Bolt EV full website is live!

[user 387]

Chevy released the official Bolt EV website with configurator today: http://www.chevrolet.com/bolt-ev-electric-vehicle.html

 

[elpwr]

I've been waiting for that. Checking the Chevrolet site every day. This is the first chance to get an actual look at the three different interiors.

The ash gray/ceramic white is going to be beautiful. And I'm delighted to see the lighter gray carries through with the dash, door panels, carpeting and seat frames.

I'm sick of black interiors; or black interiors with tan or grey seats. I had to settle for that in my Model S but the Bolt is offering a wider and nicer color selection of interiors than Tesla. Every single Tesla model S has black carpet, black door sills, kick panels and pillar trim, black dashboard and steering wheel. Too much black!

 

[Geo]

Build and price your Bolt here :

http://www.chevrolet.com/bolt-ev-electric-vehicle/build-your-own.html#/trim

Lease prices aren't bad. I did a fully loaded Bolt and got a 15,000 mile lease for $338 with $5K down.

 

[user 387]

Build and price your Bolt here :

http://www.chevrolet.com/bolt-ev-electric-vehicle/build-your-own.html#/trim

Lease prices aren't bad. I did a fully loaded Bolt and got a 15,000 mile lease for $338 with $5K down.

So why do I get $459/mo with $4600 down with 15,000 miles/year? Either something is off or you specified a fully loaded LT (which is not fully loaded IMHO)?

 

[Michael1]

I did a fully loaded Bolt, LT, tint coat paint, wheel locks, Infotainment Package, Drive Confidence Package, $5000 down, 15,000 miles, and came up with $389/mo.

I also did a Camaro that was just under $40,000, and the lease was $442, so the Bolt lease is better.

 

[roundpeg]

Because they are taking your $7,500 federal tax credit and using it to inflate the residual.

 

[Anonymous]

Is the 110v charger that they offer in the configurator the only one that would come with the vehicle? Or would that be an extra one over and above one that would come with the vehicle? Seems weird that you could spec an EV without it coming with some sort of EVSE.

 

[devbolt]

Is the 110v charger that they offer in the configurator the only one that would come with the vehicle? Or would that be an extra one over and above one that would come with the vehicle? Seems weird that you could spec an EV without it coming with some sort of EVSE.

It's an extra one. They specifically list as a standard feature that it comes with a 120V charge cord.

 

[Merrick]

Does the Bolt come with a 240-volt charger in Canada (or in the USA), such as the one depicted in some of the Bolt media online?

If not, is it an option? Does it come with the Premier trim and not LT?

 

[fromport]

Does the Bolt come with a 240-volt charger in Canada (or in the USA), such as the one depicted in some of the Bolt media online?

If not, is it an option? Does it come with the Premier trim and not LT?

Afaik it will come only with a "trickle" charger: 12 amps @ 120 volt = 1.44 kW

There is a thread about EVSE's overe here :
http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4870

 

[SeanNelson]

Does the Bolt come with a 240-volt charger in Canada (or in the USA), such as the one depicted in some of the Bolt media online?

If not, is it an option? Does it come with the Premier trim and not LT?

Afaik it will come only with a "trickle" charger: 12 amps @ 120 volt = 1.44 kW

If it's the same EVSE that comes with the Chevy Volt then it's actually capable of 240V operation if you make an adapter for it - that doubles the power it can deliver at the same current rating.

 

[fromport]

If it's the same EVSE that comes with the Chevy Volt then it's actually capable of 240V operation if you make an adapter for it - that doubles the power it can deliver at the same current rating.

Didn't know, thanks for the info
thanks to movies like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdKD6pQwH_I
i was under the impression the standard charger is 120 volt only
Can you come up with a link how where they point out the adapter ?

 

[Merrick]

If it's the same EVSE that comes with the Chevy Volt then it's actually capable of 240V operation if you make an adapter for it - that doubles the power it can deliver at the same current rating.

Didn't know, thanks for the info
thanks to movies like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdKD6pQwH_I
i was under the impression the standard charger is 120 volt only
Can you come up with a link how where they point out the adapter ?

I inferred that the vehicle came with (either standard or as an option) a 240-volt charger based on the information provide on the vehicle's webpage: http://www.chevrolet.ca/bolt-ev-electric-vehicle.html

Specifically:

"The available 240-volt charging unit (professional installation required) is the fastest way to recharge your battery at home and offers more power than the standard 120-volt outlet. This higher-voltage system can provide a full charge in as little as 9.5 hours.4"

"4. When using the available 240-volt charging station and a 32-amp charge level. Professional installation required. Charge time may vary with temperature."

Also, the image of a charger: http://www.chevrolet.ca/content/che..._gal_item_c2_7bed.img_resize.img_stage._0.jpg

Furthermore, the (Canadian) dealership that I've been corresponding with sent me a "GM AutoBook" PDF for my order titled, "2017 Retail Chevrolet Bolt EV 5dr HB Premier 1FC48 - STANDARD EQUIPMENT". It states under the sub-heading "Standard Equipment: Mechanical":

• Charge cord, 120-volt, portable
• Provisions, fast charging accommodations
• Charger, 7.2 kW high-voltage

Based on that information, I believe that the vehicle comes with a 120-volt portable charge cord, DC charging ("fast charging accommodations") and a 240-volt, 30-amp, 7.2 kW high-voltage charger.

 

[wwhitney]

Based on that information, I believe that the vehicle comes with a 120-volt portable charge cord, DC charging ("fast charging accommodations") and a 240-volt, 30-amp, 7.2 kW high-voltage charger.

That is all correct. However, the word "charger" refers only to the electronics in the car that convert AC from the wall to DC for the battery; notice the distinction between "charger" and "charge cord/charging station".

So you will still need a separate 240-volt, 30-amp EVSE (charging station or charge cord) in order to provide electricity to the car at the full 7.2 kW capacity of the car's charger. The included 120V, 12A EVSE will only provide 1.44 kW of power to the car's charger.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Merrick]

Based on that information, I believe that the vehicle comes with a 120-volt portable charge cord, DC charging ("fast charging accommodations") and a 240-volt, 30-amp, 7.2 kW high-voltage charger.

That is all correct. However, the word "charger" refers only to the electronics in the car that convert AC from the wall to DC for the battery; notice the distinction between "charger" and "charge cord/charging station".

So you will still need a separate 240-volt, 30-amp EVSE (charging station or charge cord) in order to provide electricity to the car at the full 7.2 kW capacity of the car's charger. The included 120V, 12A EVSE will only provide 1.44 kW of power to the car's charger.

Cheers, Wayne

That was very helpful information. Thank you very much, Wayne.

 

[DucRider]

If it's the same EVSE that comes with the Chevy Volt then it's actually capable of 240V operation if you make an adapter for it - that doubles the power it can deliver at the same current rating.

No

The linked video is not an adapter, it is swapping out the internal board with one that is 240 capable. The EVSE that comes with the car is not 240 V capable - he just put one that was into the portable case.

DO NOT - under any circumstance - make an adapter plug and plug the stock unit into a 240 V outlet. At the very least, you'll let the magic smoke out.

And re: charger vs EVSE
I gave up trying to explain that a 120/240 V EVSE is not a "charger". In reality an EVSE is a "smart" extension cord with redundant safety features. The actual charging circuitry is indeed contained within the vehicle.

 

[devbolt]

I interpret

"The available 240-volt charging unit (professional installation required) is the fastest way to recharge your battery at home and offers more power than the standard 120-volt outlet. This higher-voltage system can provide a full charge in as little as 9.5 hours.4"

as meaning:

A 240V EVSE is an optional purchase available to the end user. This 240V EVSE has to be professionally installed. It does not come with the vehicle.

"4. When using the available 240-volt charging station and a 32-amp charge level. Professional installation required. Charge time may vary with temperature."

And this as:

A 240V charging station is an optional purchase for the vehicle owner. It provides the fastest at-home charging and should be professionally installed.

Basically whenever a manufacturer states that something is available, it means that it is not part of the standard equipment that the vehicle comes with. It's either a separate accessory or feature, is only available as part of a package, or is only included at a certain trim level.

 

[devbolt]

There are people who have made a business of modifying the original 120V EVSEs that come with a lot of EVs like the Volt/Leaf/Plug-in Prius/etc to work on both 120V as well as 240V. This requires opening the unit up and re-wiring parts of it to accommodate the higher voltage and amperage that is necessary. Not all EVSEs can be safely upgraded. Some can only be increased from the base rate of 1.44 kW to 2.288 kW (12A), while others could be increased all the way up to 3.8 kW (16A @240V). None of the units can be increased beyond 16A/3.84 kW.

Edited to note that certain 2013 to 2014 Nissan Leaf EVSEs could be upgraded to 20A @240V, but the majority are all 16A units.

 

[fromport]

There are people who have made a business of modifying the original 120V EVSEs that come with a lot of EVs like the Volt/Leaf/Plug-in Prius/etc to work on both 120V as well as 240V. This requires opening the unit up and re-wiring parts of it to accommodate the higher voltage and amperage that is necessary. Not all EVSEs can be safely upgraded. Some can only be increased from the base rate of 1.44 kW to 2.288 kW (12A), while others could be increased all the way up to 3.8 kW (16A @240V). None of the units can be increased beyond 16A/3.84 kW.

Edited to note that certain 2013 to 2014 Nissan Leaf EVSEs could be upgraded to 20A @240V, but the majority are all 16A units.

But they are not really J1772 compatible.
EG: It doesn't work on a tesla charger (tesla/toyota rav4ev/mercedes EV)

 

[SeanNelson]

If it's the same EVSE that comes with the Chevy Volt then it's actually capable of 240V operation if you make an adapter for it - that doubles the power it can deliver at the same current rating.

No

The linked video is not an adapter, it is swapping out the internal board with one that is 240 capable. The EVSE that comes with the car is not 240 V capable - he just put one that was into the portable case.

First of all, someone else linked that video, not me.

Secondly, the video talks about the Gen 1 Volt and the EVSE that came with it. That's not the EVSE I was referring to (and I should have made that more clear).

It's the EVSE that comes with the Gen 2 Volt (2016 and later models) that can be plugged into a 120V outlet or into a 240V outlet. You can't normally plug it into a 240V outlet because the plug is incompatible, but if you:

a) change the plug on the Gen 2 Volt's EVSE to a 240V plug, or
b) you change a 240V outlet to use a 120V socket, or
c) if you wire up your own 240V plug to 120V socket adapter,

...then you can plug the EVSE from a Gen 2 Volt into 240V and it will work just fine with no modifications. It only runs at 12 amps, but that's still double the power that you'd get from 120V.

Now there are all kinds of caveats regarding the wiring. It's very dangerous to have a 120V-style socket wired to a 240V circuit because if you plug any other 120V equipment into it then you're going to fry it. And similarly a homemade 240V-to-120V-socket adapter might also get abused in the same way. And if you swap the plug on the EVSE itself then you loose the built-in thermal cutoff feature that the original plug has.

Nonetheless, if the Bolt uses that same EVSE (and I believe I've seen a post that say it does) then the EVSE itself is both 120V and 240V capable. It's just a matter of figuring out how to get 240V into it.

See this thread on the Chevy Volt forum for details.