I love my Bolt. I bought it in MA for $3000 off MSRP thanks to Mass Drive Green, got a $2500 rebate check from the state, and will get a $7500 federal tax credit. I was really nervous to pull the trigger and go full electric and buy a new car for the first time (always bought used) but 11,000 miles later I have no regrets.
Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
221–230 of 298 posts
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#222Earlier quoted context omitted.
> At $35k+ with 240 miles of range, it's starting to get close but realistically not quite there yet for "mass market" adoption. Really? Why is that? For me and I’m sure tons of other people 250 miles is more than enough. I think it’s extremely rare I’d go 100+ in a day. If this was from Honda or Toyota I’d probably jump at it if I needed a new car. I’ve never had any experience with GM, and their reputation isn’t ex…
For me that's like the main use my car. I'll bike to work and often run small errands on my bike. I'll use the car to go to the mountains since that would be too far to bike (and there is a large dull valley in the way).
Totally agree. I work from home and walk or bike most of the time. Most of my car's miles are put on doing >200 mile trips. Plug-in hybrids for me until the charging infrastructure vastly expands.
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
your case in point is that someone who wanted to park decided not to use his brakes? is removing your foot from the accelerator instead of using the brake a standard learned behavior amongst bolt/volt owners?
Isn't engine breaking a thing that most people do or at least learn? Or can't you engine break with an automatic?
Engine breaking isn’t as effective in a torque converter automatic because the torque converter allows the engine to “free wheel” a bit. They also like to upshift pretty quickly so engine braking in a 6th gear basically does nothing. Even locking it to first or second isn’t quite the same as in a manual. Also I think some automatics will put the car in neutral sometimes when coasting. I think my Mazda 3 does this. You can definitely feel a small jolt when you are cruising down a hill on the highway and switch to “manual” mode as is it tries to engage 6th gear.
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#224Earlier quoted context omitted.
That sounds dangerous. By comparison the Prius uses regenerative braking when you hit the brake, but if that isn't enough it will switch to normal (friction) braking. Having something that switches from braking to no brake without warning seems like ... terrible design.
Uhhh, manual cars have worked like this forever. In first gear especially the braking when you let off the gas is enough to be jarring if you're not gentle
Yes, but there is no computer turning mechanical engine braking on and off based on some set of non-trivial conditions.
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
your case in point is that someone who wanted to park decided not to use his brakes? is removing your foot from the accelerator instead of using the brake a standard learned behavior amongst bolt/volt owners?
Isn't engine breaking a thing that most people do or at least learn? Or can't you engine break with an automatic?
Engine breaking is common to all vehicles, especially GMs. But engine braking is almost non-existent with automatic transmissions.
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've seen people charging bolts and plug in hybrids on my street with the wire run across the sidewalk (ie. from their home to the car parked on the street out front). Its a low-traffic residential area (East Bay) and I think this should be legal as it allows many people who have homes but no driveways to own and charge EVs. Maybe there should be a special rubber wire cover to protect the cord and so people don't tri…
Hmm diy wiring just exposed to the elements and draped across the pavements that's just asking for some one to get an accidental electric shock
As a quick google finds that
•Electrical hazards cause more than 300 deaths and 4,000 injuries each year among the U.S. workforce.
•In the United States, 50,900 fires each year are attributed to electrical failure or malfunction, resulting in 490 deaths and 1,440 injuries
Widespread introduction of electric car charging points will obviously increase those numbers
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#227Note 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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-gDhq8VKsQ
this is the regular car review. they're more honest about the car's shortcomings and how it's really limited to just homeowners.
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#228If you don't have a network of fast superchargers, then your EV is automatically useless for road trips. Tesla is the only company that has built out this network. No other EV should be taken seriously unless they've built out theirs.
I did a 315 mile road trip in my Bolt over the summer. I stopped at a Dunkin Donuts with a DC Fast charger for a half hour, ate some mediocre baked goods, then finished my journey. The supercharger network is great, for sure, and that's part of what you get for the premium Tesla price, but road trips are totally possible in less expensive electric vehicles. I'm not a cross-country road trip type of person, so the Bolt's range and charging situation works for me.
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#229>> $43,905 Wow. For that much money, I'll take a Chevy pickup. Twice the interior room, a bed for storage, 4WD for the winters... They show the Bolt with a kayak on the roof, but with a truck I can take 2 kayaks (or pull a boat), still put 3 other people and a dog, a cooler, everyone's camping gear for the weekend, fishing poles, everything I'd actually need to go on kayaking trip for the weekend. Sure, I'll have to…
Some people value reduced impact on our ailing environment over immediate convenience.
How about both?
I'm waiting for an electric truck. I'll have my cake and eat it, too.
For some folks - a surprising amount in the United States - the practicality, livelihood, and sometimes necessity of a truck outshines its inefficiencies.
Re: Chevy Bolt: the First Practical, Mass-Market Electric Vehicle
#230>> $43,905 Wow. For that much money, I'll take a Chevy pickup. Twice the interior room, a bed for storage, 4WD for the winters... They show the Bolt with a kayak on the roof, but with a truck I can take 2 kayaks (or pull a boat), still put 3 other people and a dog, a cooler, everyone's camping gear for the weekend, fishing poles, everything I'd actually need to go on kayaking trip for the weekend. Sure, I'll have to…
Some people value reduced impact on our ailing environment over immediate convenience.
Some people also having a car that can be parked in many places easily. Especially in cities, you're going to have a hell of a time parking a big truck.