GM says Bolt will exceed original 200 mile range estimate

[openminded]

http://www.mychevybolt.com/gms-bolt-ev-passing-200-mile-range-easily-in-testing/

In a recent media briefing at GM’s Alternative Energy Center, GM executives say the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle will exceed the company’s original range estimate of 200 miles.

So now the question - how much more than original range can we expect? Will it beat, or at least match the Model 3 EPA ratings? 215 miles?

 

[mitchev]

Headline confused me - I thought they'd actually be telling us some new information! They're saying they easily get 200 miles range, but how much range?

p.s. Thanks for sharing on the Bolt forum!

 

[marta]

They don't want to give out exact details yet because that would give too much information to competitors.
I wouldn't expect to see any official range numbers for the Bolt EV until the EPA ratings come out.

The fact that GM has said on a few occasions that the Bolt EV is above or exceeding their target of 200 miles is a good indication the final EPA rating could be 220, or 230 or who knows? Maybe 235 miles to beat the Model 3 by a tidy 20 miles range

 

[Anonymous]

Hi. First post here.
Interested in the Bolt as a replacement for our LEAF and trying to learn as much as I can before they become available.
IMO, an additional 10-20 miles is only useful for situations where cold-weather driving is common. Then the extra margin can be a life-saver.
I don't see using the Bolt for long trips due to the lack of charging infrastructure. Even if a Model 3 has 20 miles less EPA range, the Supercharger capability makes it actually useful for long trips. The CCS standard seems to be a mess w.r.t. usability & convenience. GM does not seem to be interested in expanding access themselves.
Full disclosure: I have a Model 3 on order ( but who knows how long the wait might be) a 3 yr old Model S and a 5+ year old LEAF. Both have been good cars.

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe 235 miles to beat the Model 3 by a tidy 20 miles range

Tesla said the base range is at least 215 EPA miles, and Tesla have said their intend to beat that.
Tesla Model 3 will have multiple battery sizes, as confirmed by their staff at the reveal, so the Bolt will not beat the higher range Tesla 3.
Tesla Model 3 will be more slippery (aero) than the Bolt, so may get better highway range at "normal" (ie speeding 10 MPH over the limit) , even if the Bolt has more city range.

 

[Zoomit]

Tesla Model 3 will be more slippery (aero) than the Bolt, so may get better highway range at "normal" (ie speeding 10 MPH over the limit) , even if the Bolt has more city range.

At highway speeds, about half the energy is used to move the air out of the way. The Model 3 is significantly sleeker than the Bolt EV. It only has about 2/3rds the aero drag, so Model 3 high speed range will definitely be further than the Bolt EV. It could go 30 or more miles further.

This difference will NOT be completely reflected in the EPA highway efficiency numbers, whenever they come out. That test is not done fast enough to really capture this aero efficiency difference when traveling at 75+ mph.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

At highway speeds, about half the energy is used to move the air out of the way. The Model 3 is significantly sleeker than the Bolt EV. It only has about 2/3rds the aero drag, so Model 3 high speed range will definitely be further than the Bolt EV. It could go 30 or more miles further.

This difference will NOT be completely reflected in the EPA highway efficiency numbers, whenever they come out. That test is not done fast enough to really capture this aero efficiency difference when traveling at 75+ mph.

This is an important point, and one that will likely be missed by most until they have lived with the car for a while. People expecting to jump on the highway in a Bolt and cruise for 2 1/2 hours at 75 MPH are going to be disappointed. It will be worse in the winter, too. The Model III will probably hold up better to high speeds, but even it would be hard pressed to do 2 1/2 hours at 75MPH. I hope that fact doesn't turn off a new generation of buyers to EVs. I also hope the EPA figures this out and updates the sticker accordingly.

 

[ziv]

We can't really compare the larger battery pack Model 3 to the Bolt because the pricepoint is different.

I agree that at high speeds the aero-efficiency does come into play more, especially at 200 miles range (with a 70 mile battery pack it's harder to measure the difference).

Based on the Spark EV that has an 82 mile range and 18 kWh useable batter pack, the Bolt has a 3x capacity pack so range should be 246 miles, but it's also heavier by around 750 lbs to we have to subtract something for that.

The SparkEV has less of a frontal area, but the Cd is likely higher than the Bolt EV making that comparison not worthwhile.

 

[Zoomit]

We can't really compare the larger battery pack Model 3 to the Bolt because the pricepoint is different.

The Model 3 will come with the base battery (likely near 60 kWh) and a larger battery (likely 75-80 kWh). My comments were assuming the smaller "base" battery capacity in the Model 3. So assuming equal usable battery energy in both cars, the Model 3 will have significantly more range at high speeds than the Bolt EV. That difference may be 15% or 30 miles.

With the larger battery, the available range will of course be proportionally further.