[Boltsport]

Hi-- Posted my first post in another thread, but decided to post an intro here.

I'm a retired scientist, have owned two Priuses the last eleven years. Decided with all the Bolt incentives and rebates right now it was time to take a step up from Prius. And indeed the Bolt is a step up.

I got a great deal in trade for a Prius. Low miles, since I don't drive much.

I have a white basic model Bolt with the DC fast charge and comfort/convenience options.

One thing I noticed driving home in the Regen (L)mode , basically one pedal driving, was that my battery life actually increased--from 187 miles to 191 miles (!) at the end of the trip. The kinetic energy generated was enough to charge the battery. What's the experience here?

I have the 120v charger on in my garage now, which is about finished charging after about 7 hours to about 237 miles. About 6 kwh/hr.
I figure with my driving, 4K miles per year, I can keep the the battery topped off by charging overnight with the 120V charger.

 

[XJ12]

One thing I noticed driving home in the Regen (L)mode , basically one pedal driving, was that my battery life actually increased--from 187 miles to 191 miles (!) at the end of the trip. The kinetic energy generated was enough to charge the battery. What's the experience here?

Again, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new Bolt! The guess-o-meter (GOM) is based on previous driving history and updates as you drive. Since you're a conservative driver with better efficiency than the factory default (or previous test driver(s)), the GOM makes adjustments on the fly. Hence the increase in predicted miles left.

 

[Packard V8]

Welcome to the forum.

And yes, the Bolt is a giant step up from the early Prius.

And yes, with your needs, the 120-volt unit will keep you within your needs envelope.

jack vines

 

[The Other Tom]

The amount of regen charging depends on how much "downhill" driving or "coasting" you do. We recently drove down a mountain, elevation 7000 feet to around 2000 feet. At one point I drove for 30 miles but the GOM range increased by 60 miles. Of course it was a lot different going up the mountain

 

[GJETSON]

I have the 120v charger on in my garage now, which is about finished charging after about 7 hours to about 237 miles. About 6 kwh/hr.
I figure with my driving, 4K miles per year, I can keep the the battery topped off by charging overnight with the 120V charger.

One pedal driving in L is the best driving experience anyone will ever have.

Since you don't drive very far, set the battery to charge to 80%. Charging to 100% will be pointless, and increase battery deterioration. People will quibble about how much, how soon, but it is still a fact with all lithium ion batteries in use today.

 

[GregBrew]

Hi-- Posted my first post in another thread, but decided to post an intro here.

I'm a retired scientist, have owned two Priuses the last eleven years. Decided with all the Bolt incentives and rebates right now it was time to take a step up from Prius. And indeed the Bolt is a step up.

I got a great deal in trade for a Prius. Low miles, since I don't drive much.

I have a white basic model Bolt with the DC fast charge and comfort/convenience options.

One thing I noticed driving home in the Regen (L)mode , basically one pedal driving, was that my battery life actually increased--from 187 miles to 191 miles (!) at the end of the trip. The kinetic energy generated was enough to charge the battery. What's the experience here?

I have the 120v charger on in my garage now, which is about finished charging after about 7 hours to about 237 miles. About 6 kwh/hr.
I figure with my driving, 4K miles per year, I can keep the the battery topped off by charging overnight with the 120V charger.

If you haven't lurked here much, you may not be aware that the included OEM L1 EVSE is capable of running on 240V AC. This will give you a 12A x 240V = 2.88kW charge rate...or twice the rate as 120V at 12A. The internals are the same as the units supplied with the European Bolts. You'll need to either change the plug on the OEM EVSE, or get/make adapters. Modifying the plug will void the warranty on the EVSE, and eliminate the high temperature cutoff thermocouple in the existing 5-15P.

 

[ChesterCounty]

Greetings from a fellow PA Bolt owner.

 

[Boltsport]

Hi-- Posted my first post in another thread, but decided to post an intro here.

I'm a retired scientist, have owned two Priuses the last eleven years. Decided with all the Bolt incentives and rebates right now it was time to take a step up from Prius. And indeed the Bolt is a step up.

I got a great deal in trade for a Prius. Low miles, since I don't drive much.

I have a white basic model Bolt with the DC fast charge and comfort/convenience options.

One thing I noticed driving home in the Regen (L)mode , basically one pedal driving, was that my battery life actually increased--from 187 miles to 191 miles (!) at the end of the trip. The kinetic energy generated was enough to charge the battery. What's the experience here?

I have the 120v charger on in my garage now, which is about finished charging after about 7 hours to about 237 miles. About 6 kwh/hr.
I figure with my driving, 4K miles per year, I can keep the the battery topped off by charging overnight with the 120V charger.

Thanks for your responses, and the greetings.

I have a couple of questions. First, what happens when you get stuck in a traffic jam?
You sit there for 10-15 minutes. In the Prius, battery power decreases to a low level which turns on the gas engine and recharges it. What happens with the Bolt? Does the lithium ion battery weaken on sitting in traffic?
In the L position? I asked a mechanic about that at the dealer today, and he said the Bolt battery discharges so slowly you hardly notice. What is the experience?

Second, when you turn off the ignition, the energy setting reverts to the 8 amp 120V house setting automatically, to use the standard charger the car comes with. I top off the battery almost every night with it. But if you fast change at a charge point station, do you have to change the energy setting, or does it do it automatically? Is it more expensive per kwh to fast charge than the 120V charge? I calculated the cost savings of my house charging at 12.5 cents per kwh vs my Prius at 50 mpg, $3 gas, and it came out a factor of 2 cheaper for house charging the Bolt vs the gas Prius. I would guess fast charging is more expensive.
Thanks.

 

[PhilBo]

Sitting in traffic with no heat or A/C on consumes very little energy, about 1kw.
The setting of 8 or 12 amp using 120V charging is separate from level 2 and 3 (DCFC) so no, there is no setting to change or set. The car automatically sets the charge level for you.
It is more expensive to use a DCFC station than home charging.

 

[Boltsport]

Sitting in traffic with no heat or A/C on consumes very little energy, about 1kw.
The setting of 8 or 12 amp using 120V charging is separate from level 2 and 3 (DCFC) so no, there is no setting to change or set. The car automatically sets the charge level for you.
It is more expensive to use a DCFC station than home charging.

You mean if you go to a level 2 station, and you have previously charged level 1 at home, the car automatically switches to level 2 at the station? You don't have to do anything with the energy settings? And then automatically back to level 1 when you get home?

 

[PhilBo]

That's correct. Only level 1 (120V) has settings for 8 or 12 amp. The level 2 and DCFC have no settings to select or change so nothing "switches back" when you charge at home.

 

[Packard V8]

FWIW, many of us in the summer put our Bolt in Park, lock the door, ignore the beeps and run a quick in-and-out errand, coming back to a cool, quiet car. Sometimes there's not even a one mile drop in range.

jack vines

 

[Boltsport]

Driving in L around town, but haven't gone on highway yet in L. Can you maintain 60-65 mph by controlling accelerator pedal and transferring energy on road undulations? No need for cruise control? Also, when do those brake lights come on when you decelerate? Immediately, or below a certain car speed? Still confused about that.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

You can drive the top speed of the car in L, it really just re-maps the accelerator. I don't like to use L on the highway because a slight movement of my foot can cause the car to decelerate.

Brake lights seem to be linked to deceleration rate. They will come on on the highway or surface streets, depending on how quickly you are decelerating. Worth noting, below a certain speed (10 MPH or so), the car no longer decelerates fast enough to turn on the brake lights, even in L. So for that last little approach to a light or stop sign, you will not have brake lights on.