Chevy Bolt First Impressions

[Jeff N]

I noticed that it comes with only a 120V charging cable; not surprising, but what did surprise me was that the cable itself is only 18ga wire. That seems much too skimpy for sustained loads. I won't run my hand-held circular saw or Sawmill on anything less than 12V extension cords if I can help it.

I would love to see a photo showing the cable markings for both the short cable from the wall to the EVSE box and also the cable from the EVSE box to the car.

I thought the Bolt EV was using the same EVSE cable as the 2nd generation Volt. I have a 2016 2nd generation Volt EVSE that I picked up at a Chevy dealer as a spare to use with my 2011 Volt (the 2011 Volt EVSE cord is different and is overly sensitive to some low voltage circuit runs).

I just checked by 2016 Volt EVSE and both cable segments are clearly stamped as being 3 conductors with 14 AWG. The cable leading to the car is 14 AWG plus 1 at 18 AWG. I'm going to guess that the 3 at 14 AWG are the load pin, the neutral pin, and the ground pin and the 1 wire at 18 AWG is the control pilot pin that carries the low power (12V?) signal indicating the available current.

For the length of the EVSE cable, 14 AWG is perfectly adequate for 12A. In fact, the original 2011 Volt EVSE used 16 AWG and that was fine also but the EVSE was recalled not because of using 16 AWG but because the cable crimping at the 5-15 plug was inadequate and got too warm. I replaced mine with a 5-15 plug from the local hardware store literally 2 weeks before the recall was announced and with a solid connection to the plug the 16 AWG wire ran cool at continuous 12A charging.

Here is the cable leading to the car on the newer 2016 Volt EVSE:

 

[stopcrazypp]

I would love to see a photo showing the cable markings for both the short cable from the wall to the EVSE box and also the cable from the EVSE box to the car.

I thought the Bolt EV was using the same EVSE cable as the 2nd generation Volt. I have a 2016 2nd generation Volt EVSE that I picked up at a Chevy dealer as a spare to use with my 2011 Volt (the 2011 Volt EVSE cord is different and is overly sensitive to some low voltage circuit runs).

I just checked by 2016 Volt EVSE and both cable segments are clearly stamped as being 3 conductors with 14 AWG. The cable leading to the car is 14 AWG plus 1 at 18 AWG. I'm going to guess that the 3 at 14 AWG are the load pin, the neutral pin, and the ground pin and the 1 wire at 18 AWG is the control pilot pin that carries the low power (12V?) signal indicating the available current.

Here is the cable leading to the car:

Wouldn't what be most telling, the marks on the EVSE itself? Like how much amps it is rated for, or maybe a model number that a spec sheet can be looked up for?

 

[Jeff N]

Wouldn't what be most telling, the marks on the EVSE itself? Like how much amps it is rated for, or maybe a model number that a spec sheet can be looked up for?

I don't think there is any dispute that the Bolt EVSE is rated for 12A charging. A Model number would be interesting but I'm not sure there is a good place to look it up by model number to find a detailed specification. It will be GM part number useful for ordering a replacement unit but not much else.

The original professed concern is about the wire gauge used in the cabling and the answer for that is to look at (and upload a picture of) the wire gauge declaration embossed on the side of the cable itself.

 

[Reeler]

I custom ordered a Bolt no problem. About 6 weeks from order to delivery today. That is pretty similar to the Tesla lead times on average. Some dealers don't like custom orders if they have stock on hand. None do so perhaps that makes them more amenable to custom orders.

I will just point out that no one knows if the Model 3 will have motorized seats or not at the base price. In the $35K car class it is not a given that a car will have power seats.

I like econo boxes because of their utility and lack of pretentiousness. I never adjust my seat so it seems silly to have such a complex mechanism that is never used and more likely to break. Just my opinion.

 

[samotlietuvis]

My family currently owns both 2016 Chevy Volt and 2015 Spark EV.
I test drove Bolt premier at AutoNation Chevrolet in Valencia CA - they have ~6 available in stock at this time.
Controls are different and better than Spark EV and Volt. Energy displays are nicely done.
Speed wise, my Spark EV feels slightly faster 0-30, but the Bot felt slightly faster 30-60.
Drive is very smooth - no rattles, no squeaks, and no noise of any type. Drove over many potholes and I am very tuned in to rattles that do not belong. The Bolt handles well for the tall car that it is.
The torque comes more linear (smoother) than my Spark EV.
The blind spot detection works. The dealer guy did not want to test auto-braking, but that's understandable...
The trunk is huge - much bigger then Volt's.
People in the back sit higher than a regular car. The back is quite comfortable for passengers.
Under the hood (front only) the car looks very similar to Spark EV.
One speed driving mode felt good - the car does come to complete stop - faster than anticipated. The Bolt has more regen than Spark EV and Volt.
The seats - even in premier, were hitting my shoulders. More comfortable than LT seats I tried in LA auto show, but still slightly too narrow and I could not sink in. I am 5'10" at 190lb, wide shoulders.
I will wait out for my model 3 - not liking Bolt's looks. Seems like engineers went wild with designing the shape, and the shape designer / aerodynamics guy got left out. Even Bolt's chief designer admitted the aero is a disaster (Cd = 0.32).
Overall - the Bolt is a nice and practical car. The dealer is selling them like hotcakes at this time...

 

[brucet999]

EDIT:

You are partially correct, my bad.

I'm not going to cut one apart just to see how it works, but it's marked:

Electric Vehicle 3 Cond 16awg + 1 Cond 18awg

It certainly does not get even warm with continuous 12a load.

So I'm going to guess the 18ga is communication or ground, and the (3) 16ga are power lines?

OK. Looking through the plastic bag I saw only the 18awg marking. Curious why there would be three conductors, though. 120V AC requires only hot, neutral and (optionally) ground wires.

 

[brucet999]

I won't run my hand-held circular saw or Sawmill on anything less than 12V extension cords if I can help it.

Don't you love Auto-correct? I typed Sawzall but ended up with Sawmill.

 

[Saghost]

OK. Looking through the plastic bag I saw only the 18awg marking. Curious why there would be three conductors, though. 120V AC requires only hot, neutral and (optionally) ground wires.

J1772 needs hot1, neutral/hot2, ground, and a pilot signal to tell the car how much power it is allowed to draw. The last pin is for the proximity signal, but I think it only goes to the switch in the handle, rather than all the way to the box.

 

[McRat]

OK. Looking through the plastic bag I saw only the 18awg marking. Curious why there would be three conductors, though. 120V AC requires only hot, neutral and (optionally) ground wires.

Note: I'm going by reports that the Bolt uses the same EVSE as the Volt. So nothing I post is right unless that is true.

Jeff's cable is 14g x 3 + 18g x 1. I have both a 2016 and 2017 Volt cables and both are 16 x 3 + 18 x 1.

Chevrolet went through a lot of trouble for weight reduction. They probably saved a pound switching to 16g x 3 x 22.5 feet. The cord is very flexible even in the cold and can be looped into the hood for anti-theft. The 16 amp Clipper Creek aftermarket 25' cable is 12g x 3 + 18g x 1.

 

[Altes]

Regarding the manual seats: as anyone with half a brain can tell you (I.e., not the salesman, apparently), the Bolt's designers didn't omit power seats because the power seat motors themselves would use so much energy that they'd reduce the car's range. Instead, GM enigineers will tell you it's about keeping weight down, which in turn helps efficiency and range.
It's the same way on the Volt (to many owners' chagrin).

no its about maximizing profit

 

[McRat]

We have a portable Juice Box 40a x 25' and it's too clumsy, large and heavy to be truly portable.

It's 6g x 2 + 10g x 1 + 16g x 1 and very heavy and not flexible unless warm.

 

[brucet999]

J1772 needs hot1, neutral/hot2, ground, and a pilot signal to tell the car how much power it is allowed to draw. The last pin is for the proximity signal, but I think it only goes to the switch in the handle, rather than all the way to the box.

But this is a 120V wall plug cable, not J1772. There is nothing in household 120V outlet to provide signaling.

 

[wws]

But this is a 120V wall plug cable, not J1772. There is nothing in household 120V outlet to provide signaling.

The 5-15 plug has a thermal sensor in it to detect bad connections. So there needs to be an extra wire or two for it.

Since it is apparently the same charge cord (EVSE) as the Gen 2 Volt, all one needs for 240v is a simple plug adapter cable. Still 12 amps max either way. But you can't beat the price to cut charge time in half.

 

[Saghost]

But this is a 120V wall plug cable, not J1772. There is nothing in household 120V outlet to provide signaling.

Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought we were talking about the section of cable between the box and the car. That has to carry all the wires to do J1772 signaling - the pilot signal is generated by the box.

 

[brucet999]

Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought we were talking about the section of cable between the box and the car. That has to carry all the wires to do J1772 signaling - the pilot signal is generated by the box.

It was all lolled up in a plastic bag. So there is a 120V plug connected to a box, then a long cable and then the car plug?

 

[jsmay311]

no its about maximizing profit

If it's only about profit, they'd offer power seats as an option with a large profit margin on that option.

 

[Saghost]

It was all lolled up in a plastic bag. So there is a 120V plug connected to a box, then a long cable and then the car plug?

Exactly. The short cable to the wall plug only needs three wires for the three prongs, but the long cable has five pins on the end...

 

[McRat]

no its about maximizing profit

Some of the most expensive cars in the world have manual seats.

If it's only about profit, they'd offer power seats as an option with a large profit margin on that option.

You aren't going to convince a skeptic.

Manual seats operate faster. If I need to hop into a midget car, I can push the seat to full rear in about 1 second, 2 at the most.

Power seats irritate me if need to use them. They are OK if I don't have to adjust the seat every time I get in the car.

One of our cars does something really irritating. There are 2 fobs. One of them moves the seat when you go to get in the other does not. Invariably I end up with the wrong one and have to dink with the seat constantly. Yes, I'm too lazy to read the 300 page manual to figure out how to turn that feature off since I don't drive it much, maybe once or twice a year. But that day is hell if I get in and out of the car a lot. I had the wrong fob at an AutoX, and was constantly screwing with the power seat that should not be there on a sports car to begin with.

 

[swaltner]

One of our cars does something really irritating. There are 2 fobs. One of them moves the seat when you go to get in the other does not. Invariably I end up with the wrong one and have to dink with the seat constantly. Yes, I'm too lazy to read the 300 page manual to figure out how to turn that feature off since I don't drive it much, maybe once or twice a year. But that day is hell if I get in and out of the car a lot. I had the wrong fob at an AutoX, and was constantly screwing with the power seat that should not be there on a sports car to begin with.

DYMO RHINO 4200 Label Maker (1801611) - Label Makers - Amazon.com is all you need

 

[McRat]

DYMO RHINO 4200 Label Maker (1801611) - Label Makers - Amazon.com is all you need

Yes, you could write "Blue Vette - Auto Seat" & "Blue Vette - Fixed Seat". Or I could read the manual and reprogram the car.

It's on my "list of things to do that really aren't important but should be done someday when I remember".

I'll use my label maker to write the list...