vaylen said:
No, I was not aware of that. I rented one from TURO for 4 days and loved it enough to get one, but I didn't manage to discover every feature the car had. That's good to hear, one less expensive feature to buy on the charger.
You can download a PDF copy of the owner's manual here :
https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2018/Chevrolet/Bolt/2018-chevrolet-bolt-ev-owners-manual.pdf
(It's a good thing to have, as you can search for things like 'delay' and find all mentions of delayed charging.)
Secondly, there are quite a few threads on EVSEs already spread around the site (brands, wants, needs, opinions, ...) but, in short :
-
it is claimed that the standard EVSE that ships with the Bolt can be run at 240V with no danger, and many on this site have done so (made a "240V-to-120V-socket" pigtail converter). This allows one to charge the Bolt at 12 amps @ 240V (~ 2.9 kW). Doing such a thing is dangerous in that if the 'pigtail' (e.g., "short extension cord") is used by unknowing party/parties for other devices, it can start a fire (plugging a 120V appliance into 240V). Some have advised both (1) adding a '
to be used with Bolt charger *only*' tag/sign to the pigtail, and (2) zip-tying it physically to the Bolt EVSE cord so that it can't "wander off" inadvertently. (I said "it is claimed that" because if you decide to do that and you have a problem, it is your fault, not mine ; I am not recommending it at all - I am lawyer-adverse.)
- Unless you plan on driving more than (say) 120 miles a day on multiple days now and then, OR plan on using your Bolt for "road trips" that exceed the range of the Bolt (and have no DCFC fast charging available), then having an EVSE that charges faster than 16A @ 240V really isn't
needed . I say
needed because you may still
want one (for, say, peace of mind - knowing that you CAN charge the battery at the max rate). a 10 hour charge at around 3.6 kW (16A) will put 36 kWh into the battery, or 140+ highway miles. If you have a public L2 charger a half mile from your house (like I do) then you could always plug the car in for 4-5 hours in the evening and get 6.6 kW (and a "half tank full") if needed.
- Some people really like having a portable 32A / 240V (7.6 kW) charger in the trunk "just in case" (or because they expect to use it). The most "useful" plug to have on such a unit is most likely a NEMA 14-50 plug, as it seems to be the most "universal". NEMA 14-50 is available in campgrounds, for example. Some people have a collection of 'pigtails' to be able to plug into other types of sockets (such as plugging your NEMA 14-
50 plug into a NEMA 14-
30 electrical dryer socket). If you go that route, you MUST be able to set the charging rate of your EVSE (you never want to plug a 32A EVSE at full power into a plug that is rated for less than 40 amps!!
NEVER !!!) There are lots of 7+ kW EVSEs that have been mentioned on this site. Go looking, you will find many threads.
- Several people here
adore the Gen 2 Tesla Universal Mobile Charger (UMC) along EVSE - and it does have it's plusses. It is also pretty expensive (since it has to be used with a Tesla-plug-converter (a "Tesla Tap") in order to mate with the J1772 socket on the Bolt) : over $550 for the full hookup. One of its touted advantages is that it can use "portable plug attachments" that automatically set the max charge rate to match the type of plug attached to the unit, so that one can't over-burden a (properly configured) electrical circuit.
