[Voldar]

Oh, I see how you read it. You read it the wrong. The GOM is being made more complicated than a word processor.

I see now what you are saying. For me the GOM is all you see in the DIC. Not only the numbers in the left. The GOM is also :

• the average number
• the battery gauge (in 5% increments)
• the trend lines
• the instant kW used

 

[enslay]

Thanks GOD for Microsoft writing software, because it helps me being payed big money ! You do know the "don’t panic before reboot", right ?

I know that GM isn't a software company and doesn't do the best job with software. Maybe that will change, but the GOM isn't the greatest example of their UI prowess when so many people are so confused when they hop into this car.

I see now what you are saying. For me the GOM is all you see in the DIC. Not only the numbers in the left. The GOM is also :

• the average number
• the battery gauge (in 5% increments)
• the trend lines

Yet somehow it confuses so many people. Jee... I wonder why. Must be presented to users in the wrong way or something. Guess we better annotate a picture of the DIC and GOM and put a snippet of a driver's manual on the forum.

EDIT: Having participated in MichBolt's thread with suggested GOM designs... it's definitely not an easy UI to design.

 

[Voldar]

GM, IMO, was the smartest of the bunch who made a GOM suited for all kind of people. They are the only company who presents an "enhanced" version of GOM, while everyone else is showing only a number and a %SOC.

IMO some people aren’t used to complicated things, so they should use the "Normal" mode: read the number and be done with it. And they should remember that when the battery gauge becomes orange, they should start looking to charge soon.

There are other people who understand the "enhanced" mode. Those should use it to its extent, because it has a lot of information.

BTW, go check the other EV (not BoLT EV) sites and you’ll see why the term "Guess-O-Meter" was invented.

 

[enslay]

GM, IMO, was the smartest of the bunch who made a GOM suited for all kind of people. They are the only company who present an "enhanced" version of GOM, while everyone else is showing only a number and a %SOC.

IMO some people aren’t used to complicated things, so they should use the "Normal" mode: read the number and be done with it. And they should remember that when the battery gauge becomes orange, they should start looking to charge soon.

There are other people who understand the "enhanced" mode. Those should use it to its extent, because it has a lot of information.

BTW, go check the other EV (not BoLT EV) sites and you’ll see why the term "Guess-O-Meter" was invented.

That very well might be true. The other car companies like VW and Ford seem to be worse at software!

This sounds pretty good:

Well, actually, that's exactly how Tesla treats it. When you enter a destination in the navigation it represents the SOC on arrival according to the terrain that will be covered, the projected usage of climate control, the driving style and a number of other factors. Only way you get to destination having deviated from that figure is if you accelerate like a crazy person at every light resulting in excess energy usage (or potentially if you drive to the mountain and encounter a 50 degree drop in temperature). Otherwise I tend to arrive at my destination with a higher % than predicted because I just love beating the computer 😬, and because the prediction on climate usage tends to be on the high side.

From my perspective, it's this type of data that's beneficial to novice EV drivers. It's clear, it's concrete and it leaves very little room for interpretation. I.e. 22% on arrival after a 2hr drive is based on what's ahead of you + data from how you drove prior.

But I've never used it and I've heard you describe it as more limited than Bolt's GOM. So I don't know what to believe w.r.t. to Tesla.

 

[Voldar]

Only way you get to destination having deviated from that figure is if you accelerate like a crazy person at every light resulting in excess energy usage (or potentially if you drive to the mountain and encounter a 50 degree drop in temperature).

This is true when in California. Not in Canada, in winter. Driving a Tesla in winter here means the estimated % SOC at arrival is 15-20% more optimistic than the reality. No need to drive like crazy or see a difference in temperature between the start and the end of the trip. Although this could very well happen and Tesla GOM sucks big time like every one else in these conditions.

 

[Voldar]

Apologies to those who would condemn me for not wanting a social relationship with my car or wanting to know much about it unless required.

You do know that a social relationship with a car is viewed as a blasphemy, right ? So why would you think someone would condemn you ? Continue using your car as you did in the last year and be done with it. My $0.02

P.S. Although it does seem you want to know more about the GOM, which has nothing to do with the relation mentioned above. Oh well, I hope you had your answer in the other thread that opened your eyes (and mind). What do you know !?! People learn something new every day, even when they don't expect and no matter the age.

 

[Voldar]

When in the morning we get into an ICE car and the fuel gauge says "full" we know there is gas in the tank up to the maximum the tank can hold.

When we get in an EV in the morning after charging all night and it tells us, based on driver habits, we only have three-fourths or less of "full range," it is not the same thing as a full tank of gas.

There is a problem with the exemple above. Why ? Here is why :

• When you get in your ICEV, the car fuel gauge says full. Full stop. Nothing about the miles you’ll be driving on that full tank. But, from my experience with an ICEV, the range is never the same. Because of the driving conditions, the road conditions, weather and so on.
• When you get in your EV, the battery gauge says also full but you also see a new information vs ICEV : how many miles you could drive based on the past driving conditions, weather etc. Same as the ICEV but now you have a number in front of you.

So, IMO, there is nothing different between the ICEV and the BEV, it’s only the disconnection between the two types of cars in the minds of the new BEV owners. They expect their BEV to always drive the EPA rating while they don’t expect the same from their ICEV. I can’t understand why, but maybe because there is a lack of information from before they bought their BEV.

 

[cwerdna]

I haven't time to read nor comment on this (let alone much interest) but I still stand by what I've pointed to at 2013 SL - Range Dropped quickly - My Nissan Leaf Forum before when it comes to GOMs. It's true of Leaf, Bolt and Niro EV. Had Leafs spanning end of July 2013 to mid-2021, Bolt from end of Jan 2019 to end of Jan 2022 and now '22 Niro EV.

 

[shocker]

This is true when in California. Not in Canada, in winter. Driving a Tesla in winter here means the estimated % SOC at arrival is 15-20% more optimistic than the reality. No need to drive like crazy or see a difference in temperature between the start and the end of the trip. Although this could very well happen and Tesla GOM sucks big time like every one else in these conditions.

It seems to be true enough in Michigan and Wisconsin.
I've driven a Y up and down mountains, hot and cold, and my rule-of-thumb is charge until SOC at the next charger is predicted to be at least 17%. Allows for variation from the forecast weather, detours, a wait in traffic. A few extra minutes at a Supercharger is better than a ride on a flat bed.
Saying that GM, Ford, etc. aren't software companies or are bad at writing software is a 21st century death sentence.

 

[Dark-Fx]

There is a problem with the exemple above. Why ? Here is why :

• When you get in your ICEV, the car fuel gauge says full. Full stop. Nothing about the miles you’ll be driving on that full tank. But, from my experience with an ICEV, the range is never the same. Because of the driving conditions, the road conditions, weather and so on.
• When you get in your EV, the battery gauge says also full but you also see a new information vs ICEV : how many miles you could drive based on the past driving conditions, weather etc. Same as the ICEV but now you have a number in front of you.

So, IMO, there is nothing different between the ICEV and the BEV, it’s only the disconnection between the two types of cars in the minds of the new BEV owners. They expect their BEV to always drive the EPA rating while they don’t expect the same from their ICEV. I can’t understand why, but maybe because there is a lack of information from before they bought their BEV.

The availability of gas stations means people aren't thinking about the range they have left in an ICE nearly as much. The range left was available on all the ICEs I've owned in 20 years, but it's just not as important, and they generally aren't pushing the range number in your face as much when you purchase the vehicle either.

The difference in fueling is probably a big part of the confusion. With an ICE, most people stop when the low fuel light comes on, and generally the same amount of fuel goes into the tank every time. When you are charging overnight all the time in an EV, it's easy to not pay attention to the amount of energy you put in for the range that you drove the day before.

 

[finch4ever]

I agree the confusion comes from people switching from ICE to EV but keeping their ICE mentality. The abundance of gas stations and the short time it takes to fuel back up is what makes people NOT second guess the GOM and the accuracy on ICE cars. But now because of the nature of EV and the infrastructure around it (less abundance then gas), people are now questioning why is this GOM do not reflet the reality? Or why it's real time accuracy is not very accurate? But the thing is the ICE GOM isn't different. ICE car will also not always do the same mileage depending on the road conditions and driving habits.

Maybe when gas price will get super high, the average person will start calculating more and ajust their driving accordingly just like we do as EV drivers

 

[NortonCommando]

.... So if you have 16 bars SOC, that means 75%-80%.
You see this at DCFC all the time... EA will show, say 75% or 76% on its station screen, but your DIC shows 16 bars.

OK, so you want a car display to show single percentage points, would you also like a decimal point to get an even more accurate number?
And what will you do with that number?

The GOM and the trend lines are an active display of range, with fair accuracy, due the system knowing how you are using the car at the moment.
Having a display show 32.3% SOC doesn't really tell you much...

 

[OneEV]

It's not going to look very good for us by this weekend. 🥶

Yeah I'l most likely be on my Winter Range Rant by Saturday

(Below Zero again )

BTW.. I got 3.6miles/kWh the other day at 22 degrees back roads a steady 44 MPH using my PTC heater

 

[NortonCommando]

...Two of our most experienced Bolt forum members ended up stranded on the road... because the GOM UI sucks.

Or maybe it was the 'User Use' that sucked on those times. No amount of displays are going to help a driver that is running close if the driver doesn't act when it's close.
If I'm running close to 'Distance to Destination' (next charger) and what the GOM shows, I'll slow down and turn the heat down. In a moment or two the GOM number will trend to getting better.
If it's still close, slow down more and turn the heat down more.
You just have to start this Slow Down Process soon enough so you don't have to get the Tow Truck of Shame.

 

[enslay]

Or maybe it was the 'User Use' that sucked on those times. No amount of displays are going to help a driver that is running close if the driver doesn't act when it's close.
If I'm running close to 'Distance to Destination' (next charger) and what the GOM shows, I'll slow down and turn the heat down. In a moment or two the GOM number will trend to getting better.
If it's still close, slow down more and turn the heat down more.
You just have to start this Slow Down Process soon enough so you don't have to get the Tow Truck of Shame.

These were users like p7wang who have had their Bolts for years.

 

[enslay]

OK, so you want a car display to show single percentage points, would you also like a decimal point to get an even more accurate number?
And what will you do with that number?

The GOM and the trend lines are an active display of range, with fair accuracy, due the system knowing how you are using the car at the moment.
Having a display show 32.3% SOC doesn't really tell you much...

I want an instrument cluster that doesn't result in frequent posts like OP's. This is not asking for too much... people are going to be renting Bolts in Hertz eventually. Do you think they're going to read the manual to understand WTF the DIC or GOM is doing? No, it should just be self-explanatory like every other gas car out there.

 

[finch4ever]

I want an instrument cluster that doesn't result in frequent posts like OP's. This is not asking for too much... people are going to be renting Bolts in Hertz eventually. Do you think they're going to read the manual to understand WTF the DIC or GOM is doing? No, it should just be self-explanatory like every other gas car out there.

To understand any GOM you need to understand some physics. If everything is fed directly inside your throat you will not learn and understand (this is not directed to you). Of all GOM I've seen and compared I think GM nailed it on the bolt. People lack understanding the basics behind energy consumption

 

[NortonCommando]

These were users like p7wang who have had their Bolts for years.

Oh the Shame....
That's once.
Will they let it happen to themselves again? You know the saying....
(Now watch it happen to me... but I doubt it. I won't let it happen. It's not that hard to watch what's going on and plan ahead. That's what humans are good at!)

....WTF the DIC or GOM is doing? No, it should just be self-explanatory like every other gas car out there.

You mean a simple Full thru Empty gauge?
I think we have better tech than that now.

My '10 Prius has a GOM as one of the trip computer functions. It shows miles left to go on the tank. Would I trust it when beginning a long trip? NO.
And it's active also, like the Bolt's GOM. It will change as the trip progresses.

I think you went on about the GOM before, no?
So what's your great idea for a display that does a better job than the current GOM?

 

[usedBolt]

To understand any GOM you need to understand some physics. If everything is fed directly inside your throat you will not learn and understand (this is not directed to you). Of all GOM I've seen and compared I think GM nailed it on the bolt. People lack understanding the basics behind energy consumption

Lots of rentals (non-EV) have GOMs. I usually just ignore them, because I'd have to spend time I don't have trying to read the manual (if there even is one in the glove box) to figure out how to reset it. So it goes on registering fictitious miles-to-empty estimates based on the driving styles of the last dozen (hundred?) renters. Bolts at Hertz will be no different. Rarely, somebody will be interested enough to figure out the Vulcan Nerve Pinch needed to reset it. The rest of us will ignore it. I can read the declining bar graph and the miles in the trip odo (which is resettable with a hint how to in the DIC) to do my own miles-to-empty head calculation.

 

[finch4ever]

Lots of rentals (non-EV) have GOMs. I usually just ignore them, because I'd have to spend time I don't have trying to read the manual (if there even is one in the glove box) to figure out how to reset it. So it goes on registering fictitious miles-to-empty estimates based on the driving styles of the last dozen (hundred?) renters. Bolts at Hertz will be no different. Rarely, somebody will be interested enough to figure out the Vulcan Nerve Pinch needed to reset it. The rest of us will ignore it. I can read the declining bar graph and the miles in the trip odo (which is resettable with a hint how to in the DIC) to do my own miles-to-empty head calculation.

To make it clear I am not talking about the GOM functions and buttons, I am more talking about the GOM accuracy and why people post questions of how to interpret the numbers because they are not used to make the effort to understand the physics behind it. They just want the thing to be 100% accurate no matter what even if it never been that way even on ICE DIC or GOM