Highest mileage a Chevy Bolt can go on a single charge

That's about 469 miles.

I think I've seen posts here where an owner got 300 miles on one charge. I think his speed was like 45 mph in a flat state.

hmm. we live in low mountains, rural area, windy roads. in the summer, the GOM frequently thinks we could get more than 320. Our home is on a hill, so we don't do that well at the end of a drive. I suppose if we drove straight we could check it out, but we're never going to do that!

Elaine R said:

hmm. we live in low mountains, rural area, windy roads. in the summer, the GOM frequently thinks we could get more than 320. Our home is on a hill, so we don't do that well at the end of a drive. I suppose if we drove straight we could check it out, but we're never going to do that!

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ps i should add that the 320 has been with the 80% cap.

What the GOM shows and the range you actually get are two different things.

Jerry Duke said:

I think his speed was like 45 mph in a flat state.

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Hey, hey, hey there…….My Washington state is well known for its ”bumps” & mountains over 9000 feet high. However, it‘s got lots of flats, too. 🤭
And yes, one of them mountains ain’t over 9000 feet high, no more, when nature tried to make it flat. Mt. St. Helens is well known for losing over 1300 feet of its elevation. But, that is the south slope. The north side which collapsed appears to have a ridge with a minimum elevation of about 4900 feet in elevation. Almost 3 cubic kilometers of mountain were blown away or slide down into Spirit Lake & down the Toutle River.

Jerry Duke said:

What the GOM shows and the range you actually get are two different things.

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why i mentioned that we live on a hill . . .

I’ve linked to this thread several times before, but my record is 388 miles while trying to keep up the speed at 48 mph. I might have hit 400 if I drained the battery to 0%. The elevation change was probably around 650 feet at maximum.

Nweke Simon said:

Can a chevy Bolt driving return from a journey with full battery as a result of the regenerative breaking?

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If you’re talking about an overall return trip, this can’t be done due to physics. Even with a hypothetical regenerative brake with 100% efficiency, factors such as drag and rolling resistance make 100% energy recovery impossible. And the actual efficiency of the regenerative braking is about 70%.

However, if you went up to the top of a mountain and charged the car fully, then you may be able to return to the starting point with the battery still full if the road is steep enough. I’ve come down from a 2,300-foot mountain to nearly sea level on a 15-mile trip that had zero net power consumption.

"Can a chevy Bolt driving return from a journey with full battery as a result of the regenerative breaking?"

That would make it a kind of perpetual motion machine. So, no.

Seems to me the problem is finding out how far it could go without having to be towed to a charger when you find the limit.

Nweke Simon said:

Can a chevy Bolt driving return from a journey with full battery as a result of the regenerative braking?

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No, that would be a perpetual motion machine, which violates the laws of physics. Regen can only recover around 80% at most, but unless you start your trip at the top of a mountain and end your trip at the bottom, there's no way to have as much or more battery charge than what you start with. You simply don't regen often enough to gain that level of power back. Under most conditions, you're going to travel about 3.5 to 4.5 miles per kWh of battery capacity. There's zero way to return to a starting point without using up some of the battery energy

wesley said:

However, if you went up to the top of a mountain and charged the car fully, then you may be able to return to the starting point with the battery still full if the road is steep enough. I’ve come down from a 2,300-foot mountain to nearly sea level on a 15-mile trip that had zero net power consumption.

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Yeah, I think this is what the OP actually meant - can the battery be brought to 100% SoC through regeneration only.

Jerry Duke said:

I think I've seen posts here where an owner got 300 miles on one charge. I think his speed was like 45 mph in a flat state.

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I think 300 mi is quite realistic. I remember clocking 4.8 mi/kWh over 100+ miles in the "old" Bolt, so with the new battery - in theory - this should translate into 311 miles. But yes, you do need relatively flat terrain, a feather foot, speeds below 60 mph, warm weather, and AC off.

This is like people who have asked me if I could recharge by putting a wind turbine on the roof and spinning it while I drive. No. You lose more in efficiency than you gain in regen. TANSTAAFL.

"Can a chevy Bolt driving return from a journey with full battery as a result of the regenerative breaking?"

There are electric mining trucks that do this. They drive up a mountain empty, fill up with ore, then recharge on the way back down. The higher weight creates more energy than was used going up. So I guess you could drive to the top of a mountain, pick up four hitchhikers, then head back down ...

BrianFJones said:

"Can a chevy Bolt driving return from a journey with full battery as a result of the regenerative breaking?"

There are electric mining trucks that do this. They drive up a mountain empty, fill up with ore, then recharge on the way back down. The higher weight creates more energy than was used going up. So I guess you could drive to the top of a mountain, pick up four hitchhikers, then head back down ...

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I think to make it work the hitchhikers should be really corpulent, I'd say at least 1/4 of the weight of the Bolt with the driver .... 250 lbs. apiece. Or, have them push the car uphill

Nweke Simon said:

The chevy Bolt is rated 259 miles for a single charge.
My question is what is the highest real world mileage has a Bolt reached on a single charge?
Can a chevy Bolt driving return from a journey with full battery as a result of the regenerative braking?

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Nweke Simon said:

The chevy Bolt is rated 259 miles for a single charge.
My question is what is the highest real world mileage has a Bolt reached on a single charge?
Can a chevy Bolt driving return from a journey with full battery as a result of the regenerative braking?

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I drive exclusively city/suburban traffic, rarely getting over 40MPH, lots of coasting and regen. It's not unusual (new battery) to regularly get almost 6mi/Kwh in nice weather, with a full charge to 372 miles, highest it will read. After up to 27 miles, the GOM starts to drop, equaling 399 miles total. Slight grade changes make a difference. It's hypermiling, left over from olden days with ICE vehicles. This can only be done with a two footed style, with training the right ankle to delicately do the work on the right pedal only. It's also more gentle on the machinery. Worth a try, at least as an experiment.

Most range I ever got on my 2017 was 292 miles. Actual driving in late spring driving Uber..no ac no heat in city top speed around 45

Kbecker said:

This is like people who have asked me if I could recharge by putting a wind turbine on the roof and spinning it while I drive. No. You lose more in efficiency than you gain in regen. TANSTAAFL.

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But if you drive REAL slow and the wind is from the side or rear, conceptually, like a sailboat, this will work. Just be really careful when it comes time to tack.