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

[Cyclone]

"Regen On Demand" aka the regen paddles are something you simply DON'T find on conventional ICE vehicles. Not sure why they are even being mentioned in the same breath. When's the last time you bought a gas car that could brake via the steering wheel?? They would be a foreign concept to the "average Joe", so the argument being made that including regen paddles is somehow making an EV MORE like an ICE is mindboggling....

I'm not saying I agree with the below, but I've heard more than a few people talk about using the paddle-shifters in an ICE automatic transmission to control the gearing ("shift into a lower gear" for instance) when tackling hills. So I can imagine the marketing people calling the regen paddles as such are thinking of that concept. That said, I probably was the only one of my circle of friends w/o a manual that would do this.

 

[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. [wycolo]

Totally false of course. My bad. The Spark EV simply has a LOW position aft of DRIVE. I used it for the first time today (finally!) and verified it does not change the gearing at all, just adds the extra level of regen. In LOW the car now acts like a Tesla set to high regen, like the car is in a lower gear but that is only the initial impression. Buzzing around town in LOW yields mucho regen for your battery and removes any tendency to coast freely. Therefore out of town one wants to shift back into DRIVE for a more relaxed experience.
--

 

[McRat]

ok, sorry, see I'm not a car guy. Future generations won't need to understand how an ICE works, so I just can't see why they made the Bolt with this terminology. Anyway....I'm just picking on the car....

Not being a car guy, I'd suggest to avoid the follow phrases:

• "My rear end gets too loose."
• "I like my stick short, but my girl doesn't. It's quicker with a short stick, but she doesn't think that's better."
• "I blew a tranny yesterday."
• "I grease my nipples whenever I get lubed."
• "I'd rather be injected than blown."
• "I'm always on the bottle."

 

[Az_Rael]

When's the last time you bought a gas car that could brake via the steering wheel??

My 2009 ICE IS250 could "brake via the steering wheel". And that is exactly how I used those paddle shifters. When going downhill, I would crank them down until I was getting good engine braking and didn't have to sit on my brakes (and potentially overheat them). Granted, I also sometimes used the paddle shifters to force a downshift when I was entering the freeway via the ever present clover leafs here to keep the IS in its power band. That function isn't replicated by a regen paddle, since EVs don't have geared transmissions (roadster excepted).

In the end, I could totally see wanting to have a bit of extra regen available for canyon road driving that I didn't want mapped to the "go" pedal all the time. If they keep the accelerator pedal with a regen level equal to a Model S (which is already quite a bit), then gave you even more regen as an option on a paddle instead of blended brakes, I think that is a novel solution to the crappiness of blended brakes problem. (I am assuming driving a Bolt in L will have the equivalent amount of regen as "standard" on an S - we will have to see when they get into the wild)

 

[gregd]

"Regen On Demand" aka the regen paddles are something you simply DON'T find on conventional ICE vehicles. Not sure why they are even being mentioned in the same breath. When's the last time you bought a gas car that could brake via the steering wheel?? They would be a foreign concept to the "average Joe", so the argument being made that including regen paddles is somehow making an EV MORE like an ICE is mindboggling....

My paddles example, as others have noted, I do see as a clumsy re-purposing of the paddle shifter concept, which in itself is a clumsy mapping of a manual transmission onto an automatic. My wife hated manual cars, so she convince me to test drive a paddle shifted car in the hopes I would finally get a car she could drive. (That was the one sore point in our relationship.) I grew up with and always have driven manual transmissions, and having the sales droid try to convince me that the clutch-less paddle shifting was just as good left me running for the exit door. Decided to repair the ICE until I could find a suitable replacement, which I figured would be the Tesla Model 3. Found a Roadster instead, and couldn't be happier. She unfortunately passed away without ever driving it herself (though she did get to ride in it a few times).

The overall point is that the new EVs seem to me to be misguided in the direction they are taking the User Experience design. Paddles to control regen, "L" designation for the regen mode shift, blended brakes instead of keeping things simple with one-pedal accelerator/regen, plus friction-only with the brake pedal (separate thread, already sufficiently bashed about). Oh, and the ridiculous thing BMW is doing with fake vroom-vroom sounds through the audio system. Sheesh.... Do we really want Fisher-Price to be designing our cars?

 

[Cyclone]

Found a Roadster instead, and couldn't be happier. She unfortunately passed away without ever driving it herself (though she did get to ride in it a few times).

My condolences. How did she like riding around in the Roadster versus some of your previous vehicles?

 

[BluestarE3]

Looks like the Bolt may be getting OTA update capability in the future:
GM confirms over-the-air update capability for Bolt EV as it recalls millions of cars over a software issue

 

[McRat]

... instead of keeping things simple with one-pedal accelerator/regen, plus friction-only with the brake pedal (separate thread, already sufficiently bashed about). ...

That is how Fisher Price kiddy cars work. You lift, and it slows down rapidly.

 

[ggies07]

Looks like the Bolt may be getting OTA update capability in the future:
GM confirms over-the-air update capability for Bolt EV as it recalls millions of cars over a software issue

Finally! Though, I do take issue to this part. Do they really not consider Tesla as part of the auto industry.......

and we were the first major automaker to establish a dedicated cyber security team.

 

[GoTslaGo]

Finally! Though, I do take issue to this part. Do they really not consider Tesla as part of the auto industry.......

I think the key word is "major" automaker...

For now, they do have a point based on volume.

 

[ggies07]

I think the key word is "major" automaker...

For now, they do have a point based on volume.

Haha. Right. It's all relative. They and others won't commit to high volume EVs so it's only a matter of time before that term will not apply to them...

 

[twonius]

Haha. Right. It's all relative. They and others won't commit to high volume EVs so it's only a matter of time before that term will not apply to them...

At least they're doing a better job than Ford and Chrysler so far. I see a lot more volts than other EVs here too.

Maybe once they start building PHEV pickups we'll really see a tipping point.

 

[ggies07]

At least they're doing a better job than Ford and Chrysler so far. I see a lot more volts than other EVs here too.

Maybe once they start building PHEV pickups we'll really see a tipping point.

Fine, if you want to baby the company like it's a child and say 'E for effort' ok. And no, we don't need for hybrids, we need more BEVs. No reason for a PHEV truck when Tesla is making an all electric one.....

 

[gregd]

My condolences. How did she like riding around in the Roadster versus some of your previous vehicles?

Thanks, much appreciated. It was interesting. The other cars we had were a Honda CRV and an Acura Integra (since sold). The road leading to our house isn't bad, but not exactly smooth either, and she found that the Tesla, being low and stiffly sprung, was actually easier on her than the CRV, which is high enough that you kind of get thrown around a bit. The Tesla drive train is also extremely smooth - no shifting - and quiet, and the seats are quite comfortable and hug you, but eventually climbing in and out of the Tesla became too difficult, even with the top off. The CRV was high enough that she could kind of slide in and out of it, and the passenger seat can lean back so she could rest. (The Roadster's passenger seat is fixed.) It was also big enough to carry the inevitable walkers and wheel chair. The Integra had none of these features, and she hated it anyway because it was a manual and couldn't (wouldn't) drive it.

But, if we ever wanted to go somewhere "in style", the choice was clear. Then the fun was putting all of her stuff, and a little of mine in the small Roadster trunk...

 

[Breezy]

And no, we don't need for hybrids, we need more BEVs. No reason for a PHEV truck when Tesla is making an all electric one.....

Is Tesla going to be making an all-electric truck any time soon? Given that non-hybrid ICEs are 98% of the light duty fleet and 100% of the heavy duty fleet, we need more BEVs, PHEVs and HEVs.

 

[McRat]

They did funny thing with volt bought 2016 last December for 40K and it didn't even include home link. Can't wait to see what's left off bolt

Aston Martin, Toyota, GM, etc, etc, etc, dropped HomeLink like a hot potato and NOBODY is saying a damn thing about why. Nadda. Very strange. Try to find out the reason. Newer cars are not using the HomeLink trademark on their systems.

Is there a gag order from a lawsuit? Security issues? Something else?

Be aware, most HomeLink cars allow you to smash a car's window, push a button, then unlock a house and disable the home alarm.

Never park a HomeLink car outside when you are not home.

 

[Chickenlittle]

Aston Martin, Toyota, GM, etc, etc, etc, dropped HomeLink like a hot potato and NOBODY is saying a damn thing about why. Nadda. Very strange. Try to find out the reason. Newer cars are not using the HomeLink trademark on their systems.

Is there a gag order from a lawsuit? Security issues? Something else?

Be aware, most HomeLink cars allow you to smash a car's window, push a button, then unlock a house and disable the home alarm.

Never park a HomeLink car outside when you are not home.

Puzzling why some one would prefer to smash heavy tempered glass window of car rather than flimsy home Windows. I don't see how Homelink turns off home alarm. Also every home I have owned or been in has a lock on garage door to home. I do not see Homelink as a security risk but if you did, you don't have to pair it to your garage door opener

 

[McRat]

Puzzling why some one would prefer to smash heavy tempered glass window of car rather than flimsy home Windows. I don't see how Homelink turns off home alarm. Also every home I have owned or been in has a lock on garage door to home. I do not see Homelink as a security risk but if you did, you don't have to pair it to your garage door opener

So what is your theory why a bunch of MFRs dropped HomeLink unannounced, then the next year, came back with different branding?

Yes, we have HomeLink on 4 of our vehicles, and I find it convenient. However, it wasn't just GM that halted it in 2016.

I'm going to guess that Universal Remote will return in 2017 for the cars that removed HomeLink. And I'm going to guess there is a hidden story behind it.

 

[Chickenlittle]

So what is your theory why a bunch of MFRs dropped HomeLink unannounced, then the next year, came back with different branding?

Yes, we have HomeLink on 4 of our vehicles, and I find it convenient. However, it wasn't just GM that halted it in 2016.

I'm going to guess that Universal Remote will return in 2017 for the cars that removed HomeLink. And I'm going to guess there is a hidden story behind it.

I don't have a theory. You can spend forever trying to figure out new ways for Chevy to screw up but it's so much easier to leave it up to the expert (Chevy) to show us how

 

[wdolson]

Is Tesla going to be making an all-electric truck any time soon? Given that non-hybrid ICEs are 98% of the light duty fleet and 100% of the heavy duty fleet, we need more BEVs, PHEVs and HEVs.

Tesla is supposed to demo a truck prototype within the next year or so, but it's going to be a while before we see full EV big rigs. The delivery vehicle market is low hanging fruit for EV trucks though. Any situation where a truck can charge overnight would work well for an EV. A vehicle that needs to keep moving as much as possible to make money like most big rigs is going to have an economic barrier having to stop the truck to recharge every few hours.

Aston Martin, Toyota, GM, etc, etc, etc, dropped HomeLink like a hot potato and NOBODY is saying a damn thing about why. Nadda. Very strange. Try to find out the reason. Newer cars are not using the HomeLink trademark on their systems.

Is there a gag order from a lawsuit? Security issues? Something else?

Be aware, most HomeLink cars allow you to smash a car's window, push a button, then unlock a house and disable the home alarm.

Never park a HomeLink car outside when you are not home.

If you have an old fashioned garage door opener in your car and it's parked outside they can open the garage door that way too. I don't see where HomeLink can disable a home alarm, though with most modern cars breaking a car window would set off the car alarm.