like the new Blazer EV, Ionic 5, Equinox, etc. We are no longer considering the Model Y. A car that sold for $54,000 in 2021 is NOT suddenly worth $66,000 in 2022 just because Tesla arbitrarily says that it is...
Not a whole lot of cars are very comfortable on long road trips to begin with. I've done them in compact cars many times, but they're never enjoyable that way.
@@earthzero7 We bought our Model Y last year (delivered June 2021) and absolutely love it, but the 15k cost difference today would put it out of our reach. Very lucky to have bought when we did. We got the red color and upgraded wheel package, and it was still quite a bit cheaper out the door than starting price is today. Tesla's going to get surpassed once people start realizing that cars like the Ioniq 5 and ID 4 are viable options. I don't think either one is as good as the Y, but they don't need to be a their price range.
Yeah, I have a 2017 Bolt. Love it, but the 55 kW charging limit requires a lot of patience on long trips. Road tripping in a Bolt is technically possible, not “totally manageable.” 😆
Congrats on your Model 3! 🎉
1:41 - It's customary to say how tall you are when you test the back seat 🙂
I am planning for the redline edition and trying to watch as many videos as possible.
I know people have their reservations with electric cars, but this is where the world is going.
I believe, the issues Chevy is having now will soon be worked out . Especially, with their battery recall.
Like everything it’s a process and error .
Thanks for providing valuable information.
Hello! 2022 Chevy Bolt EV owner here. Technique refers to using regen while driving. Depending on traffic and the more you use regen during one pedal drive and/or the regen pedal while breaking, the higher your score is. Same thing vice versa, the lesser amount of times you use it, the more your score goes down. Technique also refers to speed, meaning how constant you are and acceleration. If you're at a constant high speed (my dealer told me 50+ mph is deemed a high speed), the technique score goes down since you are using quite a large amount of kW for a good amount of time. If you accelerate pretty quickly (like testing the 0-60), you can around 100 kW just by accelerating! If you do this all the time, then your score goes down. It truly does come down to your breaking style, speed style, and aceleration style! The more effiecent you are (power wise), the more positive score you'll have on your technique.
same applies toICE car wrt mpg
Let me save you all 20 minutes. 233.7 miles.
Dude thank you. These !&@!-ing UA-camrs hate their audiences.
They only care about themselves. V
You ruined the experience! 😂
233 miles? No way.
thank you!!!!
😅
I bought a used 2017 Bolt. Returned it to Carmax because of the slow charging time. Home charging was not an option at the time. Over an hour to 80%. I now love my Tesla Y with towing option. Of course towing eats an extra 40-50%. If the fix the charging time it would be a winner.
My next door neighbor just got a range of 706 miles with his new ford Maverick Hybrid ! 13.8 gal. fuel tank ! That's 51.15 miles to the gallon ! From a pick-up truck !
Regarding the "technique" scale on the range screen here is a post on that subject in a Bolt user group: "If you see negative numbers on technique, it suggests you are accelerating and decelerating too rapidly. Or, if it is highway driving, your speed is less efficient the faster you go." That was my guess.
6:22 - Buttons are ok for shifting. Because there's no shifting
Totally agree. I’d rather stop hitting my hand on the shifter and have buttons.
This is my first week owning a 2023 Bolt EUV. So far im really enjoying it. Glad to see this video and range. Great information to ease my range anxiety.
I mainly use this for commuting back and forth to work 70 mile plus or minus. Mostly highway drivng, so the information in this video helps a ton!
Thanks!
This is currently a front runner for my car. Will be our second electric (have Mach E). Looks like a great value despite range and charge speeds.
Good for Chevy for sticking with the Bolt and investing in it. I hope they will be back in dealerships sometime soon.
I managed to snag one 6 weeks ago on 9/5/22. They are hard to find because all of them are committed to someone's order, or they are "in transit". Love my Bolt EV 2LT. Awesome.
I think a lot of people will like and buy the Bolt because it feels like a regular car that just drives more smoothly. Meaning it doesn't necessarily feel like an EV which will make people feel comfortable.
I like the fact that it’s not packed with gadgets- I think I can open/close the trunk and charge door myself lol. I agree with you and for me it’s at the top of my list because of that.
Great review! I rented a EUV for a business trip and had identical thoughts as you. Not having a precise SOC readout in percentage is truly a headache as a rental because you have to return the car at a certain level and above. The bar-based read out causes confusion for everyone involved. I also find the lack of a SOC at arrival and the unhelpful SOC near the bottom really really adds to the anxiety level. Not a bad car but definitely not as refined as other EVs I have rented.
My wife watched this with me last night, and literally had a nightmare she was driving our Leaf at 2% charge and couldn’t find a charger anywhere and went to a gas station and asked to plug into the standard outlet 🤣 You’re provoking range anxiety left and right.
The GOM was exactly right from the estimate when fully charged!
My 2018 Bolt gets about 3.8-4.0 mi/kWh at 70 mph on fairly flat stretches at 70 deg. F. I'm not brave enough to take my battery that low. But technique improves if you drop the speed from 70 mph, and it tends to change with how smoothly I drive. They never should have changed the shifter. It is superior on the older Bolts and makes it a flick of the wrist way to change between one-pedal driving and standard. The only thing that GM really needs to change in the Ultium version is the DC charge rate. If they can get it to 150kW and keep it above 100kW up to 80% state of charge, it will be a winner. Right now the DC fast charging is painfully slow on long-distance road trips. That is a once every 6-months occurrence for me and charging at home is definitely the affordable way to operate it. Our power is $0.10 kWh so my per-mile cost is below $0.03. At the current $5.00/gallon gasoline where I live, it is x3 cheaper than any of the hybrid ICE machines.
Nothing cures my range anxiety more than pulling into the Buttonwillow charge point station on the I-5 Corridor with less than 20 miles of range left on my 2017 (2nd battery) Bolt.
That little car did pretty darn good! Seems like a darn good little car for the price.
Thanks Jordan, great review. I'm confident that the Bolt EUV should be at the top of what would otherwise be a Corolla Hybrid buyers list.
I meant to add a thanks for this. You guys' range test vids are very useful and entertaining.
I have a 2021 Tesla Y LR and a 2019 Chevy Bolt Premium. We drive the Tesla for trips because of the Supercharging. But the Bolt is so efficient and easy to drive, we actually put more miles on it for local driving. For 99% of your driving Chevy has the best pri ced solution, and I highly recommend it.
I appreciate your comparison! I love Teslas & would love to drive one someday! I have a 22Chevy Bolt EUV!
Excellent range test Jordan!! Good to see affordable working class EV being tested. The Bolts charging time is ridiculous by today's standards, but the Ultium platform Chevy Equinox is coming shortly.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what the Equinox will offer.
Yep. the Equinox should also be a good value at a slightly higher price point.
On the one trip I’ve taken in 6 years of EV ownership where I needed to use DCFC, A better route planner says it would have only “cost” me about 20 more extra minutes of charging in the Bolt EUV vs my Model 3 LR.
New to EVs here. Would you be able to swap this battery for a better battery that comes out later on? Like that ultium platform ?
@@jerryswags79 We really don't know the answer to that one. That may ultimately be up to GM themselves--at least officially. I wouldn't be surprised of the DIY community or some 3rd party company makes a battery and battery management system upgrade possible in the future, but you shouldn't base your purchase decision based on that assumption.
Jordan, sorry if I missed it but how long did it take to charge at the end of your outstanding range test?
What sucks is the only negative thing about this vehicle is the charging speed. I can wait for the Equinox though, which also gives you a heat pump with the package, and most likely a better IC setup.
Great review and was wondering how the car would react on very low power. I just purchased the bolt euv and took it on a 1k mile trip and agree the charging speed takes forever. Charging added a few hours to the trip. I also agree a percentage indicator would be better. Chevy provides this while in Charging mode so why not while in driving mode. I do think the ev Charging stations map finder on the car is lacking updates and somehow should be auto updated with the plugnshare mobile app. Anyone reading this I highly recommend this app to find Charging stations as I found stations Chevrolet app did not have and I was close to low power situation. I love this car but after my long trip journey I do not recommend if plans are to use it for long distance frequent driving.
no need for an autostop start button cause that's not an option with an ev🤣
I unfortunately have experienced what happens when your bolt runs out of charge on the highway. Propulsion power gets cut abruptly and the car begins to rolls to a stop as if in neutral with all systems in the car losing power except for the cockpit screen.
There has to be an episode of American Greed on how much dealers are asking for market adjustments. GM cut price with good intentions but dealers are just failing the company by asking for market adjustments. That's why people go online and buy Tesla.
I like the range test videos but would really like it if you would also note the amount of power the charger provided to get the car back to 100% SOC. Then we would also know how efficient the on board charger is
Nice that you didn’t crash this vehicle!
Jeez - tough crowd. Lets give you 1000 hp and see what you do with it?
@@dennislyon5412 The number of hp is irrelevant. All vehicles require sound and mature judgment in order to avoid self-inflicted damage ESPECIALLY if one is not the owner of the car.
@@rickcrna - there was a dip in the corner which caught him way off guard, and he had a yoke for steering, so probably shouldn’t have been doing that. Lesson learn’t, hopefully?
The bolt does not pre-condition for fast charging. "Battery conditioning" in the infotainment refers to battery or cooling to keep the battery at operating temp while driving (not to suddenly heat/cool in preparation for charging)
the Bolt also heats the battery when it is parked and its below 37° F
when its plugged in it just slightly makes your charging time longer
if the car is parked in the cold it will slowly drain the battery by using its own energy keeping it warm - do not leave your car unplugged in winter for several days or weeks at a time
Just wait for the winter using the heater and climbing the Rocky Mountain West. Maybe half that much.
I love my 2022 Bolt EUV. Great car.
I ordered an EUV and it is a real bargain compared to all of the other car dealers … should be getting mine in a few weeks
Seeing it get so low gave me war flashbacks to my 2017 bolt I had when I’d barely make it to the charger after my night classes 😭
2:36 "BlueCruise" LOL
haha. Im also noticed as well
Yeah, a couple of times. Whoops. 😆
The car appears aware of someone being on a hill. I think that affects the terrain rating. I purchased mine from a place at a higher elevation than my home, and after purchase and getting it home, it had a large green bar for the terrain rating.
3.5 m/kWh is good. I’ve found wind and temp kills. Temp you usually know ahead but wind sometimes surprises you. I will say in the winter, even only using enough heat to keep the windows defogged, even with rainx on inside, temps under 30. I find it good to plan on 160 miles at about 60 mph. For me it’s why it’s the best thing ever for daily commutes but almost has to be an extra vehicle for most. Which is how I use it. Thanks for the video!
This was a great video for the Bolt EUV. 233 miles is very respectable for straight highway driving and super cruise is awesome. I think this car is perfect for 80% of people and I can’t wait to get mine. Yes it has slower charging speeds but for the majority of charging taking place at home, and if the charging speeds were faster then it wouldn’t cost such an affordable rate plus unlike any other company, they install a charger for free in your house. This is the perfect introduction to EV’s and worse case you upgrade if you need more charging speeds later down the road.
I agree. Unless you regularly drive long trips of hundreds of miles at a time, the Bolt EUV is perfect for every day use.
I actually don't mind the charging speed on the EUV. I go to target or whole foods and what not pretty often and a lot of them have the chargers, where I live. I just plug in and go shopping, by the time I'm back, it's added extra 50 or so miles. Not too bad. Never a range anxiety driving in the city. Charging at home overnight even at level 2 gets your car filled up in about 7 hours. Seriously, it's a great value car that's even fun to drive.
It doesnt do battery conditioning for charging. Really only if its really cold (like 20F or colder), it'll work harder to warm up the battery.
It will also crank up the A/C when supercharging in the heat. I’ve had the A/C off and the efforts to cool the battery had the cabin feeling like an icebox (2017LT).
I had an appointment to test drive this car today, but when I got there found out they didn’t have any bolts until the end of the week🙄the receptionist made a mistake. Anywhoo I’ll go back next week and check it out.
Update: test drove the bolt ev and really liked it. Going to order one soon. Plan to order the euv, but I believe I like the ev better especially in black with tinted windows and the price is right😉
Great review, so how long did it take to charge the car back up?
Excellent job Jordan! I echo your sentiments about this EUV because I have a 2022 Premier with 3500 miles on it. I LOVE this car! I daily commute 90 to 125 miles for work, with about 60% of it on the freeway. I charge at home over night with level 2 (32 amp). I average 3.6 m/kw. What more could anyone ask for the price of this car?
I own a 22 Bolt EUV 'Launch Addition' and am constantly getting 268 miles per charge on my 60 mile commute -- about half highway and city. Have 3,300 miles and pleasantly surprised at the all around quality and functionality of this car, the Super Cruise is solid, works flawless in difficult under normal circumstances divided highway settings. The only weakness has been the Onstar system car communications, but manageable with patience. The navigation features are well thought out...the Bose sound system surprisingly good. Probably the best value in the EV market at this point.
GAWD, that totally STRESSED ME OUT just watching!
According to the video, you can see that the fast charger was used.
If you use a fast charger, it will only charge up to 80%.
If you use 240V for home use, it can be charged up to 100%.
Looking at the videos posted by others on UA-cam, there are many ranges where the BOLT EUV exceeds 450km (about 280miles).
"Battery conditioning" on the Bolt is not related to Preconditioning. It's just a measurement of energy used to regulate the battery temperature to keep it from getting too hot or too cold. In a hot desert climate and city driving, I would lose 8~10% just on battery conditioning to keep the pack cool. I've never been somewhere cold enough to have it spend energy to heat the battery, but it does have a dedicated 2.5kW ceramic heater for the purpose just in case.
The Bolt OS was derived from the Volt OS. It shows battery conditioning on really hot days even if the car was sitting. Also I noticed when coming out to the car for the trip home, the battery charge state increased some while sitting. I suspect it does not put regen energy back into the graph until you shut the car off. I guess a good way to test that would be to have a low battery, have someone tow you at 40 mph, hold the paddle and see if the graph goes up.
I would get the same low warning on my 2017 Bolt. It's definitely more annoying than helpful.
I think technique is a combination of how efficiently you accelerate/decelerate, your speed, regenerative braking.
Very well done video! Appreciate the detail you include with all aspects of this test drive. 👍👍
I believe the battery conditioning is just based on temperature and then it heats or cools the pack.
Not warming battery for charging or cooling it for charging.
Hi there,
There is a way to see the battery! Hit the FLOW button!!!! Also you can adjust fan speed on a button!
I have a 2022 EUV and we love it!!!
Thanks for your review.
Technique is for regeneration too. When you are constantly going 70 you are not regenerating your battery.
It’s a better car for local stop & go traffic to regenerate the battery for more miles.
I love these videos! The Out of Spec guys are so funny, anything below about a $50,000 MSRP and I'm concerned someone is going to break out in hives or have an allergic reaction to the lack of a panoramic roof. 😁
Right?! The super luxury stuff spoiled them. Sure, it makes sense for a bleeding edge $80k HyperCar EV to be luxurious, but that stuff is actually holding back EV adoption because most EV drivers are rich and don’t need tax breaks, and Teslas network is fleshed out so why do we “need” government backing for EV stations?
We need to move past that. 30k EVs need to exist and be popular, and that doesn’t happen when they get panned even though they stomp anything else in that price range.
The premier trim actually comes with a sunroof option!
You can actually get this is a fully loaded, with moonroof, bose speakers and supercruise for under $40k. Basically all the bells and whistles (except super fast charging) for less than base model on most ev's
@@FuncleChuck the startups needed the cash to expand their operation, so selling the higher priced models makes sense.
Hey Jordon , the battery conditioning is refering to cold weather conditioning. When the batteries get to a certain cold temp then the battery heater kicks in.I am not certain at what temp this happens but we are talking Minnesota cold not Florida cold . May also working to cool the battery to keep battery from getting to hot.
I love the Bolt EUV. It’s is comfortable, fun to drive. It’s a daily driver. A lot of people focus on the slow charging rate, but i don’t do trips where I’d have to DC fast charge more than a few times a year. trips Percentage battery is available in the Chevy App which can be pulled up on the screen.
Jordon mentioned not liking the the toggles for shifting, but I like them a lot. I’ve always disliked the rotating knobs for shifting.
Most car and truck manufacturers use GPS to calibrate the speedometer. Most also have satellite connections to monitor warranty and maintenance.
I can answer the question on how it measures terrain. It's taking throttle position sensor data and comparing it to speed. A higher incline will require more throttle input to maintain speed.
Someone I was talking to brought up a good point: Isn't a car that holds its value really the best value car you can buy? They mentioned that although the Bolt is cheap to buy new, it likely won't hold its value as well as, say, a Tesla. After 3 years, a used Tesla has actually gone _up_ in value versus a Chevrolet Bolt which will have lost value. If an owner retains more of their money after 3 years, wouldn't that make the Tesla a better value than the Bolt?
Today's used car market isn't normal - my 2014 VW Sportwagen went up in value since I bought it 4 years ago too. When the used market returns to normal nobody should expect to buy a car and have it go up in value.
The bolt went up in value if you bought a 2017-20
you shouldn't be buying new cars with the expectation of them retaining value.
Great video….thanks
I have experienced 2.7miles/kWh for 75 mph road speed, rain and 45f. Actual miles about.65% of indicated range at start. Was running the heat with flat terrain.
I notice Mr. Butler qualified his 300 mil range as being in the summer! Maine gets winter too, can't drive without headlights, heater/defroster on continuously, forget the heated seats but slow traffic in snow is a fact of life. A headwind costs 15% in range, same for hilly country so there goes 1/3 of your range on a winter day. How about getting stuck in a Boston snowstorm some January, nobody is getting home, roads will be littered with out-of-charge vehicles. If you get to a charging station the wait will be hours to get your turn just like a California highway in the summer. If anyone has a non-urban life these things might make a useful second car!
Nice vid. From my experiences 233 seems about right. It def burns quicker than you’d like at 70mph for sure
The battery % is in the mychevy app on the radio / touchscreen.
It will also show you your SOC at your destination if you put it in
Also you can adjust the fan speed with the physical buttons that are right below the touch screen…
Came here to say that. It is a shame that the app is the only way to get the battery percentage.
One thing I’ve noticed with all EV brands is that they come no where close to the range the car says you have nor the alleged EPA miles to travel. The EV market just isn’t where it should be to really compete with gas vehicles at this point. Just what I’ve seen on a lot of EV true mileage travels. One caveat is that any EV can have the “perfect” conditions to gain more miles out of your trip though.
My 2014 Cruze is supposed to get 36 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. I'm lucky if it gets over 30 mpg. Not hitting EPA estimates isn't exclusive to EVs.
I have a 2018 EV Premier with the battery replaced and I agree about the seats, I"ve never driving it to Zero so can't comment about that. It's a great car for those of you who charge at home or who only take the occasional long trip.
Jordan, how comfortable was the seat?
My 2015 Forester came with a sun roof that opens. I tried it a couple times and haven’t opened it in yrs. I Obviously don’t need it.
The Chevy app will show you the expected state of charge at a certain destination. You're just not using it.
I love my 2017 Bolt with the upgraded battery. It's summer and I'm getting about 5 miles per kWh.
The charging speed and the seat comfort were two big cost savings that Chevy did with the Bolt. If they hadn't done that, I would have absolutely loved my Bolt.... at least, until the battery fires started happening. It was the first EV that was just a car for me. Checked all the boxes.
I want so badly to like the Bolt and Boot EUV, but it’s like the designers saw an egg and thought, “YES! That’s my new car shape!”
It will do battery conditioning if needed, but I don't think it does it on the way to a charger. I don't think it anticipates charging.
By the way, in the area above (and below) the range indicator, there is a trend line which will tell you if your efficiency is trending up or down. While you're driving, you can use the information panel to see how much of the 65kWh pack you've used to keep you from running out of juice.
If you have the ability to charge at home most of the time, the charge rate is meaningless. For most drivers this is a great car.
Approximately 40% of people in the United States can't charge at home.
@@jimv1983would be interesting to know how many of those actually even need a vehicle. If you live in a crammed NYC, San Francisco or Seattle apartment (and thus, no home charging) , you don't really need a vehicle to begin with, those are the few cities where public transport is actually a thing in America.
@@marinmarinhola just because someone can't charge at home doesn't mean they live in a big city. There are lots of apartments outside of the big cities like NYC, SF, etc. Plus, people in apartments aren't the only ones that can't charge at home.
So how much did it cost to recharge back to 100%? And how long did it take? That's the two most important things to me.
This. Super important info.
Seems like a good short and medium range car. Low comfort seats & slow charging speeds limit it's use as a true road trip car.
From reviews and discussions with actual owners, the “uncomfortable seats” meme is outdated.