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

[JRP3]

2014 Spark EV built Oct 1, 2013 with 48,500 miles still charges to "82 miles" using A123 batteries (that were discontinued for 2015 model year). So "no degradation" or else GM installed an unusually large buffer atop the A123.

Snow driving yesterday was excellent with no loss of traction or control compared to my usual in-town prudent driving.

As with Tesla it would seem that GM is just not going to deliver batteries that fail prematurely.
--

A123 is LiFePO4 chemistry, one of the longer lived lithium ion chemistries, so no real correlation between that pack and what they are putting in the Bolt.

 

[bro1999]

Ok, this seals the deal: you can transport baby llamas in a Bolt.

Also, Bolt is eligible for a $500 farm bureau rebate. Woo for discounts!
Farm Bureau Offering $500 Rebate on Chevy Bolt EV - GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

 

[wycolo]

> A123 is LiFePO4 chemistry, one of the longer lived lithium ion chemistries [JRP3]

Thanks for that info as I do plan to keep this car forever.
--

 

[bro1999]

Bolt EV maintenance schedule:

Basically nothing that needs a visit to the dealer until 150k miles. Bolt's gonna be expensive to maintain!

 

[JRP3]

Exactly why so many dealers hate the idea of EV's.

 

[Zoomit]

Exactly why so many dealers hate the idea of EV's.

Exactly. I think the dealers even prefer the recalls, to get people back looking at new cars.

I'm optimistic that GM will get limited software updates working for the Bolt EV, which will help keep owners from having to go back to the dealer. But the odds of going 150k miles without a recall are, well, not zero.

 

[McRat]

... it is ugly, un-aerodynamic, and the seats are not comfortable (verified in person in LA auto show). I will wait out for my model 3 or 2015+ used Model S that is less likely to have drive train issue. Other than that it will be a fine vehicle and hopefully Chevy will pony up to expand fast-charging network, and will produce a better looking electric sedan.

You think a Spark looks great and Bolt looks like ass? OK. I bought a Spark for an employee, and while it's been trouble free for 50,000 miles in 1 year, it's seldom mistaken for a McLaren by most people.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

You think a Spark looks great and Bolt looks like ass? OK. I bought a Spark for an employee, and while it's been trouble free for 50,000 miles in 1 year, it's seldom mistaken for a McLaren by most people.

To get 50,000/yr would require an average of 137 miles/day 365 days a year, on a vehicle rated for 82 miles per charge...

How did they accomplish that?

 

[McRat]

To get 50,000/yr would require an average of 137 miles/day 365 days a year, on a vehicle rated for 82 miles per charge...

How did they accomplish that?

He was going through a BK, so I bought the cheapest new car I could find for him, which was about $12,000 out the door, all taxes. Yes, it's an ICE. They look the same as the EV as far as styling goes. Which oddly enough is not inspired by Maserati. I don't understand why not, but the price was right.

 

[bro1999]

To get 50,000/yr would require an average of 137 miles/day 365 days a year, on a vehicle rated for 82 miles per charge...

How did they accomplish that?

DCFC once per day. Or charge at work.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

DCFC once per day. Or charge at work.

Unless the person is a workaholic, they aren't working 365 days a year. So, excluding holidays, if he worked 5 days a week he'd have to drive 191 miles a day.

He would have to spend ~5hrs (including charge time) commuting those days too.

Not impossible, but insanely impractical.

 

[bro1999]

Unless the person is a workaholic, they aren't working 365 days a year. So, excluding holidays, if he worked 5 days a week he'd have to drive 191 miles a day.

He would have to spend 4hrs (including charge time) commuting those days too.

Not impossible, but insanely impractical.

I think McRat came back and said it was a gas Spark, but let's pretend it was a Spark EV.

If the dude lives 80 miles away, lives in Cali so no harsh winters, charges at home and work...that's 160 miles a day assuming a M-F work week. If he drives around 50 miles a day on weekends, we're almost at 50k miles then. Highly improbable, but if the guy can charge for free at work, a Spark EV could theoretically work for him and not be a completely insane proposition.

 

[anticitizen13.7]

Exactly why so many dealers hate the idea of EV's.

I actually know some guys who are in management at car dealerships, and they are terrified of what EVs mean for the dealership model. Car dealers do not make much profit from the sale of new cars, but they do make a ton of profit from the service department. Take away the revenue and margins from service, and a lot of dealers won't be able to stay in business.

 

[bro1999]

I actually know some guys who are in management at car dealerships, and they are terrified of what EVs mean for the dealership model. Car dealers do not make much profit from the sale of new cars, but they do make a ton of profit from the service department. Take away the revenue and margins from service, and a lot of dealers won't be able to stay in business.

Adapt or become the next Blockbuster. No sympathy from me.

 

[McRat]

Yes, gas Spark. It's ugly and has unacceptable windtunnel performance or so I read on the internet. I can see it right now parked outside the lobby. Looks OK to me, but I would not try and break the sound barrier without more testing.

 

[McRat]

Adapt or become the next Blockbuster. No sympathy from me.

In business, you either make buggy whips or you make vehicle control devices. Those who make buggy whips are mostly gone, those who make digital vehicle controls with telemetry are still around.

Service requirements for vehicles has been falling for years. But there are still many successful dealerships around. They adapt. Right now, with very few EV/Hybrids on the road, I doubt many dealerships are affected by EV's yet.

Many dealers have been moving into aftermarket parts and installations for high profit margins in their service and parts depts. Wheels, running boards, light bars, interior gadgets, etc, have good margins both for sales and labor.

 

[Sonny Daze]

Exactly why so many dealers hate the idea of EV's.

Exactly why I love the idea (among other things) which is why Tesla's service plan bothers me so.

 

[JRP3]

You don't have to purchase the service plan.

 

[McRat]

Must have struck a nerve disliking your GM apologist rants. There's no way any public charging network stacks up to the Supercharger network. Any attempt to equate the two is reaching. But keep disliking my old posts out of spite. Says a lot about you.

You clicked 5 dislikes in <5 minutes blindly in a thread that you have no interest in, involving a car you know nothing about, built by a company you don't understand, using technology that confuses you.

You probably click a few dozen dislikes on other members as well per day. Today was the first time I used the dislike button, and will be the last. I just had a hunch you were a "can dish it out, but can't take it" sort.

The fact you responded? The defense rests.

 

[Sonny Daze]

You don't have to purchase the service plan.

I don't plan to, but it just seems disingenuous to tout EVs as having fewer maintenance requirements (which is true) and then hit people up with hundreds of dollars of annual service requirements/recommendations. To me, this is a little too close to the dealership model for my liking.