Chevy Bolt - 200 mile range for $30k base price (after incentive)

[Jeff N]

I stand corrected then. I was under the impression the paddle was just a simple on/off switch that did not need to be held continuously. By your description, it is an on/off switch that must be held continuously and the Bolt made it various.

If so, I understand some of the criticism raised in the comments in that article. This is isn't really a "one pedal" design, but rather a "one pedal and one paddle" design.

I believe the Bolt EV will come to a full one-pedal stop without using the paddle in Low but using the paddle will strengthen it even more.

You wouldn't want maximum regen just by releasing the go pedal because that could be too jarring and dangerous if released by mistakenly -- the Model S regen brakes a maximum of 60 kW (at highway speeds) even though the motors and battery pack could clearly do more.

The Bolt EV allows you to use the paddle to intentionally ask for even stronger regen than would be safe or comfortable just on the "go pedal".

 

[stopcrazypp]

My wife's 2016 Volt GEN 2 has the paddle and it seems very well implemented. It really seems to be useful for people who are (D)rive which does modest regen and then when you come to a corner or later in a stoplight/sign you can invoke the max regen. Alternative you can drive in (L)ow (name only) to be in a constant higher regen like driving the Tesla in "standard". You can use (L)ow and use the Paddle. In our 2011 Gen 1 Volt I drove like 68K miles in (L)ow (max regen) which is obviously not a gear but telling the computer to do more regen.

From a GM page

From what I read about user's impression of the 2016 Volt, people loved the L mode, while reviews of the paddle was more mixed (part of the problem is the Volt's is on/off with nothing in between). I guess the Bolt addresses that (it varies, not just on/off). However, it's not one pedal if it requires continuous pressing of a separate paddle (out of the modes listed only L-mode with no paddle can be considered one pedal driving; D may be too weak to qualify). Whether you like one pedal largely depends on personal preferences (some people are good at modulating the pedal and find it easy to put it in "coast" or any other regen position; while others have a hard time modulating the pedal and rather have regen on brakes or controlled separately).

 

[Jeff N]

ok, this is stupid then. Just build it into the system of the car so it does it for you like Tesla. Why would I want to have to mess with this while driving? Another negative mark on the Bolt vs. Model 3.

The 4 modes listed in the article are progressively stronger regen. We will have to actually drive it to compare how the "go pedal" regen compares between Bolt EV in Low without using the paddle and the Model S and BMW i3 regen. I'm guessing it is about the same. I've heard that it is stronger in the Bolt EV than in the Volt. I'm guessing the regen in the Bolt in Low with the paddle is stronger than the Model S or i3.

Unlike the Model S, but like the i3, I believe the Bolt EV will come to a complete stop and hold the car still in Low without touching the brake pedal.

 

[ggies07]

The 4 modes listed in the article are progressively stronger regen. We will have to actually drive it to compare how the "go pedal" regen compares between Bolt EV in Low without using the paddle and the Model S and BMW i3 regen. I'm guessing it is about the same. I've heard that it is stronger in the Bolt EV than in the Volt. I'm guessing the regen in the Bolt in Low with the paddle is stronger than the Model S or i3.

Unlike the Model S, but like the i3, I believe the Bolt EV will come to a complete stop and hold the car still in Low without touching the brake pedal.

Right. I was trying to figure out how the Bolt worked vs. Tesla not which one had the best regen braking. If someone has to push on some paddle to make it happen, well....that's annoying. Part of what makes regen so great is that it happens on it's own.

 

[Jeff N]

You do not have to push on the paddle to get strong regen. You just shift into Low and leave it there and then it essentially drives like a Model S with the strong regen option and creep mode turned off. And it also comes to a complete stop and holds the car until you press the accelerator again. So, really, it is better than the Model S in theory. I will need to drive it myself to see how seamlessly (or not) it has been implemented.

 

[ggr]

People think they like options and more control, until they realize that just doing it right the first time is better.

 

[Chickenlittle]

Still can't order and no pricing available for options. Also what is standard. Must be having a hard time figuring out how to backtrack

 

[twonius]

Still can't order and no pricing available for options. Also what is standard. Must be having a hard time figuring out how to backtrack

Yeah this kind of gave me pause when considering whether to wait for the bolt. The base car could be a a bit of a stripper so it's important to know what it'd cost with CCS, NAV and perhaps another few options.

Although on the Volt they do keep it pretty reasonable. You can't really push those into the stratosphere like on a Camaro or Tahoe. Unless you buy an ELR

 

[scaesare]

You do not have to push on the paddle to get strong regen. You just shift into Low and leave it there and then it essentially drives like a Model S with the strong regen option and creep mode turned off. And it also comes to a complete stop and holds the car until you press the accelerator again. So, really, it is better than the Model S in theory. I will need to drive it myself to see how seamlessly (or not) it has been implemented.

Does shifting in to Low affect anything other than regen?

A "Low" mode for most cars imply gear reduction for acceleration/torque needs when accelerating...

 

[Jeff N]

Does shifting in to Low affect anything other than regen?

A "Low" mode for most cars imply gear reduction for acceleration/torque needs when accelerating...

Low" only changes regen on the Volt and ELR. On the Bolt EV it also turns off "creep" because "Low" on the Bolt EV will bring the car to a complete stop and hold it there even on an incline without use of the brake pedal (similar to the BMW i3).

They call it "Low" because people might use it similarly to how they downshift when driving down mountain roads.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Low" only changes regen on the Volt and ELR. On the Bolt EV it also turns off "creep" because "Low" on the Bolt EV will bring the car to a complete stop and hold it there even on an incline without use of the brake pedal (similar to the BMW i3).

They call it "Low" because people might use it similarly to how they downshift when driving down mountain roads.

More specifically, Low changes the mapping of the go and brake pedal positions, shifting the continuum such that 0 on both goes from a low level of regen to a high level of regen. When driving in Low, you have less fine control over power.

 

[Jeff N]

More specifically, Low changes the mapping of the go and brake pedal positions, shifting the continuum such that 0 on both goes from a low level of regen to a high level of regen.

Yes, although that might be a slightly confusing way of describing it.

When driving in Low, you have less fine control over power.

I don't understand what you mean.

 

[wycolo]

The 2014 Spark EV has a small lever switch on the column below the steering wheel which says 'LOW' and when depressed switches to higher Regen rate. This is similar to Tesla's High/Low option which is buried in menus on the 17 inch screen. Having it available in a handy switch is a nice feature so driver can immediately feel the difference thereby learning what regen is all about. Certainly more effective than reading about it!! LOW only changes REGEN, does not change CREEP and certainly does not change any gearing (the Spark EV has planetary gears which are 'fixed' and cannot be changed).

The Bolt has moved this switch up to a readily available 'paddle' which makes REGEN changing even easier, plus it now changes the Creep mode. Maybe this is easier when stopping on a hill than pressing the brake pedal - to be determined by the early adopters.
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[bro1999]

The Spark EV has a small lever switch on the column below the steering wheel which says 'LOW' and when depressed switches to higher Regen rate. This is similar to Tesla's High/Low option which is buried in menus on the 17 inch screen. Having it available in a handy switch is a nice feature so driver can immediately feel the difference thereby learning what regen is all about. Certainly more effective than reading about it!! LOW only changes REGEN, does not change CREEP and certainly does not change any gearing (the Spark EV has planetary gears which are 'fixed' and cannot be changed).
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What? Really? I drove around a Spark EV for a couple months, and never noticed this switch.

 

[Jeff N]

The Bolt has moved this switch up to a readily available 'paddle' which makes REGEN changing even easier, plus it now changes the Creep mode. Maybe this is easier when stopping on a hill than pressing the brake pedal - to be determined by the early adopters.

No, on the Bolt EV the Low mode is engaged using the floor-mounted "gear shifter". The paddle does not change modes, it acts like a variable pressure hand-actuated brake pedal that uses regen without friction braking.

 

[wycolo]

> What? Really? I drove around a Spark EV for a couple months, and never noticed this switch. [bro1999]

Mine is a 2014 (I've edited the post to reflect this). Doubt if GM would just totally kill this option however.
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[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I don't understand what you mean.

Due to some of the throttle positions being associated with regen, there are fewer positions that give you driving power, which means that there's less fine control. Similar thing with the Volt's Sport mode that jumps to higher powers at earlier positions.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Yes, although that might be a slightly confusing way of describing it.

Well, it's more accurate, since the mode doesn't just change regen.

I don't understand what you mean.

Due to some of the throttle positions being associated with regen, there are fewer positions that give you driving power, which means that there's less fine control over the power. Similar thing with the Volt's Sport mode that jumps to higher powers at earlier positions.

 

[wycolo]

> No, on the Bolt EV the Low mode is engaged using the floor-mounted "gear shifter". The paddle does not change modes, it acts like a variable pressure hand-actuated brake pedal that uses regen without friction braking. [Jeff N]

Mmmm, that will be very handy indeed. A feature that actually goes beyond the Tesla realm, wow.
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[Jeff N]

Due to some of the throttle positions being associated with regen, there are fewer positions that give you driving power, which means that there's less fine control. Similar thing with the Volt's Sport mode that jumps to higher powers at earlier positions.

No, that's not true. Low does not change the power mapping on the "go pedal" the way that Sport mode does so Low still has all of the normal resolution in the pedal mapping. It's just that if you back off on the pedal it regents strongly instead of coasting. The Sport mode on older Volts does exhibit some loss of fine power resolution on the pedal.

My impression when briefly driving a Cadillac ELR was that it fixed the Sport mode fine resolution issue perhaps by using a better pedal sensor. Although I have driven a 2nd Volt I don't recall how the pedal resolution was in Sport mode. I would not assume that the Bolt's Sport mode pedal resolution is a problem without test driving it first and even on the original Volt it's not a significant problem in my opinion although it is noticeable.