Chevy Bolt will have 238 miles of range, EPA says !!

[Geo]

The upcoming all-electric Chevy Bolt, perhaps the most important car GM has ever released, will sport an electric range of 238 miles according to estimates by the EPA. Chevy had previously said only that the car would have a range in excess of 200 miles.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/13/12897514/chevy-bolt-238-miles-range-electric-epa

That is way beyond what I expected. I'm now 98% sure this will be my next EV. I just hope they still have some in stock next summer when my lease is up on my RAV4 EV.

 

[roundpeg]

That's excellent news! Thanks for the post. I wonder if The Verge is reporting anything new when they say pricing will come "later this fall."

 

[SeanNelson]

The upcoming all-electric Chevy Bolt, perhaps the most important car GM has ever released, will sport an electric range of 238 miles according to estimates by the EPA. Chevy had previously said only that the car would have a range in excess of 200 miles.

Now that's what I call lowballing! Given that my Prius C gets about 10% better gas mileage than its combined EPA rating it looks like over 400km of range is quite plausible in warm weather. Amazing, and significantly better than I was hoping for.

Way to go, GM!

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I'm very happy to see this number. And quite impressed.

So the overall car gets 238 miles / 119MPGe. On the highway, it gets 110MPGe, which is better than I expected given its relatively poor aerodynamics. Does that mean that on the highway the car still gets 238 * 110/119 = 220 miles?!? If so, the Bolt could be much more than the "super commuter" that many expected it to be.

I hope GM ups their DCQC game soon. Paired with 100kW DCQC, this truly is a Tesla fighter.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

My guess was about 240 miles - so pretty close!

This is excellent news, indeed.

 

[sam]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/gm-says-chevy-bolt-electric-car-to-get-238-mile-range-1473770776

This is big news for the Bolt. It will be interesting to see what implications this has on Tesla. Read an article by the Wall Street Journal saying the same things as the Verge.

 

[roundpeg]

I was surprised this news made it onto the front page of today's LA Times.

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-bolt-ev-range-20160912-snap-story.html

One detail I think they got wrong is the charging time at 240v. I believe a complete recharge at 240 should be around 9 hrs and on a quick-charger much less.

 

[Geo]

This is big news for the Bolt. It will be interesting to see what implications this has on Tesla. Read an article by the Wall Street Journal saying the same things as the Verge.

Tesla will have to put up or shut up. The Model 3 will need to be delivered on time and have more than a 215 mile range (and hopefully more than 238.)

Tesla has long used exclusivity as a marketing tool. Those days are gone.

 

[DarrenDonovan]

Very happy news indeed! Can't wait to get mine.

Tesla will need to address the following issues if they hope to survive: quality control, on time delivery, long wait to get service, and
monopolizing the repair business.

 

[ssspinball]

This is very impressive. Somehow they are beating the 2017 i3 on MPGe efficiency (only by a mere 1 MPGe, but still).

I have no idea how they are doing this when the Bolt curb weight is about 250 lbs over the 2017 i3 BEV. It sure does make BMWs use of CFRP seem less important though.

 

[oilerlord]

Based on a 60kWh battery, 238 miles of real-world range is very optimistic given people's driving habits (80mph highway cruising, jackrabbit starts, riding the brakes, etc,) and because it's going to be a 3600 pound car. Also, keep in mind that the Bolt's drag coefficient is slated to be 0.32, so highway speeds will slash range dramatically.

https://electrek.co/2016/08/08/chevy-bolt-disaster-aero-lead-designer-drag-coefficient-of-0-32/

I drive a Mercedes B250e with a 28kWh battery. I can achieve ~ 110 miles on a charge only with conservative hypermiling techniques, so while it's possible that the Bolt with it's 60kWh battery might get 238 miles of range, most people will never see that number, especially if you live in an area with cold winters. If the Bolt does ship with a 60kWh battery, even 200 miles of real-world range is optimistic.

I understand the marketing value of of an EV with a 200+ mile "magic" range number, but GM will disappoint fewer buyers if dealers tell their customers to expect ~180 miles on a charge. Nissan made the mistake of telling Leaf customers they would get 100 miles on a charge (with a 24kWh battery). I hope GM doesn't make the same mistake.

 

[Anonymous]

Based on a 60kWh battery, 238 miles of real-world range is very optimistic given people's driving habits (80mph highway cruising, jackrabbit starts, riding the brakes, etc,) and because it's going to be a 3600 pound car. Also, keep in mind that the Bolt's drag coefficient is slated to be 0.32, so highway speeds will slash range dramatically.

https://electrek.co/2016/08/08/chevy-bolt-disaster-aero-lead-designer-drag-coefficient-of-0-32/

I drive a Mercedes B250e with a 28kWh battery. I can achieve ~ 110 miles on a charge only with conservative hypermiling techniques, so while it's possible that the Bolt with it's 60kWh battery might get 238 miles of range, most people will never see that number, especially if you live in an area with cold winters. If the Bolt does ship with a 60kWh battery, even 200 miles of real-world range is optimistic.

I understand the marketing value of of an EV with a 200+ mile "magic" range number, but GM will disappoint fewer buyers if dealers tell their customers to expect ~180 miles on a charge. Nissan made the mistake of telling Leaf customers they would get 100 miles on a charge (with a 24kWh battery). I hope GM doesn't make the same mistake.

Actually Greencarreports reports that other journalists along for the 200+ mile test drive averaged even more.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1106077_2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-first-drive-240-miles-in-an-electric-car

 

[oilerlord]

I never said it wasn't possible that the Bolt could go 238 miles on a charge - only that it isn't probable. From your link:

"Much of the route was covered at speeds of 40 to 60 mph"

45-50 mph is the sweet spot for efficiency (with any car). Driving at those speeds made that 240 mile trip with the Bolt possible.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not debating anything with you, just providing the only real-world data in existence thus far. The GCR car traveled at highway speeds where necessary (70+mph) and also at lower speeds. Obviously it's a small sample size, but to achieve 238 miles with a decent amount of highway included, I'd say that's fairly impressive. It's not like they did the entire trip at 40mph.

Not to mention, the EPA figure is always conservative. I consistently outperform the EPA estimate in my '13 Leaf.

 

[oilerlord]

If the EPA combined number is 238 - it is what it is. I'm just skeptical on how a 3600 lb car with a 0.32 drag coefficient and a 60kWh battery gets there in real-world conditions.

 

[Geo]

The EPA range on my RAV4 EV is way lower than my actual range, The EPA rated it at 103 combined (regular and extended mode) I can easily get 110 in regular, 130+ in extended. It was the same in my BMW Active E. EPA rated it at 94, I could easily get over 100.

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get the Bolt to 250+. I'm wondering if it would be possible to break 300 with flat roads and careful driving.

 

[roundpeg]

The EPA range on my RAV4 EV is way lower than my actual range, The EPA rated it at 103 combined (regular and extended mode) I can easily get 110 in regular, 130+ in extended. It was the same in my BMW Active E. EPA rated it at 94, I could easily get over 100.

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get the Bolt to 250+. I'm wondering if it would be possible to break 300 with flat roads and careful driving.

Maybe but I wouldn't try it unless I was being followed by a flatbed.

 

[SeanNelson]

If the EPA combined number is 238 - it is what it is. I'm just skeptical on how a 3600 lb car with a 0.32 drag coefficient and a 60kWh battery gets there in real-world conditions.

Well of course it depends on what your "real world conditions" actually are. If you hop in your car, mash the accelerator to the floor as you speed up the on-ramp to a 75MPH freeway and drive straight for three hours, then no - you'll doubtless fail to get that kind of range.

But I've kept track of every trip I've taken since I bought my Prius C two years ago, and my average fuel economy is about 5% better than its EPA rating would suggest. And if I look at only the road trips where the majority of the driving is done on highways then it's no worse than the EPA rating. So for me, at least, that 238 number gives me a really good idea of what I'm likely to see in the "real world".

 

[oilerlord]

The 2017 i3 with 33.2 kWh battery is EPA rated at 114 miles and 124 MPGe. Let's assume we doubled the size of the i3's battery to 66.4kWh, with a battery that weighs the same as the Bolt's, for a car that returns 228 miles of EPA range. How does the less efficient Bolt at 119 MPGe, and with 6.4kWh less capacity, produce an EPA rated 238? Perhaps GM has some secret efficiency sauce they aren't disclosing, their battery is larger than 60kWh, or the EPA modified their testing for EV's.

With the specs that have been released for the Bolt thus far, an EPA combined rating of 238 miles just doesn't add up.

 

[SeanNelson]

With the specs that have been released for the Bolt thus far, an EPA combined rating of 238 miles just doesn't add up.

So you're saying.... that the EPA is lying?