Chevy Bolt a "Commuter Car?" Not Available Until April? Help!

[MSEV]

I have looked a bit to find information about taking a Bolt on the road and not been successful at finding it. I have looked at comparisons between the Model 3 and the Bolt. I even called the dealer.

I wanted to know: How do I drive a Bolt to Colorado, 500 miles away? So I called and asked to talk with a sales person who knows about the Bolt. I was thinking I could really consider getting one and it would be soon with only about 11 weeks left in the year. One of the things I read was that the Bolt will be out a year ahead of the M3. So in answer to the question about going to Colorado, the salesperson said I would just charge it along the way. Where would I do that? I could find a 110 outlet or 240 outlet, and the have the latter at Chevy dealerships. Is there a Chevy dealership 200 miles from here that I could stop and charge at? She assured me that there were Chevy dealerships along the way. How long would I have to charge it? Four hours she replied. (I thought it took more like eight hours for a full charge.) So it is not practical for me to drive a Bolt to Colorado? No, she said, it is a commuter car. And she indicated that they would not have them available until approximately April, but that was uncertain.

Really? A commuter car? I had not heard that before. And not available until April? I had hoped that Chevy could, with their resources come out with an all electric car this year. Am I missing something? Did I buy into the hype too much?

 

[JohnSnowNW]

Well, GM has always called the Bolt a commuter vehicle, and they stated several months ago that the Bolt would initially be sold in ZEV states first.

GM doesn't have an interest in pouring anymore resources than required to sell ~25k/yr.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

I have looked a bit to find information about taking a Bolt on the road and not been successful at finding it. I have looked at comparisons between the Model 3 and the Bolt. I even called the dealer.

I wanted to know: How do I drive a Bolt to Colorado, 500 miles away? So I called and asked to talk with a sales person who knows about the Bolt. I was thinking I could really consider getting one and it would be soon with only about 11 weeks left in the year. One of the things I read was that the Bolt will be out a year ahead of the M3. So in answer to the question about going to Colorado, the salesperson said I would just charge it along the way. Where would I do that? I could find a 110 outlet or 240 outlet, and the have the latter at Chevy dealerships. Is there a Chevy dealership 200 miles from here that I could stop and charge at? She assured me that there were Chevy dealerships along the way. How long would I have to charge it? Four hours she replied. (I thought it took more like eight hours for a full charge.) So it is not practical for me to drive a Bolt to Colorado? No, she said, it is a commuter car. And she indicated that they would not have them available until approximately April, but that was uncertain.

Really? A commuter car? I had not heard that before. And not available until April? I had hoped that Chevy could, with their resources come out with an all electric car this year. Am I missing something? Did I buy into the hype too much?

For long distance travel in an EV, there's really only one choice today: Tesla. No other manufacturer has a fast charging network and the CHAdeMO and CCS chargers aren't in enough locations.

Even in a Tesla, it is currently difficult to drive across Nebraska to get to Colorado quickly. I have the same (but opposite) need to drive from Colorado across Nebraska. I could get there via Kansas but it would take a couple hours extra. They are planning on adding several Superchargers across the state. Hopefully we'll see those later this year.

 

[Jeff N]

Really? A commuter car? I had not heard that before. And not available until April? I had hoped that Chevy could, with their resources come out with an all electric car this year. Am I missing something? Did I buy into the hype too much?

GM is going to be delivering Bolt EVs to retail customers in California and Oregon by the end of the year. It's not even clear that the factory has started production although they are scheduled to start sometime this month. It's not uncommon for totally new cars to slowly ramp up production while they do extra quality control checks to make sure everything is being built correctly (we certainly seen Tesla do that).

GM positions the Bolt EV as a commuter car right now because the national charging network is sparse in many areas, particularly between major cities on the highway. If you live along the west or east coasts then DC charging is mostly okay but still has lots of room for improvement. Money will be coming soon to fund a lot more DC charging locations and stations but it will take 3-4 years before a usable national network is in place and then there will need to be many additional years of backfilling and growth of DC chargers at common locations.

Where exactly are you trying to travel? You would be driving between Which cities?

 

[McRat]

There appears to be zero Tesla Superchargers in Nebraska, and zero SAE CCS Charger (Bolt type).

If I lived in Nebraska, and wanted to drive an EV, I'd probably pick the Chevrolet Volt. There is no pure EV solutions that make sense unless you want to drive really far out of your way all the time.

 

[Az_Rael]

I have looked a bit to find information about taking a Bolt on the road and not been successful at finding it. I have looked at comparisons between the Model 3 and the Bolt. I even called the dealer.

I wanted to know: How do I drive a Bolt to Colorado, 500 miles away? So I called and asked to talk with a sales person who knows about the Bolt. I was thinking I could really consider getting one and it would be soon with only about 11 weeks left in the year. One of the things I read was that the Bolt will be out a year ahead of the M3. So in answer to the question about going to Colorado, the salesperson said I would just charge it along the way. Where would I do that? I could find a 110 outlet or 240 outlet, and the have the latter at Chevy dealerships. Is there a Chevy dealership 200 miles from here that I could stop and charge at? She assured me that there were Chevy dealerships along the way. How long would I have to charge it? Four hours she replied. (I thought it took more like eight hours for a full charge.) So it is not practical for me to drive a Bolt to Colorado? No, she said, it is a commuter car. And she indicated that they would not have them available until approximately April, but that was uncertain.

Really? A commuter car? I had not heard that before. And not available until April? I had hoped that Chevy could, with their resources come out with an all electric car this year. Am I missing something? Did I buy into the hype too much?

I guess it depends on where in Nebraska you live and where in Colorado you are going. Plugshare has the relevant data for you. Here are the CCS chargers in the area. Note that some are 24kW, so while they aren't Level 2 slow, they aren't supercharger fast either:

Here is what the map looks like with Level 2 options included:

And for anyone who is curious, here is what Tesla's supercharger map looks like in the area:

As far as availability, People are ordering them now in CARB states. Nebraska might be a little while, so April is probably a good guess.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

There appears to be zero Tesla Superchargers in Nebraska, and zero SAE CCS Charger (Bolt type).

If I lived in Nebraska, and wanted to drive an EV, I'd probably pick the Chevrolet Volt. There is no pure EV solutions that make sense unless you want to drive really far out of your way all the time.

I guess it depends on where in Nebraska you live and where in Colorado you are going. Plugshare has the relevant data for you. Here are the CCS chargers in the area. Note that some are 24kW, so while they aren't Level 2 slow, they aren't supercharger fast either:

View attachment 198265

And for anyone who is curious, here is what Tesla's supercharger map looks like in the area:
View attachment 198266


As far as availability, People are ordering them now in CARB states. Nebraska might be a little while, so April is probably a good guess.

In the Lincoln, NE Supercharger thread, I mentioned Tesla's paperwork shows they might be putting Superchargers in these towns in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming:

At the Avon, CO, Tesla event in August, a Tesla employee said they planned on having I-80 in Nebraska completed later this year.

 

[Az_Rael]

At the Avon, CO, Tesla event in August, a Tesla employee said they planned on having I-80 in Nebraska completed later this year.

Possible, since the construction crews are working Iowa now. Explains why they didn't finish working on I20 after Sweetwater and Cisco (grumble, grumble)

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Possible, since the construction crews are working Iowa now. Explains why they didn't finish working on I20 after Sweetwater and Cisco (grumble, grumble)

I'm crossing my fingers but not holding my breath.

I delayed delivery on my S90D since they don't have the network across Nebraska built out just yet. If they move on from Iowa to Nebraska, I might try moving it up.

 

[ecarfan]

Guys, how about getting back to addressing the scenario described by the OP:

So in answer to the question about going to Colorado, the salesperson said I would just charge it along the way. Where would I do that? I could find a 110 outlet or 240 outlet, and the have the latter at Chevy dealerships. Is there a Chevy dealership 200 miles from here that I could stop and charge at? She assured me that there were Chevy dealerships along the way. How long would I have to charge it? Four hours she replied. (I thought it took more like eight hours for a full charge.) So it is not practical for me to drive a Bolt to Colorado? No, she said, it is a commuter car

None of that surprises me. While GM has made a lot of noise about the Bolt being a long range EV, in reality it is a 200 mile EV (on a flat road in good weather with no headwinds) and then you have to stop and charge for many hours if you can find some decent 220-240V charging, or all day and night if you can't.

As to stopping at Chevy dealerships to charge, what a joke that is. Are they open 24/7? Of course not. Do they have just a single charger that could be in use when you get there? Yep. Could their single charger be out of operation when you get there? Yep. Does the dealership care? Nope. GM has no clue about long distance EV travel.

 

[Jopo43]

GM just wants to sell big trucks and SUVs they didnt want to sell the volt so why would they want to sell the bolt?????

 

[McRat]

Guys, how about getting back to addressing the scenario described by the OP:

None of that surprises me. While GM has made a lot of noise about the Bolt being a long range EV, in reality it is a 200 mile EV (on a flat road in good weather with no headwinds) and then you have to stop and charge for many hours if you can find some decent 220-240V charging, or all day and night if you can't.

As to stopping at Chevy dealerships to charge, what a joke that is. Are they open 24/7? Of course not. Do they have just a single charger that could be in use when you get there? Yep. Could their single charger be out of operation when you get there? Yep. Does the dealership care? Nope. GM has no clue about long distance EV travel.

Today in Nebraska, the same thing applies to Teslas.

You are going to use 240 or 120v and be hours at stops, or drive hours out of your way.

That is the scenario outlined by the OP. There is no massive EV infrastructure in Nebraska today. L2 only.

But that does make curious, did you drive a round trip in the Bolt or one way when you ran out of juice at 200 miles? How fast were you going? Much traffic? How far did your Model S 60 go on the same trip? Or a Model S 40, or an X 60 (rip)?

 

[McRat]

GM just wants to sell big trucks and SUVs they didnt want to sell the volt so why would they want to sell the bolt?????

The Volt saw incremental improvements from late 2010 to mid 2015. Then they reworked every single component. Improvements were made everywhere. They do not share any parts.

Why would Chevrolet do a ground to antenna rework/re-engineer/retool of a car that had no competition at all yet? The MY 2011 Volt was still better than it's 2016 competitors by a significant margin. Lordy, it BURIED the Plug In Prius so deep they abandoned it, and started from scratch. But the 2017 Plug In Prius is still inferior to the 2011 Volt after 6 years of engineering and a complete do-over.

Tesla Motors is the undisputed leader in the EV world today.

But you don't have to just make up crap about all other EVs.

 

[Trips]

In a Tesla you should be able to easily make the drive if they install a charger in North Platte (Lincoln is under construction).

The Bolt will get less than 217 miles doing 80 mph down the interstate. Chevy Bolt's 60-kWh battery pack takes 9.3 hours to fully charge with a Level 2 charger on a 240-volt circuit. If you get a Bolt you will be needing a rental car for the trip.

 

[ApauloThirteen]

The Volt saw incremental improvements from late 2010 to mid 2015. Then they reworked every single component. Improvements were made everywhere. They do not share any parts.

Why would Chevrolet do a ground to antenna rework/re-engineer/retool of a car that had no competition at all yet? The MY 2011 Volt was still better than it's 2016 competitors by a significant margin. Lordy, it BURIED the Plug In Prius so deep they abandoned it, and started from scratch. But the 2017 Plug In Prius is still inferior to the 2011 Volt after 6 years of engineering and a complete do-over.

Tesla Motors is the undisputed leader in the EV world today.

But you don't have to just make up crap about all other EVs.

They meant GM didn't want to sell the Cadillac ELR... The Volt with a ($35K extra) Cadillac emblem glued on

 

[MorrisonHiker]

In a Tesla you should be able to easily make the drive if they install a charger in North Platte (Lincoln is under construction).

The Bolt will get less than 217 miles doing 80 mph down the interstate. Chevy Bolt's 60-kWh battery pack takes 9.3 hours to fully charge with a Level 2 charger on a 240-volt circuit. If you get a Bolt you will be needing a rental car for the trip.

Yep. It could also be made via I-70 but could add some miles and time to the trip...but it would still be way faster than doing it in a Bolt with no L3 charging.

 

[ecarfan]

But that does make curious, did you drive a round trip in the Bolt or one way when you ran out of juice at 200 miles? How fast were you going? Much traffic? How far did your Model S 60 go on the same trip? Or a Model S 40, or an X 60 (rip)?

When I said the Bolt "in reality is a 200 mile EV" I was basing that statement on the estimated EPA range claimed by GM. Of course I have not personally driven a Bolt.

And I do not own a Model S60, or an S40, or an X60. Perhaps you were addressing your question to someone else?

 

[ApauloThirteen]

Upon approaching any Chevy dealer:

Ask: "I'm interested in a Chevy Tahoe and a Chevy Bolt. Will the Bolt come standard with DC fast charging?"

If the response is:
a) "No, but I'll find out if it's going to be sold standalone or only in a package. Do you have a level 2 charger at home already?" ...then take their card.

b) "We have excellent deals on the Tahoe. What color are you interested in? ... then run away screaming.

 

[MSEV]

I didn't understand that the Bolt was only a commuter car. As I think about it, it becomes clear that it is that without a SuperCharger type network.
I have made two journeys to Colorado in my EV, a Model S, and one to Madison, WI. Yes, it took longer because one trip was on I-70 and the other on I-90, and Madison was also up to I-90. I also traveled across Wyoming before Gillette and Sheridan had SCs. It took longer than an ICE car, but only by a couple hours. And I believe the next time I make a trip to Colorado will be direct--by the time I do that trip again there will be SuperChargers on 80 (the trip to Madison will have them within days). I have made three long trips in my EV and in each case it took longer and I had to go out of my way, but with I-70 and I-90 it added 2 to 3 hours; soon I-80 will have L3 for Teslas. But I can't consider the Bolt for my needs because I can really only go a bit over 100 miles with one before I have to turn around and go home, or I have to add tens of hours for a trip to Colorado.

 

[McRat]

I didn't understand that the Bolt was only a commuter car. As I think about it, it becomes clear that it is that without a SuperCharger type network.
I have made two journeys to Colorado in my EV, a Model S, and one to Madison, WI. Yes, it took longer because one trip was on I-70 and the other on I-90, and Madison was also up to I-90. I also traveled across Wyoming before Gillette and Sheridan had SCs. It took longer than an ICE car, but only by a couple hours. And I believe the next time I make a trip to Colorado will be direct--by the time I do that trip again there will be SuperChargers on 80 (the trip to Madison will have them within days). I have made three long trips in my EV and in each case it took longer and I had to go out of my way, but with I-70 and I-90 it added 2 to 3 hours; soon I-80 will have L3 for Teslas. But I can't consider the Bolt for my needs because I can really only go a bit over 100 miles with one before I have to turn around and go home, or I have to add tens of hours for a trip to Colorado.

All BEV's that are located in areas without infrastructure are commuter cars. All brands, even a Model S P100D. Anyone who claims they run their EV on wishes and rainbows is driving a VW bug and will get an EV "soon".

Chevrolet understood this better than anyone in 2006. I can borrow one of my kids EVs and go anywhere from Central America to the Arctic Circle. Not in the future, it's been possible since late 2010.

But you are right, the Bolt is not designed for Nebraska in 2016. Or North Dakota. Or Alaska. But then again, no BEV today is. Only EVs with range extenders are suitable for regions with no infrastructure.

The Bolt will work fine in California and other areas with huge numbers of CCS chargers. It will not work in places where nobody buys EVs though. Sort of like how hard it can be to find diesel in Lost Angeles or Sad Francisco or Some Diego. Diesel cars are not popular in California, CARB wants them crushed. So the further you travel away from the interstates, the fewer stations have diesel.