So, about that Chevy Bolt EV... Would you consider it? [Poll]

[AEdennis]

My opinions on the Chevy Bolt EV from when the Tesla Owners Club of Orange County had our secret pop-up meetup in September.

It's a good car. Worth the money, but I'm not cancelling my Model 3 reservation.

Here's the article on my blog.

Here are most of the OC Tesla Club members that got to see and experience the vehicle.

IMG_3403 by Dennis Pascual, on Flickr

See if you can spot it hiding amongst the crowd...

IMG_3368 by Dennis Pascual, on Flickr

Best size comparison will be vs a BMW i3...

IMG_20160924_121131 by Dennis Pascual, on Flickr

Better pictures in the post!

As for the poll, I originally voted against it at the event. However, as with any well made EV with over 150 miles of range, I have some caveats before I would consider one (that is not a Tesla) as an ADDITIONAL EV.

1) It has to have a real range over 150 miles (speeding, cold/hot weather etc.)
2) has to have access to and total cost to me that is equivalent to the supercharger network,

So, that's my conditional "yes." (still waiting everyone else but Tesla.

 

[ChadS]

Right now we have two Model S.

The Model S is a really nice car and all, but having two of them sure seems like overkill. As long as ONE of our cars can use the Supercharger network, it would be really nice to have something smaller and cheaper as a second car - as long as it meets our needs (and the Bolt does; no BEV other than Teslas currently does due to the distance my wife and I live from our aging parents, who are in opposite directions. I figure I need 150 miles of range, because I make that 100-mile trip every week and I can only get 120V charging at my Mom's place. I wouldn't mind stopping for, say CHAdeMO once every couple of months, but not every week).

For decades I mostly drove small, efficient economy hatchbacks. The Bolt is kind of like that, but is tall and upright enough that (I assume! I could be wrong) it will be easier for our aging parents to get in to. It really seems like exactly what we need right now. Sure, the Model 3 will have options to go farther and faster...but they will cost money, and we don't need them given that our other car is a Model S. Sure the Model 3 looks better and will have options for autonomous driving, but those can be on our other car too.

However, I recently leased a second Model S rather than waiting to get a Bolt. Part of that was because I was in a bit of a hurry and I am not in a ZEV state so I am not sure exactly when the Bolt will be available. But part of it was because of GM's attempts to legislate away Tesla's direct-sales business model. I'd really, really rather support Tesla than GM in this case, so I spent a lot more money than I had to and got a bigger car than I wanted to support Tesla again. For future cars, if the choice is between two comparable vehicles I will continue to support Tesla. But if something like the Bolt is clearly better suited to my needs than what Tesla offers, I will get it. At some point you also have to support the cars you want to see, and there are things Tesla does that I don't support either. Once they are cranking out Model 3s I am hoping they no longer need my support.

We will have to see what our needs are and what cars are available when my 2-year Model S lease is up.

 

[HookBill]

NOPE!!! GM's anticompetitive stance has eliminated them from any consideration, in my book.

 

[SageBrush]

It's a good car. Worth the money,

Value is relative. Compared to an M3 it is DOA. And where GM is involved, I am not. So this question beats a dead horse.

 

[S'toon]

It fails the has a cross country fast charging network test for me. So does Tesla. Neither one has any charging network anywhere near me.

 

[Weezer Fan]

I think this could be a great little car for my daughter....maybe. I'm not sure where she is going to college and how it could be charged since I don't know where she will live. She is only 15, so by then, a used Bolt could be a great value for her.

I am, however, concerned about the safety due to the size of the car. I was in an Acura MDX and T-Boned a guy in a pick up truck that ran a left turn signal light, going 55. That car saved my life. If the Bolt was the one T-boned, and I am concerned that it is very narrow and a small car.

 

[AEdennis]

I think this could be a great little car for my daughter....maybe. I'm not sure where she is going to college and how it could be charged since I don't know where she will live. She is only 15, so by then, a used Bolt could be a great value for her.

I am, however, concerned about the safety due to the size of the car. I was in an Acura MDX and T-Boned a guy in a pick up truck that ran a left turn signal light, going 55. That car saved my life. If the Bolt was the one T-boned, and I am concerned that it is very narrow and a small car.

Not sure how it's performing on safety tests, but I was pushing for my mom (a senior citizen) to swap her 3 reservation for this car. It's ideal for her...(she's keeping the 3)

As for size, I know the Nissan Leaf is affordable and safe. A SUV crashed into my mom's first Leaf and it did what it was supposed to do and she walked away from it... she was not T-boned though, so different type of collision. But that's not the Bolt EV

 

[TES-E]

No. GM. car. EVER.