Chevy Bolt EV Forum banner
  • Hey Guest, welcome to ChevyBolt.org. We encourage you to register to engage in conversations about your Bolt.

Had a conversation with Bolt/Volt head engineer at an EVGo station!

42K views 134 replies 56 participants last post by  Belmo 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys,

I had a conversation with Mike Lelli head engineer on the Bolt and Volt when I beat him to an EVGo station by about 10 min just south of Chicago, he was driving a pre-production 2019 Bolt. I learned that in house they call it the Victor Volt to differentiate from the Bolt to avoid confusion. He refused to comment when I asked what the marketing team was thinking when they named the Bolt :D

Main differences in the 2019 are revised front seats, improved suspension (different springs and shocks) in the front to reduce thump and jounce when going over road imperfections, and having several choices of what % to charge the battery to rather than just having 88% hilltop reserve and 100%

I asked about upcoming improvements and he couldn't really talk about the future other than that GM is committed to an EV future. He did ask me what I thought needed improvement.

He said he knows that battery size and charging speed are the top two things, but what else :)

I said that improvements to the infotainment system like displaying charging amps, voltage, and KW when fast charging instead of just time to 80% would be great, and having either wireless android auto or a native app based infotainment system with something like Google Maps or Ways rather than having to use a USB cable would be a big improvement. I also said that some form of spare tire at least as an option would be a hit, Millennials may think that a cell phone and AAA will get them out of any jam, but a side wall failure when you are in the middle of no-where without cell phone coverage would benefit from a compact spare. I pointed out how Mazda used to have a deflated (and thus even more compact) spare as standard equipment on the 1st gen Miata. I also said that AWD would be great at least as an option, for utility in a "crossover" as well as improved acceleration for performance enthusiasts.

He asked about adaptive cruise control and I said it would be great for long trips, and for people that commute in heavy traffic, but that super-cruise with lane centering rather than ping-pong back and forth lane keep assist would be even better.

When he asked if a larger battery or faster charging was more important I told him that my opinion had changed in the last 6 months due to the Electrify America build out and the plans for several coast to coast travel corridors. I now would prefer faster charging, over a larger battery, and that of course both would be welcome.

I asked about roof rails that don't cost a fortune, and he asked who really needs them... I said until they make me an electric pickup truck I need them to haul lumber :) I also asked about a tow rated trailer hitch instead of the one offered now that is only authorized for cargo pods and bike racks. At this point I went into a whole pitch for how useful an EV pickup truck would be, and that with the Electrify America charging network and high speed DCFC an EV pickup could even haul a trailer all over the country.

The one thing I forgot to ask about was the ability to lower all 4 windows with the key fob like I used to do with my 2016 Volt. I don't like to pre-condition at work since I am not plugged in. I also asked about a useable charging station finder since the one built into the mychevrolet app is pathetic. I pointed out that everyone I know uses PlugShare, but that it has no official support from the charging networks.

We talked for about 2 hours, he arrived about 10 min into my first charging session, I finished the majority of my charge (2 45 min sessions) and turned the plug over to him so he could top off for 45 min before I did my final top off.

I asked about any clarification he could give on battery capacity and explained the controversy, he said the only thing he can say is that it is 60 kWh... no specification on if that means total capacity or useable capacity, but it was clear in my opinion from further conversation about Li-Ion battery top and bottom reserve that even though he wouldn't say it out loud that the 60 kWh refers to usable capacity.

I also asked about the rumor that dealerships had to install a DC fast charger in order to sell the Bolt. I already knew that this was not true from personal experience (I purchased my Bolt from a dealership without a DCFC, and I can get a Bolt EV at any dealership in a 238 mile radius from my house and NONE of them have DCFC stations.) He said he didn't know how that rumor got started, and that GM cannot legally force a dealership to install them. He thinks that they will see the Nissan dealerships around them installing DCFC's and hopefully catch a clue, but that there is nothing GM corporate can do about it.

I am probably missing many of the things we talked about in over 2 hours of shooting the breeze, but these are the points I remember.

Later,

Keith
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Hey guys,

I had a conversation with Mike Lelli head engineer on the Bolt and Volt when I beat him to an EVGo station by about 10 min just south of Chicago, he was driving a pre-production 2019 Bolt. I learned that in house they call it the Victor Volt to differentiate from the Bolt to avoid confusion. He refused to comment when I asked what the marketing team was thinking when they named the Bolt :D

Main differences in the 2019 are revised front seats, improved suspension (different springs and shocks) in the front to reduce thump and jounce when going over road imperfections, and having several choices of what % to charge the battery to rather than just having 88% hilltop reserve and 100%
Wow, lucky you!

Did you get a sense of why they were adding the choices for battery charge? (e.g., consumer demand or because it's needed for some reason)

In general, I'd have loved it if you'd talking about the expected life of the battery, degradation, and whether or not any of the various rituals that some of or members here do to baby their batteries have any point to them. Did anything like that come up?
 
#14 · (Edited)
It sounded like a customer demand. When we were talking about battery capacity and the top and bottom reserves he made it clear that GM does not want any warranty claims on the battery due to degradation and that the charging profile (current limit vs SOC), and capacity limits on the top and bottom will ensure that in the worst case scenerio's. My impression is that the members who plan to own the car until they die and baby their battery will have slightly better battery capacity 20 years from now, but that in the real world of people who trade their car in at less than 10 years old it doesn't make that much difference.

Later,

Keith
 
#4 ·
Main differences in the 2019 are revised front seats, improved suspension (different springs and shocks) in the front to reduce thump and jounce when going over road imperfections, and having several choices of what % to charge the battery to rather than just having 88% hilltop reserve and 100%

I asked about upcoming improvements and he couldn't really talk about the future other than that GM is committed to an EV future. He did ask me what I thought needed improvement.

He said he knows that battery size and charging speed are the top two things, but what else :)

Later,

Keith
So they are listening. :D

Thanks for the update, Keith!

And this is one of the reasons why I came away underwhelmed by the Kona EV. Almost all of its advantages were software based. If GM is smart, they can negate many of the Kona EV's advantages with just a few lines of code. Leaving GM with a lighter, faster, more spacious Bolt EV with similar functionality.

And if GM is really smart and wants to win at PR, they would roll out an OTA update that addresses most of those issues for original Bolt EV owners.
 
#7 · (Edited)
#12 ·
Hey guys,

I had a conversation with Mike Lelli head engineer on the Bolt and Volt when I beat him to an EVGo station by about 10 min just south of Chicago, he was driving a pre-production 2019 Bolt. I learned that in house they call it the Victor Volt to differentiate from the Bolt to avoid confusion. He refused to comment when I asked what the marketing team was thinking when they named the Bolt :D

Main differences in the 2019 are revised front seats, improved suspension (different springs and shocks) in the front to reduce thump and jounce when going over road imperfections, and having several choices of what % to charge the battery to rather than just having 88% hilltop reserve and 100%

I asked about upcoming improvements and he couldn't really talk about the future other than that GM is committed to an EV future. He did ask me what I thought needed improvement.

He said he knows that battery size and charging speed are the top two things, but what else :)

I said that improvements to the infotainment system like displaying charging amps, voltage, and KW when fast charging instead of just time to 80% would be great, and having either wireless android auto or a native app based infotainment system with something like Google Maps or Ways rather than having to use a USB cable would be a big improvement. I also said that some form of spare tire at least as an option would be a hit, Millennials may think that a cell phone and AAA will get them out of any jam, but a side wall failure when you are in the middle of no-where without cell phone coverage would benefit from a compact spare. I pointed out how Mazda used to have a deflated (and thus even more compact) spare as standard equipment on the 1st gen Miata. I also said that AWD would be great at least as an option, for utility in a "crossover" as well as improved acceleration for performance enthusiasts.

He asked about adaptive cruise control and I said it would be great for long trips, and for people that commute in heavy traffic, but that super-cruise with lane centering rather than ping-pong back and forth lane keep assist would be even better.

When he asked if a larger battery or faster charging was more important I told him that my opinion had changed in the last 6 months due to the Electrify America build out and the plans for several coast to coast travel corridors. I now would prefer faster charging, over a larger battery, and that of course both would be welcome.

I asked about roof rails that don't cost a fortune, and he asked who really needs them... I said until they make me an electric pickup truck I need them to haul lumber :) I also asked about a tow rated trailer hitch instead of the one offered now that is only authorized for cargo pods and bike racks. At this point I went into a whole pitch for how useful an EV pickup truck would be, and that with the Electrify America charging network and high speed DCFC an EV pickup could even haul a trailer all over the country.

The one thing I forgot to ask about was the ability to lower all 4 windows with the key fob like I used to do with my 2016 Volt. I don't like to pre-condition at work since I am not plugged in. I also asked about a useable charging station finder since the one built into the mychevrolet app is pathetic. I pointed out that everyone I know uses PlugShare, but that it has no official support from the charging networks.

We talked for about 2 hours, he arrived about 10 min into my first charging session, I finished the majority of my charge (2 45 min sessions) and turned the plug over to him so he could top off for 45 min before I did my final top off.

I asked about any clarification he could give on battery capacity and explained the controversy, he said the only thing he can say is that it is 60 kWh... no specification on if that means total capacity or useable capacity, but it was clear in my opinion from further conversation about Li-Ion battery top and bottom reserve that even though he wouldn't say it out loud that the 60 kWh refers to usable capacity.

I also asked about the rumor that dealerships had to install a DC fast charger in order to sell the Bolt. I already knew that this was not true from personal experience (I purchased my Bolt from a dealership without a DCFC, and I can get a Bolt EV at any dealership in a 238 mile radius from my house and NONE of them have DCFC stations.) He said he didn't know how that rumor got started, and that GM cannot legally force a dealership to install them. He thinks that they will see the Nissan dealerships around them installing DCFC's and hopefully catch a clue, but that there is nothing GM corporate can do about it.

I am probably missing many of the things we talked about in over 2 hours of shooting the breeze, but these are the points I remember.

Later,

Keith
When you write pre-production 2019 Bolt, did you actually mean 2020? The 2019s are already in production. Did you get to see the seat or sit in it?
 
#23 ·
Nice post, thanks.

... improved suspension (different springs and shocks) in the front to reduce thump and jounce when going over road imperfections...
I thought the current suspension was pretty good. I'm very interested in trying the 2019's.

When hustling the Bolt through hwy 401 Toronto traffic (heavy traffic almost all of the time) it sure would be nice not to have to be in pothole avoidance mode as much. Would be nice not to have to worry as much about hitting the pothole versus temporarily using someone else's lane in order to get around it :eek:
 
#24 ·
Nice post, thanks.

I thought the current suspension was pretty good. I'm very interested in trying the 2019's.

When hustling the Bolt through hwy 401 Toronto traffic (heavy traffic almost all of the time) it sure would be nice not to have to be in pothole avoidance mode as much. Would be nice not to have to worry as much about hitting the pothole versus temporarily using someone else's lane in order to get around it :eek:
I agree with you, but I think GM has been requested to make the suspension a bit more pedestrian. As it turns out, the people buying the Bolt EV aren't driving it like a Focus ST. Instead, they were buying it to get a more competent and more powerful LEAF. :D

What I'd really like to see them do is start adding an independent rear suspension in preparation for an AWD Bolt EV... SS. >:)
 
#30 ·
Well, the OP did say this-

I asked about upcoming improvements and he couldn't really talk about the future other than that GM is committed to an EV future.
I would take this as yes, there will be a GM BEV CUV at some point in the future. SUVs and CUVs are GM's stock and trade, it's hard to imagine that they don't have a design on the table.
 
#29 ·
Glad to hear they have revised the seats. They aren't a problem for me at all, but I do know they have been deal breakers for several potential buyers and caused others frustration. IMO, this was the number one fix the car needed. I'm glad they are considering adaptive cruise control. IMO it should have been available in the 2019 in light of the other competitors, primarily Nissan and Hyundai/Kia. The suspension revision I'd have to drive to comment, softer and squishier with resulting increased body roll is not what I would want, but there are a lot of things you can do with suspension and handling dynamics to improve ride characteristics without cornering suffering. The software improvements sound good, but no big deal.

How come I never bump into guys like these??!! :mad:
 
#32 ·
Hey guys,

I had a conversation with Mike Lelli head engineer on the Bolt and Volt

[...]

I asked about any clarification he could give on battery capacity and explained the controversy, he said the only thing he can say is that it is 60 kWh... no specification on if that means total capacity or useable capacity, but it was clear in my opinion from further conversation about Li-Ion battery top and bottom reserve that even though he wouldn't say it out loud that the 60 kWh refers to usable capacity.
GAAHHHHHH AMAZING! That's awesome. Did you get his contact info??

In regards to the battery capacity, yes that is obviously usable capacity -- but not in the way that most people think.

The battery is 57kWh, likely rated at 1C. You can get ~ 5% extra capacity draining at 0.2C (check out any lithium ion discharge test with varying current loads to see), which happens to give us our nice 60kWh usable.

I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, having testing this multiple times, there is no bottom buffer on the battery. The Bolt will let us use the battery until the lowest cell reaches 2.7V, at which point it cuts off. This is absolutely the lower-threshold safe cutoff of the cells. Note that there's only about 6% of the battery remaining under 3.25V anyway.

As far as we can tell, as well, there's no buffer at the top either, but until I get my hands on some cells to do some in depth testing it's hard to say.\

Either way, it's a moot point. We get about 60kWh usable capacity, give or take, out of the battery, and we can drain it to completely empty.
 
#37 ·
I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, having testing this multiple times, there is no bottom buffer on the battery. The Bolt will let us use the battery until the lowest cell reaches 2.7V, at which point it cuts off. This is absolutely the lower-threshold safe cutoff of the cells. Note that there's only about 6% of the battery remaining under 3.25V anyway.

As far as we can tell, as well, there's no buffer at the top either, but until I get my hands on some cells to do some in depth testing it's hard to say.
I'm assuming that the no-buffer claim is made in regards to the SoC battery value reported from the OBD-II? The so-called "displayed" battery value always seemed to have buffers on top and bottom according to the data from you and others.
 
#33 ·
I think the market is ripe for an electric pickup truck. THe marketing people need to play on a work truck.... drive to the job site and use a 120v inverter in the truck to run all your tools all day. The truck that takes you to work, works all day and keeps your mini fridge running all weekend... works hard, plays hard.... and GO GM...
 
#46 ·
I asked about roof rails that don't cost a fortune, and he asked who really needs them...

The flush rails on the Bolt Premier are effectively fixed point rack mountings that are not as flexible in terms of fore-aft position or crossbar spread as raised rails would have been.


Or, if flush rails were desired for styling reasons, additional mount points could have been put in them to give more flexibility in places to install crossbars.
 
#49 ·
Lets drop the thermal management topic please, this thread is not for arguments about strategies of battery optimization.




I didn't ask about moon roof or power seats or anything like that... I expect that in the near future Buick and Cadillac will have new plug in models with these types of items, but that is just speculation on my part, not something he said.

I forgot to mention that he did ask how I liked one pedal driving, and if even more regen would be a thing I would like. I said that I loved one pedal driving, and that more regen would be welcome... I also said that a rheostat instead of an "on / off" switch for the regen paddle would be a big improvement.

I am kicking myself because I forgot to mention to him that having the brake lights hooked to a G sensor is fine for one pedal driving but that they should stay on when activated by the G sensor until the accelerator is pressed rather than going off when G load drops. Also, the regen paddle should activate the brake lights just like the brake pedal without referencing the G sensor. I also forgot to ask about programmable preconditioning via the app.

I really hope he reads this thread and sees the things I forgot to mention, and the concerns / thoughts of others in the forum. When he asked if I Blog I said no, but that I post regularly on chevybolt.org so hopefully he finds his way here if he didn't already know about it.

Later,

Keith
 
#57 ·
So I got a Chance to swing by the Naperville Chevy dealer and looked at the 2019's including the Shock Yellow one. From the Seat perspective they are the same dimensions as our 2017/18s. Nothing cool to report there. From the Butt-O-Meter perspective they feel like they have more padding. About the same as my 2017 modified seat with extra padding, You don't feel the bolsters as much.


Firmware/Software is up to 34.7.1 for the 2019's. The rest of the car is pretty much the same.
 
#64 ·
Especially now at the tail end of summer, my evening commute varies between 80F and 70F depending on how close to a city center I am and how much bumper-bumper traffic I am in. So when I have the AC running w/target temp of 75F and hit a low traffic area between city centers, the air outside can show as 70F on my Bolt and my once cool air is now blowing warm air.

In the mornings it's been 58F to 63F. I just want outside air but sometimes it fogs up in 58F areas (again, between cities, no traffic) so I keep my HVAC ON and target temp at 65F to trigger some defogging but with minimal heat. Almost always when I drive by downtown Seattle, I get a surge of just under 70F and suddenly ice cold air is blowing. As I leave downtown the cold air remains for quite a while until it starts using outside air or starts heating the air for defogging purposes.

I am not a fan of the Bolt's auto climate controls and often fiddle with them throughout my drive. Thank goodness for physical buttons.
 
#69 ·
would love to have that conversation

Totally agree, faster charging is most important. Most of us charge at home, only charge 'on the road' when on a long trip. Electrify America is talking 50kW chargers and I think my Bolt can do that, but how about 100kW!

Here's some minor gripes in case you get to talk to him again.

I drive in L (regen) mode all the time. I hate having to hit the shift twice to do that. Make L mode a push button like Sport Mode that would stay on until pushed again. or make it a setting in the energy settings. if I hit the shift too fast it does not go into L mode but I don't know that unless I look down. I don't like EVER having to take my eyes off the road and want settings to be tactile or simple. I have never uaed sport mode...a waste of a button. maybe make that a setting for VERY occasional use.

I use Cruise control all the time, excellent! but when I'm in cruise control AND in L mode, when I tap the brake pedal it goes into regen mode very hard, like slamming on the brakes. ease into regen a little bit. I think they do it right when you press the steering column regen switch on the left...it seems to ease in as it leaves cruise control and starts to regen. for this reason, I tend to take the car OUR of L mode when using cruise control, then when I tap the brake it coasts a bit and I can then hit the shift to go back into regen mode. or I forget and then suddenly have to hit the brakes when the car does not automatically start to slow down. these things should work together nicely.

I wish there were a way to turn on the backup camera and the overhead view (one of the truly great things about the Bolt). when I demo the car, I have to put it into reverse to get those things to go on.

thanks for sharing your conversation.
 
#71 ·
Totally agree, faster charging is most important. Most of us charge at home, only charge 'on the road' when on a long trip. Electrify America is talking 50kW chargers and I think my Bolt can do that, but how about 100kW!

Here's some minor gripes in case you get to talk to him again.

I drive in L (regen) mode all the time. I hate having to hit the shift twice to do that. Make L mode a push button like Sport Mode that would stay on until pushed again. or make it a setting in the energy settings. if I hit the shift too fast it does not go into L mode but I don't know that unless I look down. I don't like EVER having to take my eyes off the road and want settings to be tactile or simple. I have never uaed sport mode...a waste of a button. maybe make that a setting for VERY occasional use.

I use Cruise control all the time, excellent! but when I'm in cruise control AND in L mode, when I tap the brake pedal it goes into regen mode very hard, like slamming on the brakes. ease into regen a little bit. I think they do it right when you press the steering column regen switch on the left...it seems to ease in as it leaves cruise control and starts to regen. for this reason, I tend to take the car OUR of L mode when using cruise control, then when I tap the brake it coasts a bit and I can then hit the shift to go back into regen mode. or I forget and then suddenly have to hit the brakes when the car does not automatically start to slow down. these things should work together nicely.

I wish there were a way to turn on the backup camera and the overhead view (one of the truly great things about the Bolt). when I demo the car, I have to put it into reverse to get those things to go on.

thanks for sharing your conversation.
I agree that a button (soft or hard) that turns on the birdseye cam at low speed would be a definite plus.
 
#78 ·
Regarding the seats, I guess we have all seen the update in the insideevs article by now (https://insideevs.com/2019-chevy-bolt-better-seats-suspension/):

Have a seat, please.
***UPDATE: General Motors has contacted us regarding these possible changes to the 2019 Bolt. As it turns out, some information from Mike Lelli was likely misinterpreted. For the official record, front seat improvements were made for the Model Year 2018 Bolt and carry over for the 2019 Model Year. As for the suspension, the Bolt does not have a new setup for 2019, though GM says it’s always fine-tuning its products.
 
#80 ·
Interesting. He was very clear in saying "I can't say" on things about future products, but he was not shy at all about seating improvements and suspension changes, and charging options since the 2019 is available for people to look at and test drive.

In another thread in this section a guy doing a video said he didn't see the difference in seats, but that the suspension change was noticeable.

Keith
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top