[BruceA1923]

Hello all....seeking advice and information.


I live in the upper mid-west and it just turned cold. Bought my '18 Bolt this past July and it has been perfect. It is garaged all of the time and I use a Level 2 charger. For the entire summer the morning range showed around 249 miles each day. Now that the weather has changed, and the ambient temp in my garage is around 60 F, outside temp in the low 50s - - in these cooler days the morning range shows around 198 miles each morning, it never gets back to 249 or even close.


The Bolt is always plugged in each night. I cannot understand why the range has dropped so much? Is this expected behavior in cooler weather? Or, do you guys think that there is something wrong with the battery? In a couple of months we will have extremely cold weather and the temp in my garage will decrease to just above freezing.....so I wonder what to expect as to range decreases. Is this normal?


In all other areas everything functions normally. Thanks

 

[NewsCoulomb]

Yes, it's expected behavior. The Range Estimator displays your estimated range based on recent driving and conditions, and that is accurate, as cooler weather will cost you efficiency. In harsh winter climates, you could see as much as a 40-50% loss in total range given all the potential impacts.

 

[BruceA1923]

Thanks very much!

 

[GJETSON]

Thanks very much!

If you have your heater/AC turned on, the range will be much worse in cold weather as the heater/defroster can reduce range by 20-30% alone. If you run only outside air, no AC/heat, and use heated seat/steering wheel instead, you will get much closer to summer range. Also check tire pressure. It will drop ~3-4 pounds in colder weather. Pump up those tires.

 

[NewsCoulomb]

If you have your heater/AC turned on, the range will be much worse in cold weather as the heater/defroster can reduce range by 20-30% alone.

The effect climate control has on your efficiency will be dependent on your driving speed. Because the heater and defroster draw a consistent level of power, slow drivers are affected more while faster drivers are affected less.

Someone who typically drives 80 mph might only see a 20% range loss in winter, while someone who typically drives 40 mph could see a >50% range loss.

 

[GJETSON]

The effect climate control has on your efficiency will be dependent on your driving speed. Because the heater and defroster draw a consistent level of power, slow drivers are affected more while faster drivers are affected less.

Someone who typically drives 80 mph might only see a 20% range loss in winter, while someone who typically drives 40 mph could see a >50% range loss.

Yeah. If you are stuck in city traffic it could be really bad. But hopefully you aren't going very far in the city. I'm a country mouse. Charlottesville is big for me. We go into Richmond once a year if absolutely necessary.

 

[BruceA1923]

If you have your heater/AC turned on, the range will be much worse in cold weather as the heater/defroster can reduce range by 20-30% alone. If you run only outside air, no AC/heat, and use heated seat/steering wheel instead, you will get much closer to summer range. Also check tire pressure. It will drop ~3-4 pounds in colder weather. Pump up those tires.

Yes thanks, I understand these issues better now, and I have been using the heat. I have deliberately turned it off and the range jumped 20 miles, then decreased when I turned it back on. Forgot about tires...will check that too.

 

[Tokodave]

Wow. I'm in Butte MT at the Continental Divide, AM temps in the low 30s, up to 40-50 lately in the PM. For a change of pace I've been charging to hilltop reserve the past couple charges and I'm still in the 230-240 range. Mostly urban/suburban driving 25-45 mph with a bit of 55 on the way out to mtn bike trails. Heat using only heated seats/steering wheel if needed. Are you doing mostly highway driving? Your numbers are what I'd expect if I were doing exclusively highway driving? I run my tires (and I just put the Blizzak winter tires on) at around 40 PSI.

 

[Packard V8]

In a couple of months we will have extremely cold weather and the temp in my garage will decrease to just above freezing...

Always plug in your Bolt overnight and program it to prior to your departure condition the battery and warm the interior while still on the grid. That really helps.

jack vines

 

[GJETSON]

Wow. I'm in Butte MT at the Continental Divide

Yes. You are a mile high. The Bolt could run 93 mph for 60 hours on the moon. Pushing air out of the way is the biggest job any vehicle has...starting with bicycles.

 

[surgeonFWW]

The effect climate control has on your efficiency will be dependent on your driving speed. Because the heater and defroster draw a consistent level of power, slow drivers are affected more while faster drivers are affected less.

Someone who typically drives 80 mph might only see a 20% range loss in winter, while someone who typically drives 40 mph could see a >50% range loss.

I misunderstood what you wrote and was, at first, going to disagree. I reread the range losses as LOSSES DUE TO HEATER USE and it was what I would have expected.

I use the heater and drive normal speeds when I drive around town (including to work) and charge when needed every few days. I had to make a 170 mile (one way) trip in below freezing temperatures, and my expected range was showing 170 miles. I simply slowed down, kept the heat off, used seat heat, and had a small lap blanket for each of the three of us. We arrived with plenty to spare. Everyone should remember that the range estimate is based on how you WERE driving, not on how you are PLANNING to drive (which the EV cannot know).

 

[GlenandhisBolt1!]

Remember that's why it's called the 'Guess-o-Meter' (GOM). It sounds like you don't have a lot of miles on your Bolt. The accuracy of the GOM improves as you put more miles on your Bolt. The GOM is understandably conservative in it's range estimates.

In cold weather (below 40 degrees F), the battery may use a chunk of energy simply keeping itself warm. See the owners manual.

 

[BruceA1923]

Wow. I'm in Butte MT at the Continental Divide, AM temps in the low 30s, up to 40-50 lately in the PM. For a change of pace I've been charging to hilltop reserve the past couple charges and I'm still in the 230-240 range. Mostly urban/suburban driving 25-45 mph with a bit of 55 on the way out to mtn bike trails. Heat using only heated seats/steering wheel if needed. Are you doing mostly highway driving? Your numbers are what I'd expect if I were doing exclusively highway driving? I run my tires (and I just put the Blizzak winter tires on) at around 40 PSI.

This is confusing to me....probably my own ignorance. But with my garage ambient temp in the 60 F range I am surprised to see only 190 range in the mornings. Also, I thought that the Bolt battery had its own systems to condition the battery. Am I correct on that?

 

[Tokodave]

The Bolt does have it's own capacity to manage the battery but in my experience I seldom see much energy going to battery maintenance. Some in very cold temps, which is the only time I always leave the Bolt plugged in. Over the spring and summer I never saw any energy for battery management, but we do not have really warm temps here. As others have noted, the GOM is estimating your range based on its evaluation of your past driving. My only bout of range anxiety came when after showing a range of over 300 I went on a road trip down to Dillon (140 miles RT) and was clocking through the range at an alarming pace...I figured out afterwards I need to make the adjustment and watch my Mi/Kwh. Around town in the summer/spring it's as high as 5.6 or so. On the Interstate it's going to 4.5 or so. As it turned out I had plenty of miles left..100 or so and since it was in town driving after that I probably ended with around 280 on the charge.

 

[Fivedoor]

Wow. I'm in Butte MT at the Continental Divide, AM temps in the low 30s, up to 40-50 lately in the PM. For a change of pace I've been charging to hilltop reserve the past couple charges and I'm still in the 230-240 range. Mostly urban/suburban driving 25-45 mph with a bit of 55 on the way out to mtn bike trails. Heat using only heated seats/steering wheel if needed. Are you doing mostly highway driving? Your numbers are what I'd expect if I were doing exclusively highway driving? I run my tires (and I just put the Blizzak winter tires on) at around 40 PSI.

Your altitude and slow driving speed helps your range a lot. I am at 200' above sea level and I typically get between 4.0 and 4.5 miles per kWh on my daily commute depending on AC usage and weather conditions with most of the distance traveled at 55 mph with two short sections of 45 mph. I am expecting this to drop significantly when it gets cold enough to force me to use the heater. Even without heater running the increased density of cold air and lower battery efficiency at low temperatures has a noticeable effect.

I actually log all of my daily commute information and compile it in excel spreadsheets comparing miles per kwh vs ambient temperature. I have about 5 months data so far.

Later,

Keith

 

[Packard V8]

Opinions and results do vary with the membership here. In the northern tier, we have six months of colder weather and are not going to own a vehicle which requires the use of electric socks, lap robes or seeing our breath in the cabin air. Being comfortable was one of the major advantages of the Bolt versus the i3. Our use would mostly have been within the i3 performance envelope, but in the coldest weather the i3 range becomes marginal even for urban use; having a concern whether the car will get one there and back is not grief we wanted. Never having to ever think about the range or ever have less than our preferred cabin environment made the Bolt the obvious choice over the i3.

Over eighteen months, our GOM average is approx 4 miles per kWh, but as mentioned, that's six months of cold. Our "grade" in the system is always -3 to -5 on climate control and terrain; neither of those are subject to change. We live on a hill and bought a BEV which has enough battery reserve to always be comfortable.

jack vines

 

[Sean Nelson]

...I simply slowed down, kept the heat off, used seat heat, and had a small lap blanket for each of the three of us.

I just completed a trip in the Canadian Rockies and I was very pleasantly surprised by how warm and cozy I was with the HVAC system turned off even in temperatures down to -8C (about 18F). Long underwear, a warm jacket and hat and a nice blanket to cover your legs work amazingly well with the seat and steering wheel heat. And they kept me just as warm on the frequent occasions that I got out of the car for walks or to shoot photos.

There have been times when I've needed to use the HVAC system periodically to keep the windshield clear, but on that trip it was dry enough that I didn't have a problem as long as I directed outside air up through the windshield vents.

But around town where range isn't an issue I just turn up the heat and let 'er rip...

 

[Dimitrij]

Click on my banner below to see my efficiency statistics (driving mostly in Shenandoah Valley and in Northern Virginia). I have averaged 4.5 mi/kWh, but in the winter I recorded juice-ups that were well below 3 mi/kWh.

 

[Dimitrij]

Some more winter driving data:

Temperature outside approx. 40F
Speed: 50% @ 70 mph, 25% @ 55 mph, 25% in town
HVAC penalty: 8%
Relatively level terrain (mostly I-81 interstate)

17.0 kWh to do 53.1 miles, translating into 3.1-ish mi/kWh.

 

[benturner]

Getting about 3.2 M/kWh, 180 mile range

Hi,

After 1000 miles (just graduated from a Leaf to a Bolt-very happy about that!) I am getting much less range than expected, usually around 180 miles, average M/kWh 3.2. Car is in Western Washington, temps averaging in the forties, most of my driving is on rural roads around 40 MPH with maybe 25% at 60MPH. Very conditioned to gentle driving technique after 3 years of driving a Leaf with continual range anxiety. Use climate control enough to keep the windshield clear only. I don't see how I can do much better on technique. Does this range seem about right for these conditions?

Thanks for any thoughts.