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Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

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Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

#11

Post by jrs95 »

ukulele wrote: post #3

At $35k+ with 240 miles of range, it's starting to get close but realistically not quite there yet for "mass market" adoption. I hope I'm wrong but this will likely be a minor seller. Also re: the $7500 federal tax rebate, most people can't take full advantage because they don't owe that much and it doesn't carry over past the first year. Still a good program but not a magic wand solution.

Agreed. Even if I were going to spend that much on a car, it wouldn't be this car at that price point. I got a lightly used Fiesta ST for around $15k, and I'm very happy with it and probably wouldn't even want the Bolt for the same price (even if it's more practical)

Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

#13

Post by PerryCox »

samcheng wrote: post #10
mach5 wrote: post #7

we own one, can agree that its great! it's my wife's daily driver, and with my own trips in it, i can't even imagine getting another ICE when the time comes to get a new car for myself. the L mode itself is almost a new driving experience, controlling the car fully through just one pedal and trying to eke out every last drop of kinetic energy back into the battery, and making it a challenge to never use the brakes. i…

Be careful, Tesla drivers discovered that never using the brake, particularly in areas that use salt on the roads, results in expensive corrosion. Automotive brakes haven't been designed with one-pedal driving in mind... https://cleantechnica.com/2016/05/24/8500-new-tesla-model-s-... Recommendation: consciously use the brakes in a firm deceleration once a week.

That wouldn't be a problem for me, the way most people drive and cut in front of me I would easily have one firm deceleration a week.

Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

#14

Post by arrrg »

usaphp wrote: post #5
ukulele wrote: post #3

At $35k+ with 240 miles of range, it's starting to get close but realistically not quite there yet for "mass market" adoption. I hope I'm wrong but this will likely be a minor seller. Also re: the $7500 federal tax rebate, most people can't take full advantage because they don't owe that much and it doesn't carry over past the first year. Still a good program but not a magic wand solution.

> $7500 federal tax rebate, most people can't take full advantage because they don't owe that much I am pretty sure most of those who can afford to purchase a 35k+ car are making at least 40k / year and owe that much in federal taxes, unless I am not calculating something right

What I never really thought is that that‘s still a pretty dumb was to subsidize any kind of purchase. It massivly advantages the rich(er). Why do it that way?

Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

#15

Post by whalesalad »

Note that this is the Bolt not the Volt. Even as a petrol head who owns a V8 and a Subaru STI, I really like what GM has done with this vehicle.

Really really great review from Doug DeMuro here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ogGZXmepY

Doug has a great style - really digs deep into all the quirks and oddities of the cars he reviews.

Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

#16

Post by mach5 »

samcheng wrote: post #10
mach5 wrote: post #7

we own one, can agree that its great! it's my wife's daily driver, and with my own trips in it, i can't even imagine getting another ICE when the time comes to get a new car for myself. the L mode itself is almost a new driving experience, controlling the car fully through just one pedal and trying to eke out every last drop of kinetic energy back into the battery, and making it a challenge to never use the brakes. i…

Be careful, Tesla drivers discovered that never using the brake, particularly in areas that use salt on the roads, results in expensive corrosion. Automotive brakes haven't been designed with one-pedal driving in mind... https://cleantechnica.com/2016/05/24/8500-new-tesla-model-s-... Recommendation: consciously use the brakes in a firm deceleration once a week.

to say i don't use the brakes is a little bit of a misnomer, as i use them at stoplights in order to activate the rear brake lights for other drivers. two more bits of trivia: the brake lights activate during regen for more than .2g of deceleration, and the brake rotor metal is formulated not to rust.

Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

#17

Post by hedora »

arrrg wrote: post #14
usaphp wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> $7500 federal tax rebate, most people can't take full advantage because they don't owe that much I am pretty sure most of those who can afford to purchase a 35k+ car are making at least 40k / year and owe that much in federal taxes, unless I am not calculating something right

What I never really thought is that that‘s still a pretty dumb was to subsidize any kind of purchase. It massivly advantages the rich(er). Why do it that way?

The US has a highly regressive tax system, at least for middle class earners and up. We do everything that way.

Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

#19

Post by maxxxxx »

mach5 wrote: post #7

we own one, can agree that its great! it's my wife's daily driver, and with my own trips in it, i can't even imagine getting another ICE when the time comes to get a new car for myself. the L mode itself is almost a new driving experience, controlling the car fully through just one pedal and trying to eke out every last drop of kinetic energy back into the battery, and making it a challenge to never use the brakes. i…

Nice! Maintenance is a pretty big cost a lot of people forget.

How is the recharge situation when you are on a trip?

Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle

#20

Post by hedora »

We just managed to sell another flagship GM vehicle, and the software was so bad, it was nearly a deal-breaker. (Most years of this model had software bugs that were so bad, they could literally kill you — for example, the exhaust system could overheat, and burn the car down). Also, basic electro-mechanical things, like seat belts and the FM radio started to die after 3-4 years. This is with light use in CA.

Even when new, the new model handled terribly compared to the old GM (same model, engine size, etc).

Its compauter regularly locked the rear wheels when turning and going uphill, and the steering geometry caused it to squeal the tires at low speeds in parking lots. Neither the old GM, nor the replacement had these problems, and all three are essentially identical body styles.

Tl;dr: Congrats to GM, but I’m waiting for literally anyone else to ship a competitive EV.

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