Chevy Bolt rated worse winter EV by recurrent
-
Hey Guest, welcome to ChevyBolt.org. We encourage you to register to engage in conversations about your Bolt.
1 - 20 of 122 Posts
Saw another report that said 20 to 30% for the Bolt. I can recall 1 maybe 2 posts from people mentioning these percentages.
Various people blame the heater as a major contributor to that loss. Since I don’t live up North I can Niether confirm nor deny theses values.
would be curious to see who does
Various people blame the heater as a major contributor to that loss. Since I don’t live up North I can Niether confirm nor deny theses values.
would be curious to see who does
Joined
·
6,501 Posts
Mine is ~17% less now than during summer months, similar driving patterns. I rarely use the cabin heating and generally precondition before going out. Most of my driving is short errands.
My recent 2000 mile trip to LA had similar efficiency with snow, and temps in the 20-40F range for well over half the miles each direction as my summer trip to AZ with similar distances. I really couldn't say range/efficiency were really much different on these two trips, about .1 to .2 miles/kWh difference max. The LA trip used virtually no cabin heating, the AZ trip used minimal AC.
Without knowing methodology, it is hard to say how reliable the stats are. Bolt with cabin heating will obviously be less efficient than EVs with heat pumps.
Sort of a misleading title isn't it? The BOLT is worse in that it suffers the most range drop, but that's only an issue if you don't drive the car as a commuter/daily/around town car. Once you get home just charge it back up 'full'. Other than that how it it worse? It's got great visibility, the weight/front-wheel drive should provide decent grip, the safeties like emergency braking, etc. are all top-notch. The all-seasons aren't snow tires but they're ok.
For longer distance travel, in general, the BOLT's older, slower and lower-cost tech leave a lot to be desired, especially in places like the Deep South (where I live) where public charging stations are few and far between still,
The BOLT's resistive heating in lieu of a heat pump is probably the main culprit. Then again, if you just use the seat heater and the steering wheel heater I bet the range loss isn't nearly as bad as they 'estimate'.
Overall the BOLT is a Great Winter car if you look at the total package you get AND the price! They're a bargain even if they do lose more range than most.
Know what's a worse wnter car? My 1991 Miata with all seasons and also my 2010 turbo charge power retractable hard top Miata with the summer tires. They're touchy to drive in the winter, but oh so much fun
For longer distance travel, in general, the BOLT's older, slower and lower-cost tech leave a lot to be desired, especially in places like the Deep South (where I live) where public charging stations are few and far between still,
The BOLT's resistive heating in lieu of a heat pump is probably the main culprit. Then again, if you just use the seat heater and the steering wheel heater I bet the range loss isn't nearly as bad as they 'estimate'.
Overall the BOLT is a Great Winter car if you look at the total package you get AND the price! They're a bargain even if they do lose more range than most.
Know what's a worse wnter car? My 1991 Miata with all seasons and also my 2010 turbo charge power retractable hard top Miata with the summer tires. They're touchy to drive in the winter, but oh so much fun
Joined
·
3,899 Posts
And all of these based on an "estimated" value ?
And the loss is based on EPA numbers ? I didn’t click on the link, because it’s just a click-bait.
If they did the testing in temperatures bellow -15C I can attest that the Bolt EV loses about 30% of the range vs EPA. But about the same happens to all BEV with a heat pump too. In -15C the heat pump is useless and needs to be sustained by the resistive element, just like the Bolt EV.
If they did the test in 0C, the Bolt EV with winter tires loses about 10% of the EPA.
The "estimated" range loss of i-Pace and e-Tron is just bogus.
In temperatures of -15C my Bolt EV (with winter tires) was able to cover 275 km @ 100 km/h (62 mph) with an efficiency of 21.7 kWh/100 km.
The e-Tron in the video couldn’t do more than 232 km in temperatures ranging -5C to -15C.
So yeah, RECURRENT just sucks balls.
Fellow Minnesotan here.
I'll go with our own experience. We just returned from two nights at Northern Lights Casino + Hotel near Walker, 195 miles away. We started with 180 miles full charge when we left the Casino. It had been below zero overnight, and never got above 20 F. We started with one remote start while plugged in to a 48 amp Level 2.
We added 30 miles in Little Falls, and got home with 30 miles to spare. So we actually beat the GOM and did about 195 miles on a full charge.
This was last week in our EUV rated at 247 miles. We had the HVAC on 72° on auto the whole time. I did go a little easy on the speed though, mostly 57-65.
So we had about a 20% range drop in pretty cold weather.
32% seems excessive of an estimate for the Bolt EV if you're measuring from the EPA value unless you're using the heater.
My previous hypermiling run went for 624km (388 miles) at 35C (95F) and 493km (306 miles) at 5C (41F), which is a 21% drop. I have another video getting ready which should show the range drop of about 20% in a non-hypermiling 220-mile trip when comparing a drive on a warm spring day to a freezing winter day.
My previous hypermiling run went for 624km (388 miles) at 35C (95F) and 493km (306 miles) at 5C (41F), which is a 21% drop. I have another video getting ready which should show the range drop of about 20% in a non-hypermiling 220-mile trip when comparing a drive on a warm spring day to a freezing winter day.
That's a good point!
The approximate 20% loss I noted on our trip last week, was with Michelin X-Ice Snows on 16" wheels. The wheels are about 5 lbs. lighter/each than the stock 17" wheels though. I don't really know what effect these tires have on our range, but I would think they would reduce it a bit.
I noticed your full charge range was 180 miles too. I miss the 240 miles range of summer with the OEM tires.
It's always colorful when someone posts "estimated" results. I can estimate that I'll be a billionaire in six months but that doesn't make it so. I think reporting estimates should be practically considered criminal. Either you tested it or you didn't. If you did test it, hopefully you did it more than once and averaged results. And, hopefully you have facts and figures. Anyone who estimates things that are essentially emperical data items should be castrated with a fork.
You realized that 78.6% of statistics are made up on the spot.
2022 Bolt EV 2LT with adaptive cruise control and sound system
Joined
·
43 Posts
My 2 percent of the dollar:
Avg mpkwh summer - 4.0
Avg mpkwh winter (so far) - 3.3
Windshield frost/fogging are one of major culprits leading to use of heater. Also I like my butt and my kids warm. (actually warming the butt is cheap with seat warmers, it's the kids who take all the energy, both in and out of the car)
Avg mpkwh summer - 4.0
Avg mpkwh winter (so far) - 3.3
Windshield frost/fogging are one of major culprits leading to use of heater. Also I like my butt and my kids warm. (actually warming the butt is cheap with seat warmers, it's the kids who take all the energy, both in and out of the car)
You're doing very well. My summer range was 3.7 mi/kWh and winter is a bismal 2.8 mi/kWh
New to the post, just my 2 cents but i drive 58 miles per day, 6 days a week in North Dakota from 100 above to 30 below with my Chevy Bolt, my summer range is 240 to 275 miles per charge, my winter range when below 20 degrees is around 110 to 130 miles, thats with precondition battery and interior. Takes major hit in winter but would not give car up, best work car i have had in 27 years that i have lived on the farm
Joined
·
53 Posts
It’s really all about a lifestyle….don’t you think? I agree with the above fore mentioned poster. Just relax. It’s gonna be ok. Use it as a second vehicle. Help evolution. Get out of the way. Like I said it’s gonna be ok. Plug it in. Drive. Plug it in. Drive. Get it? These numbers aren’t worth a piss. “It’s in the way that you use it,” by that 80s band we all know…..
1 - 20 of 122 Posts
