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2023 Bolt EUV Battery Conservation

9.4K views 67 replies 30 participants last post by  r9brown99  
#1 ·
is there a way to set the EUV to conserve battery? e.g. on gas cars one could drive in 'eco' mode if on freeway to get better gas mileage.
Does the BOLT have the equivalent (aside from Regenerative Breaking)?
 
#64 ·
Recently I had a public charging problem and realized I could not get home if I continued driving at 75 mph...so in desperation, I dropped down to 40 mph, set the cruise control, and waited to see what happened. I was astonished to see my 2022 Bolt travel nearly 50 miles while using about 15 indicated electric miles. I got home with miles to spare! What a great lesson!
 
#5 ·
I would say watch the green or yellow circle on the driver's display and try to keep it in the green. Use the regen paddle when braking if you need more braking force. At 65 or maybe 66 mph, the circle will stay green, but above that it will start to go to yellow.
 
#11 ·
  • Don't drive faster than you need to - Bolt's optimal speed is around 30 mph and the efficiency will drop noticeably beyond 60 mph
  • Drive at a constant speed & power consumption - unnecessary & rapid acceleration / deceleration cuts into efficiency
  • Anticipate where you'll be stopping so you can slow down smoothly and maximize regenerative braking
  • Use heater & air conditioning sparingly, as they consume a lot of electricity - you can expect 20 to 40% hit on efficiency for heater, and 5 to 10% for air conditioning
  • Keep the tires inflated to manufacturer recommended level at minimum - underinflated tires can adversely affect efficiency wear pattern
  • Unless you have a long trip ahead, keep the maximum charge level to 95% or less so that regenerative braking levels are not reduced for tens of miles after the charging is finished
 
#24 ·
Anything beyond 60 mph really taxes the battery. I think this is much more of an around the town car than anything else--that's what I use my Bolt for--minimum time on interstates.
Well each to his or her own but I think that statement is a bit misleading for a new owner.
I regularly run on the highway for out of town work at 115KM (about 70) and not sure it taxes the battery. Besides, if my EUV was only good for around town and considering the amount of money I paid it would be gone in a heartbeat.
 
#26 ·
The amount of power required to maintain a speed goes with the cube of the speed.

It takes 65% more power to drive at 65MPH than it does at 55MPH.
It takes 250% more power to drive at 75MPH than it does at 55MPH.
It takes 800% more power to drive at 60MPH than it does at 30MPH.

ECO mode for EVs is "drive slower."

As far as your paddle stop question: the paddle stop exists so you can activate regenerative braking without pressing the brake pedal. When you press the brake pedal, the friction brakes engage in addition to regenerative braking, so you will always lose some energy to the friction brakes, which is less efficient. The bolt can only regenerate up to 70kW using the paddle, so there may be times where the brake pedal is required, but usually if you anticipate well, you can get away with using only the paddle brake, or one-pedal mode (which will regenerate up to 55kW).
 
#27 · (Edited)
It takes 65% more power to drive at 65MPH than it does at 55MPH.
It takes 250% more power to drive at 75MPH than it does at 55MPH.

I thought your numbers were too high, so I ran this calculator, for the Bolt.


Final official Cd was lower than first estimate, a respectable 0.308

Frontal area is 30.3 sq. ft.

Weight with driver is ~3700 pounds.

65 mph requires 46.3% more power to overcome exponential aero drag, and linear rolling drag, than 55 mph. 25.83 hp vs 17.65 hp

75 mph requires 106.6% more power to overcome exponential aero drag, and linear rolling drag, than 55 mph. 36.50 hp vs 17.65 hp
 
#28 ·
is there a way to set the EUV to conserve battery? e.g. on gas cars one could drive in 'eco' mode if on freeway to get better gas mileage.
Does the BOLT have the equivalent (aside from Regenerative Breaking)?
You are the Captain of your ship. You control the power used.
Even on cars with 'Eco mode' they only change how the Go Pedal responds. You always have full power at full Go Pedal.

As said your only option to use less power is to Slow Down and Use less Heat. (AC uses very little power, not worth sweating over...) :p
 
#29 ·
Please don't do any of this hypermiling B.S. It just annoys other drivers and is potentially dangerous. There's absolutely no need for it, other than when trying to reach a charger that you don't have the necessary range for.

Instead, plan your trips. If you can combine one trip to the grocery store with another to the post office or other stop instead of making two separate trips you will save 100 or even 1,000 times more energy than the hypermiling nonsense. Do yourself and others a favor and pay attention to the road, not your yellow or green indicators on the dash.
 
#33 · (Edited)
It's all a question of how far you depress the brake pedal. Beyond some distance, you are getting some friction braking, without the regen being maxed out. The blend changes as you press harder.

Think about it. You wouldn't want max regen on wet or icy roads. It would be unsafe. You need to be able to brake with all four wheels with less declaration than max regen.
 
#59 ·