Cross country trip with my Bolt

[zwz002]

Hi all,

New member here. Got my Bolt last month and I am going on this crazy 3000-mile cross country from Boston to LA. Will be posting my trip report as I go. Started Thursday and made it through St. Louis, MO. Currently heading towards Oklahoma City. Probably will be my first major hurdle since there are no DCFC facility within range. Called up all the dealership along the way, some are Bolt certified but none of them have DCFC installed yet. Probably would have to wait hours at a slow charger before getting enough range to the next DCFC.
Will upload photos when I reach LA. Let me know if you have any questions about driving the Bolt for these road trips. I did a search on the topic and I hate to agree with previous posters, the Bolt isn't really a roadtrip warrior yet without the DCFC infrastructure set up like the Tesla Superchargers. Anyways, wish me luck, may actually need it at some point. Thanks.

 

[RichCapeCod]

You are going to have some adventure! I live on the Cape (well, in the summer at least!), so am with you in spirit! Do keep us posted on your trip.

Rich

 

[paulgipe]

This is indeed an ambition trip.

You could give us more details about the trip and your experiences. Why are you making this trip? Who are you and what makes you want to do this? Are you aware of the others who have made the cross-country journey in non-Tesla cars?

And don't wait until you get to LA to post pictures. Post them now as you go. Most motels have wifi.

Are you signing in on PlugShare? If not, why not? If you are, what's your sign in on PlugShare?

And what do you think of the seat? That's a lot of seat time in a Bolt.

There was a Leaf driver who made a big splash doing this in a Leaf. I still see his PlugShare signins periodically.

Paul

 

[zwz002]

Hey Paul,

That’s a lot of questions, haha. I’m doing it mostly to see if the infrastructure is ready or not for EV owners. I did look up some of the other non-Tesla cars that have done this and did see that Leaf and one other Bolt owner that did a trip from LA to Philly (had another Volt on the same trip too I think).
I’ve been checking in on Plugshare, but I’m sure I’ve missed one here and there.
I’ll post some photos when I get to Oklahoma City tonight. Currently charging at Jim Butler Chevrolet.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

This is great, thank you for sharing your trip with us! There have been few who have attempted a coast-to-coast trip in a non-Tesla EV. There was a couple who did it across Canada recently (https://www.boltacrosscanada.com/). I think they had better DCQC coverage than you will, though.

After taking the Bolt on a couple of 600-700 mile weekend trips, I am convinced that the Bolt is a much better road-trip car than most give it credit for. The problem is the lack of chargers, not the car itself. That will hopefully change very soon as more cars get on the roads and with initiatives like https://www.electrifyamerica.com/ (which is funded by the VW diesel-gate fine money).

Good luck, and always have a plan B (and C and D...)

 

[WetEV]

I hope you have a charging cable that can plug into a NEMA 14-50, which you will find at various RV campgrounds.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I hope you have a charging cable that can plug into a NEMA 14-50, which you will find at various RV campgrounds.

It's a shame the OEM charging cable can't be set for 16 amps, as most RV parks also have lots of TT-30 outlets that provide 30 amps at 120 volts. That would still require an adapter, though.

 

[paulgipe]

Yes, lots of questions. You have a lot of time to ponder them on your route?

That route won't take you through Bakersfield, but if you do it would be nice to chat at a coffee shop while you charge. We have one DCFC (Chargepoint) downtown, and a two station DCFC at the Walmart. You'll need those before you tackle the Tejon Pass.

Thanks for the reply.

And yes, I hope you have a high power portable charger aboard. You can rent a Jesla from Tony Williams. You may need it.

I wouldn't take such a trip without it. It's come in handy here in California.

Paul

 

[WetEV]

I hope you have a charging cable that can plug into a NEMA 14-50, which you will find at various RV campgrounds.

It's a shame the OEM charging cable can't be set for 16 amps, as most RV parks also have lots of TT-30 outlets that provide 30 amps at 120 volts. That would still require an adapter, though.

Not sure if the Bolt will take 24 Amps at 120V. Anyone tried it?

 

[DucRider]

Not sure if the Bolt will take 24 Amps at 120V. Anyone tried it?

Menu settings are 8 or 12 amps. A L1 EVSE may advertise more than that, but the Bolt won't utilize it.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Hey Paul,

That’s a lot of questions, haha. I’m doing it mostly to see if the infrastructure is ready or not for EV owners. I did look up some of the other non-Tesla cars that have done this and did see that Leaf and one other Bolt owner that did a trip from LA to Philly (had another Volt on the same trip too I think).
I’ve been checking in on Plugshare, but I’m sure I’ve missed one here and there.
I’ll post some photos when I get to Oklahoma City tonight. Currently charging at Jim Butler Chevrolet.

From your trace, you must be “John’s Bolt” on Plugshare.
A quick look at Plugshare is enough to know that the infrastructure isn’t ready yet for the trip you’re on. You’re looking at 550 miles from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque with no CCS. The west isn’t filled in much. But there are hotels with L2s. The one in Elk City requires the Turbodock app.

 

[paulgipe]

I hope you have a charging cable that can plug into a NEMA 14-50, which you will find at various RV campgrounds.

It's a shame the OEM charging cable can't be set for 16 amps, as most RV parks also have lots of TT-30 outlets that provide 30 amps at 120 volts. That would still require an adapter, though.

Not sure if the Bolt will take 24 Amps at 120V. Anyone tried it?

No, but you can get an adapter for the portable EVSE that will make it 240 V. Tony will do it too for about the same price.

Paul

 

[zwz002]

And what do you think of the seat? That's a lot of seat time in a Bolt.

After about 1500 miles in the seat, I'm starting get severe lower back pain. Caused me to actually take a break today
Might have to get those memory foam cushions and see if that helps at all.

From your trace, you must be “John’s Bolt” on Plugshare.
A quick look at Plugshare is enough to know that the infrastructure isn’t ready yet for the trip you’re on. You’re looking at 550 miles from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque with no CCS. The west isn’t filled in much. But there are hotels with L2s. The one in Elk City requires the Turbodock app.

And that isn't the only part that is hard. My plan is to actually get to Oklahoma City and get it charged full and make it to Amarillo the same day and spend the night there, use the level-2 at the hotels overnight. Should barely get me to Albuquerque with that full charge.
I think the biggest challenge is after leaving Albuquerque for Phoenix.

After taking the Bolt on a couple of 600-700 mile weekend trips, I am convinced that the Bolt is a much better road-trip car than most give it credit for. The problem is the lack of chargers, not the car itself. That will hopefully change very soon as more cars get on the roads and with initiatives like https://www.electrifyamerica.com/ (which is funded by the VW diesel-gate fine money).
Good luck, and always have a plan B (and C and D...)

I fully agree on this. In my view, the advantage of doing a road-trip is that you never have to worry about speeding, since it pretty much forces you to drive around 60mph if you want to get to your destination. Also, it lowers the risk of fatigue driving as well since the range forces you to stop for 2 hours (if not more) every 2-3 hours.
My plan B is to ship the car back and I'll just fly out of somewhere along the way.

 

[WetEV]

No, but you can get an adapter for the portable EVSE that will make it 240 V.

Which doesn't help at all if you are in a campground with a TT-30 outlet.

 

[paulgipe]

RV Parks not campgrounds.