[Fivedoor]

Anyone know of an aerodynamic hubcap that fits the stock Bolt EV wheels? Ugly is fine, I would only put them on for long road trips.

Thanks,

Keith

 

[XJ12]

I think @BlackBolt made his own:

https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/289834-post13.html

 

[Packard V8]

Been discussed here many times, but I asked a Bolt engineer why they weren't offered. He told me, "If aero wheels provided any significant range extending benefits in normal operation, all BEVs would come with them as standard; that they don't tells you all you need to know."

jack vines

 

[DaV8or]

There is a way. I saw a first gen Scion XB with Moon caps on yesterday. If they can be fitted to that car, they can be fitted to the Bolt. Apparently it's thing with XB owners. I found several pictures on the web.

 

[DaV8or]

Been discussed here many times, but I asked a Bolt engineer why they weren't offered. He told me, "If aero wheels provided any significant range extending benefits in normal operation, all BEVs would come with them as standard; that they don't tells you all you need to know."

jack vines

Tesla claims a 4% increase in range at freeway speeds. I think it has been verified by Tesla owners. So if you're planning a long trip all on the freeway, it may be of some assistance, but in city driving, or combined driving like most do everyday, the GM engineer is correct. They are of little value and sacrifice curb appeal.

 

[Packard V8]

Tesla claims a 4% increase in range at freeway speeds. I think it has been verified by Tesla owners. So if you're planning a long trip all on the freeway, it may be of some assistance, but in city driving, or combined driving like most do everyday, the GM engineer is correct. They are of little value and sacrifice curb appeal.

Thanks DaV8or. Yes, that 4% range increase is for the best design aero wheel covers the degreed aeronautical engineers could come up with for 18" wheels and at a steady 70 MPH. What the homebuilt or the the aftermarket might come up with for 17" wheels will vary.

The Tesla engineer said:

“The aero benefit increases very strongly with speed, as the power requirement to overcome aero resistances increases with the cube of speed. I.e. if you go twice as fast, you use 8x the power. That said, aero is a small percentage at city speeds, where mass & rolling resistance dominate.

Didn't everyone on most all other range question threads agree and provide extensive graphed proof the answer for more range is always, "Drive slower." ??

jack vines

 

[TimBolt]

There is a way. I saw a first gen Scion XB with Moon caps on yesterday. If they can be fitted to that car, they can be fitted to the Bolt. Apparently it's thing with XB owners. I found several pictures on the web.

Looks like a toaster with two chrome knobs.

A

 

[TimBolt]

4% !

Sign me up!

Now I can get 114.4 MPGe on the highway instead of a paltry 110 MPGe.

In only 500,000 miles I’ll have saved enough to pay for the aero hubcaps!

 

[raitchison]

4% !

Sign me up!

Now I can get 114.4 MPGe on the highway instead of a paltry 110 MPGe.

In only 500,000 miles I’ll have saved enough to pay for the aero hubcaps!

If 4% allowed you to make a road trip with 1 less charging stop it could pay for itself in time savings a lot sooner than that.

Edit: Or if it made a trip "doable" in your EV where otherwise you would take an ICE vehicle it could pay for itself in real money from gasoline savings.

 

[TimBolt]

If 4% allowed you to make a road trip with 1 less charging stop it could pay for itself in time savings a lot sooner than that.

Edit: Or if it made a trip "doable" in your EV where otherwise you would take an ICE vehicle it could pay for itself in real money from gasoline savings.

4% might get a Bolt owner an extra 10 miles of range under a best case scenario. It would be unlikely that this small gain in range would be of any real significance on a longer trip.

Anyone who wants to eek out an extra few miles just needs to drive more slowly, a much more effective, and proven, alternative to a set of aftermarket hubcaps that may or may not provide any real advantage.

Of course, if fitting aero hubcaps to a Bolt makes someone happy, more power to them, but probably not more range.

 

[esa92101]

Anyone who wants to eek out an extra few miles just needs to drive more slowly, a much more effective, and proven, alternative to a set of aftermarket hubcaps that may or may not provide any real advantage.

TimBolt is absolutely right! One of my father's favorite phrases used to be: "The power required to overcome aerodynamic drag increases as the cube of velocity." Driving couple MPH slower will probably give a much greater benefit than driving at the original speed with aero hubcaps.

Just watched Bjørn Nyland's Ampera-E (i.e. Bolt) Hypermiling youtube video last night. He drove 621 km (386 miles) on one charge. Of course, he was driving really, really slow...

 

[DaV8or]

Of course, if fitting aero hubcaps to a Bolt makes someone happy, more power to them, but probably not more range.

That's what I figured. People just like them for looks and the knowledge that the car is a teensy-weensy bit more efficient. Kind of a win-win for folks that like the smooth look.

 

[raitchison]

Anyone who wants to eek out an extra few miles just needs to drive more slowly, a much more effective, and proven, alternative to a set of aftermarket hubcaps that may or may not provide any real advantage.

Of course I've been on roads in the U.S. where driving 65 even in the right lane was dangerous. Granted it's not common because trucks usually bring the right lane down to 55-60 but on a smaller highway without much truck traffic the flow of traffic could be 80 in the left lane and 75 in the right.

Actually the last time I drove down the 5 from Northern California I was driving a large step van (basically a UPS truck minus the brown), I was doing 70 in the right lane which was flat out for this van and was getting passed by semi trucks (not all of them obviously).

 

[ai4px]

I don’t know if ya’ll know but around here the slow lane is speed limit +5, and it goes up 10mph every lane to your left. It’s why we get so upset with people going the speed limit in the Great Wall of china lane.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Of course I've been on roads in the U.S. where driving 65 even in the right lane was dangerous.

Sorry, but I refuse consider myself the "dangerous" one for driving the speed limit in the rightmost lane.

 

[Packard V8]

4% might get a Bolt owner an extra 10 miles of range under a best case scenario. It would be unlikely that this small gain in range would be of any real significance on a longer trip.

Anyone who wants to eek out an extra few miles just needs to drive more slowly, a much more effective, and proven, alternative to a set of aftermarket hubcaps that may or may not provide any real advantage.

Of course, if fitting aero hubcaps to a Bolt makes someone happy, more power to them, but probably not more range.

Agree, Tim, as the actual percentage of most road trip miles spent at a steady 70 MPH will vary considerably.

“The power requirement to overcome aero resistances increases with the cube of speed."

The resident engineers please do the math, but given the cube effect, would reducing speed from 70 to 69 reduce the power requirement approx 4% ?

jack vines

 

[DaV8or]

I don’t know if ya’ll know but around here the slow lane is speed limit +5, and it goes up 10mph every lane to your left. It’s why we get so upset with people going the speed limit in the Great Wall of china lane.

Where's around here? Are these actual local laws, or just perceptions of local customs, or behavior?

 

[raitchison]

Sorry, but I refuse consider myself the "dangerous" one for driving the speed limit in the rightmost lane.

I'm sure the people who drive the speed limit in the left lane tell themselves the same thing.

One problem is that speed limits here in the U.S. are rarely based on what's safe for any given stretch of road, most of the time it's an arbitrary limit that might be safe on one road but might be 20-30MPH slower than safe on another.

Human nature shows that most people drive at the speed that they feel is safe, referencing the speed limit only so far as the potential to get a speeding ticket. If I-15 between L.A. and Vegas was guaranteed to be free of speed enforcement you'd see average speeds close to 100MPH on that road (most of it is posted at 70 with some sections at 75). Of course you'd also see more accidents because you have the wildcard of a tiny number of people driving 130-140 weaving in and out of traffic.

 

[shocker]

True, POWER required to overcome aero drag goes as the cube of the speed. But ENERGY consumed goes as the square of the speed. It's also possible to engineer aero and drivetrain to be optimized for speeds commonly driven. For example, my 2017 Silverado loses little in the way of mpg between 55 and 70 mph, and there's not much penalty for bumping it up to 75.
Back to the Bolt, a 4% advantage in a wind tunnel may or may not make a measurable difference in the field. Get them dirty or put a ding in them and goodbye advantage.

 

[DaV8or]

Sorry, but I refuse consider myself the "dangerous" one for driving the speed limit in the rightmost lane.

Agreed. In fact, in California you can legally drive below the speed limit. Just because the speed limits are lightly, to not enforced at all and the mob mentality has decided that he who drives fastest rules the road, doesn't mean I have obey mob rule. If somebody wants to pass me when I'm doing 55 in the slow lane, it's on them to do so safely. I have no obligation to pick up the pace.

There are two countries where I have enjoyed driving their highways and they are Canada and Switzerland. Both countries take enforcement of traffic rules seriously and people behave themselves. It's so much more relaxed and civilized.

If you are caught going 25mph over the posted speed limit in Switzerland, they arrest you, suspend your license and then fine you based on your tax return and personal wealth. The higher your income and personal wealth, the higher the fine. In addition you do a year of jail time. They are serious there!