Articles about Chevy’s Bolt
We’re now on our second Chevy Bolt and as a result I’ve written a lot about the Bolt. In addition there has been a number of news stories about the Bolt and GM’s on and off again plans to produce the car in the future. I am assembling the articles here for my friends, colleagues, and family members who drive a Bolt.
Range Anxiety–Not Just for Drivers of EVs
By
Paul Gipe
Surprise. Surprise. Range anxiety isn’t the sole province of EVs and their drivers. This hadn’t occurred to me before this weekend, but should have. I nearly ran out of gas in the middle of South Dakota—at night—once some fifty years ago driving a VW bug. I still remember the experience vividly to this day.
Has GM Used Over-the-Air Updates on Chevy Bolt Safety Recall?
By
Paul Gipe
I was told they did when I took my 2020 Bolt EV in for a diagnostic check of its traction battery. It was a shock to me, particularly after a GM “concierge” staffer told me they didn’t do that when I talked to them before I took the car in. The concierge also told me that I could refuse the safety recall software that limited the usable capacity of the Bolt’s battery by 20%.
Covid Escape: Our Final (We Thought) Pandemic Excursion—1,700 miles in an EV
By
Paul Gipe
At the end of this past summer it looked like the pandemic was finally winding down. In celebration, we planned a two-week excursion to Northern California and Southern Oregon in October to see family and friends we haven’t seen in nearly two years. We were vaxxed, boosted, and raring to go. The state of California had finally—after many delays—installed a slew of new DC Fast Charge stations, Electrify America had opened more of their Diesel-gate stations, and the weather was good. It was time to hit the proverbial road.
Winter Range Loss (or Not) Chevy Bolt EV in Bakersfield California
By
Paul Gipe
Recently I fielded a query from friend seeking comment on a widely circulated article by Recurrent on winter range loss in EVs. The implication of the query was that this somehow implies that EVs are not suitable in the winter. Worse, that if you like to hike and explore the outdoors, you can’t use an EV because of winter range loss. In other words, keep driving that low-mileage Subaru or big SUV if you want to go skiing or hiking in the mountains during the winter.
Battery Degradation 2020 Bolt Relative to 2017 Bolt EV
By
Paul Gipe
With our Pandemic Peregrinations we’ve driven our 2020 Bolt EV far more during its first year of operation than we did our previous 2017 Bolt during its first year. We drove the 2020 Bolt about 50% more during its first year (~15,000 miles) than we did the first year of our 2017 Bolt (~10,000 miles). You’d think that we’d see more traction battery degradation as a result, but that’s not the case. In fact, we see less–about half less.
GM rolls out software update limiting Chevy Bolt EV charge to 80%, but removes parking restrictions
By
Fred Lambert
GM announced that it is starting to roll out a new software update to Chevy Bolt EVs as part of its recall due to battery fire risks. It will limit the state-of-charge to 80%, but it will remove other restrictions, like not being able to park inside garages.
