Living with a car from the present - 2019 Bolt EV

GM is popping off Ultium derivates pretty much daily right now.  The new Equinox EV looks like it could maybe replace the Bolt, but it's so hard to judge scale in this era of 20 inch wheels. I don't think it's the three row option.

The FWD or RWD or AWD Blazer is really interesting because of what it says about how EV drivetrains are constructed and about how little drive wheels matter to mass market experience. Instead of having a couple of different size motors available in a single position, they just put the big one in the back and the little one in the front and use whatever's appropriate.

It's a mild update for sure. Up to around61K now, and the efficiency increased to 4.2 mi/khw overall since it was reset some time ago. This includes lots of highway driving, including up the mountains and back every weekend, along with the typical stop and go stuff. I use the HVAC when I want to, and it has been a hot summer for sure. The car just continues to save me money.

In reply to tuna55 :

I saw GM was going to be offering owners like $6k if they promised not to sue over the battery replacement? Did you see anything about that?

Erich said:

In reply to tuna55 :

I saw GM was going to be offering owners like $6k if they promised not to sue over the battery replacement? Did you see anything about that?

Nope, although there are a lot of rumors and silliness. Is there a reasonable source for this?

In reply to tuna55 :

looking into it further it looks like it's a retroactive discount for cars purchased in 2022 before the price drop was announced

Keith Tanner said:

GM is popping off Ultium derivates pretty much daily right now.  The new Equinox EV looks like it could maybe replace the Bolt, but it's so hard to judge scale in this era of 20 inch wheels. I don't think it's the three row option.

The FWD or RWD or AWD Blazer is really interesting because of what it says about how EV drivetrains are constructed and about how little drive wheels matter to mass market experience. Instead of having a couple of different size motors available in a single position, they just put the big one in the back and the little one in the front and use whatever's appropriate.

That will be the new Honda Prologue and Acura ADX

I got in the car today and it said 259 miles range. Bear in mind I only charge to 90% so I have one pedal driving from the time I leave the driveway. I thought that was neat, that I was getting exactly the rated range, but at 90% charge, after three years and 62K miles. Then I remembered that it was cool outside, and so the "auto" HVAC setting actually had the heat on. I turned it off and the range went to 302.

This thing is incredible. The battery appears to last forever.

Even though I've been keeping up with regular updates...I just went back and reread from the beginning.  A Bolt has been on my radar for some time now, and things became a bit more urgent as my Subaru decided to only go 90K on its 2nd timing belt instead of 100K.    I need to pull the engine, but am assuming at least some valves became cozy with pistons, and the cost of a replacement engine (since all Subarus explode eventually and good used engines are thin) is comical.

I'm not concerned with the charge speed or range as this would be a local-only commuter, but I am a bit nervous about EOL technology.  Rumor has it that the new Silverado EV will be taking the Bolt's place at Orion assembly and the latter will be discontinued at the end of 2023.  Based on the clickbait-worthy article that just came out about an "obsolete" 10 year old Volt replacement battery pack being $30K and GM going all in on Ultium, I'm wondering what future support looks like.  Unfortunately, when shopping for EVs in the sub-$30K market of today, there's the Bolt, the Leaf, and....that's it.

TL;DR - If you had to buy a new car today, would you choose the Bolt again, or implement a stopgap "beater with a heater" solution pending release of shiny new objects like the Equinox EV or Fisker PEAR?

tuna55 said:

It's a mild update for sure. Up to around61K now, and the efficiency increased to 4.2 mi/khw overall since it was reset some time ago. This includes lots of highway driving, including up the mountains and back every weekend, along with the typical stop and go stuff. I use the HVAC when I want to, and it has been a hot summer for sure. The car just continues to save me money.

Would you do it all over again if someone stole yours tonight?   

frenchyd said:

tuna55 said:

It's a mild update for sure. Up to around61K now, and the efficiency increased to 4.2 mi/khw overall since it was reset some time ago. This includes lots of highway driving, including up the mountains and back every weekend, along with the typical stop and go stuff. I use the HVAC when I want to, and it has been a hot summer for sure. The car just continues to save me money.

Would you do it all over again if someone stole yours tonight?   

Without even shopping around.

In reply to Rotaryracer :

Yes. Absolutely. 

That clockbait article was clickbait. It was an inflated cost on an obsolete part. 

Just to be sure, the word obsolete was used in a strange way. There is a replacement from gm, just like everything, things get revised and replaced. That's why it was so expensive. An equivalent aftermarket part for that car was something like 1/6 of that cost. Clickbait gonna clickbait. 

The Volt thing was a service writer seeing dollar signs. I bought a Volt with 150k miles and a bad battery and bought a used 56k mile pack for $1300. Married the two and did some programming and it worked perfectly. $30k for a Volt battery is like Seth's $58k quote for an R63 AMG engine. Not gospel, not reasonable.

dculberson said:

The Volt thing was a service writer seeing dollar signs. I bought a Volt with 150k miles and a bad battery and bought a used 56k mile pack for $1300. Married the two and did some programming and it worked perfectly. $30k for a Volt battery is like Seth's $58k quote for an R63 AMG engine. Not gospel, not reasonable.

Indeed. Thanks for good examples of the same.

It's meme material for political junkies. My own FB feed saw it pop up from friends, likely because they don't enjoy me posting updates on fuel savings each 10K miles, 'cause Murica, or something.

Rotaryracer said:

Even though I've been keeping up with regular updates...I just went back and reread from the beginning.  A Bolt has been on my radar for some time now, and things became a bit more urgent as my Subaru decided to only go 90K on its 2nd timing belt instead of 100K.    I need to pull the engine, but am assuming at least some valves became cozy with pistons, and the cost of a replacement engine (since all Subarus explode eventually and good used engines are thin) is comical.

I'm not concerned with the charge speed or range as this would be a local-only commuter, but I am a bit nervous about EOL technology.  Rumor has it that the new Silverado EV will be taking the Bolt's place at Orion assembly and the latter will be discontinued at the end of 2023.  Based on the clickbait-worthy article that just came out about an "obsolete" 10 year old Volt replacement battery pack being $30K and GM going all in on Ultium, I'm wondering what future support looks like.  Unfortunately, when shopping for EVs in the sub-$30K market of today, there's the Bolt, the Leaf, and....that's it.

TL;DR - If you had to buy a new car today, would you choose the Bolt again, or implement a stopgap "beater with a heater" solution pending release of shiny new objects like the Equinox EV or Fisker PEAR?

 

I decided to answer this again. It's still true, that I would buy another Bolt without blinking. To me it's incredible that an EV released in 2017, that's five years ago, is still competitive in terms of range and power today, and very inexpensive when compared to others.

But I have said that a lot.

I believe I should spend a bit of time explaining what I would change if GM brought me in as a principle engineer based on my experience with this and the Leaf and, you know, being an engineer.

1: The seats. They are tough if you're not skinny. I am, so they are fine. I wish they were power adjustable, and I wish the pedals were too, because I sit a bit differently than most apparently.

2: Charging. I would spend a lot more time getting to a real fast charging. If this thing could charge as fast as a Tesla can charge, its range would be sufficient for a cross-country drive.

3: Playful. It's a regular car, and that's fine. I like it better on the inside than a model 3 or a model S. I would make it more like a Fiat 500 or a Mini, maybe spend some time making it handle like one, too. 

4: Infotainment. It's good, but it's not great. If I send directions to my phone, and then plug the phone in, the car doesn't know where to go. I need to unplug the phone, accept the directions, start navigation, then plug it in again. Maybe that's just Android Auto. I'd also default to starting with the radio off.

There. That would make it perfect. Then make a variant 30% longer with sliding doors in the back and I have two cars which are perfect for everything I will ever need.

tuna55 said:

 decided to answer this again. It's still true, that I would buy another Bolt without blinking. To me it's incredible that an EV released in 2017, that's five years ago, is still competitive in terms of range and power today, and very inexpensive when compared to others.

But I have said that a lot.

I believe I should spend a bit of time explaining what I would change if GM brought me in as a principle engineer based on my experience with this and the Leaf and, you know, being an engineer.

1: The seats. They are tough if you're not skinny. I am, so they are fine. I wish they were power adjustable, and I wish the pedals were too, because I sit a bit differently than most apparently.

2: Charging. I would spend a lot more time getting to a real fast charging. If this thing could charge as fast as a Tesla can charge, its range would be sufficient for a cross-country drive.

3: Playful. It's a regular car, and that's fine. I like it better on the inside than a model 3 or a model S. I would make it more like a Fiat 500 or a Mini, maybe spend some time making it handle like one, too. 

4: Infotainment. It's good, but it's not great. If I send directions to my phone, and then plug the phone in, the car doesn't know where to go. I need to unplug the phone, accept the directions, start navigation, then plug it in again. Maybe that's just Android Auto. I'd also default to starting with the radio off.

There. That would make it perfect. Then make a variant 30% longer with sliding doors in the back and I have two cars which are perfect for everything I will ever need.

Awesome - thanks for the details and reply.  I actually have a reservation currently for a Fisker PEAR (due in 2024..ish), but the range will probably be directionally the same as the Bolt.  Charging speed might be faster, but if I'm plugging in at home while I sleep, I really don't care if it finishes charging at 3AM or 6AM, as it will be "full" when I'm ready to go to work either way.

The Subaru was supposed to hold together until the PEAR arrived, but apparently it had other ideas.  I may have found an engine to drop in for a price I'm willing to pay...if so, the can may get kicked down the road.  Of course, if the Bolt somehow qualifies for the convoluted new IRA tax credit in 2023...plus the $2K NYS tax rebate...plus the $500 educator discount my wife qualifies for...plus the $2K towards a Level 2 home charger install....I may not be able to say no.  The fact that GM technology from 2017 will largely be competitive with a 2024 model that has yet to be released (minus the fast charging) is pretty impressive.

I have enough rolling projects.  It would be nice to have one car that just works as easily as my iPhone.  Use.  Plug-in.  Recharge.  Use again.  Repeat.

In reply to Rotaryracer :

I'd be shocked if you didn't love it. Let me know if you ever want a video or chat or anything. I like the Fiskar idea too, but it's vapor ware so far, and doesn't objectively have anything over the Bolt. 

In reply to tuna55 :

Thank you Tuna 55 .   I asked the question not so much out of doubt, but to  reinforce  what you've been saying all along.    That the Bolt is a good solution for normal people living normal lives.  
      I read your postings with great enthusiasm.  Like myself, I see Electric cars as an affordable, practical solution to transportation requirements. 
   The clean air benefit is gravy since we all need to breathe.   My argument is that what comes out of ICE will kill you if you run it in a closed door garage. While EV's  have  no such consequence.  
      While I have a lifetime of  working on ICE's ( and love doing so). Now is the point most should be accepting  EV's and the Bolt is an excellent  entry level choice while not being the only alternative.  

Just re-read this thread from the start last night.

I drove my dad's Tesla quite abit while we were there last month, it was eye opening, partly from a performance standpoint, but mainly from the convenience of 'unplug, drive, plug in' standpoint. (His whole home/ car solar  setup is worthy of its own thread.)

My commute is pretty similar to Tuna ~80mi 4 days a week, and my wife does a good amount of weekend driving to in-laws, So our gas bill is not insignificant.  The only trip that would be an issue would be to see my daughter at school (110 mi one way, limited chargers at destination).  I would prb get some range stress from that.

I've been peripherally watching for now, hoping that at least part of the tax credit returns after first of the year.

XLR99 (Forum Supporter) said:

Just re-read this thread from the start last night.

I drove my dad's Tesla quite abit while we were there last month, it was eye opening, partly from a performance standpoint, but mainly from the convenience of 'unplug, drive, plug in' standpoint. (His whole home/ car solar  setup is worthy of its own thread.)

My commute is pretty similar to Tuna ~80mi 4 days a week, and my wife does a good amount of weekend driving to in-laws, So our gas bill is not insignificant.  The only trip that would be an issue would be to see my daughter at school (110 mi one way, limited chargers at destination).  I would prb get some range stress from that.

I've been peripherally watching for now, hoping that at least part of the tax credit returns after first of the year.

It's an honor that you spent the time reading through it, I am glad it was helpful.

A 220 mile round trip would only be a real challenge in cold weather with the heater on, and only if there were truly zero destination chargers available. Check some of the apps, you may find a grocery store or downtown area on the way that has a level 2 charger. I have found them in paid lots in even smaller towns, in parking garages near campus centers or cities, in grocery store parking lots, etc. If you're driving that far, you would be stopping for gas and a pee break anyway, so it's not going to add any time to give a tickle of a charge to make you more confortable.

In reply to tuna55 :

Great point. Can you estimate how much additional range you'd get with a 15 minute break?   I understand it depends. But close is good enough.  

frenchyd said:

In reply to tuna55 :

Great point. Can you estimate how much additional range you'd get with a 15 minute break?   I understand it depends. But close is good enough.  

Not a ton. That's the biggest weakness of the Bolt. Charging speeds vary, and I have very little experience with public charging spots. I think anywhere from 20-40 miles per hour makes sense.

Theres not much between here and Bowling Green...

So I did a bit of duckduckgo action, and found a few interesting things.  First I found ChargeHub.  Then I discovered that there is a Presidential Library on the way!  Rutherford B. Hayes, in Fremont.  Who knew?   Also, the airport here contains an actual D Day vet C47.

Back to the point, said library has a level 3 charger, which was unfortunately marked as offline a year ago. 

There are a couple chargers on campus that Ive seen while we were there there, the one close to her dorm was inop as of two weeks ago when I was there, but I also noticed on ChargeHub a couple others in the downtown area.

In reply to XLR99 (Forum Supporter) :

Try plugshare as well.

In reply to XLR99 (Forum Supporter) :

There looks to be about 10 level 2 stations near BGSU. That's not great for a college town but you could probably find one that's not in use to let the car charge while you visit. Bowling Green is small enough that it likely wouldn't be too bad to park it and walk around.

I don't own a bev but I do seem to trip over charging stations, in my mind I'd use multiple apps and always bolo for charging stations and try to remember them. Also I've thought about units being down and my belief is no one has skin in keeping them up and running - if my business model relied on charging for charging I'd devote resources to ensure the equipment is running.