Latest buzz surrounding the Chevy Bolt EV

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motow

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It's intriguing to see the latest buzz surrounding the Chevy Bolt EV! For more updates and discussions on electric vehicles, including the Chevy Bolt EV and beyond, check out motowheeler.com. They offer a wealth of information and a community of enthusiasts passionate about electric mobility.
 
From its beginning the Ultium battery was no great advancement. So GM is now trying to find a partner to greatly increase range, charging rate and increase battery safety.
 
And Honda would not have partnered with GM if it was so bad. From everything I’ve seen, touched , driven from GM, the problem isn’t the battery and hardware. It’s their software which sucks across the board. Honda is using their own software to a degree. I don’t if it’s just a reskin or deeper. I have yet to get any hands on with Honda/GM prologue/blazer
 
Actually, Honda may be using thinly disguised GM software. Out of Spec reviews drove a Honda journalist test vehicle and at one point it popped up a message on the screen which contained wording, I forget exactly what, which revealed that that the software is actually GM. Those were preproduction demonstrator vehicles, so perhaps the software was tweaked or entirely replaced by the time the vehicle went to dealers for sale. I have a 2001 Honda Insignt and generally it has been a bullet proof car. I had a problem with the battery pack which Honda should have fixed under warranty, but they didn’t. I got the run-around from Honda’s corporate claims people until after the warranty expired. I wound up replacing the battery with a rebuilt pack which lasted over 10 years. I replaced the pack a second time with a rebuilt from Green Tec and that one is still working well. The Insight is 23 years old has about 192,000 miles on it. It still looks pretty good and has lasted longer than any other daily driver car I’ve owned. The insight battery is tiny compared to a full EV battery, made from NiMH cells and quasi-consumable. It is under $2000, replaceable by one’s self, so under $200 per year. I save way more than that on decreased gasoline consumption. I get between 50 and 80 MPG depending on driving conditions.

I have the first generstion 2017 Bolt and I would give high marks to the power train software. GM did an excellent job at reliability and operability. GM did much better job at blending the regenerative braking with the friction braking than Nissan did with a LEAF I had before the Bolt. In the LEAF there was always a small but noticeable change in feel when the system changed over from regen to friction. It is seamless in the Bolt.

Besides power train management of the traction motor(s) and braking, the management of the battery itself is a big question. The battery in my Bolt was replaced two years ago due to the safety recall, but there was no noticeable deterioration of the battery before or after the replacement. I would rate the battery management as very good. We’ll have to see about Ultium. The LEAF I owned had pretty serious deterioration. After six years it has lost almost 30% of its capacity at less than 30K miles. I got the LEAF used and I didn’t put many miles on it because the range was so limited, only about 90 miles when I got it. IThe LEAF was really only good for running around town errands.
 
From its beginning the Ultium battery was no great advancement. So GM is now trying to find a partner to greatly increase range, charging rate and increase battery safety.
My Bolt is seven years old, so I am starting to consider upgrade to a new one, though my current Bolt looks and runs great. The show stopper for me would be the lack of Apple CarPlay. I don’t want yet another device subscription for the car’s onboard apps. I like the apps on my iPhone and I don’t want to put up with the Google stuff that Chevy picks for me. I would rather decide for myself what apps I have, I’ve heard the same remark from other current owners. I believe the apps are a bigger deal than Chevy thinks they are.
 
My Bolt is seven years old, so I am starting to consider upgrade to a new one, though my current Bolt looks and runs great. The show stopper for me would be the lack of Apple CarPlay. I don’t want yet another device subscription for the car’s onboard apps. I like the apps on my iPhone and I don’t want to put up with the Google stuff that Chevy picks for me. I would rather decide for myself what apps I have, I’ve heard the same remark from other current owners. I believe the apps are a bigger deal than Chevy thinks they are.
 
Same here. My little red 2021 buzzsaw still has almost a cherry exterior and looks great after a wash down. The Apple Carplay was one of the features that clinched the purchase for me.
 
My Bolt is seven years old, so I am starting to consider upgrade to a new one, though my current Bolt looks and runs great. The show stopper for me would be the lack of Apple CarPlay. I don’t want yet another device subscription for the car’s onboard apps. I like the apps on my iPhone and I don’t want to put up with the Google stuff that Chevy picks for me. I would rather decide for myself what apps I have, I’ve heard the same remark from other current owners. I believe the apps are a bigger deal than Chevy thinks they are.
what's the motivation to upgrade ? better tech ? in principal, existing Bolt can so easily "upgrade" with software updates. The hardware is already mostly there. For example, really wish that our 2017 Bolts have stop-charge setting; a simple software mod to the 93% hill-top algorithm.
 
My Bolt is seven years old, so I am starting to consider upgrade to a new one, though my current Bolt looks and runs great. The show stopper for me would be the lack of Apple CarPlay. I don’t want yet another device subscription for the car’s onboard apps. I like the apps on my iPhone and I don’t want to put up with the Google stuff that Chevy picks for me. I would rather decide for myself what apps I have, I’ve heard the same remark from other current owners. I believe the apps are a bigger deal than Chevy thinks they are.
Carfax shows the value of my 2017 Bolt Premier as around $5000. Its worth way more than that to me especially with the battery replacement. While the Bolt has its quirks, there is no way I would replace this vehicle. Best way to get its true value is to run it until it dies or a part needs replacing that GM has decided to discontinue. And yes, I will not buy another vehicle without Android Carplay.
 
what's the motivation to upgrade ? better tech ? in principal, existing Bolt can so easily "upgrade" with software updates. The hardware is already mostly there. For example, really wish that our 2017 Bolts have stop-charge setting; a simple software mod to the 93% hill-top algorithm.
The newer Bolt models have a little better exterior styling and better energy setting software to allow picking a specific charge limit instead of the single “hilltop reserve” setting on the original Bolt. I prefer the original shift lever to the button transmission control.

The factors above probably aren’t enough to make me switch to a newer Bolt unless I run across a used 2022 or 2023 that I could swap into for not too much cash difference.
 
I agree with Bill. My 2021 is the combination of color and features, including a DC fast charge port and the mini stick shifter. So I have no desire for a newer model with a push button transmission.
 
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