Hey everyone! Nice to meet you. Thanks to all who have contributed so much information and content to the forum, as it was instrumental in both my decision to buy a Bolt and making many of the decisions I have made with it so far.
Experience so far...
LOVE IT.
Long range: Been on one long trip from Montpelier, VT (where i live) to lake Winnipesaukee, NH and back. Used ABRP to confirm various routes and needed range to plan my trip and thankfully it was on the side of conservative. I ended the trip with plenty of charge to spare. We were very impressed with how quiet the car was even on the highway, how comfortable the drive was, and how good the climate control performed. I also gained an appreciation for how much fun it can be to go Wide Open Throttle! It's a total sleeper and i love it
The seats are definitely made for narrow frames, but i actually like a tight fit as it provides good support while cornering. I do wish there was better lumbar support, however. If others have figured out a way to bolster the lumbar region, let me know!
Driver Info Center I really like it and have it set to the nerdiest setting of course. I'm a data person by training so the more the better. Love the range estimates on the left along with feedback that tells you if you're beating the average or not. On the right i appreciate the raw KW for both output and regen. As far as i can tell this aspect is sought after by Tesla owners.
Media Center Really bummed that Chevy didn't provide more data and analysis. I absolutely blows my mind that i have to user the mychevy app to determine the State of Charge. I do really appreciate Android Auto however! It's fantastic and makes up for a lot of the deficiencies of the Chevy software. Would be pretty cool if a developer could extend the terrible chevy software with an android auto app. Other than that, the responsiveness is pretty lackluster. So unfortunate that Chevy doesn't adopt continuous delivery of features and enhancements like tesla. So beholden to old school waterfall delivery... (though it is reliable)
Safety Options I was hoping for a bit more to be honest. Lane keep feels like it misses the lines quite often. I haven't attempted emergency braking test, and i don't intend to. Does anyone else have experience with this?
Charging Obviously its a bummer that we can only charge at 50 KW. But in my case this car is likely too small to be a long distance driver. So as long as i can make a 300 mile journey, not a big deal to me. If i need to stop for 15 minutes at a DC fast charge, not a big deal. Though i do wish there was a better distribution of charging stations. Other than that i am charging level 2 at the local food coop for free while the wife and i go for a walk on the bike path and grocery shop. Or i just plug into the wall outlet. Overall, not actually much of an inconvenience. At some point i will likely step up to a level 2 charger at home. Green Mtn Power (Local electric utility) is willing to give one to me for free as long as they can turn it off remotely in peak demand scenarios (which i fully support). They are also trying to get regulatory approval to charge lower rates for EV charging!
Accessories
I bought this car outright and definitely intend to keep it for a long time. As such i have no issues investing in some aftermarket addons that make the experience that much better because i know i will have it for the long haul.
Trailer Hitch and Bike Rack
I have been mountain biking for the better part of 20 years and it's something i do about three times a week, usually jumping in the car to go join my buddies. So i invested in the Drawtite, which literally took 20-30 minutes to install. Easiest hitch i have ever installed! only cost about $130 and is extremely discrete. The bike rack was bought when i owned my previous car (mini cooper) and is an american made fully aluminum bike rack manufactured by 1up USA. built like a brick Sh*t house and will likely be handed down to my kid's kids someday ;-) Only drawback is that the backup proximity sensors are obstructed by the rack when it's folded up. Oh well.
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Floor Mats I read a bunch about all the different options and what folks like and didn't about the various options. For me it came down to the fact that i needed them for Vermont winters, definitely wanted the vehicle specific molded type, and wasn't willing to pay an extra $100 for the rear seats which will rarely get used. So i went for the 3d Max Spider. Driver/passenger fonly or just under $100. They are amazing so far but time will tell. Love the way they look, and the fit is perfect. Biggest reason to go with them was i didnt have to buy the rear seat mat as well for ~$200 all in. Otherwise i probably would have opted for the tux mat because, well.... they are made in Canada and our neighbors to the north know road salt. As for the trunk. I could only find the chevy mat for around $100. I have a dog that fits perfectly in the back and he tends to bring in alot of dirt/mud/ etc. I ended up paying $30 for for a generic off amazon and taking ten minutes to trim it. Works perfect.
![29935]()
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Cell Phone
As mentioned above, I am a data nerd. Half the reason i bought an EV is because it feels like a digital version of a car. So of course i bought an OBD2 bluetooth adapter and Torque pro app. I wanted my phone front and center and so i have mounted a holder above the infotainment screen, and managed to snake a charging cable through the HVAC to keep things clean. The aukey phone holder i bought is junk and will be replaced (the ball joint is super loose and any bump will change the angle of articulation). The charging cable can be routed through the back of the dash by removing the glove box and drilling a small hole through the plastic housing of the vent (from the front). I plan on using torque pro to get my data displays. It's amazing how much is out there and many thanks to allev.info for the great work to mapping custom PIDs for the Bolt!! I plan to share my screens as time goes on.
![29937]()
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Well that's all i can think of for now.
Thanks for a being a great community everyone!!
Experience so far...
LOVE IT.
Long range: Been on one long trip from Montpelier, VT (where i live) to lake Winnipesaukee, NH and back. Used ABRP to confirm various routes and needed range to plan my trip and thankfully it was on the side of conservative. I ended the trip with plenty of charge to spare. We were very impressed with how quiet the car was even on the highway, how comfortable the drive was, and how good the climate control performed. I also gained an appreciation for how much fun it can be to go Wide Open Throttle! It's a total sleeper and i love it
The seats are definitely made for narrow frames, but i actually like a tight fit as it provides good support while cornering. I do wish there was better lumbar support, however. If others have figured out a way to bolster the lumbar region, let me know!
Driver Info Center I really like it and have it set to the nerdiest setting of course. I'm a data person by training so the more the better. Love the range estimates on the left along with feedback that tells you if you're beating the average or not. On the right i appreciate the raw KW for both output and regen. As far as i can tell this aspect is sought after by Tesla owners.
Media Center Really bummed that Chevy didn't provide more data and analysis. I absolutely blows my mind that i have to user the mychevy app to determine the State of Charge. I do really appreciate Android Auto however! It's fantastic and makes up for a lot of the deficiencies of the Chevy software. Would be pretty cool if a developer could extend the terrible chevy software with an android auto app. Other than that, the responsiveness is pretty lackluster. So unfortunate that Chevy doesn't adopt continuous delivery of features and enhancements like tesla. So beholden to old school waterfall delivery... (though it is reliable)
Safety Options I was hoping for a bit more to be honest. Lane keep feels like it misses the lines quite often. I haven't attempted emergency braking test, and i don't intend to. Does anyone else have experience with this?
Charging Obviously its a bummer that we can only charge at 50 KW. But in my case this car is likely too small to be a long distance driver. So as long as i can make a 300 mile journey, not a big deal to me. If i need to stop for 15 minutes at a DC fast charge, not a big deal. Though i do wish there was a better distribution of charging stations. Other than that i am charging level 2 at the local food coop for free while the wife and i go for a walk on the bike path and grocery shop. Or i just plug into the wall outlet. Overall, not actually much of an inconvenience. At some point i will likely step up to a level 2 charger at home. Green Mtn Power (Local electric utility) is willing to give one to me for free as long as they can turn it off remotely in peak demand scenarios (which i fully support). They are also trying to get regulatory approval to charge lower rates for EV charging!
Accessories
I bought this car outright and definitely intend to keep it for a long time. As such i have no issues investing in some aftermarket addons that make the experience that much better because i know i will have it for the long haul.
Trailer Hitch and Bike Rack
I have been mountain biking for the better part of 20 years and it's something i do about three times a week, usually jumping in the car to go join my buddies. So i invested in the Drawtite, which literally took 20-30 minutes to install. Easiest hitch i have ever installed! only cost about $130 and is extremely discrete. The bike rack was bought when i owned my previous car (mini cooper) and is an american made fully aluminum bike rack manufactured by 1up USA. built like a brick Sh*t house and will likely be handed down to my kid's kids someday ;-) Only drawback is that the backup proximity sensors are obstructed by the rack when it's folded up. Oh well.
Floor Mats I read a bunch about all the different options and what folks like and didn't about the various options. For me it came down to the fact that i needed them for Vermont winters, definitely wanted the vehicle specific molded type, and wasn't willing to pay an extra $100 for the rear seats which will rarely get used. So i went for the 3d Max Spider. Driver/passenger fonly or just under $100. They are amazing so far but time will tell. Love the way they look, and the fit is perfect. Biggest reason to go with them was i didnt have to buy the rear seat mat as well for ~$200 all in. Otherwise i probably would have opted for the tux mat because, well.... they are made in Canada and our neighbors to the north know road salt. As for the trunk. I could only find the chevy mat for around $100. I have a dog that fits perfectly in the back and he tends to bring in alot of dirt/mud/ etc. I ended up paying $30 for for a generic off amazon and taking ten minutes to trim it. Works perfect.
Cell Phone
As mentioned above, I am a data nerd. Half the reason i bought an EV is because it feels like a digital version of a car. So of course i bought an OBD2 bluetooth adapter and Torque pro app. I wanted my phone front and center and so i have mounted a holder above the infotainment screen, and managed to snake a charging cable through the HVAC to keep things clean. The aukey phone holder i bought is junk and will be replaced (the ball joint is super loose and any bump will change the angle of articulation). The charging cable can be routed through the back of the dash by removing the glove box and drilling a small hole through the plastic housing of the vent (from the front). I plan on using torque pro to get my data displays. It's amazing how much is out there and many thanks to allev.info for the great work to mapping custom PIDs for the Bolt!! I plan to share my screens as time goes on.
Well that's all i can think of for now.
Thanks for a being a great community everyone!!
