EV Trip Reports

As the title suggests, this section is devoted to our experience driving an electric vehicle (EV). In late 2014, we leased a Nissan Leaf, a mass-market EV with an official range of 84 miles. In late 2016 we bought a 2017 Chevy Volt. When the lease expired on the Nissan Leaf in the fall of 2017 we leased a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV. We sold the Volt in the spring of 2018 when we downsized to one vehicle. We now drive electric only. In the fall of 2020 we returned the Bolt to GM at the end of the lease and bought a 2020 Bolt.

Rtemagicc Bakersfield To Santa Cruz Via Paso Robles And Prunedale Route Jpg Jpg

Bakersfield to Santa Cruz via the San Andreas Fault

By

Paul Gipe

And why not? The San Andreas Fault is one of California’s defining features and it was on the way, so why not drive a winding portion of it in our sporty Chevy Bolt EV.

What we learned on the Electric Road Trip

By

David Ferris

After two crazy months, we’re done. The reporters of E&E News have completed the Electric Road Trip, an 8,000-mile journey in an electric car and an investigation into how electric transportation will change America. What did we learn?

Hwy 99 Route From Bakesfield To Chico, California: 5.45 Drive Time.

Problem Free 730-mile Roundtrip in a Chevy Bolt

By

Paul Gipe

We’ve been driving electric for five years and we’ve seen tremendous improvement in both the cars and the charging network in that time. This trip was proof of that. Everything worked as expected. There were no surprises. We drove to where we wanted and returned–without drama.

Rtemagicc Bakersfield To Santa Cruz Via Paso Robles And Return Jpg Jpg

When it doesn’t go Right–Plan B Charging of a Chevy Bolt EV

By

Paul Gipe

Experienced EV drivers always have a Plan B for charging on the road, and for good reason. Charging network reliability, especially for non-Tesla EVs, can be spotty at best even in “green” California. We found this out–again–on a recent 500-mile round trip to the coast.

Charging Our Chevy Bolt Ev At The Marigold Center In San Luis Obispo, California.

Familiarity brings Confidence–300-Mile Day Trip in an EV on a Whim

By

Paul Gipe

My wife Nancy’s friend Virginia was visiting. Virginia has a relative she hadn’t seen in many years on California’s central coast in Arroyo Grande. We have a friend in adjoining Grover Beach. The two coastal towns are about 150 miles from Bakersfield. Nancy asked if we could make a day-trip to the coast in our 2017 Chevy Bolt. “Sure,” I said and I jumped at the chance to test the Bolt on a spontaneous day trip outside its 238-mile range.

Table Of Actual Route To And From Death Valley Np And Not The Route That We Had Planned.

Is “A Better Routeplanner” Better? A Review for the Bolt

By

Paul Gipe

There are four route planners I’ve used for planning trips in our Chevy Bolt. I’ve reported on my experience with EV Trip Planner, Green Race, and Chevy’s own Energy Assist App. The first two are found on the web, the latter is available only as a smart phone app. The fourth is boldly titled A Better Routeplanner (ABRP) and it too is available with a web interface. They all work to a degree. The question is–for us non-Tesla drivers–what works best.