2017 Bolt EV "Fully Charged" = 86 Miles?

GJETSON said:

So would you drive this car down a busy highway at the assurance of this dealership that it is perfectly driveable? Either the battery is faulty, or the car is miscalculating SOC, range, or both. Either way I would be very hesitant to drive it.

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I would experiment a bit. I don't think I'd put it on the freeway, but if I did I would stay in the right lane for sure .... might even be with one of those I D 10 T's who go below the posted limit on the freeway. But yes, I would drive it conservatively. I am not lawsuit happy like someone I won't mention. But I would take city streets and take it home. That's what I would do. Other's might escalate with management, call GM, call their local news affiliate and get a loaner and leave it there. But yes, I would drive it carefully, not race with it, not go to the #1 lane on the freeway and be somewhat responsible in my driving. I think both solutions are fine. The problem here is that this highlights the hidden secrets of dealership service that no one will talk about or acknowledge, here's some of the highlights:
1) Some of the techs are horrible.
2) Most of the service writers are horrible.
3) Dealerships want to see you something new and shiny and they lie. After you bought your car, they really don't care about you like you wish they did.
4) Sometimes the dealership as a whole, all the way into the rank and file have lied so much they actually believe their lies as truth.
5) Dealerships that say they have an EV tech, just might be .....dishonest.
6) Even GM doesn't know who's got an EV tech and who doesn't because one thing I know with 100% fact/certainty .... when tech leaves, dealerships take their time taking critical techs off their roster as far as GM is concerned.
7) Some service writers just make poor decisions. I make a few now and then ... daily it seems.
8) People need to get their heads out of their buttocks and realize things go south, it happens, try to not be a jerk.

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legaldesign said:

Thank you for THAT excellent recommendation! The reset efficiency is still a quite reasonable 3.9 mi/kWh, while this Bolt EV's "Fully Charged" range remains an abysmal 69 miles, down from the scary 86 that launched this thread. I wish the dealership could have made time for the "diagnose" element of this exercise inside of a week, but it is what it is. To be honest, for the first time as if I've run into the EV v ICE aspect of automobile sales at a large dealership. I don't think, as an EV driver, I'm somehow expecting better treatment than an ICE driver. I'm just surprised to feel I may be getting worse...

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I drive my car in sub zero weather. I find with using the amenities that we paid for, I get between 2.5 mi/kWh and 2.8 when the temperature is close to or below freezing. I also drive half my commute on the Interstate and the other half on county highways. I have a comfortable range in the Bolt under these conditions around 150 miles. I see numbers all over the place with the GOM, never anywhere near your numbers, usually it is overly optimistic and close to 200 when I know 150 is the most I could get out of it. In the summer, I have frequently driven 240 miles with comfortable range to spare. The GOM always, in the summer tells me I am good for over 300 miles ..... also optimistic. YOUR car is broken. If you are comfortable driving it, enjoy it. It's under warranty and beyond adding stress to your life or stranding you on the road your plan of action is the same one I would use. I would drive it up as needed within the limitations it has presented itself. Since the GOM always lies, ALWAYS, it's pretty hard to know what your range really is. But the GOM should not be that far off.

@legaldesign There's no consumer loyalty anymore, for those that are loyal they are in hospice, or headed there shortly. Equally, those selling products have transformed into a commodity price driven, no service, on to the next customer, last customer is not my next customer mentality. Retail has tried to push service again, and I see it at Best Buy and even Costco ..... I see people look at a price, for a product they are holding .... but they have their smartphone in their other hand and they are looking for the barcode so they can scan it into the Amazon App to price compare. And rightfully so, people want it for the lowest price and don't see any other picture, right or wrong. One of my best friends, for almost 30 years owns a chain of dealerships all with different flags. I visit him frequently, and the rotation of staff, including service techs is mind boggling. The way that industry treats their employee's is mind boggling. The service tech cares about what he can put on his time card for billable time. He cares about finding something 'else' wrong to fix and relaying that to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper who gets a piece of the pie wants to sell you something or fix something in addition to what you came in for. That's the game. Warranty repair is not the game. That's not where the money is for them and that's why it's a double whammy for us. In my opinion, you're doing it all right, and coincidentally the way I would do it. There is of course more than one right answer here.