Misadventures at Anaheim Stadium

[AaRoMo]

Two weeks ago, I double parked my Bolt to allow for street sweeping, which is a routine we endure in Northeast cities. As always, I put my hazard lights on. This time, I forgot to turn them off when I parked it for good. (You can't hear any clicking. Design issue.) When I noticed that they were on an hour later, the car died. OnStar tried to help. No luck. They graciously sent a flatbed. The driver was able to get the systems up and running with his jump starter but that was of no use once he disconnected it. The car reverted to its dead state. Ultimately the car was taken to the dealer on a flatbed where the battery was charged. Fortunately, I was not charged for any of this. But it was a major hassle and surprise. How could GM have designed such an otherwise great car to die after an hour of hazard lights left on?

 

[SeanNelson]

Two weeks ago, I double parked my Bolt to allow for street sweeping, which is a routine we endure in Northeast cities. As always, I put my hazard lights on. This time, I forgot to turn them off when I parked it for good. (You can't hear any clicking. Design issue.) When I noticed that they were on an hour later, the car died. OnStar tried to help. No luck. They graciously sent a flatbed. The driver was able to get the systems up and running with his jump starter but that was of no use once he disconnected it. The car reverted to its dead state. Ultimately the car was taken to the dealer on a flatbed where the battery was charged. Fortunately, I was not charged for any of this. But it was a major hassle and surprise. How could GM have designed such an otherwise great car to die after an hour of hazard lights left on?

I believe the hazard flashers don't "click" when the car is turned off because the clicking noise is generated through the infotainment system, which is powered down when the car is off.

The Bolt will power down most lighting if it's left off for very long, but I'm guessing that there's some regulation about the hazard flashers because of safety concerns. If you break down on a freeway and turn on your flashers, you wouldn't want them to suddenly turn off after 5 or 10 minutes.

12V AGM batteries such as the one used in the Bolt don't take well to being fully discharged - what's happened may leave you prone to more problems down the road. If you have any other 12V issues I'd consider replacing it with a new one.

 

[BarfOMatic]

I have a hard time accepting "I left {{something that drains power}} on, and it's Chevy's fault for not telling me that I was absentminded".

Also, it's a really good idea for anybody with an EV to have one of those Li-Ion jump-starter units in the trunk. Hooking one up for 5-10 minutes solves the problem (charges the acc battery enough to boot the car so that the main traction battery will charge/power the 12V acc battery, allowing you to drive home {or a friend's place, or your mechanic} and plug into a trickle charger in order to try to remedy the problem that you yourself caused).

Well, that doesn't help if you've completely trashed one of the cells in the 12V battery - but otherwise ...

 

[AaRoMo]

This is about expectations. A car with a normal battery could be left with the hazards on for hours and you'd still be able to start it. It turns out that not only is the Bolt's lead acid battery tiny but the car is un-jumpable once it's run down. Everyone I've spoken with finds it surprising that this GM doesn't have a warning or work-around. I'd recommend, at a minimum, that OnStar send me a text if my battery is getting so low that the car is going to be un-startable. The car is a rolling computer. There's no reason it shouldn't be able to do this.

 

[Tarrngtn]

Any recommendation for the right li-ion jump starter? All the ads I have seen tell me the kind of ICE engines that they can recharge, but nothing about what is right for an EV. Prices range from $20s to $150s depending on bells and whistles.