[FishCrab]

Hello,

Two weeks ago, I got myself a bolt 2019 with a brand new battery (2022). I still don't have my 220v charging station at home. So I'm using my 110v. I do 110km daily and mostly charge in 110v at work + home. Every 4 days i need to charge in 220 due to 110v not charging the battery enough.
Now since yesterday, my battery life says it caps at 114 miles, down from 242 miles (from 2 weeks ago).

Now I'm really getting pushy for an electrician to install my 220v charging station at home. But I'm wondering, did the battery permenently degraded from that? I saw in the recommendation to charge using 220v every week, which I did.

To give some context, I also live in a cold area of Canada where it's often around -5F.

 

[XJ12]

battery permenently degraded from that?

No. Battery should be fine. Cold weather and driving habits most likely the culprit.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[MichBolt]

Just to clarify, did the "Guess-O-Meter" (GOM, range estimate) on the Driver Information Center (DIC, dashboard) suddenly decrease from 242 to 114 overnight, or was it a more gradual decrease over the 2 week period?

In very cold temperatures, you will see a lower range estimate for a variety of reasons, including reduced capacity of Lithium Ion batteries in cold temperatures, and increased use of energy for heating the cabin and heating the battery pack. As a reference, I see about 140 miles at 80% here in Michigan, at around freezing (32F / 0C).

If the change is sudden (like one moment it was reading 242, the next moment it was reading 114), that might indicate a failed cell or module in your battery, and you'd want to take it into the dealership. However, if it has been a gradual decline, it's more likely adjusting to the temperature and your driving habits, use of the heater, etc.

Besides limiting your use of the cabin heater, another thing you can do is to go into the settings and turn off "Auto Defog." That's a setting that will run your heater and your air conditioner simultaneously, without any visible notification, in order to maintain a specific humidity in the cabin.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I really wish GM would have added a "battery health meter" for the Bolt. This question coming up so often is exhausting.

Your car is estimating the amount of range you can drive given your recent historical driving. You are using a significantly higher amount of energy because it's cold and you're running the heat, so you will use the capacity of the battery up by driving much fewer miles.

 

[FishCrab]

It changed overnight. Or close to.
So I should call the dealership from what you are sayin.
Just to confirm, nothing wrong with my charging habits, right?

 

[finch4ever]

Hello,

Two weeks ago, I got myself a bolt 2019 with a brand new battery (2022). I still don't have my 220v charging station at home. So I'm using my 110v. I do 110km daily and mostly charge in 110v at work + home. Every 4 days i need to charge in 220 due to 110v not charging the battery enough.
Now since yesterday, my battery life says it caps at 114 miles, down from 242 miles (from 2 weeks ago).

Now I'm really getting pushy for an electrician to install my 220v charging station at home. But I'm wondering, did the battery permenently degraded from that? I saw in the recommendation to charge using 220v every week, which I did.

To give some context, I also live in a cold area of Canada where it's often around -5F.

The number of miles you see in the dash is called the Guess O meter and you shouldn't really rely on it. It tries to predict the miles remaining with some algorithm calculation from you driving habits, temperature, cabin heating etc. You will eventually learn more about the car and rely more on the 5% bars on the left. So no it is not battery degradation.

When I leave for work the morning I often get different GOM numbers but when I arrive at work I look at the 5% bars and it is almost always the same. You will notice the temperature and cabin heating will reduce drastically the miles you can use

 

[FishCrab]

I really wish GM would have added a "battery health meter" for the Bolt. This question coming up so often is exhausting.

Your car is estimating the amount of range you can drive given your recent historical driving. You are using a significantly higher amount of energy because it's cold and you're running the heat, so you will use the capacity of the battery up by driving much fewer miles.

Okay, I see, is there a way to reset the driving habits to get an idea of how much of it is my fault due to bad driving habits?

 

[Dark-Fx]

Okay, I see, is there a way to reset the driving habits to get an idea of how much of it is my fault due to bad driving habits?

Center screen will tell you more information about where your energy usage is going under the energy screen. You can't just reset the info the car uses to guesstimate your range.

 

[2019EVLT]

To answer your question: There is no reason to believe that charging on 110V will cause any harm or degradation to your battery. I (and several others here) have been charging primarily with L1 (110V) for several years, with no noticeable battery degradation. There are two main reasons to charge with L2 (220V) vs L1 (110V):

(1) If L1 doesn't provide sufficient rate of charge to meet/exceed your daily driving range
(2) Some here have argued that L2 is more efficient that L1, and that is a substantial benefit. I expect the difference is on the order of a 5% benefit, which in my case is not enough to justify the bother/expense of installing L2 at my home.
(c) When it's really cold, your Bolt may want to heat the battery. If you are not plugged in, it will use energy from the battery to heat itself, which subtracts from the energy stored in the battery. If you are plugged into L2, the Bolt can use the 240V wall power to heat the battery as needed, without using any energy stored in the battery. If you are plugged into L1, the Bolt will use the 110V wall power to heat the battery, but that may not be enough power, in which case it will use SOME energy from battery as needed.

 

[jefro]

What does the battery level say when you get in? Forget guessometer.
I had to reset my "home" position once to fix charge times.

 

[Packard V8]

Back when the Bolt was new, I had a conversation with a GM engineer. He said the prime directive was for an ICE customer to get in a Bolt and drive it without ever having to read the owner's manual or learn any new techinques. The battery system is as idiot-proof as they could manage. He also said nothing the owner could do in normal driving would damage the battery and nothing he could do would improve the life. All that was taken care of by the software and the hardware.

Of course, then there were the two unforeseen LG manufacturing defects which when both occurred in the same battery, caused failures outside the design envelope.

In theory, there was software protection to prevent the battery from being drained to the point of damage and charging oversight to prevent damage while recharging. It's worked for the great majority of Bolts. So far, so good.

jack vines

 

[Dark-Fx]

Back when the Bolt was new, I had a conversation with a GM engineer. He said the prime directive was for an ICE customer to get in a Bolt and drive it without ever having to read the owner's manual or learn any new techinques. The battery system is as idiot-proof as they could manage. He also said nothing the owner could do in normal driving would damage the battery and nothing he could do would improve the life. All that was taken care of by the software and the hardware.

Of course, then there were the two unforeseen LG manufacturing defects which when both occurred in the same battery, caused failures outside the design envelope.

In theory, there was software protection to prevent the battery from being drained to the point of damage and charging oversight to prevent damage while recharging. It's worked for the great majority of Bolts. So far, so good.

jack vines

The new diagnostic software they wrote in response to the defects is much better at recognizing and working around problems. You used to be stranded if you had a severe battery issue, but now the car will let you limp through it.

 

[jmcbrew]

Okay, I see, is there a way to reset the driving habits to get an idea of how much of it is my fault due to bad driving habits?

Reset the trip meter and see what your miles/kWh is.

 

[obsoperator]

No, you don't need to call the dealer. Instead, search for posts here about the Guess O Meter. You need to educate yourself about your car's normal operation. Maybe it will make you want a Tesla, maybe it will just increase your comfort level with what you have.

(Not enough Service Writers have driven a Bolt, or heard these complaints enough.)

 

[NortonCommando]

... how much of it is my fault due to bad driving habits?

Don't think like that.
You are using your Bolt the way you need to use your Bolt.
Don't suffer by limiting the cabin heat. Use the Preconditioning on the Fob or app.
Enjoy what this car has to offer!

Just checking:
Do you know about setting it to charge at 12Amps when on 120V?
You can set your 'home charging location' to charge at 12A automatically.
Everywhere else you have to poke it in settings to get it to charge at 12A, everytime...

Life will be so much easy for you when you get your home L2!

 

[greendave]

Okay, I see, is there a way to reset the driving habits to get an idea of how much of it is my fault due to bad driving habits?

You can't reset the GoM, but you can get an estimate of where your energy is going, and what kind of range you should expect as a result.

Charge to full. Drive for a few days. Divide the mileage by the energy consumed (kWh). Multiply by 60 kWh (nominal battery range).

Note that if your miles/kWh is much less than 4, you're getting worse than the EPA estimate. And in winter, that's usually due to heating (a ~15-20% draw - you can see on the main screen) and decreased battery efficiency in colder temperatures. Also worth making sure the tires are inflated to the correct level of ~38 psi.

An example of the screen: Chevy Bolt EV user interface: reviewer calls it best of any electric car

 

[NortonCommando]

..Note that if your miles/kWh is much less than 4, you're getting worse than the EPA estimate.

Fish,
Don't let this talk get you down.
You're in Canada, in the winter. It doesn't get much worse than that....
Everybody gets 'worse than EPA' in the winter.
And depending on your usage, 'better than EPA' in the summer!

Don't suffer to save a few loonies or toonies per week.
Once you get your L2 installed at home you'll be able to precondition the car while it's plugged in, hopefully in a garage!

 

[MichBolt]

Someone here once helped me understand that the Bolt (and most EVs) are like cars that get 100 miles per gallon, but only have a 2 gallon tank. So changes in the predicted range on the Guess-O-Meter (GOM) are much more about efficiency than they are about battery capacity. You are much more likely to see dramatic swings in efficiency because of speed, weather conditions, road conditions, use of the heater or air conditioner, etc. than dramatic swings in battery capacity because of a battery failure.

That doesn't mean significant changes in battery capacity are impossible - there have been a couple of examples on this forum of failed battery cells or modules. But that's a tiny percentage. For those who live in places with real seasons, 100% will see significant changes in efficiency.

 

[Packard V8]

For normal urban/suburban driving in winter, the Bolt is by far the most comfortable car we've owned in fifty years. Prior to use, the Bolt cabin can be warmed while plugged in, driven with full use of heat, defrost, seat heaters, steering wheel heaters and smile all the way.

All the above is based upon being within the 120 mile envelope our GOM shows in dead of winter.

While on our utility waiting list for a free L2 charger, we used the OEM L1 at 12 amps and found being able to plug in 12-14 hours, we'd gain enough range to cover our use.

FWIW, I've built ICEs for sixty years and know most of the wear on mechanical components comes during the cold start to full warm period. Plus, cold starts use twice as much fuel as when fully warmed. It always bothered me to start an ICE, run a short errand and back home before it got fully warmed. I'd often suffer a slight inconvenience rather than take out an ICE. Now, give the Bolt fifteen minutes notice and happy trails to you! (And yes, some ICEs have remote start, but only the base among us will idle an ICE for long enough to generate cabin heat.)

jack vines

 

[Frank's bolt]

Hello,

Two weeks ago, I got myself a bolt 2019 with a brand new battery (2022). I still don't have my 220v charging station at home. So I'm using my 110v. I do 110km daily and mostly charge in 110v at work + home. Every 4 days i need to charge in 220 due to 110v not charging the battery enough.
Now since yesterday, my battery life says it caps at 114 miles, down from 242 miles (from 2 weeks ago).

Now I'm really getting pushy for an electrician to install my 220v charging station at home. But I'm wondering, did the battery permenently degraded from that? I saw in the recommendation to charge using 220v every week, which I did.

To give some context, I also live in a cold area of Canada where it's often around -5F.

I've been driving my Bolt in Winnipeg since 2017. In the summer, I can go 500km on a charge in the city. In the winter, that drops to half of that (heater, defog, heated seat, etc). The guess-o-meter that is being talked about takes a lot of things into consideration and mine will change overnight. It appears to consider battery conditioning (when it's cold out) as a loss in mileage - expecting that it will need to keep warming the battery even when you're not plugged in.
I've attached what the car draws from my 220v charger. You can see that once it's charged, it takes a 10A draw a couple times and hour for about 15 min (this is at -25C)

Lastly, although I'm no expert on batteries, my understanding is that 110v is the best for preserving your battery. 220v is the next best and you should avoid the fast DC charging unless you really need it. Kinda like the RC modellers who charge their batteries at higher rates - it gets them flying faster, but they don't survive as many charge cycles.