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

[Reeler]

Well those are some off the wall comments.

Tesla adaptive cruise cannot keep folks from cutting into your lane in bump-to-bump traffic. It leaves a gap that is too big so becomes useless on my rush hour commutes. If someone has a trick to get the Tesla to protect that gap from lane changers, let me know.

 

[CSFTN]

Tesla doesn't honor a one car length gap either. It won't protect the gap in traffic so is useless too. My daughter's Nissan Rogue and the Tesla work great on the open road however. Around turns, the Rogue gets confused however.

There's a setting for following distance (at least, on the S/X)

 

[scottf200]

Tesla adaptive cruise cannot keep folks from cutting into your lane in bump-to-bump traffic. It leaves a gap that is too big so becomes useless on my rush hour commutes. If someone has a trick to get the Tesla to protect that gap from lane changers, let me know.

There's a setting for following distance (at least, on the S/X)

Certainly, he knows. 1-7 units not car lengths as 7 is very different space at highway speed vs around town speed. You can not design or implement an adaptive cruise system that is inherently (and legally) unsafe by making the distances so close that the car could not brake under almost all conditions (rain, sleet, snow, etc). Certainly lawsuit waiting to happen. ie. keep the distance less than a car length so others can't squeeze in.

My comment about it being off the wall was it has nothing to do with the Bolt thread.

 

[Reeler]

There's a setting for following distance (at least, on the S/X)

At the minimum setting of one car length, it will not maintain it consistently. That would be a start to protect my lane. Non-the-less, all adaptive cruise is useless in bump-to-bump traffic including Tesla's.

 

[Kuhz]

Just read the first few replies of this thread (particularly the links). And LOLed

 

[MP3Mike]

At the minimum setting of one car length, it will not maintain it consistently. That would be a start to protect my lane. Non-the-less, all adaptive cruise is useless in bump-to-bump traffic including Tesla's.

Part of your problem is that the TACC settings on a Tesla aren't car lengths...

Each setting corresponds to a time-based
distance that represents how long it
takes for Model 3, from its current location, to
reach the location of the rear bumper of the
vehicle ahead of you.

 

[Reeler]

Part of your problem is that the TACC settings on a Tesla aren't car lengths...

Whatever it is, the Tesla doesn't work in this circumstance.

 

[scottf200]

Not sure if the Bolt does the same passive balancing as the Volt?

Well a couple sources are telling me that Tesla and GM (Volt) are using different balancing methods.
* Tesla - Active Balancing
* Volt/Ampera - Passive Balancing

Source 1 - about the Tesla

Passive balancing bleeds high-voltage cells on a resistor during charge in the 70–80 percent SoC curve; active balancing shuttles the extra charge from higher-voltage cells during discharge to those with a lower voltage. [Volt]

Active balancing is the preferred method for EV batteries, but it requires DC-DC converters. The corrected currents are in the mA range only. Applying a heavy load during acceleration, followed by rapid-charging with regenerative braking requires well-tuned cells in a high-voltage battery to attain the anticipated life. EV batteries in the Tesla, BMW i3 and other EVs employ active balancing to minimize cell stress.Above quoted from: https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...atch_balancing


Source 2 - about the Ampera/Volt

 

[YellyYeti]

Sanity check here... Our main vehicle is an X, and we both work from home so only really need a 2nd vehicle maybe once or twice a month. We use our decrepit ICE minivan, no AC, only one door works, etc. for that. Our teenager will start driving in less than a year, so we need a shared car for her and as our second vehicle. I always thought I'd buy a Model 3 when the time came, but with the 2019 Bolt LTs pushing close to $24K with the latest incentives, would it not make much more sense to go that way?

 

[mtndrew1]

Sanity check here... Our main vehicle is an X, and we both work from home so only really need a 2nd vehicle maybe once or twice a month. We use our decrepit ICE minivan, no AC, only one door works, etc. for that. Our teenager will start driving in less than a year, so we need a shared car for her and as our second vehicle. I always thought I'd buy a Model 3 when the time came, but with the 2019 Bolt LTs pushing close to $24K with the latest incentives, would it not make much more sense to go that way?

I think the Bolt would be a fantastic choice and GM has some neat teen driver features (power/speed limit etc) that might be useful. They’re a great bargain and I just helped a friend buy one for $14,000 off MSRP.

 

[Reeler]

My son likes the Bolt more than the Tesla. CO still has a $5K rebate so it is dirt cheap for such a nice EV. I don't worry about him parking at school either like I would have with a Tesla.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Sanity check here... Our main vehicle is an X, and we both work from home so only really need a 2nd vehicle maybe once or twice a month. We use our decrepit ICE minivan, no AC, only one door works, etc. for that. Our teenager will start driving in less than a year, so we need a shared car for her and as our second vehicle. I always thought I'd buy a Model 3 when the time came, but with the 2019 Bolt LTs pushing close to $24K with the latest incentives, would it not make much more sense to go that way?

Scope around for a used one. This kind of discounting of new vehicles effects the used market.

Update: These price cuts for new Bolts haven't worked their way through to the used market yet, but they will.

 

[alloverx]

Used Nissan Leaf for a first car if money is tight.

 

[wdolson]

Teslas hold their value about as well as many ICE, but most other EVs drop like a rock on the used market. A 1-2 year old used Bolt or Leaf can be pretty cheap. If you don't need much range older Leafs are selling for under $10K.

 

[Big Earl]

For a small, fun around-town car, I highly recommend a used Fiat 500e. Unfortunately, fast charging is not available and range is 50-60 miles in the winter and 70-100 miles in the summer. They can be found for around $10,000 and have thermally managed batteries.

33,000 miles on my 2013 Fiat 500e with about 10% battery degradation so far.

 

[Silicon Desert]

At the minimum setting of one car length, it will not maintain it consistently. That would be a start to protect my lane. Non-the-less, all adaptive cruise is useless in bump-to-bump traffic including Tesla's.

hmmm, works perfect for me, so I wouldn't say "all". Not sure what the difference is with your car and mine, but I really like it. Some do, some don't

 

[FlatSix911]

This announcement will have a significant impact... Chevy is offering $10,000 lease discounts on Bolt EV - Electrek

A recent Chevy bulletin sent to its dealers makes the all-electric Bolt model eligible for about $10,000 in lease incentives. Bolt buyers in San Francisco could get another $1,400 bonus, resulting in a three-year lease for the 2020 Chevy Bolt LT for $169 a month, with $2,219 due at signing.

GM is trying to reverse the two-year downward trend in Bolt sales, especially before the last $1,875 in federal credits ends on April 1.
The $10,000 breaks down to an $8,500 discount for all customers, plus a $1,500 loyalty bonus if you currently lease a Volt or Bolt. That $1,500 could also be available as a conquest bonus for drivers now in a non-GM lease.

 

[bro1999]

This announcement will have a significant impact... Chevy is offering $10,000 lease discounts on Bolt EV - Electrek

A recent Chevy bulletin sent to its dealers makes the all-electric Bolt model eligible for about $10,000 in lease incentives. Bolt buyers in San Francisco could get another $1,400 bonus, resulting in a three-year lease for the 2020 Chevy Bolt LT for $169 a month, with $2,219 due at signing.

GM is trying to reverse the two-year downward trend in Bolt sales, especially before the last $1,875 in federal credits ends on April 1.
The $10,000 breaks down to an $8,500 discount for all customers, plus a $1,500 loyalty bonus if you currently lease a Volt or Bolt. That $1,500 could also be available as a conquest bonus for drivers now in a non-GM lease.

The $8,500 discount/rebate is actually for purchases, with GM lessees eligible for the extra $1,500 loyalty incentive. But I believe lease incentives also total right around $10k, so manufacturer incentives are pretty much the same, purchase or lease.

People that had a GM Card should also be eligible for an extra $1k discount in the form of GM card rewards. So someone that is a GM lease holder and had a GM card prior to 31 Dec is eligible for up to $11k in incentives BEFORE whatever discount they can negotiate with the dealer.

If you could negotiate a $5k dealer discount (I've seen that much advertised in online ads for at least Premiers), that would be $16k off MSRP before the $1,875 fed credit and whatever local incentives are available. In MD, a MSRP $44k loaded Premier Bolt after ALL discounts/rebates/tax credits/state incentives, we're talking driving off the lot in a MSRK $44k 2020 Bolt for less than $24k OOP before taxes!

 

[seattlite2004]

The $8,500 discount/rebate is actually for purchases, with GM lessees eligible for the extra $1,500 loyalty incentive. But I believe lease incentives also total right around $10k, so manufacturer incentives are pretty much the same, purchase or lease.

People that had a GM Card should also be eligible for an extra $1k discount in the form of GM card rewards. So someone that is a GM lease holder and had a GM card prior to 31 Dec is eligible for up to $11k in incentives BEFORE whatever discount they can negotiate with the dealer.

If you could negotiate a $5k dealer discount (I've seen that much advertised in online ads for at least Premiers), that would be $16k off MSRP before the $1,875 fed credit and whatever local incentives are available. In MD, a MSRP $44k loaded Premier Bolt after ALL discounts/rebates/tax credits/state incentives, we're talking driving off the lot in a MSRK $44k 2020 Bolt for less than $24k OOP before taxes!

WOW! The best no-haggle Premiere around the Seattle area is about 28% off retail (~$12.3K) for about $31.3K before tax and other fed/state rebates. The LTs get at least a 30% discount off retail. Good deals to be had....with no haggling...maybe better deal with haggling.

 

[alloverx]

They want to sell some before the CUV comes out.