Service Dept's initial response was unimpressive: "There IS a reduced range with cold temps." The earliest this issue can be diagnosed will be next week. When I know more I'll post. Note also: There have been no Bolt EV "recall" notices to me re: potential battery problems.
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2017 Bolt EV "Fully Charged" = 86 Miles?
Well, this is a first. I've had this 2017 Bolt EV for 2 years and have seen "Fully Charged" as 250 miles in the summer, and 180 miles in winter. I am just beginning to see these numbers fall-off to 86 miles on two recent "Fully Charged" cycles, with temperatures just above freezing. I will now schedule a service call to see what my dealer says. At this point it appears something is seriously amiss, and I plan to post on Chevy's attempt to understand/resolve this.
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"Currently, there are no recalls or programs associated with your 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV"If you have a bad battery (cell or cells), it'll probably trigger a recall for your car. If you check on the phone app or GM owner's site, you can see if you have a low cell recall.
This vehicle, aside from the diminished range, remains perfectly drivable. But the earliest it can be "diagnosed" is early next week, after which another post will follow.
GJETSON: THIS is the type of useful feedback I was hoping for on a forum such as this. The Service Dept's initial pathetic response not withstanding, current mileage range numbers do not bode especially well for this particular Bolt EV. At 40 degrees, this morning the vehicle's "Fully Charged" milage was down to 66 miles, which jumped all the way up to 70 after its electronics were fully energized. Another reply in this forum wondered about this Bolt EV's energy efficiency number. The average I usually see is around 4 mi/kWh, but today the average for a 24 mile drive was 3.6. My plan, if the entire battery pack doesn't self-destruct before I drop the vehicle off on Monday for their Tuesday "diagnosis," is to use the Bolt EV, sparingly while watching its energy numbers much closer than I ever needed to. As long as it shows a at least a 30 mile range it ought to easily make the trip to the dealership. Any range less than that and the dealer will need to decide how they want to transport it. The larger moment of truth arrives if the dealer claims this is just "normal" winter-related battery degradation. And given the vast amount of experience represented by this forum, do any among you seriously doubt that remains a possibility?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.
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...The simplest test.
I know I forgot to plug my car in one night, and did a 15+ minute pre-conditioning the next cold morning and my efficiency bar for my first 5 miles or so was below 2 mi/kwh.
Thank you for taking the time to weigh in. For the record, I've been loving this Bolt EV since Day One and sharing my positive experiences with anyone who will listen. This vehicle has ALWAYS performed exactly as advertised. The dealership, not so much. To have my relationship with the Bolt EV/dealership feel like it is going South, and fast, kind of rattles me. Best case scenario: the Bolt EV goes in, the techs diagnose what is a seriously-failed battery/charging issue, the dealership treats me like someone whose continued business they care about and makes the proper repair under the Bolt EV's warrantee. But so far the "gatekeeper" between me and the service techs has coming off as someone who needs to consider an attitude adjustment or other career options, and the entire situation is seriously harshing my EV mellow.I
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.
ZoomZoom: That is one mighty sage "take" on a LOT more than a my under-the-weather Bolt EV. Thank you again for participating in this "forum." As it plays out, hopefully with a logical warrantee repair, I'll post the results in the hopes that others might be able to avoid this kind of aggravation.@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.
This is my followup on this thread, started when I first saw incredibly low "Fully Charged" range mileage numbers:That pretty much says it all... bad cell/pack.
1) Last Wednesday, despite a new "Fully Charged" low of 70, I attempted to make a 40 mile round trip. On that trip, when I saw the range numbers seem to fall faster than ever before, I had my first official range anxiety panic attack. I again called my dealer's service depart and got an immediate diagnostic appointment;
2) Their initial diagnosis confirmed some type of problem with the battery. On short notice they generously provided me with a loaner vehicle while they went deeper into the Bolt EV's problem);
3) Several days later my dealer informed Chevy was shipping a replacement battery pack and it would be installed ASAP;
4) They kept me up to speed on this repair's progress, and a week after the Bolt EV's problematic battery pack was identified I was able to pick up my vehicle morning;
5) For the true geeks among you, here are the specifics:
This is my followup on this thread, started when I first saw incredibly low "Fully Charged" range mileage numbers:
1) Last Wednesday, despite a new "Fully Charged" low of 70, I attempted to make a 40 mile round trip. On that trip, when I saw the range numbers seem to fall faster than ever before, I had my first official range anxiety panic attack. I again called my dealer's service dept. they gave me an immediate diagnostic appointment;
2) Their initial diagnosis confirmed some type of problem with the battery. On short notice they generously provided me with a loaner vehicle while they went deeper into the Bolt EV's problem;
3) Several days later my dealer informed me Chevy was shipping them a replacement battery pack and it would be installed ASAP;
4) They kept me up to speed on this repair's progress, and a week after the Bolt EV's problematic battery pack was identified I was able to pick up my vehicle morning;
5) For the true geeks among you, here are the repair specifics:
- Data check found cell 64 is at 3.38, all others 4.12. Cell variance is 67%;
- Engineers asked for and analyzed session log data;
- They contacted the dealer and said to replace the entire high voltage battery assembly;
- The dealer removed and replaced the battery assembly, filled battery coolant, bleed the system, programmed the BECM. Code CDYN30576403, reset battery capacity and charged the battery overnight. Note also: This work was all completed under the Bolt EV's warrantee;
6) When I picked the Bolt EV up I was given specific instructions regarding how the new battery will best "learn" how to properly charge for maximum performance. Now that they have "Fully Charged" the Bolt EV I am to drive it until 50% of the EV battery range is expended. After that drive is complete the vehicle needs to sit for 2 hours prior to charging;
7) Finally, I received documentation informing me "...that the Hybrid/EV battery pack capacity and EV range will continue to learn as the vehicle is operated normally."
This entire experience has been a bit of an adventure, sort of what is to be expected with cutting edge technology. At the end of it all, which seems to have been resolved under standard warrantee protocol, I think the Bolt EV is ready for another period of relatively uneventful service. And, to be perfectly honest, sizing the Bolt EV up against the other EVs out there, I'm still really glad I decided to commit to this bad boy and to have it back. I'm also looking forward to driving it a lot more, and potentially grousing about it a lot less.
Oops... The "Tab" key sent that "follow-up" off a bit prematurely. Sorry for that...Very glad to hear they finally did right by you. It appears the link, or attachment, you meant to add, didn't take.
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