2017 Chevy Bolt EV

[jeff_h]

We got my wife's 2013 Energi in 2013 and it now has 58k miles, and then I found a good deal on a 2013 at the end of 2013 so for almost a couple years we had his-n-hers Energis in the garage (as old timers around here already know). That lasted for almost 2 years.

 

Then in 2015 the Gen 2 Volt was released, so I got one of those since it had a lot more range and I could make it all the way to work (54 miles each way) and charge at work then make it all the way home.  The only trouble with that was my company would not install a charger so I was using a public one 1½ miles down the road and walking (and later biking) back and forth, just as I'd already been doing with the Energi. On most days it was OK dropping the car off and picking it back up, but on bad weather days or when I had to go get the car right when I was in the middle of a meeting and didn't want the car to be blocking someone else that might need to charge, it got to be a real drag at times.

 

I'd wanted a full EV but didn't want to be "car-poor" by getting a Tesla, and the other ones like the Leaf or Focus Electric were not enough to do the round-trip commute, and as we've all seen with colder weather there needs to be plenty of wiggle room when it comes to figuring out how much EV range is really needed.

 

So finally the Bolt has just been released and now I am able to make the roundtrip commute easily, and where the rated range is 238 miles per charge I've had mine for almost a week and in cooler weather got about 250 and a few days ago we had some nice temps in the mid 50s and based on the partial run on that charge it would have been over 300 miles.  So that is promising for better numbers when the weather gets better.

 

The good as compared to the Energi:

 

- range (of course)

 

- cargo space, as this is a hatchback and the back seats fold forward to allow stowage of plenty of stuff

 

- is a blast to drive, has very quick pickup

 

The bad as compared to the Energi:

 

- In my opinion, the bean counters at GM forced them to pack in a lot of range and thus not leave room for the little amenities that other cars like the Energi has in many trims. Adaptive Cruise is not available (maybe next year, who knows), no option to get a sunroof, no sunglasses holder, and no homelink remote door opener.  Also no power seats, which doesn't really matter when only one person drives the car regularly, and sure it may be a move to save weight but IMHO I think it was a cost-cutting thing.

 

- The remote fob can do remote start with car plugged in, and that does the pre-heat to get things warm in the morning, but it needs to be done manually every time.  Why they can't make a car with GO Times when Ford has had it in the Energi since 2013 is beyond me.

 

So there is good and bad to each, range was my #1 priority so while the other things would be nice they weren't show stoppers.

 

Here are a couple pics.  The Volt now goes to our daughter who will now have it to use for college next year, and my wife still has the Energi but we're hoping someone will come out with a PHEV SUV and if they do we will be right there to get one.

 

Edited January 29, 2017 at 10:43 PM by jeff_h

[meyersnole]

no option to get a sunroof, no sunglasses holder, and no homelink remote door opener.

 

Congrats on the new car, I am intrigued by the Bolt, so let us know what you think in 6 months or so...

 

Interesting on homelink... it was available in the first gen Volt, but removed from the options for the second gen I think. There are aftermarket kits that you could install, rear view mirror being the easiest I think (but don't they have some kind of reverse camera in the Bolt's mirror?). I have also seen mods where the buttons were integrated into the ceiling controls. Aftermarket is also an option for sunroof... but I think I could live with out it if the car was good enough... not sure how I would deal with lack of adaptive cruise now... extremely spoiled by that.  

 

I also have a hard time not keeping a car for at least 6-7 years. Especially when depreciation is as bad as it has been for the energi... might keep this car longer if it keeps being reliable. I hope there are going to be a lot of electrified choices when I am looking for my next car around 2020-2023. 

Edited January 30, 2017 at 04:31 AM by meyersnole

[jeff_h]

1 - I forgot to mention that the Bolt Premier's backup camera is very helpful.  To illustrate I have to show my messy garage, but oh well that's where I find it to be very handy.
When I back into the garage, I have to get very close to the blue recycle bin so that the cord for the 30A charger will reach in order to plug in.  Special bonus, there's the full-size spare for the Fusion Energi that has come in handy on the 3-4 occasions when a tire has picked up a nail, etc.

 

Anyway, on the right side of the screen you see the normal backup camera vision.  However on the left is a surround vision picture, that shows the car's position in relation to its surroundings. The car has a camera in the front bumper, one in each side mirror, and two in the back bumper. These work together to give a composite picture of the vehicle and its surroundings, which I find very handy when backing into tight spots and in the case of backing into the garage I can glance and also see how close I am to the side wall of the garage and the various things piled up along the floor.

 

 

2 - Another handy thing is that the Bolt Premier's rear view mirror has a dual function, where one is the standard mirror and the other is a feed from one of those rear cameras if the driver chooses to switch to that mode.  This can come in handy when the back seat has tall people sitting there or if the cargo area is packed high with luggage, so the driver gets a clear view of the road behind him/her as is there were no people, seat backs, or luggage in the car. Below is a pic from an insideevs.com article that shows it.