Why 15-20 miles short?

Is this a trick question? Because it only charged to 93%?

 

Why did it stop at 93%, set on 100?

 

Just a small reminder - do not gauge the level of charge with the estimated drivable range shown (a.k.a. Guess-O-Meter, GOM). That fluctuates a lot.

 

I’m familiar with a GOM on my former Fiat 500 E but how badly is it calibrated on the bolt? On my Fiat it was pretty off like 127 mile showing but 100 miles was all you’d generally get. I’m kinda annoyed that the Bolt doesn’t have a % reading on the dash but only on the app. I had a full charge when I left the dealer and 57 miles later it was just showing max 290 / 170 min and app was showing 91% . As for my efficiency it was showing 4.4mi/KW which is good for something this size and weight.

 

It's miles/kWh, not KW.

kW and kWh are totally different metrics.

 

Omg, I hate this. You’re just being pedantic. You know very well what they meant.

 

The middle average was within 5 miles on a 175 mile trip, with AC on. I'd call it reliable.

 

Our EUV seems pretty accurate. But if we drive the 60 miles over to Seal Beach with a good tailwind, the GOM will say we only used maybe 30 miles of range.

 

Come on, that's not percent. Percent is hundredths. The bars are twentieths.

 

And good luck counting those little bars while driving.

 

.... charge set at 100%, home charged to 253 miles.......Charged last night to 100%.....

When (if?) I can afford a Chevy Bolt, I have high hopes to reach 300,000 miles of lifetime distance. I hope to ABC---always be charging, keeping charges between 30% to 75%. I will NEVER charge to 100%, will NEVER discharge or charge fast, will NEVER drain to 0%. MAYBE after 80,000 (100,000?) miles, I'll extend my charges from 20% to 80%.....but rarely. Give me 300,000 miles, or give me death with rainbows at my end. 🌈🌈🌈

 

Never say never. But yes, 95% of our driving around home, typically once a week 40% to 80%. First longer trip I just wanted to be sure it would make it, so charged to 100% (only using 12 amps). I could have gotten by with 80%. Better safe than sorry.

The computer could be more accurate if it took wind measurements. It has friction, temp & speed. But I found it to be plenty accurate as is. If you use the range it gives you, I doubt it would ever be wrong.

 

About every week now I drive a 250 mile trip. With AC (I live in F'ing Texas) that's a little out of range; so, I charge once each trip. When leaving I set the car to charge to 100% and to complete about the time I hope to leave (haven't made it yet) so it stays at 100% for up to 2 hours.

If it harms the battery to sit for two hours at 100% they should call the battery smaller and limit the max charge.

 

On the left side of the driver’s display, above and below the graphic representation of remaining range, you see a high number at top and a low number at bottom. From that you can get a closer idea of both how far you can drive if you drive hard (lower number) and about how far if you baby it (upper number).

 

To help out @liresong:

Rhetorical question: A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer. (Oxford languages)

BTW, how will you NEVER discharge fast? NEVER exceed 50 mph? NEVER go uphill? NEVER use climate control?

BTW, how will you NEVER discharge fast?
Not rhetorical. More of an introduction.

NEVER exceed 50 mph?
Point made ☑

NEVER go uphill?
Point made ☑

NEVER use climate control?
Point made ☑

3 for 3. I think you get an A!

 

...Rhetorical question: A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer. (Oxford languages)
BTW, how will you NEVER discharge fast?
Not rhetorical. More of an introduction.
NEVER exceed 50 mph?
Point made ☑
NEVER go uphill?
Point made ☑
NEVER use climate control?
Point made ☑
3 for 3. I think you get an A!

Rhetorical questions are used to win arguments, because the debater thinks he knows the answers. However, often he is in error. On this thread, we have other EV baby technology abusers, jumping in to pile on. That's what EV baby technology abusers do. They heap what they think are restrictions on the people they debate.

I did not say, NEVER to exceed 50MPH. You put THAT restriction on me, because you are too busy going fast & not caring to get to 300,000 miles. But, I do love 50MPH....even 40 or 45MPH.....even slower.

I did not say, NEVER go uphill. You put THAT restriction on me. But, I will treat hills easily. My ICE brand car was sued for not providing high MPG, by people who would not treat their ICE nice & purposefully wouldn't get over 30MPG. Me....I got over the original EPA highway MPG......while traveling up to & over two 4000+ foot mountain passes.....AND that included a 5mile period of stop & go traffic.

I did not say, NEVER use climate control. You put THAT restriction on me. Climate control is often used, not with care to minimize its use.

Yeah, rhetorical questions fell totally flat, even when you tried to tie me to actions that you made up. Silly gooses come out to pile on....& couldn't pile on.

 

when you charge overnight, it bases the range on the way you were driving the night before. if you were going 75 on the highway, the range will be a lot less than if you were putzing around town with regen on.

 

There is no mention of your 30% and 75% SOC limitations. If fast charging is verboten, why did the manufacturer provide this capability?

Thank you, jreddington! We’ll said! I was about to challenge the “baby technology abuse” myself, because, realistically, EVs are beyond the baby stage. If to follow liresong's personification analogy, my guess (i.e., opinion) is the EV tech is probably in the teenage stage, where it is time to flex and grow.

 

@liresong Make your points without the name calling.

 

The large numbers of failing & non-accessible EV chargers in places that are not safe for mothers, children, defenseless people AND BABIES, is testament to the barbaric AND baby technology.

Your choice of words are interesting, if not alarmist. Although I agree the state of Public EV chargers needs to greatly improved, most I have used or spotted, seem pretty safe (but I have not been to your neck of the woods).

My hoped-for goals are my goals. Already, how far over my goals have you gone, such that you will not reach 300,000 miles battery lifetime?

I totally agree with you about your goals being your own. However, others may not share your goals. Based on your posts so far, the only personal goal I will share with you, is I will be respectful and not follow your lead of being disrespectful to others. My grandmother used to say, "You'll catch more flies with honey, than vinegar."

 

My grandmother used to say, "You'll catch more flies with honey, than vinegar."

My Native Tribe grandmother lived within a quarter mile of honey combs in a tree. She never used that phrase. On rare occasions, local honey is OK in small amounts. But, I’ll travel a long way for vinegar on beans, & even further afield for vinegar on spinach.

 

BTW, @liresong, good luck on your quest to buy a Chevy Bolt. I wish you the best!

 

I see this EV auto forum(others?), is not the place to raise the warning flags for better safety programs.

I strongly and vehemently (albeit respectfully) disagree with you!! If there are safety issues for EV charging, then this forum is a fine place for discussion. Again, as my grandmother alluded so clearly, how you say something and approach people will determine your success or failure. Please cogitate that before responding and you my find an ally instead of an adversary.

 

I’m feeling good about myself this morning for not getting involved.

 

The weight of the pile-on ain't much if you want to pile-on, also! Tho I accept no one on the pile-on, who has ambitions to reach 300,000 miles with one battery pack.

 

I’m not sure on the Bolt but some cars do the cell balancing while at 100% charging so not sure if never doing that is a good thing. I’d say just don’t do a 100% charge just to park it, do a once in a while to 100% before a sizable drive to make sure cells are balanced.

This is roughly what I do too. Minor annoyance to keep track of this to avoid leaving the EV at 100% for days but that's just me "babying" my Bolt. I think in another year or two I may stop thinking of it as "new" and start leaving it at 90% max SOC all the time for days on end.

My 2017 only offers Hill Top Reserve as way to limit charging to 90% max, and at both 90% and 100% limits, I notice my Bolt does extra levelling-off charging for 1-3 hrs according to my EVSE. I don't know about other Bolts that offer more than just 90% limiting, but it wouldn't surprise me if they also did this to balance cells to roughly the same voltage.

 

I have been reading up on the subject of Depth of Discharge (DOD) after talking with a family member (Alex) this summer. He is an electrical engineering professor and researcher at the University of Malta. I found this helpful article that does a good job of explaining DOD in terms of EVs.

Depth of Discharge: Basics for Every EV Owner

Electric cars are young enough in 2023 that we are still learning about how their batteries age over the years. One thing that scientists understand well, after 20 years of studying lithium batteries, is that battery health is sensitive to something called depth of discharge.

www.recurrentauto.com

I started using this method after returning from Malta and find it easy to manage with our 2023 Bolt EUV charge settings. Basically, what I understood from Alex's conversation, for everyday driving, try to use approximately a 50% DOD and recharge to increase the number of cycles, which matches the charts on the link. I started at 90% charge then recharge when it hits 40% of capacity. My "range anxiety" has decreased significantly in the last seven months of ownership, so I am probably going to use the 80/30 which hit the mid-range closer.

This may be old news to many of you, but I found the information (and Alex's conversation) very helpful and simple to implement.

 

I have been reading up on the subject of Depth of Discharge (DOD) after talking with a family member (Alex) this summer. He is an electrical engineering professor and researcher at the University of Malta. I found this helpful article that does a good job of explaining DOD in terms of EVs.

Depth of Discharge: Basics for Every EV Owner

Electric cars are young enough in 2023 that we are still learning about how their batteries age over the years. One thing that scientists understand well, after 20 years of studying lithium batteries, is that battery health is sensitive to something called depth of discharge.

www.recurrentauto.com

I started using this method after returning from Malta and find it easy to manage with our 2023 Bolt EUV charge settings. Basically, what I understood from Alex's conversation, for everyday driving, try to use approximately a 50% DOD and recharge to increase the number of cycles, which matches the charts on the link. I started at 90% charge then recharge when it hits 40% of capacity. My "range anxiety" has decreased significantly in the last seven months of ownership, so I am probably going to use the 80/30 which hit the mid-range closer.

This may be old news to many of you, but I found the information (and Alex's conversation) very helpful and simple to implement.

You can get range anxiety from a car with "259 miles" of range? Try driving one with "84 miles" of EPA range like I did for 4 years LOL. I drive 74 miles a day and all I use is my 110v L1 EVSE plugged into a lamp post at work, since I work 11 hours each day it pretty much replaces what Ive used and the process repeats daily + or - few percentages but mostly hovers between 60-80% each day. Ever since i got the Bolt i no longer charge at home since its free at work, and if i need a fast top up i can use the DCFC on the service side building.

 

Uhgghggg what?? $2 a kWh??? Yea no thanks man

 

Wow! Hate to be the guy not paying attention to the rates. 60 minutes to add 50kwh (if you're lucky), so $100 + $20 hourly rate = $120! Stay away!

 

You can get range anxiety from a car with "259 miles" of range? Try driving one with "84 miles" of EPA range like I did for 4 years LOL.

Yes, initially, though. Not so much now, as I have learned with just a little planning that "259 miles" goes a long way! I have been impressed, inspired, and motivated by all of you early adopters in this forum. Thank you!!

 

I just did my very first full 100% charge just to see what the range says and its showing 305 miles of range which i find hard to believe.

 

Im averaging 4.7mi per kWh so that's maybe why? i just cruise it on the highway 70-75mph or whatever Socal traffic flow permits.

That's astonishing. If I go over 65 I immediately am consiged to below-3.0 mi/kWh. Cruise control at 75 generally gets me around 2.5. But yeah, chugging around town in stop and go traffic I do very commonly get in the low to mid 4s.

 

I noticed using cruise control drops my averages and did the same thing on my old Fiat 500e and i don't know why so i don't use it anymore. It has to be my style of driving because my Fiat used to normally get 5.5miles per kWh while others on the forums get 4.0-4.2 but i dont get why because i don't drive slow, i keep up with pace of traffic and not lane hogging or hyper miling like Prius drivers.

 

I'm thinking older Bolts were more efficient. My lifetime is around 2.8, started at 1.7 brand new. Not sure where that comes from.

 

Wow! I bought my 2023 EUV new in February, and my Lifetime average is 4.2, with different trips running between 4.2 to 4.7. It is very flat in Florida, with maybe 15'-30' hills in Central Florida. Last month on a trip to PA, I was driving back on I-83 from York, PA to Lorton, VA to catch the Auto Train and averaged 5.0 for that trip. Of course around DC, it was very stop & go, but the trip average speed was 47mph according to the Bolt.