LT Options - what's worth it, what's not?

[rocstar]

I really don't want leather seats, so I have no interest in a Premier.

So, which LT options are worth it? I am thinking my must-haves are:
- DC Fast Charging capability
- Comfort & Convenience package (I live in a cold climate so this seems to make sense from a battery/range standpoint, even though I would prefer to avoid the leather completely)

What about the Driver Confidence I package? It doesn't really seem like a must-have to me, but it's also not too pricey. False cargo floor seems not to be too hard to order and install yourself, though it's a little cheaper factory-installed. All-weather floor mats would be nice to have, but is it really so bad to just buy something from AutoZone or off Amazon?

I do like the blue and red colors, but haven't decided if I want to pay extra for it yet.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Lucky you. I also don't want leather, but need the four camera parking system, so I'm stuck with getting a Premier. And after fixing the front seats, putting seat covers on them.

 

[gpsman]

Two things you need:

DCFC and
RED color.

Everything else is frosting on the cake.


I could get by without DCFC, but since I have it, I use it 2 or 3 times per month. It gives you much more freedom and piece of mind.

There are A LOT of public charging areas that only have DCFC. Moving forward, I see all (ok most) new public charging stations will be DCFC.

Putting the speed of charging aside, without the DCFC port, you have eliminated about half of your possible public charging locations.

I don’t need it. But I sure like having it.

 

[rocstar]

Two things you need:

DCFC and
RED color.

Everything else is frosting on the cake.

:lol: :lol:

 

[desiv]

Yeah, for me DCFC was a required.
Heated seats was a really nice to have and I'm glad I went for it...

I wasn't going to pay extra for the colors... Kinda wanted the light blue one (Arctic Blue??)...
But they had a red on the lot with the 2 above options already..

I was talking to them about finding me the color I was looking for (maybe they could swap with another dealer, etc), and they increased the discount they were offering me to take the red one they had.. ;-)

I went for it.. And the red is really growing on me..
Glad I did.. ;-)
(Although I think I would have been just as happy with the light blue. Great car..)

desiv

 

[joe]

I think the driver confidence stuff is not really worth it. The blind spot monitors work fine, but you still have to move your head to be safe. The "rear park assist" is way too sensitive -- it beeps very loudly when you are not that close to anything. The rear cross-traffic alert only really works for pedestrians, because, by the time the Bolt alerts you that there is a car coming, it has already gone by. If you were relying on that alert, you would've hit the car by then.

My wife has the all weather mats and they are too small in the front, but the back one is deece.

 

[boltage]

The package with the heated seats will help you reduce electricity consumption during cold weather, if you use the heated seats to allow using the cabin heater less. The cabin heater makes a much more noticeable effect on consumption.

 

[SmokingRubber]

Here is the catalog listing all the package differences on page 14-15
http://www.chevrolet.com/content/da...log/02-pdf/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-catalog.pdf

I love the birds eye view and the Bose 7 channel stereo. Everything else is also an option for the LT so it wouldn't matter. I'm personally very happy with the Premier.

 

[SparkE]

{...}
There are A LOT of public charging areas that only have DCFC. Moving forward, I see all (ok most) new public charging stations will be DCFC. {...}

It sort of depends. I don't see many retail businesses or apartment complexes or workplaces paying for a DCFC installation - they will go for L2 (I'm not saying none, just a small minority). For work , you plug in when you get there, or after lunch - pretty good charge when you go home. For apts, you plug in when you get home, and unplug either before you go to bed or when you go to work. For retail, if it's a business that hopes you spend over an hour there (like 'not fast-food' restaurants or a mall or a movie complex) L2 works for that as well. (Although some of the 'big' malls around San Jose do have DCFC.) Now, retail (especially upscale) where you are going to spend 45 mins or less and want to cater to the EV crowd I can easily see installing a 20-25 kW DCFC. There's actually a Walgreens of all things a couple of miles from my house with a 20 kW DCFC - it's my "go to" spot for sundries if I am nearby and need an extra 30-40 miles. I say "20 kW DCFC" because they are significantly less expensive than 50 kW chargers - less to buy, less to install (because you probably don't have to upgrade your electric panel and maybe not even your service) and less in the way of "demand charge upbilling" that some electric companies charge.

Now if what you meant was "most new charging stations for intercity travel (easy access to/from highways/freeways generally outside major cities) will have DCFC", that I definitely agree with. But even there ... well, for example, California is spending over $6M to improve the "electric highway" (intercity travel) infrastructure across the state. All the locations have DCFC, but even those stations have L2 charging as well.

 

[SmokingRubber]

DCFC is crucial if you're traveling. They're also unpredictable... I've seen DCFC put out anywhere between 11kWh and 33kWh. I HOPE they're going to install more along the highway system, but more actual FAST chargers would be preferred.

Personally, I bought the Bolt to be a commuter and with free L2 charging it's fitting that need perfectly. I took it to San Jose last weekend and it was a bit of a pain to worry about charging and range. From now on, I'm taking our 2016 Mazda CX-5 on all road trips.

 

[SparkE]

DCFC is crucial if you're traveling. They're also unpredictable... I've seen DCFC put out anywhere between 11kWh and 33kWh. I HOPE they're going to install more along the highway system, but more actual FAST chargers would be preferred.

Personally, I bought the Bolt to be a commuter and with free L2 charging it's fitting that need perfectly. I took it to San Jose last weekend and it was a bit of a pain to worry about charging and range. From now on, I'm taking our 2016 Mazda CX-5 on all road trips.

Oh, I definitely agree it can be a bother for 200 mile round trips, and can be a royal pain for 400 miles round trip (total miles driven). It's because of the limited infrastructure. There are quite a few DCFCs on that drive (up US-101). The problem is that they are all 24 kW units, and most are single units at that. I myself wouldn't have a problem deciding to do that drive in a Bolt - especially if L2 destination charging is available for an over-night trip - and I am one of the people that says I'll probably always have an ICE for longer distance traveling. In a 200-ish mile range Bolt (at legal freeway speeds, depending on weather) you'd only need to make one stop *anywhere* along the way to add 40 miles or so (to be safe). And then stop at one of the faster 50 kW chargers in San Jose to "fill up" before heading home (or leave it plugged in overnight).

In southern "San Jose" (the 'area', not just the city) - where you'd want to stop on arrival for maybe a 20 min charge - there's :
- Saratoga library (50 kW, ChargePoint)
- ChargePoint, Inc headquarters, Campbell just off CA-85 (50 kW and 24 kW, ChargePoint)
- VW on Capitol Expressway, just off CA-87 (24 kW, ChargePoint)
- many more

If you are going to be driving up the peninsula (towards SF), pretty much guaranteed available :
- NASA @ Moffit field, where CA-85 meets US-101 (EIGHT! 50 kW chargers, ChargePoint)
- Park Place shopping center, San Mateo, near 101/CA-92 junction (FOUR 50 kW chargers, ChargePoint)
- many others

On the drive, there's (going south) :
- Holliday Inn Morgan Hill (TWO 24 kW, ChargePoint)
- Harden Ranch mall, Salinas (24 kW, ChargePoint)
- Keefers Inn, King City (24 kW, ChargePoint)
- Paso Robles - currently broken

And if you are OK using EVgo (a company I hate with a passion, but if I were in a bind I would have no problem forking over $15 to make sure I made it to my destination) that adds quite a few more options along the way (although nothing between SLO and Salinas) and oodles and oodles in San Jose (almost every Whole foods, for example).

 

[SparkE]

And the above is the *current* network. Here is a link to a map showing the approved (and funded) additional DCFCs to be installed along highway routes in California :

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1VEJLK0-wcAhWV8Q0MirTLULd5mg&ll=37.8195735374153%2C-119.38891739999997&z=7

There will be 6 additional DCFCs installed along US-101 between Pismo Beach and SJ.

 

[SmokingRubber]

My first (and only) trip of any distance was Pismo to Milpitas (then back again 3 days later). Then I ran between Los Gatos and Milpitas several times over the weekend. For my run arounds while I was in town I parked at ChargePoint HQ every night and used their L2 stations to fill up. That was convenient.

On my way up I first stopped in Paso Robles, but the ChargePoint DCFC wouldn't work for more than 30 seconds.

Next, I stopped in King City and got 20 minutes of L3 juice @ 22 kWh off the ChargePoint there. I just wanted to add a little in case my next stop was a bust.

I stopped in Salinas and got some FREE L3 juice at Northridge Mall. Unfortunately it was only pushing 11 kWh, but I didn't expect much for free. I only stayed there for about 15 minutes.

Next, I stopped at the Outlet Mall in Gilroy. There, I got 30 minutes off an EvGo station @ 33 kWh. That gave me enough for the final leg, but I was flashing LOW FUEL as I pulled into Campbell ChargePoint HQ. Most of my issues rose from the fact I was doing 75-80 mph along 101. While I was in San Jose I changed my display to show me how far outside the eco zone I was driving, which really highlighted why my mileage estimates were so wrong. Changing the display really changed my driving style since.

The return trip was easier just because I knew what to expect. I was topped off when I left Los Gatos, and I stopped for 30 minutes back at the Outlet Mall in Gilroy. That gave me enough to get comfortably home at 70 mph the whole way.

I didn't mind the experience because I was mentally prepared for it. My wife was NOT PREPARED for it. Having to stop so many times really pissed her off. Having to keep it at 70 going home was what pissed me off lol.

Like I said, it was a great experience but we're taking the Mazda (33mpg) next time (according to my wife)! Next time is day after tomorrow btw. We're headed back to Los Gatos for Thanksgiving.

 

[TimBolt]

The heated seats and steering wheel are nice options. I especially like heated seats for my aging lower back, and the heated steering wheel works well.

I have the Kinetic Blue color, which I got because it was the only car on the lot with the options I wanted: DCFC and heated seats. The Bolt’s styling is an acquired taste, no color choice will make up for the overly busy design. Let’s hope GM does a better styling job with the Buick version due out next year.

 

[rocstar]

The heated seats and steering wheel are nice options. I especially like heated seats for my aging lower back, and the heated steering wheel works well.

I have the Kinetic Blue color, which I got because it was the only car on the lot with the options I wanted: DCFC and heated seats. The Bolt’s styling is an acquired taste, no color choice will make up for the overly busy design. Let’s hope GM does a better styling job with the Buick version due out next year.

I like the blue! Picking up mine tomorrow...

 

[LeftieBiker]

Rather than start a new topic on interior colors and option, I'd like to ask a quick question.


* Do all of the Premieres have the bright white dash trim pieces? Do all of the LTs have them? Can I really not get a Premiere with just the dark grey interior, and no blinding white bits that I, my housemate, and even the Chevy salesman, initially mistook for protective packing covers...?

 

[devbolt]

Salinas has a 50 kW EVGo fast charger at a Nob Hill shopping center.

 

[Chargeit]

We just got the Bolt last week for my wife. She has a bad case of range anxiety even after living with my daughter's and my Spark EVs for the last couple years. The one thing she absolutely had to have was the fast charger. Incidentally, when we got the Sparks there were no installed CCS fast chargers in the Washington area. Now there are dozens, and even our dealer for the Bolt has one.

The heated seats are OK and the heated steering wheel works very nicely. Using them will definitely save energy over heating the cabin air, but this is less an issue with a car that can go more than 200 miles per charge.

The driver confidence package came with our Bolt. We didn't necessarily want it but there were only 2 LTs at the dealer with DCFC when we decided to buy, and the other one was Orange. (I liked it, my wife didn't.) We often drive in heavy traffic and I'm quickly starting to love the blind spot detection.

Good luck!

 

[GetOffYourGas]

The heated seats and steering wheel are nice options. I especially like heated seats for my aging lower back, and the heated steering wheel works well.

I have the Kinetic Blue color, which I got because it was the only car on the lot with the options I wanted: DCFC and heated seats. The Bolt’s styling is an acquired taste, no color choice will make up for the overly busy design. Let’s hope GM does a better styling job with the Buick version due out next year.

I like the blue! Picking up mine tomorrow...

This thread just popped up, sorry I missed it earlier. Congrats on the new car! (I assume you've had it for a week now). What did you end up with?

Although it's too late to affect your decision, living in western NY (from the name, I would guess Rochester?), you should know that the Thruway Authority is planning on rolling out DCFCs from NYC to Buffalo, so much of the state should be well covered. Also, with our cold winters, the heated seats/steering wheel are really nice to have.

 

[RickCH]

the Thruway Authority is planning on rolling out DCFCs from NYC to Buffalo, so much of the state should be well covered.

Any word about west, from Buffalo to the NY-PA state line? I often travel to Cleveland (from Toronto) and right now there are no DCFCs from Buffalo to Cleveland. At least if there's something right before the state line, I could charge up enough to get to Cleveland via the interstates.