Hi! I am a new AZ bolt owner as of July 12th. We have been putting our Bolt to the test by driving it up to Flagstaff every weekend. We have learned a great deal about A/C draw because of the sweltering heat, cruise control, L drive, driving speeds and elevation climb all in our trips
The A/C system is excellent but there is no question it draws on the battery. We are still trying to figure out why the mileage automatically drops 10 - 15 miles when we turn on the A/C and then bounces back when we turn it off. The car does not physically struggle with the A/C on and climbing elevation but it does chew up the miles.
Driving it up to Flagstaff with a full charge of 230 miles in 118 degree heat we used 212 miles of charge from Ahwatukee (with a regular car it is 150 miles). We were concerned with the A/C draw and the elevation climb that we wouldn't make it, so we drove at 72 mph on L and cruise control. Going down the hill without air except for the last 20 minutes we used 123 miles of charge and drove 80 mph on L and cruise control.
We starting keeping a log beginning with our 1st trip because there are so many variables that effect the range. I am sure within the year we will know what to expect but for now the learning curve is quite the challenge. Cruise control definitely helps for long distances, as for the other variables, we need some more experience!
I can say this though. The only fast charging stations were on the NAU campus and we would have had to pay a fee to use them (inside parking garages). We learned quickly the meaning of range anxiety when we pulled into our garage up north with 15 miles of charge left and no place to recharge. The Chevy dealership had a level 1 charger they graciously offered us to use but it took 15 hours to get 189 miles of charge just so we could return to Phoenix. After that weekend, we had a charging station installed into our Flag house too. We are committed to driving EV's so we figured it is part of the investment to owning one.
Hope this helps.