Low battery data collection

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Use this thread to report data on when you get the low battery warnings. I’d like to compile it and get a better idea of what to expect when charge remaining is very low. You can just copy this post and add answers. Thanks.

Miles remaining when “Charge Vehicle Soon” (CVS) displays:


Miles traveled from CVS to PPIR, Propulsion Power Is Reduced.


Miles traveled from PPIR to OOE-CVN, Out of Energy-Charge Vehicle Now.



Notes:

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

For example:

Miles remaining when “Charge Vehicle Soon” (CVS) displays:

27

Miles traveled from CVS to PPIR, Propulsion Power Is Reduced.

N/A

Miles traveled from PPIR to OOE-CVN, Out of Energy-Charge Vehicle Now.

N/A

Notes: I’ve only seen this message once, right before I plugged in, so never got to the later messages. Also, mileage remaining display had turned orange, as a warning I guess. Weather was dry, about 70 F, no heat or A/C usage. Had been driving on the highway about 70 mph for about 60 miles prior to the warning.

If you forget to reset the trip odometer to get miles traveled between messages, an approximation will do. Thanks

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Without a “BoltSpy” app to give accurate kWh remaining, especially when the mileage display goes to “low”, I’d like to get an average of how many miles are safe to expect from one message to the next, allowing for various driving conditions.

Not that I’m planning to let it get that low very often, but if I need to know, it’ll be better than guessing when the car’s display is useless. Especially after PPIR, is there 5 miles left, or 10? It can mean the difference between making the next station or not.

Various conditions will have big effects of course, but I’d assume most people will slow down after PPIR.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I have never heard of these states before, has anyone ever hit them?

For the first time yesterday I drove below 20% (down to 3 bars showing). The bars turned amber, like a "low fuel" light, but there was no other warning. I was surprised there wasn't even an audible alert. I got home with 18% remaining (according to the MyChevrolet app), and the same was showing.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Do you recall how many miles remaining were showing?

If each bar is 5%, or 3 kWh, that would be worth about 12 miles each at 4m/kWh. So at 3 bars you’d be about 36 miles left when it turns amber?

 

[drdiesel1]

My car alerted me with the recharge soon message @ 30 miles remaining and the charge remaining bars were amber.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

So, 30 miles would be about 15% remaining. If PPIR shows around 5% (just guessing), you could get down to about 18 miles before it displays and mileage only shows as “low”. Then, MAYBE, 12 miles max before OOE-CVN?

 

[GetOffYourGas]

It was showing about 30 miles remaining when the bars turned amber (dropped from 4 to 3 bars remaining), and about 25 (reported 18% on MyChevrolet app) when I arrived at home.

I have to caveat this, though. I don't like talking about miles because that depends on conditions. At the time, I had been driving 65MPH on the highway for at least 30 miles, with the heater running. OAT (Outside Air Temperature) was about 45F, and there was a light rain. The dash was showing a trip efficiency of 3.2 miles/kWh. So if each charge bar represents 3kWh, that's more like 10 miles than 12, which aligns with what I saw on the remaining range meter.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Yeah, I wish they gave us a % readout, or even better, accurate kWh remaining, all the way to 0. But they haven’t figured that out yet. Meanwhile, miles remaining is right there, until it goes to “low”, which isn’t helpful. The app gives %, but you have to update it, and maybe up in the mountains with no cell service that won’t work. For now, I just want to develop an estimate.

 

[drdiesel1]

Yeah, I wish they gave us a % readout, or even better, accurate kWh remaining, all the way to 0. But they haven’t figured that out yet. Meanwhile, miles remaining is right there, until it goes to “low”, which isn’t helpful. The app gives %, but you have to update it, and maybe up in the mountains with no cell service that won’t work. For now, I just want to develop an estimate.

With the system designed to give estimates, it's impossible because it's all based on how the car is driven/load/demand "VS" range left.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Yes, I agree, but I’m not looking for precision here, just a rule of thumb. Some minimum number that I can depend on in a worse case scenario, dead of winter and all that, vs a bit larger number in ideal conditions.

So far, Bolt seems to give it’s first indications around 30 miles left. But I wouldn’t count on that, especially in winter. So what can we count on, from best to worst scenarios? 20 miles from CVS to OOE? 15? Or only 10?

That’s why I’d like some real usage, crowd sourced data.

There may not be many people who ever brave going that low, and fewer who would come here and leave data, but every little bit helps.

There was a report on the Facebook group just the other day of someone who ran out totally to OOE and had to get pushed by cops to a 120 plug. He underestimated how much regen would give him, and he thought he ran out quicker than he should have, but he didn’t mention how many miles he got after CVS displayed.

Near home, how many miles we can depend on isn’t critical, 10 miles is plenty. But on a road trip, feeling confident in 5 more miles vs 2 could mean a lot, especially under PPIR.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Another Facebook poster mentions getting down to 14 miles showing before getting to PPIR.

 

[SeanNelson]

Yeah, I wish they gave us a % readout...

With the system designed to give estimates, it's impossible because it's all based on how the car is driven/load/demand "VS" range left.

The car is perfectly happy to deliver a percentage to the phone app and to fast chargers, so I see no reason why it couldn't do it on its own screen.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

It kind of does with the 5% bars, but a usable kWh remaining display is what we really need.

Does Bolt shut down at 5%?

 

[gpsman]

At one (amber) bar remaining (5%) I got PPIR.
I was in city driving, and didn’t notice any loss in driveability. (Was under 45 mph at this time).

It lets you drive all the way to 0% (which is 0% of the usable range, the battery is by no means “dead” at this point.)

Maximum power to the wheels starts to taper off almost immediately.

You get 160kw to the wheels at 100% charge.
I’ve noticed I get 135kw to the wheels at 15%.

When the “propulsion is reduced” message comes on at 5% (only did this once) I have never floored it to see what maximum output is. If it’s half (probably) that’s 80kw or 100 horsepower. You can accelerate up the freeway on-ramp with 40kw. 50kw if it is uphill.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

Thanks gpsman, that’s the kind of information I want to collect.

80 kW of power was the max my Leaf could ever do, so that’s not a problem, and a Leaf shuts down at 5%, so I’m glad Bolt allows the full 60 kWh advertised.

So, how many miles were showing when PPIR hit, and once you got past the PPIR message, about how many miles did you get?

 

[gpsman]

I only went half a mile to a charging station after breaking the 5% threshold.