Cool new things you found out

[gpsman]

Maybe it was in the manual in bold.
Maybe it was in the fine print.
Maybe it wasn't.

Please use this thread to post cool (or maybe frequently overlooked) things you found out about your Bolt.
Features.
Tips.
Tricks.

I just found out I can cancel creep in D with one click of the paddle for Regen on Demand on at a stop. This also evokes hill assist / hill hold.

GM has stated on the record that the maximum fast charge rate is 60 kw. Not the frequently speculated 80 kw.
But hey, less of a bummer now that most infrastructure at the moment maxes out at 50 kw DCFC.

The DC/DC converter for the 13.5 volts is rated at 1600 watts. (1.6 kw) (about 120 amps)
Keep that in mind you after market stereo buffs. The 12 v battery will provide more..... for a short time (30-60 minutes).

I heard in European press reviews the Bolt described as a 160 kw car. (which would be 214 horsepower)
All U.S. press releases call the Bolt a 150 kw car. (200 horsepower)
I have resolved the discrepancy.
The motor is rated at 150 kw.
The battery is rated at 160 kw, meaning you can run 10 kw of accessories while having your foot on the floor.
:mrgreen:

 

[Zoomit]

What power input do you think the motor needs in order to create 150kW output? What do you think are the conversion losses between the DC battery and AC motor?

 

[Zago]

More cool features on the Bolt...

http://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-bolt-ev-engineers-reveal-11-cool-facts-car-year/

 

[gpsman]

I just learned the Bolt EV DOES use waste heat from the electronics to gently heat the cabin.

With heat / ac button always off.... after a few minutes of drive, I can get a 20 degree (at least) raise in temperature out of the vents. Kw draw is the usual 0.5 kw at stops in day (headlamps off) and 1 kw at night.

With resistive heater off, a 20 - 30 degree rise in temperature is perfect for most Californians.

GOOD JOB CHEVY! Another pleasant surprise!

 

[dandrewk]

Well yeah, I agree. But what about if it's hot outside?

 

[Posatronic]

Please post information about charging at 60kw not 80kw. Since the manual states 80kw. Was that a misprint?? And the 20-30 articles about the charging are wrong?? Please provide proof.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Well yeah, I agree. But what about if it's hot outside?

A/C uses much less power than resistance heat, because it's only moving heat, not "making" it.

 

[EldRick]

You are correct - I was looking at pre-ship information from Electrek.com Apparently the DC charge spec has been increased to 80kW, as there was also one Chevy presentation that said 50kW.
Even at 80kW it will still take an hour or more, rather than than a half-hour, for 200 miles.

 

[dandrewk]

Well yeah, I agree. But what about if it's hot outside?

A/C uses much less power than resistance heat, because it's only moving heat, not "making" it.

That's not what I was referring to. If the car's electronics produce heat that is then pumped back into the cabin, that means the air conditioning will work even harder.

Still, it's a nice feature.

 

[Zoomit]

Please post information about charging at 60kw not 80kw. Since the manual states 80kw. Was that a misprint?? And the 20-30 articles about the charging are wrong?? Please provide proof.

We should remain skeptical because the manual states that 80kW is needed to recharge 90 miles in 30 minutes. However, that recharge rate has already been demonstrated with a 50kW (125A) charger.

http://boltev.blogspot.com/2017/01/sf-to-la-eco-mode.html

 

[gpsman]

Gentle Heat is only pumped into the cabin if you turn the temperature dial up. Set it to minimim and you get purly ambient air drawn in.

So it's nice to know that you can get some "free" waste heat... which is ideal when it's 50's and 60's outside.

Also, windows only fog when the temperature of the glass is colder than the dew point. Usually, you only need to warm the glass by a few degrees to prevent fogging. Calif as many of you know has had weeks of rain recently- and days/nights of high humidity.

I've only used the A/C to dry the air one or two days, and then, only for the first one or two minutes. This free heat (not yet sure which component(s) this free heat is coming from) is enough to "maintain" a warm cabin and dry windows.

In the 50's and 60's I find the heated seats much too warm even on the lowest setting. Ditto for steering wheel. I do click the steering wheel on for 1 or 2 minutes. That's it.

Lovin' It! <===. (Not a McDonalds commercial)

Well yeah, I agree. But what about if it's hot outside?

A/C uses much less power than resistance heat, because it's only moving heat, not "making" it.

That's not what I was referring to. If the car's electronics produce heat that is then pumped back into the cabin, that means the air conditioning will work even harder.

Still, it's a nice feature.

 

[gpsman]

To override delayed charging (if set) and begin charging immediately, you can use a toggle on the touch screen.

To override delayed charging (if set) and begin charging immediately without entering the vehicle - plug in, unplug, and re-plug in the cord within 5 seconds.


--------------------/----------------------

This is not obvious to new EV owners, however, in the owner's manual is says to always plug the cord into the wall socket first, and plug into the car last.

Remove the cord from the car first, unplug from the wall last.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

To override delayed charging (if set) and begin charging immediately, you can use a toggle on the touch screen.

To override delayed charging (if set) and begin charging immediately without entering the vehicle - plug in, unplug, and re-plug in the cord within 5 seconds.


--------------------/----------------------

This is not obvious to new EV owners, however, in the owner's manual is says to always plug the cord into the wall socket first, and plug into the car last.

Remove the cord from the car first, unplug from the wall last.

Nice trick, thanks for sharing. One issue I foresee is at public charging stations. When you unplug the car, most stations reset/end your session. That means that you probably have to scan your card again. I also wonder about those stations that have a minimum charge per session. Does it charge you for both? If so, it would cost $1 to use this trick around here ($0.49/kWh - $1 minimum).

 

[dandrewk]

It doesn't work that way, at least at the ones I have tried. The session doesn't begin until the current starts flowing.

Besides, for the Bolt, if you set "location based charging" then it will only be in delayed charge mode while you are at home (or wherever you set your location).

 

[gpsman]

OK, I may be premature in my assessment below.
I think maybe the Bolt EV was "cheating".

Situation:

Heat / AC button always off.
Temperature set to HI.
Fan set 1 (low).
Dash & Floor Off.
Windshield defrost/defog On (only).

The Bolt EV cheats a little for your convienience.
Getting into a cold car (so there was no "waste heat" available) - I was getting warm air to the windshield for about 3-5 minutes, then it shuts off and stays off. And since it is a hot water system.... the hot water from those 3-5 minutes of heating stays "warm" for 10-15 minutes with the fan on lowest setting. I think this fooled me earlier in the week.

Sneaky......

I just learned the Bolt EV DOES use waste heat from the electronics to gently heat the cabin.

With heat / ac button always off.... after a few minutes of drive, I can get a 20 degree (at least) raise in temperature out of the vents. Kw draw is the usual 0.5 kw at stops in day (headlamps off) and 1 kw at night.

With resistive heater off, a 20 - 30 degree rise in temperature is perfect for most Californians.

GOOD JOB CHEVY! Another pleasant surprise!

 

[sgt1372]

Things I've learned or realized so far (some of which is already mentioned elsewhere on the forum):

1) You need to keep the AC/Heater turned off to save power/increase range.

2) You can turn on the steering wheel and seat heaters w/o significantly affecting estimated mileage range.

3) You can turn the fan on w/o turning on the AC/Heater w/o losing any estimated mileage. Kept having to open a window to get fresh air, while driving w/the Heater/AC off which was starting to get annoying.

4) I can use the Y-plug from my BMW to operate my iPod via the AUX function on the radio. It serves the same function in my BMW. Also "discovered" Google Radio for use via my Samsung S5.

5) There's an additional storage compartment BELOW the top tray in the arm rest.

6) There's an additional styrofoam lined storage compartment in the trunk below the removable floor where the 110V charger cable and transformer is supposed to be stored and where there is a tow eye bolt for use to winch the car onto a flat bed tow truck.

No mention in the manual of where the tow eye is supposed to be attached but there is a round cut-out cover on the left side of the front bumper where I assume a female attachment point for the tow eye. Tired to remove the cover but it wouldn't come out easily and didn't want to force it but can't imagine why else it would be there.

7) There are also 2 storage compartments in the styrofoam trunk liner where a can of tire sealant and a compressor can be stored for use, if the Bolt's "self-sealing" tires fail. The tire inflation "kit" is available from Chevy for $95 - Part #84237904.

8) You "should" turn on the Hilltop Reserve option to prevent overcharging the battery. Turning on the Hilltop Reserve will limit recharging to 90% of the of the battery's capacity to provide additional protection.

Some say that there's already a built-in protection factor to avoid overcharging. Some think the battery is actually 64-68kw which is limited in use to 60kw but no one really knows for sure. So, the only way to limit overcharging for certain is to activate the Hilltop Reserve.

Nothing earthshaking but all useful info to me. Will add more as I learn more.

 

[gpsman]

Clicking the Regen on Demand paddle once will turn off cruise control.

Playing music via USB cable sounds much better than playing music over Bluetooth.

 

[Posatronic]

Things I've learned or realized so far (some of which is already mentioned elsewhere on the forum):


6) There's an additional styrofoam lined storage compartment in the trunk below the removable floor where the 110V charger is supposed to be stored and where there is a tow eye bolt for use to winch the car onto a flat bed tow truck.

No mention in the manual of where the tow eye is supposed to be attached but there is a round cut-out cover on the left side of the front bumper where I assume a female attachment point for the tow eye. Tired to remove the cover but it wouldn't come out easily and didn't want to force it but can't imagine why else it would be there.

7) There are also 2 storage compartments in the styrofoam trunk liner where a can of tire sealant and a compressor can be stored for use, if the Bolt's "self-sealing" tires fail. The tire inflation "kit" is available from Chevy for $95 - Part #84237904.

For #6 - remove the round spin disk and you can remove the foam. There is 2 Bose item under. Maybe an amp and sub??? I would add my photo but it says too large.
For 7. - I was wondering if the forgot to add the item. I looked on manual and it says if equiped, I guess they sent with none of the cars. Thanks for the information.

 

[sgt1372]

For #6 - remove the round spin disk and you can remove the foam. There is 2 Bose item under. Maybe an amp and sub??? I would add my photo but it says too large.

For 7. - I was wondering if the forgot to add the item. I looked on manual and it says if equiped, I guess they sent with none of the cars. Thanks for the information.

Asked my sales rep about it and the Sealant/Tire Inflation Kit is an "option" that (as far as he knew) was not included w/any Bolt delivered to his dealership.

I'm not going to buy the kit. I just bought a large can of Fix-A-Flat for $15 and put it in the trunk w/a Viair compressor and Power Tank off-road tire repair kit for any tire emergencies.

There was a velcro strap lying loose in the styrofoam liner that I guessed was to strap down the 110V charging cable. Checked it out and found 2 slots in the space for the charger spot where it could be used for exactly that. Just had to unscrew the flat bolt holding the liner down to pass the strap through the slots and it was ready to go.

Still trying to figure out what's supposed to go in the odd shaped space in the styrofoam liner below the tow eye. You can see a pic of it here:
https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/16602534_1241300952630121_6407237483284444348_o.jpg?oh=65998cf7fae2c9b9c8f0dd9eaf243ffa&oe=59074418.

If any one knows what might go in the space, please let us know.

 

[gpsman]

Just turning the temperature wheel will turn on the climate control system to the previously used settings. You need not touch the smallish soft key on the touchscreen. Handy when driving and you want to keep your eyes on the road and turn it on by feel. If widow defog happens to be set, you will get heat, even if the HEAT & A/C icon is off. But just for a few minutes. Like one heat up cycle of the water tank.

Pressing the "AUTO" button does the same.