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

[diamond.g]

That was an awesome video. I wonder why they chose to not integrate the motor coolant and battery coolant loops. Seems like it would help heat up the battery faster to allow higher charge rates in cooler climates. Also kind of surprised the battery heater is only 2kW. @bro1999 do you have a CANBus tool that can show how long it takes the battery to come up in temp when cold soaked?

 

[Big Earl]

That was an awesome video. I wonder why they chose to not integrate the motor coolant and battery coolant loops. Seems like it would help heat up the battery faster to allow higher charge rates in cooler climates. Also kind of surprised the battery heater is only 2kW. @bro1999 do you have a CANBus tool that can show how long it takes the battery to come up in temp when cold soaked?

Considering the Bolt uses pouch cells that are a larger format than a cylindrical cell, it will take more time for the batteries to transfer heat to/from the coolant loop. I suspect 2 kW is all they can absorb and the time to heat up is substantially longer than a vehicle with a more effective cooling system design.

 

[electracity]

Considering the Bolt uses pouch cells that are a larger format than a cylindrical cell, it will take more time for the batteries to transfer heat to/from the coolant loop. I suspect 2 kW is all they can absorb and the time to heat up is substantially longer than a vehicle with a more effective cooling system design.

Bjorn has a newer video discussing how non-Tesla EV seem to have winter charging rate issues due to low battery temp. Tesla seems to be outperforming other brands in this area.

 

[diamond.g]

Bjorn has a newer video discussing how non-Tesla EV seem to have winter charging rate issues due to low battery temp. Tesla seems to be outperforming other brands in this area.

Well we know the S and X are better, but the jury is still out on the 3.

 

[electracity]

Well we know the S and X are better, but the jury is still out on the 3.

Has anyone reported slow charging on the model 3 after highway driving in winter? IIRC Bjorn had examples of that problem on several EV brands at a mild 0C.

The Model 3 doesn't preheat from frozen as well as the S/X. But I'm kinda OK with that as not a big issue in real world use.

 

[Big Earl]

Has anyone reported slow charging on the model 3 after highway driving in winter? IIRC Bjorn had examples of that problem on several EV brands at a mild 0C.

The Model 3 doesn't preheat from frozen as well as the S/X. But I'm kinda OK with that as not a big issue in real world use.

Yes. It takes nearly 2 hours of driving at highway speed to get the battery pack warm enough to accept a full speed charge (120 kW). 60-90 minutes of driving at 20F results in somewhere between 60 and 90 kW. 1 kW charge rate per minute of driving looks like a pretty good rule of thumb for the Model 3 in the temperature's I've experienced so far this winter between DC and Michigan.

 

[seattlite2004]

Drive unit video:

 

[seattlite2004]

WOW...Bolts are being heavily discounted...as an example below...AND...full 7500 tax credit:

 

[techmaven]

WOW...Bolts are being heavily discounted...as an example below...AND...full 7500 tax credit:

View attachment 387035

With tax credit about to drop, they shouldn’t be having a demand problem.

Interestingly enough, helping a friend try to buy a Volt, seems some of the deals being advertised were for phantom cars. They don’t actually exist, or the deals don’t.

 

[seattlite2004]

With tax credit about to drop, they shouldn’t be having a demand problem.

Interestingly enough, helping a friend try to buy a Volt, seems some of the deals being advertised were for phantom cars. They don’t actually exist, or the deals don’t.

Yeah...when I got my Bolt last year...the car on the website ad was "in transit" and not on the lot. So I had to wait a few weeks to take delivery....but price/VIN was accurate...the car was just not on the lot so I couldn't drive off the day I visited.

 

[Krugerrand]

WOW...Bolts are being heavily discounted...as an example below...AND...full 7500 tax credit:

View attachment 387035

Nope. No way I could own one of those. I appreciate everyone who bought one of these to reduce emissions, as clearly you have demonstrated you are a better human than I.

 

[Cloxxki]

I appreciate everyone who bought one of these to reduce emissions

Only compared to a brand new equivalent carbon based fuel car, and only after a good few years worth of driving. And even after that, the tires keep om wearing and polluting the air we breathe. Especially in urban areas.
If only mankind sought to actually reduce emissions. Not in a minute way, if the vehicle makes it that far, but in a big way with minute initial energy investment. Not just comparing to a new ICEV but even to a pre-existing ICEV, short term. If conversion kits were to apply for the tax breaks people get with big instnat impact BEVs, people would upgrade their existing cars and get money extra for it.

 

[Krugerrand]

Only compared to a brand new equivalent carbon based fuel car, and only after a good few years worth of driving. And even after that, the tires keep om wearing and polluting the air we breathe. Especially in urban areas.
If only mankind sought to actually reduce emissions. Not in a minute way, if the vehicle makes it that far, but in a big way with minute initial energy investment. Not just comparing to a new ICEV but even to a pre-existing ICEV, short term. If conversion kits were to apply for the tax breaks people get with big instnat impact BEVs, people would upgrade their existing cars and get money extra for it.

It’s Saturday, my day off. I don’t think this hard on my day off.

 

[wdolson]

With tax credit about to drop, they shouldn’t be having a demand problem.

Interestingly enough, helping a friend try to buy a Volt, seems some of the deals being advertised were for phantom cars. They don’t actually exist, or the deals don’t.

Here in the Portland area there are a slew of LTs advertised for around $30K and the cheapest Premier is $34K. Probably Chevy dealers and Chevy buyers are far less aware of the EV credit than Tesla buyers.

But it shows that Chevy has a problem selling Bolts after the initial wow factor is gone. Doug DeMuro did a review of the Bolt and concluded it was a decent EV, but it's biggest liability was the logo on the nose. Chevy has a lot of grudge holders among EV fans, and it doesn't have that big a reputation for cars overall at this point.

With the Model 3 SR rolling out, you can get a fully loaded Bolt for around the same price as an entry M3, with the full credit for a short while longer, but the M3 sells better because it has a better reputation in the EV world, and it's more car. The Bolt is a better car for tight, narrow streets, but for most Americans, the M3 is a more useful car. It has more passenger and more cargo room (though the shape of the cargo space with the Bolt may be better for some cargoes) as well as access to the supercharger network.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

The local Chevy dealer has 14 Bolts on their lot. About three weeks ago there were 15. I haven’t looked at the prices to see if they are coming down as we lean more towards the new Nissan Leaf e plus. Lots more room, better price, comparable performance...and it’s not a Chevy. Our Nissan dealer is going to call us when one comes in so we can take a test drive.

 

[MP3Mike]

And don't forget that there are only two more weeks to get the full $7,500 tax credit on the Bolt.

 

[Cloxxki]

The novelty factor has worn off, now these cars need to offer utility for their cost. And compete with very similar offerings from other brands. At what price might these sell like a bland Chevy ICEV?

 

[Akikiki]

I won a contest. First prize was a 1 week test drive of a Bolt. Second prize was 2 weeks.

 

[bro1999]

Despite all the jokes, the Bolt at current pricing and discounts is a helluva good deal for someone looking for a solidly built 200+ mile BEV with an established track record. Someone ditching a gas guzzler for a Bolt (or any EV for that matter) should be applauded. Reading some of the posts on here, it seems there are some that would be happier if someone bought a gas car than a Bolt, which is really puzzling.
My expectation is the 2020 Bolt gets quite a few upgrades.

 

[Cloxxki]

Despite all the jokes, the Bolt at current pricing and discounts is a helluva good deal for someone looking for a solidly built 200+ mile BEV with an established track record. Someone ditching a gas guzzler for a Bolt (or any EV for that matter) should be applauded. Reading some of the posts on here, it seems there are some that would be happier if someone bought a gas car than a Bolt, which is really puzzling.
My expectation is the 2020 Bolt gets quite a few upgrades.

Let's leave the (self) applause for getting a long range BEV to those who had no other choice but to buy new, and those who will actually drive enough to overcome the higher pollution over an ICEV as it comes off the production line.
Driving a lot "for fun" or because "trains are smelly", self congratulations for driving a BEV really is telling more of one's ego than actual footprint. I'm here walking, cycling and taking trains all the time, breathing tire dust which increasingly is being caused by BEVs. I'll appreciate zero emissions from cars in urban conditions running on batteries (I am asthmatic) but to be frank, a Golf GTE does that for me also. And it only needs a tiny battery to do it. A first gen LEAF does it, Ioniq with a tiny mattery does it. Volt.
Now, the Bolt is no charging champion of course. With more and more new BEVs having proper charging speeds (the less than half battery size first gen Ioniq still keeps up with Bolt over 1000km), there is less and less need to "go big", pretty hard to defend such a purchase.

In an ICEV, the size of the tank doesn't matter much for the environment. It's all about mileage. With a BEV, a double sized battery (compared too 28kWh which seems to be very workable for actual owners who do also go beyond local errants) just adds one to three years before you even break even on your pollution compared to say a petrol Golf or Civic.
I bet VERY few BEV owners realize let alone acknowledge this.

I used to be such a fan of longer-is-better, but I recently had to accept the data, long range is a litteral waste that requires justification equally as much as a car on petrol when there are similar priced BEVs on sale. The decision to pay extra, lots extra, for the larger "tank" is a conscious one.
Rather than intentionally making cars seem cheaper by deducting average fuel cost from the shown price, Tesla might want to list environmental impact of their products and especially break-even mileage vs a sensible Polo 3-cylinder or Prius Prime.