[Boltsport]

The dealer who sold me a new Bolt in PA a couple of weeks ago failed to check off "electric" for "fuel type" on the pink pre-registration form that went to PennDot. There was no place for the model Bolt--just "Chevrolet". A couple days ago, I got the the title, and it was incorrectly labeled "gasoline." I called PennDot and the dealer, told them of the problem, and the dealer is now correcting it with PennDot. So maybe I'll get the correct title soon. Note the VIN number was correct, and it identifies the car as the Bolt, but the Penndot people didn't recognize it.

I was more successful in filling out a $1500 rebate form on line for PennDot--with help on the phone from one of their rebate reps. That one included a copy of the Dealer invoice and proof of payment, which showed the model as the Bolt. The appllcation was accepted on line, and they said I'll get a check in 4-6 weeks. Apparently the rebate dept is in another world from the registration dept. I also managed to get a $50 rebate from my electric company, PECO.

I noticed on here some dealers offer free level 2 charging for their Bolt owners. My dealer gave the car a level 2 charge first time while I waited, but the salesman said the charger was not available for general charging. I think the problem might be the dealer just hasn't sold enough Bolts to consider it. Just happens to be dealer closest to me. Maybe I'll check other Chevvy dealers in the area. A Nissan dealer nearby offers level 2 charge for $5, and there is a level 2 available at a BMW dealer.

 

[wonderbolt]

Hi @Boltsport , dealership charging varies significantly around the u.s.

some dealerships put level 3 chargers inside and not accessible for customers others put them outside in free to use for anyone, same goes for level 2 chargers.

Your best bet is to use plugshare and check locations you might be interested in there first. When in doubt a call to the dealership is a good idea just to confirm.

Most level 2 chargers at hotels, public parks, restaurants, etc, around here are still all free.

Paying to charge in public is still currently the exception.

Have fun with your new Bolt, and I hope that you get the paperwork sorted out quickly...

 

[240vPlug]

Definitely something the dealer is responsible to correct. When you buy a car you pay the dealer fees to handle all of this stuff for you. If they fudge things up then they are on the hook to correct it with the proper government entity.

As for charging, it will probably vary from dealer to dealer. Some dealers seem to have no problem with owners plugging in to charge while others don't allow it. I am pretty sure the only requirement from Chevy is that they have the chargers installed and I don't think they are required to allow you to be able to use them on a regular basis for recharge. Do you plan to install a home charging station? Plug Share is the best app out there for finding public chargers as has been mentioned.

Congratulations on your new Bolt ...hope you have many miles of driving pleasure ahead of you.

 

[rlhammon]

Sorry to hear of your issues. For what it's worth my dealership put a lien on my purchase from a bank I didn't have a loan with. That was difficult to get corrected, because a bank can't issue you a lien release letter when they can't find a loan tied to the VIN apparently.

Hopefully this is the worst experience you have, as with me... once I was done with the dealer (and left my Google Review), things have been great.

 

[martinknutson]

Hi @Boltsport , dealership charging varies significantly around the u.s.

some dealerships put level 3 chargers inside and not accessible for customers others put them outside in free to use for anyone, same goes for level 2 chargers.

Your best bet is to use plugshare and check locations you might be interested in there first. When in doubt a call to the dealership is a good idea just to confirm.

Most level 2 chargers at hotels, public parks, restaurants, etc, around here are still all free.

Paying to charge in public is still currently the exception.

Have fun with your new Bolt, and I hope that you get the paperwork sorted out quickly...

That definitely varies with region. In the Monterey Bay area, public charging infrastructure was largely free, but in the last 18 months all the charging in city lots has been converted to pay. Most stores providing charging are for-pay, or very lightly subsidized. Hotels generally prefer you are a paying customer. Being California eco-nuts, the area has tons of EVs (mostly Bolts and M3s, but lots of Leafs (Leaves?) as well, and contention for the free charging became pretty bad. Now that it's not so free public charging is reasonably accessible. ICEing is pretty rare.

As has been discussed to death in other threads, free public charging is being killed by the popularity of EVs in any given region. People misuse free things, and charging for access is a way to help people behave like civilized humans.

If you have sufficient free charging in your area, that's super, but I recommend you have a plan for when that's no longer the case.