2017 Aftermarket DCFC

[PKDutton]

Yes. I bought a used 2017 Bolt - and didn't realize it did not come with fast charge (rather, did not realize that it was even an option). I have seen posts as recent as 2020 indicating that there were no options (either through Chevy or third parties) for retrofitting the 2017 with fast charge capability. BUT, it is worth asking again. Does anyone know if this is being offered (Chevy or elsewhere). I was thinking that perhaps it would be easier to accomplish at the time of the recall battery replacements. But I suspect that is 'hopeful' thinking (at best). Please respond here with good news!

 

[cwerdna]

Never hear of anything that was financially viable. https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/adding-dcfc-after-purchase.29577/page-4#post-558305 is a place in Canada that could do it. The parts and labor would make it very expensive.

 

[BoltEV]

I’ve said this before: It’s criminal to offer a Bolt EV for sale without a DCFC charge port, especially without an affirmative declaration that the DCFC charging port is MISSING!

If it were me I would sue GM and the prior owner for rescission and/or the damages you must incur to purchase another Bolt EV with a DCFC port included.

This was all so GM could claim that the Bolt EV would sell for less than $30,000 (after the federal tax credit) back when they were first introduced.

 

[cwerdna]

Prior to and during the time Bolt was sold, there have been plenty of BEVs sold in the US where the DC FC inlet was optional.

Heck, there are some (that came after gen1 Leaf in Dec 2010) that couldn't be DC FCed at all (not even as an option) like the Fiat 500e, gen 2 Rav4 EV (others later developed JdeMO for it (https://qccharge.com/collections/jdemo-fast-charger)), 1st couple months of Spark EV, gen 1 Focus Electric, Smart ForTwo ED (both gens), Merc B-Class ED, Coda EV, Fit EV (lease only, CHAdeMO was on JDM versions but never on US ones), etc.

Of course, it DC FC inlet was optional on Leaf for many many years. From looking at Specs tab of https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/2022-nissan-leaf-press-kit and https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/2021-nissan-leaf-press-kit (search for quick), it looks like it finally came standard on US Leafs with '22 model year. Yes, I know some trims came with it (e.g. all '12 to '17 SL trims for US came with it). In some cases, you had to get a package to get it. On '11, you had to have SL AND pay more for the feature. On '12, you had to go SL and it came with it. On '13, it came w/SL and was optional on S and SV trims.

 

[BoltEV]

All of that history is a mere footnote to the complaint registered by the OP.

When the Bolt EV was released in December 2016, it became the only mass marketed long range EV (other than a Tesla), and hence the history of charging 80 mile range EVs is irrelevant.

The ONLY reason that GM made the DCFC port "optional" was the ability to market the Bolt EV as being available for "under $30,000 (after federal tax credit)" since its retail price was $37,495 and the federal tax credit for GM at that time was $7,500; and the DCFC was a $700 "option."

Everybody* who knew anything about EVs knew to order the optional DCFC. Those Bolt EVs without DCFCs were foisted on Chevy dealers whose only choice to sell these turkeys was to hope uninformed EV buyers would be persuaded by price without knowing what these EVs were missing.

This injustice continues into the used Bolt EV marketplace and quite honestly continues to give a "black eye**" to an otherwise fine EV that was years ahead of its time at release.

*I have only come across one Bolt EV owner on these forums, that claimed he purposely acquired his Bolt EV without a DCFC. He added that vehicle to his collection of 4 or 5 other ICEs and ultimately returned his Bolt EV at the end of his lease with less than 8,000 non-highway driven miles and did not replace it with another EV!

https://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9046&p=35083#p35083

That being said, no national automobile is designed around what features that one or two potential buyers do not want!

**Let us not forget that GM crushed every "drivable" electric EV-1 that they produced in the 1990s after they all were returned from lease only agreements:

https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/ev1-electric-car

 

[cwerdna]

All of that history is a mere footnote to the complaint registered by the OP.

When the Bolt EV was released in December 2016, it became the only mass marketed long range EV (other than a Tesla), and hence the history of charging 80 mile range EVs is irrelevant.
...

This injustice continues into the used Bolt EV marketplace and quite honestly continues to give a "black eye**" to an otherwise fine EV that was years ahead of its time at release.

*I have only come across one Bolt EV owner on these forums, that claimed he purposely acquired his Bolt EV without a DCFC. He added that vehicle to his collection of 4 or 5 other ICEs and ultimately returned his Bolt EV at the end of his lease with less than 8,000 non-highway driven miles and did not replace it with another EV!

I've seen plenty of folks between chevybolt.org and Bolt FB groups who knew they were getting Bolts w/o DC FC inlet, that it couldn't be added and were fine with it.

As for 80 mile range or whatever, Rav4 EV had got a 103 mile EPA range rating (https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=37067&id=39860&id=34425) but was AFAIK bit by the stupid 80%/100% averaging rule as it did better than 103 miles at 100% charge (but Toyota/Tesla didn't recommend that mode for regular use: http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=541#p541 and http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=25530#p25530). Leafs had CHAdeMO optional even until US '21 model year despite ~149 mile EPA range rating.

 

[BoltEV]

I'll bet dollars to donuts that the OP gets no satisfaction from your insistence on posting:

1) claims that "plenty of folks between chevybolt.org and Bolt FB groups who knew they were getting Bolts w/o DC FC inlet, that it couldn't be added and were fine with it"; and

2) discussions of historical charging of 80-100 mile range EVs such as the Spark EV, Rav4 and Leaf.

Repeating these claims just has no positive value to the OP's situation: He was fraudulently sold a Bolt EV without a DCFC!

While I enjoy your posts in general, you could be a bit more sympathetic to the OP's situation.

I'd like to know who sold it to the OP and see if we can start an internet "shaming" campaign of such activity*!?!

*Not actively disclosing that it was missing such an important feature for a 230 mile capacity EV.

 

[cwerdna]

I'll bet dollars to donuts that the OP gets no satisfaction from your insistence on posting:

1) claims that "plenty of folks between chevybolt.org and Bolt FB groups who knew they were getting Bolts w/o DC FC inlet, that it couldn't be added and were fine with it"; and

2) discussions of historical charging of 80-100 mile range EVs such as the Spark EV, Rav4 and Leaf.

Repeating these claims just has no positive value to the OP's situation: He was fraudulently sold a Bolt EV without a DCFC!

While I enjoy your posts in general, you could be a bit more sympathetic to the OP's situation.

I'd like to know who sold it to the OP and see if we can start an internet "shaming" campaign of such activity*!?!

*Not actively disclosing that it was missing such an important feature for a 230 mile capacity EV.

Maybe OP doesn't get satisfaction but:

2) IIRC, Chevy up thru model year '21 in the US has been selling Bolts with DC FC optional.

Nissan was doing the same in the US thru model year '18 to '21 on 149 - 151 mile EVs besides doing so earlier on EPA range 73 to 84 mile EVs. Numerous other automakers have sold BEVs in the US since Dec 2010 with either DC FCing optional or totally not available as an option.

I believe it was optional on the 62 mile range '12 and '13 i-MIEV (https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=31673&id=33358) before becoming standard on model year '14 (https://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/09/2014-mitsubishi-i-miev-now-available/).

As for "fraudulently", I'm not a lawyer but that sounds like a stretch. If it were written somewhere that it came with it and/or pics were supplied that were claiming the OP's vehicle had it when it actually didn't, then I'd agree.

The 230 mile EV can go much further on a charge than all of those other EVs I mentioned. I'm not clear that having 230 miles of range makes it "such an important feature". Why is it so much more important than on 62 to 151 mile range EVs? Many EV drivers have another car with either DC FCing, not as limited range or no range limits (e.g. ICEV).

I had a Leaf w/no CHAdeMO for 6 years. It was my primary car for less time (July 2015 to end of Jan 2019). That was coming from a leased Leaf with CHAdeMO for 2 years.

It also looks like the OP hasn't returned since their Feb 19 post.

 

[BoltEV]

The 230 mile EV can go much further on a charge than all of those other EVs I mentioned. I'm not clear that having 230 miles of range makes it "such an important feature". Why is it so much more important than on 62 to 151 mile range EVs? Many EV drivers have another car with either DC FCing, not as limited range or no range limits (e.g. ICEV).

I had a Leaf w/no CHAdeMO for 6 years. It was my primary car for less time (July 2015 to end of Jan 2019). That was coming from a leased Leaf with CHAdeMO for 2 years.

It also looks like the OP hasn't returned since their Feb 19 post.

If you do not see why an EV that has a 230 mile range* needs DCFC fast charging more than a 62 to 151 mile range EV; I am not sure I can ever explain it to your satisfaction.

You live in the SF Bay Area, let's say, San Mateo and you drive your Bolt EV down to Fresno often to visit one of your children in college, which is 182 miles. You stay overnight at a motel with a free L2 charger, and easily use the L2 charger to refill your battery for your drive home.

One day you make a business trip from San Mateo to Monterey, and you have no range anxiety to make it back home easily on one charge because the round trip is 200 miles.

But while you are in Monterey you discover that your child has been in an accident and now you only have 120 miles of charge left to go the 153 miles to Fresno.

Now you must wait 4-8 hours at an L2 charger somewhere along the way, because your Bolt EV does not have a DCFC charger, which would get you to Fresno only after a 90 minute or less charge stop.

I hope the OP has not returned to this forum because he took his Bolt EV missing a DCFC back to the dealer that sold it to him used, poured a can of gasoline on it and tossed in a match!

*AND we are all getting new batteries from GM that will give us 262 mile range! YaY!!!!!

 

[BoltEV]

Maybe OP doesn't get satisfaction but...

Just for giggles, does the 22 Niro EV offer the DCFC as an "option" or do all of them include it as a necessary feature to a modern day EV?

 

[cwerdna]

Maybe OP doesn't get satisfaction but...

Just for giggles, does the 22 Niro EV offer the DCFC as an "option" or do all of them include it as a necessary feature to a modern day EV?

It is standard on all US-market '22 Niro EV. I can't speak to past history.

I don't even remember this thread much since I don't visit this site much but since OP mentioned '17 Bolt, on '17 Leaf, DC FC inlet was optional. See specs tab of https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-f6fcf40f78a54118a8a01526272638f0-us-2017-nissan-leaf-press-kit. It was part of the charge package on the S trim.

Ditto for '18 Leaf and '19 Leaf , see specs tab of https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/release-77b5f147884a4439bd10c4d9207f2237-us-2018-nissan-leaf-press-kit and https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/us-2019-nissan-leaf-plus (not standard on non-Plus S).

https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/2020-nissan-leaf-press-kit - '20 Leaf, DC FC port also not standard on non-Plus S.
https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/releases/2021-nissan-leaf-press-kit - also not standard on '21 non-Plus S.

For your hypothetical situations listed in March, the answer is easy, don't take a BEV w/o DC FCing for that.

 

[BoltEV]

I am sorry you have decided to repeat all of your same claims as before.

So, I will repeat my responses:

In January, 2017, the Chevy Bolt EV was introduced as the ONLY car (other than a Tesla) with an EV driving range in excess of 200 miles per charge.

Before that; most EVs drove in the 80-100 mile range.

So the history of DCFC's before January, 2017 is irrelevant.

Even your Niro EV comes with a non-optional DCFC.

It was a mistake for GM to ever produce the Bolt EV without a DCFC, a mistake that, like the OP, others who are new to EVs and charging may be a very costly mistake for them!

 

[BoltEV]

Even your Niro EV comes with a non-optional DCFC.

The Era of abusing new to EV owners with new EVs without a built-in DCFC charger is over!

No manufacturer is making that mistake any more; not even GM:

https://www.chevrolet.com/electric/...p.ds&msclkid=5411eb38914e15eec07689d7efb8b425