[jrharbort]

If someone is using the factory EVSE with a 240v adapter, I would appreciate if someone can confirm for me that using the 8A/12A toggle does indeed affect the charge rate or charge completion time. Just so I know if I'm going crazy or not. 😢

It has been a couple years since I charged at the family home (house was sold), and sometimes I charged on 120v instead of 240v, I may be mixing them up...

 

[BillG49]

If someone is using the factory EVSE with a 240v adapter, I would appreciate if someone can confirm for me that using the 8A/12A toggle does indeed affect the charge rate or charge completion time. Just so I know if I'm going crazy or not. 😢

It has been a couple years since I charged at the family home (house was sold), and sometimes I charged on 120v instead of 240v, I may be mixing them up...

No. It will always charge at 12A with the 240V adapter. That's 3kW.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Where I get into trouble is when I contemplate arriving home later in the evening with perhaps 25% SOC and wanting to leave at 8am for a longer drive - the L1 charger just won't be able to catch up to my consumption rate. It's this pushing of the edges of the mission envelope which is driving me to contemplate installing an L2 charger.

I'd give it a while before jumping in on the L2 charger. I too considered long drives on back-to-back days as a potential issue with the <3kW charging rate that I get from the OEM charger on 240V. What I decided was that if I ever needed to do that then I'd go to one of the fast chargers around town, charge to around 50% and then go home and let the charge top up overnight in my garage. I think in the 7+ years I've owned the car I've only ever had to do it once.

 

[GregBrew]

For those new to the EV world, ^^^^THIS ^^^^ statement is worth it's weight in gold.

I was fortunate to have an EV-savvy friend tell me that, for my stated mission profile, it was unlikely that I would need a Level 2 charger at home. We're experiencing winter temperatures here and, lo and behold, after just a week of ownership of a 2023 Bolt EV I'm beginning to see the truth in this approach.

Where I get into trouble is when I contemplate arriving home later in the evening with perhaps 25% SOC and wanting to leave at 8am for a longer drive - the L1 charger just won't be able to catch up to my consumption rate. It's this pushing of the edges of the mission envelope which is driving me to contemplate installing an L2 charger.

As always, I appreciate all the knowledge and expertise so willingly shared in this discussion forum.

Depending on how often this need manifests, it may be cheaper to infrequently use public DCFC charging, than go through the multi-thousand dollar expense of installing a dedicated 50A 240V circuit for a home L2 EVSE.

It would take a lot of $10 DCFCs to make up for a 240V circuit install.

Edit: I see Sean beat me to it...

 

[jefro]

When I install an outlet I always do equal to or better than code. My 14-50 will allow one to use it at 50A.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

I'd give it a while before jumping in on the L2 charger. I too considered long drives on back-to-back days as a potential issue with the <3kW charging rate that I get from the OEM charger on 240V. What I decided was that if I ever needed to do that then I'd go to one of the fast chargers around town, charge to around 50% and then go home and let the charge top up overnight in my garage. I think in the 7+ years I've owned the car I've only ever had to do it once.

The nearest DCFC is 25km away from me. so 50km (30 mile) round trip - in winter weather that's a significant portion of the storage capacity of the Bolt's battery. There are two 50kw chargers in that location. Looking at PlugShare I see these chargers are highly utilized during usual daytime and evening hours so there's a very good chance that I'd have to wait in line to get a charge. Bottom line is that in this area DCFC as an alternative to L2 at home just isn't feasible in any practical sense.

 

[teskimost]

As a new Bolt owner, I have a question for more experienced owners. I recently bought a used 2020 Bolt, just 13000 miles. On line it says that a fully charged 2020 Bolt should have a range of 259 miles. I just charged my Bolt until the message "fully charged" popped up but it only showed that I had about 165 miles on the battery. Is the real range approximately 165 miles or if I drove it would I get more miles? Anyone have an explanation??

 

[jrharbort]

"Fully charged" just means it charged to whatever limit is set in your vehicle's charge settings. Have you checked if your battery charge limit in your settings to see if you can move the slider past the 80% mark? It may have the temporary 80% battery charge limit that was part of the software remediation recall.

If you cannot move the slider past 80%, that means this vehicle had the software patch applied and needs to be driven 6200 miles after it was installed to remove the charge limit.

Depending on how cold your weather is and/or HVAC use, plus driving patterns, 80% limit could definitely end up being around that much range.

Remember, the battery holds energy, not miles. How many miles you can get out of that energy depends on many variables. In good conditions and a 100% charge, a lot of us have been able to squeeze a lot more than 259 mi of range from our cars.

 

[teskimost]

Thanks for the information. This is helpful. I will check on the charge limit for the car.

 

[balazer]

On line it says that a fully charged 2020 Bolt should have a range of 259 miles.

The car is not supposed to have a range of 259 miles. That is the EPA's range estimate, based on a bunch of specific conditions: 100% charge driven down to empty, warm weather, little heat or AC usage, flat terrain with little or no wind, and a mix of city and highway driving, none of it faster than 57 mph. Depending on how you drive and the conditions, you could get 100 miles on a full charge, 500 miles, or anything in between. See how temperature and speed impact EV range.

The range estimate on the dashboard is just an estimate: a projection of the range you can expect for the current charge level based on recent driving patterns. If your future driving matches your recent driving, then the estimate is pretty accurate. But you could easily get more or less than the estimate. See the new owner PSA.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

From my recent trip to bring my new-to-me Bolt EV home from the dealer 330km away... Don't under-estimate the effect of a headwind. I was battling a constant headwind of 40kmh with gusts to 60kmh. Wow, did THAT ever suck some juice!

 

[jrharbort]

From my recent trip to bring my new-to-me Bolt EV home from the dealer 330km away... Don't under-estimate the effect of a headwind. I was battling a constant headwind of 40kmh with gusts to 60kmh. Wow, did THAT ever suck some juice!

The Bolt does not have the most aerodynamic shape, which can make high speed or high wind travel a real range eater.😅

 

[CHASBOLT]

Lucky i avg 18mph.