[micantony]

Why cant you charge in Corpus Christie? only seems to be 160 miles. and just put on your flashers and hug the right lane if you need to slow down to 65; I get about 3.7 mi/kwh on highway at 70mph. While not the most convenient way to travel, seems doable with a DCFC stop in Corpus Christie (there appear to be 3 there? autonation, ed hicks and harley davidson) or long stop at L2.

 

[MichBolt]

...
I didn't think 173 miles would be a problem with it...

@jefro has the 80% software limitation installed, so it becomes a much closer call. If he had 100%, 172 miles wouldn't be a problem.

 

[CharleyTX]

Wow! I was expecting to see replies like ... "what's the big deal? Leave home with a full charge then re-charge once on the road at around 100 miles". Why isn't it that easy? No good DCFC options on the way ... only L2? If so, then why isn't it just one overnight stay?

I didn't buy a Bolt last year because it couldn't replace the full functionality of my #1 vehicle, but I didn't think 173 miles would be a problem with it. In fact, I was trying to convince a co-worker with a 144-mile round trip work commute to buy a Bolt. Did all the math for him, but he still went with a brand new VW Golf.

because not everyone handles range anxiety well. aka- stranded at the side of the road.

 

[Colt Hero]

@jefro has the 80% software limitation installed, so it becomes a much closer call. If he had 100%, 172 miles wouldn't be a problem.

Yeah, I saw that ... but it seems like OP is saying ... if he can't do it "straight through", he's not interested. I thought the book on the Bolt (for long trips) was: you left home with a full charge, then you were stopping every 100 miles after that to DCFC (because that was the most time-efficient way to do it).

So OK - you've initially got 80% instead of 100 leaving from home, but after that, it's the same ... isn't it ? (because few want to wait the extra time for the Battery to reach 80%)?

@CharleyTX : Sounds to me like the OP has more "time anxiety" than "range anxiety". When push comes to shove, the Bolt is really just a "commuter" to him ... which is how I saw it, too.

 

[enslay]

Sure, go for it. I did a 160 mile trip with the 80% limit recently. I left at 80% and arrived at 25% going to... and then left at 80% and arrived at 20% coming from.

I drove the speed limit and kept in the right lane with the slowest cars.

EDIT: Speed limits for me varied from 55 to 65 mph. Nothing higher than 65 in this state!

Here's my "going to" pictures

 

[jefro]

I was just asking for opinions and received a lot of valuable input.

I have to drive from Austin and then charge in San Antonio at some place. EA in SA or maybe a DC in Seguin. That is an easy leg. All sorts of chargers between the two. Again limited to 80% no matter.

The DC chargers in CC are not 24/7 and generally the place has a poor set of L2 available. I can charge at destination even if it's 5%. If I get there too late then I might have to try L2 before the coast.
The roads between SA and CC are higher speed traffic. I did a practice going there on the back roads off of I-37 twice to see if there was a simple 65 mph route.
I drive very fast on I-37 just to keep up with traffic. 85 is normal.

 

[enslay]

I was just asking for opinions and received a lot of valuable input.

I have to drive from Austin and then charge in San Antonio at some place. EA in SA or maybe a DC in Seguin. That is an easy leg. All sorts of chargers between the two. Again limited to 80% no matter.

The DC chargers in CC are not 24/7 and generally the place has a poor set of L2 available. I can charge at destination even if it's 5%. If I get there too late then I might have to try L2 before the coast.
The roads between SA and CC are higher speed traffic. I did a practice going there on the back roads off of I-37 twice to see if there was a simple 65 mph route.
I drive very fast on I-37 just to keep up with traffic. 85 is normal.

Any nice state roads you could drive instead? There won't be any chargers on them, but you won't need them... because you're not driving 85.

My drive involved mostly a US route and a state road. Although, this is a good route even for an ICE!

 

[Voldar]

Yeah, I saw that ... but it seems like OP is saying ... if he can't do it "straight through", he's not interested. I thought the book on the Bolt (for long trips) was: you left home with a full charge, then you were stopping every 100 miles after that to DCFC (because that was the most time-efficient way to do it).

So OK - you've initially got 80% instead of 100 leaving from home, but after that, it's the same ... isn't it ? (because few want to wait the extra time for the Battery to reach 80%)?

@CharleyTX : Sounds to me like the OP has more "time anxiety" than "range anxiety". When push comes to shove, the Bolt is really just a "commuter" to him ... which is how I saw it, too.

In a nutshell, you are right. The first leg you go 100% to 10% till first charger then you do 100-120 miles legs charging from 10% to 60-65%.
But … yes, there is a BUT … in US it’s considered "road hazard" if you don’t go "speed limit". Going 5 mph bellow the speed limit is viewed as being an eunuch. At least from what I see here on this site.
While here, in Canada, I see a lot of ICEV going 95 km/h on a 100 km/h speed limit (and you can go 119 km/h before you are fined). Looks like all is about the looks and the "what the others think" instead of practicability. The min speed on highways here is 60 km/h.

 

[GeneL]

I drive long distances in Texas in my Bolt, mostly Blanco to Galveston but also Blanco to Athens (doing that this weekend). Those routes have better DCFC than this one. (Though I depend on Level 1 charging at my Mother-in-law's to get home from Athens.) At high speed I get about 3.4 to 3.6 with the AC on. (I drive 80 on the part of the Galveston trip on TX HW 71 from Bastrop to Columbus.)

I would call ahead to the places with DCFC in Corpus and make sure you could use them. If spending the night just find a hotel with a level 2; there are a lot of them.

I ran it on ABRP. I have the speed set to 110% of the speed limit and 75 mph max. I have the efficiency set to 3.8 M/kWh at 65 MPH, which is about what I get with AC set on about 74.

If you charge in Seguin to 80% and go down 181 its 2 hours and 7 minutes for 143 miles and you get to Corpus with 17%. Seems reasonable to me. With those same settings going down 37 is still 2 hours and 7 minutes for 151 miles but you only end up with 12%. Not as happy about 12%.

If I up the max speed to 85 it costs just one percent on the 181 route. But is killer on 37 getting you there with just 5% and only saves 9 minutes.

I think you can make it and have just a little cushion. But, this thread has convinced me that I will not get that software update.

EDIT: I would prefer the 181 route myself, its prettier and more relaxed. Also I prefer Port Aransas to Corpus, but to each their own.

 

[Inteliquest]

Since all our use is local, we run 70-75 the rare times when on the freeway, use full HVAC as needed in six months of winter and our five year average is dead on the 3.5 predicted.

jack vines

that is a good average Jack.... When I get my 20% back I will be more adventurous LOL

 

[Colt Hero]

While here, in Canada, I see a lot of ICEV going 95 km/h on a 100 km/h speed limit (and you can go 119 km/h before you are fined). The min speed on highways here is 60 km/h.

Wait! In miles-per-hour figures, Canadian rules would allow me (in the U.S.) to drive 12 mph over the speed limit before I'd get fined?

That may very well be the case in the U.S., too, but I wouldn't risk it down here. Seems like "10" is the magic number, so I usually only go about 7 over the posted Speed Limit to be safe.

If they really give you 12 up there then I'd say they're very generous!

And the minimum speed on highways in Canada is only 60 km/h??? That's less than 40 mph !! That's crazy S-L-O-W!

What is Canada's definition of a "highway"? I hope it's not the equivalent of an "Interstate" in the U.S. because if you drive that slow down here on an Interstate you're going to cause a multi-vehicle pileup!

 

[Voldar]

Wait! In miles-per-hour figures, Canadian rules would allow me (in the U.S.) to drive 12 mph over the speed limit before I'd get fined?

That may very well be the case in the U.S., too, but I wouldn't risk it down here. Seems like "10" is the magic number, so I usually only go about 7 over the posted Speed Limit to be safe.

If they really give you 12 up there then I'd say they're very generous!

And the minimum speed on highways in Canada is only 60 km/h??? That's less than 40 mph !! That's crazy S-L-O-W!

What is Canada's definition of a "highway"? I hope it's not the equivalent of an "Interstate" in the U.S. because if you drive that slow down here on an Interstate you're going to cause a multi-vehicle pileup!

In Canada, a highway is most times considered a road that has a "green barrier" between the lanes of opposite directions and it has at least 2 lanes per direction. In the layman's terms, on a highway, a frontal collision can't happen unless the car crosses about 10-15 meters or more of grass.
And yes, the speed limit (Quebec) is 100 km/h = 62 mph, the speed over which you get a fine is 119 km/h = 73 mph. Once you are going 120 km/h (74 mph), you have the right to pay a fine. The minimum speed allowed is 60 km/h = 37 mph. No one is going this speed unless the road/traffic conditions/weather don't allow higher speeds.
There are talks about moving the speed limit from 100 km/h to 110 km/h = 68 mph (as they did in Ontario), but then, it's a little unknow if the 119 km/h (73 mph) rule rests the same. As far as I've seen while driving on Ontario highways, it looks like the 120 km/h is giving you the right of a nice juicy fine.
P.S. The reality is that the police can always change the rule for fines and give you a fine once you are driving 101 km/h. But it doesn't happen too often and there are usually announcements in the press about this "reinforced" driving condition.
P.S. The use of radar detectors (anti-radar devices) is forbinden and punished by the law.

 

[Voldar]

What is Canada's definition of a "highway"? I hope it's not the equivalent of an "Interstate" in the U.S. because if you drive that slow down here on an Interstate you're going to cause a multi-vehicle pileup!

What's here for you? Besides some bible-belt states (and surroundings), as far as I know, mostly have 65 mph speed limits on the highways.

 

[jefro]

Tx DOT has listings for almost all the roads on some web site. I have taken 181 a few times. Pretty nice road. Maybe 65-70 plus speeders. Few slower towns.

I've taken a few back ways from Seguin. Pioneer BBQ in Nixon was one good stop if they are open. Even those roads were fast and one lane. I don't mine being a slow poke in two lanes.

If the AC guy can finish Monday I can poke along going back Tuesday. If he doesn't finish until Tuesday 8 PM then I will be hard pressed to get back to work Wednesday and awake. Not sure why, no one else is awake there.

Maybe I'll try it and report. I have a 16A charger there and I'll bring OEM 120V.

There is supposed to be a EA charger off I-10 that would add just enough to be more less worried.

 

[GeneL]

There is supposed to be a EA charger off I-10 that would add just enough to be more less worried.

I don't know of an EA charger other than the one in SA, the next one east is Columbus (I use it a lot) the next west is in Junction. I think the one in SA is in an awful location and I have never used it. Plugshare shows two in/near Seguin both run by GVEC. Right now comments on Plugshare say one is broken. The other is a little out of the way. That's not a feel good situation.

Boy looking at it a little closer, the charging situation is pretty bad south of SA until you get to Corpus.

Let us know what you do.

 

[jefro]

I scouted Seguin, TX charger last year on my test run before all the other issues and 80%. It looked brand new and in front of the offices. Could detour back to SA I guess if the other one doesn't work. Plenty of chargers along I-35.

I hope to retire in a year or less and would love to putter around using electrons.

 

[usedBolt]

or if it is all down hill.... then you could do it.... LOL

And (after doing a refill at the destination) stop twice on the way back ... uphill.

I did a 120 miles (1-way) trip to the Bay Area with the old battery. Started at near 100% (turned off Hilltop Reserve before charging at home) and made it with about 60 miles left on the GOM and the SOC display at about 1/4. Mostly downhill but with a headwind or quartering crosswind most of the way. Held it to 65 max, in the slow lane with about 1/2 of the trucks passing me (let's not talk about the rest of the traffic). Only had time to charge up to 80% at the destination (took about 45 minutes at a EVGo, while I got and ate lunch then sipped some coffee), so range anxiety bit and I spent about 1/2 hour at another EVGo not quite halfway home after negotiating the coastal hills and running down to about 1/2 on the SoC. Probably could have made it, because the traffic mostly congealed a short time later and stayed that way for the next 50 miles (kicked the consumption down to well over 4 miles/kwh even with a/c running).

 

[Inteliquest]

And (after doing a refill at the destination) stop twice on the way back ... uphill.

I did a 120 miles (1-way) trip to the Bay Area with the old battery. Started at near 100% (turned off Hilltop Reserve before charging at home) and made it with about 60 miles left on the GOM and the SOC display at about 1/4. Mostly downhill but with a headwind or quartering crosswind most of the way. Held it to 65 max, in the slow lane with about 1/2 of the trucks passing me (let's not talk about the rest of the traffic). Only had time to charge up to 80% at the destination (took about 45 minutes at a EVGo, while I got and ate lunch then sipped some coffee), so range anxiety bit and I spent about 1/2 hour at another EVGo not quite halfway home after negotiating the coastal hills and running down to about 1/2 on the SoC. Probably could have made it, because the traffic mostly congealed a short time later and stayed that way for the next 50 miles (kicked the consumption down to well over 4 miles/kwh even with a/c running).

Yea, I left that "leg" off my reply... LOL I so wish that some of these "Gas station franchises" would smell the Coffee and start putting some DCFC chargers in to help out... it is just money in the bank long term.... maybe not that long if they visit the C store .... maybe even get a Restaurant or two to partner up that are close or a Mall.... I would be all over this!!

 

[GeneL]

stop twice on the way back

The problem is there is no second stop on the way back. There is a charger at his starting point and his destination. No DCFC in between.

 

[martinknutson]

I scouted that charger last year on my test run before all the other issues and 80%. It looked brand new and in front of the offices. Could detour back to SA I guess if the other one doesn't work. Plenty of chargers along I-35.

I hope to retire in a year or less and would love to putter around using electrons.

How about an RV park? I see one in Emerald Hill. A 2 hour stop would get you more than enough to get you to Corpus. On the way back, I see one in Whitsett.