"Full" battery levels dropping daily

[wwhitney]

Supplying a NEMA 5-15 receptacle with any voltage other than 120V (nominal) is an NEC code violation and a significant safety hazard. While the harm could be reduced by using a simplex receptacle and prominently marking the face plate (and maybe using a bubble cover over the receptacle that can be locked closed?) there are better solutions.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[DucRider]

IMHO the pigtail adapter that's been suggested by some isn't really an answer to the concern you're raising because someone could just as easily plug the wrong thing into that. The most foolproof way to avoid misuse is to change the plug on the EVSE. But as I've mentioned before, that defeats the thermal sensor in the plug.

All of these issues come down to using a product (standard charge cord) in a way it was not designed for (240V), and it does not meet safety standards required to be used in that way. Hardwiring it or removing the 5-15p and replacing it with a 240 plug that matches a receptacle installed to meet code is the least objectionable method.

The thermal detection in the plug is of most use with 5-15 receptacles. They are often old, are purchased at the lowest possible cost, are rated for only 125V and frequently develop poor connection quality resulting in the potential for overheating and fire. Hardwiring or using a matching plug and receptacle designed for such an application mitigates the need for the thermal detection. EVSE's pulling 40A @240V thru their plug don't have a thermal sensor. Hardwired EVSE's pulling 80A also don't have a sensor at the wiring connection.

The safety issue is mostly due to the possibility of someone plugging in a 120V device, but you are also running more power thru the plug/receptacle than they were designed to handle (and doing it for extended time periods as well). Doing it this way you definitely want the thermal detection intact!

It's your house/garage/stuff/liability at risk, and taking that on with eyes wide open is a viable choice. But, as mentioned earlier, advocating for others to take those risks without a complete explanation of the potential pitfalls should be avoided.

 

[rocstar]

Maybe I'm just a nervous newbie (I've had the car less than a month, 874 miles), but I'm not feeling great about my range right now. After a reasonably cold week (but certainly not unusual in New York), my fully charged range is now showing 152 miles. I have a 52 mile (roundtrip) commute every day, most of which is on the highway. I try to stay around 65mph, though I drift higher occasionally. When it's in the teens (degrees F), I've been wearing my hat and gloves in the car, and using the heated seats and steering wheel, but I still need to set the heat at 68-70 in order to not be shivering. My average efficiency according to the trip meter for the last week (and since my last full charge) was 2.6 mi/kwh. On the "Energy Detail" screen, Driving and Accessories used 79%, climate settings 18% and battery conditioning 3%.

I don't have a level 2 charger yet, and I was only just barely able to make it through the week charging nightly in the garage. Then I had to leave it for nearly 2 days to charge back up to full. Is this the best I can expect, given my situation?

You have every right to be nervous! I would estimate 152 mile range is going to be typical. You're getting 2.6 mi/kwh, and I'm getting 2.9 mi/kwh in California. It doesn't get that cold here, so that's likely the difference.

Long term, 110v charging overnight isn't your solution. I too have a 50 mile round trip commute and it's not uncommon to tack on an extra 10 miles to that running around town. The KEY to successful EV ownership is nailing your charging scenario. Install an app called PlugShare. This will list all the plugs nearby including paid and free stations. I'm lucky enough to have a Lowe's about a mile from my work so I plug in there every other day and either walk or get a coworker to give me a ride. That's been working well for a month now, but today is actually the day the electricians are installing a 240v plug for me by the back door here at work. I already have a ChargePoint Home unit on the wall and ready to be plugged in. Prior to today though, I've had to scope out ALL the plugs near my work and near home. Some charge a little and some are free. I don't mind paying a little for the opportunity to get Level 2 power for a couple hours.

I tried 110v overnight every night for the first week. It almost got me enough for a round trip but it was low by the end of the week. Find ALL the level 2 charge stations near you and plan on topping off once a week. Good luck.

I just got my L2 charger set up last week so I'm in good shape now in terms of being ABLE to charge as quickly as I need to. My main concern is just taking care of my battery, and whether losing 30-40% of my range is reasonable given the conditions (cold and highway driving), or whether I should be concerned about it.

 

[winterescape]

I just got my L2 charger set up last week so I'm in good shape now in terms of being ABLE to charge as quickly as I need to. My main concern is just taking care of my battery, and whether losing 30-40% of my range is reasonable given the conditions (cold and highway driving), or whether I should be concerned about it.

IMHO you are just fine. Bitter cold = reduced range and your 30% - 40% seems consistant with other posters. FWIW I did a comparison of our Bolt to our ICE you can read about here

http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7463

 

[naturoses]

Hi All, Seasons Greetings!

This is the first winter with the car and we have to go thru' this learning curve...

In October was 250 - 236+

Now in Boston, MA is very cold.... Max Charge (charged full = 176 miles). Is this normal in winter? The car is parked/charged outside. Level 2 charging. Charging time = 8 - 10 hours a day.

Nothing changed in terms of driving etc., except being winter...

Thanks for your input.

 

[LeftieBiker]

That is normal for cold Winter weather, with normal heater usage.

 

[michael]

I have said in the past that the basic rule of thumb for EVs is to cut the EPA range in half, and that's the "I don't need to think about it, even in cold weather, even with several years of battery fade, I can go that far" range.

So for a Bolt, that's about 120 miles, in Massachusetts winter, maybe some snow on the ground, car a few years old.

 

[SeanNelson]

That is normal for cold Winter weather, with normal heater usage.

I was surprised at how much of the range reduction is due to the heater and not due to the effect of the cold on the battery. It's been close to freezing here in Vancouver for quite some time now, and with the heater set to a comfortable 23C I've been consuming between 20 to 25 kWh per 100km depending on the drive. But I've dressed very warmly on a couple of occasions and driven with the heater turned off and just the steering wheel and seats to keep me warm, and I was getting 13 and 14 kWh per 100 km, which is actually better than the EPA range (about 15.7 kWh per 100km)

 

[michael]

That is normal for cold Winter weather, with normal heater usage.

I was surprised at how much of the range reduction is due to the heater and not due to the effect of the cold on the battery. It's been close to freezing here in Vancouver for quite some time now, and with the heater set to a comfortable 23C I've been consuming between 20 to 25 kWh per 100km depending on the drive. But I've dressed very warmly on a couple of occasions and driven with the heater turned off and just the steering wheel and seats to keep me warm, and I was getting 13 and 14 kWh per 100 km, which is actually better than the EPA range (about 15.7 kWh per 100km)

Right. You can see that a huge portion of the energy goes to heating the cabin as opposed to moving the car. That's why I have always said that a heat pump should have been made as an available option.

Yes, yes, I KNOW a heat pump doesn't do well when it's very cold, but a heat pump with a resistive pre-heater is in all cases more efficient than a resistive heater alone. Yes, yes, I KNOW not everybody cares, and that's why I suggested it as an available option.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Yes, yes, I KNOW a heat pump doesn't do well when it's very cold, but a heat pump with a resistive pre-heater is in all cases more efficient than a resistive heater alone. Yes, yes, I KNOW not everybody cares, and that's why I suggested it as an available option.

Just so you are clear on it, when temps get below about 20F, you don't notice any significant extra range from a heatpump-equipped EV (and yes, they all have resistive heaters as well), and below about 10F you wouldn't be seeing any insignificant extra range, either. Heatpumps are most helpful in mild Winter weather, not frigid.

 

[naturoses]

More Info: Just to let you all know, the only heater we are using is windshield defogger intermittently to for clear vision. The steering wheel is heat is also turned ON. Yes, it is freezing inside... The seat gets auto warm when we sit down which helps to be honest..

The full charge (i.e., cord still connected to the charger) = 176 miles. Car was purchased (sorry leased) in October.

Drive is always in "L" mode and 99.999% city.

Speed in between 25 -35 miles.

 

[LeftieBiker]

One of the problems with resistance heating is that even using it just for defrost can suck a LOT of power. You could try one of those crappy 12 volt plug-in defroster units so you could leave the cabin heater off (and freeze). I actually built a prototype standalone heater for the driver's footwell using a 12 volt deep cycle battery (my car is leased), an inverter, and 2 200 watt 120 volt ceramic heaters. That worked ok, providing maybe a 20 degree boost in cabin temps and warm legs and feet, but it would have been a PITA to use it because of having to recharge the storage battery. You could implement a better version by wiring an inverter to a larger 12 volt deep cycle battery installed in the car, but you also lease so you'd have to be careful...

 

[naturoses]

My doubts are cleared about the range drops and now I did learn from reading this thread it is common issue we all face in winter... I will enjoy my car "carefully"....

 

[winterescape]

I cant wait for the Spring thread titled "Full battery levels increasing daily, do you think GM is remotely increasing our capacity?"

 

[SmokingRubber]

I live in California, about a mile from the ocean. Temperatures are ALWAYS reasonable.... mid 70s during the day and down to 50f at night. I've been running with the AC off and staying under 70 mph ... I'm still only getting 3.0 kwh.

For some reason my Bolt is less efficient than other Bolts. I've seen other people on youtube (that live in california) who get about 3.8 kwh.
There's a guy on YouTube named Doug who drives all over California at 70-75 mph and he easily gets 240 miles of range. I can't get 200 miles going downhill with the heater off!

Is there a benchmark test to validate the advertised efficiency? I feel like my battery is a lemon but I have no way to prove it or grounds to request a fix.

... then again ... weed is legal in Cali now so I don't care as much about how efficient my car is. It works! LOL.

 

[DesertSprings]

I live in the IE and drive to OC everyday. Averaging 4.3 miles per KWh. But here's the thing, I stick to the slow lane in the morning when there's little traffic. My drive home there's a ton of traffic so rarely get about 45MPH. Efficiency is about the same as the Leaf I had previously.

Driving over 70MPH puts a pretty dramatic hit on the range.

 

[SeanNelson]

For some reason my Bolt is less efficient than other Bolts.

I think your username may have something to do with this...

 

[SmokingRubber]

For some reason my Bolt is less efficient than other Bolts.

I think your username may have something to do with this...

Haha it's a racing forum handle I've had for over 20 years. Plus, I work as a designer/cnc programmer for a plastic injection molding company so the handle stuck. My days of squealing tires is behind me, but the Bolt is pretty zippy so I do get on the pedal when necessary. It's hard not to smoke fools off the line when it's so damn easy to do so.

 

[Fiero2]

I have owned my Bolt for 2 weeks and put on 339 miles. Michigan winter has been under 20 degrees during this time. Yesterday, my fully charged battery range was 138 miles (min/max +- 25 miles). That is more than 40% drop from the expected range of 238 miles.

 

[Semilinear]

Yesterday, my fully charged battery range was 138 miles (min/max +- 25 miles). That is more than 40% drop from the expected range of 238 miles.

Have you checked the Energy consumption pie chart? How much energy is used for Climate Control, etc? I live in PA and recent temp has been around 10-20 degrees, but I almost use heated wheel and seat exclusively, without AC/Heater on at all. My full charge still shows 235 miles. I am sure if I turn on the AC/Heater, my range would drop.

Another factor is speed - keeping it under 55mph would help a lot.