Should I buy a 2020?

[EgonSpengler]

My commute is 120-130 miles round trip. Almost entirely highway driving. I'm ok with limiting heat to seats/wheel and minimizing climate control use. Elevation is not really a thing but speeds are high. I won't drive 80 like I do in my ICE car but I can't do 55 on the NJ Turnpike and not die. Probably 65-70 mph. Will the bolt work for me? (Assuming I can't charge at work so would just fill up overnight every night).

 

[theothertom]

in my experience, yes, it will work. I get around 4 miles/kWh if I drive 65 with no heat or A/C. Increase the speed to 70 and use heat, you'll get around 3. With a 66kWh battery on the 2020 Bolt, you'll get 198 mile range at 3 miles/kWh. So, no worries! You'll need an L2 charger at home, though . Something like a ClipperCreek or JuiceBox or similar.

 

[BoltEV]

in my experience, yes...

Do you drive in a similarly cold climate as New Jersey as the OP does?

I didn’t respond because my experiences in Los Angeles are just not relevant.

 

[theothertom]

in my experience, yes...

Do you drive in a similarly cold climate as New Jersey as the OP does?

I didn’t respond because my experiences in Los Angeles are just not relevant.

Yes. And the OP states he will not use climate control if necessary.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Thanks for the feedback. What kind of mi/kwh do you get with some climate control use? I realize "some" is a vague term but trying to get an idea of how low it will go. I'm also crunching some numbers with assumed degradation over time to see if it will work after 3-4 years. I know heat is a bigger toll than A/C but I'd probably need A/C in the summer. Can bundle up when it's cold but can't do much in the heat (opening windows would kill the aerodynamics).

 

[BoltEV]

...And the OP states he will not use climate control if necessary.

Not using the Climate Control at 36 degrees F, he will still see a substantially smaller battery capacity that I see at 55 degrees in Los Angeles.

He should do what I did before I purchased my first PEV: I rented a Nissan Leaf for one week on Turo (known as Relay Rides in 2013).

I am sure he can find a Bolt EV there.

I find that air conditioning in the summer is a substantially smaller drain on the battery range than cabin heat.

I did an experimental drive round trip to Las Vegas:

From Victorville Mall (DCFC) to Las Vegas driving in the right lane on I-15 between semis at no more than 60 MPH with air conditioning through the desert, I arrived with 50 miles left on the GOM.

On the way back, driving the flow of traffic in the left lane (but no faster then 70 MPH) back to Victorville I arrived with 3% remaining In the MyChevy app.

This direction has an uphill coming into Victorville and as I entered the Red Zone on the GOM, I turned off climate control and the entertainment system and drove no faster than 65 (and the system limited propulsion).

 

[michaelbolt]

Are you saying you made it Victorville-Vegas-Victorville on one charge? Almost all of it used on the outbound leg?

Or did you recharge in Vegas?

 

[BoltEV]

Of course, I recharged at a Terrible Herbst DCFC in Las Vegas.

Almost all of it was used (3% remaining) on the return leg to Victorville which is uphill.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Well I pulled the trigger and for a blue 2020 on Saturday. Haven't been able to drive it much since they've locked NJ down and I'm forced to work from home. Can't wait to put it to the test on my first commute.

 

[BoltEV]

Congratulations!

Before the lock down order, I used my Bolt EV to drive the 170 mile roundtrip to Mojave, California in Kern County to get better availability to groceries than in Los Angeles.

I am considering some further drives as an alternative to shopping for groceries and Rx locally, while bringing wipes for the DCFCcharger handles, if needed.

Also I just recently installed the EVExtend.com system to use my Bolt EV for alternative home electric use, if it comes to that, or for The Big One.

 

[theothertom]

Well I pulled the trigger and for a blue 2020 on Saturday. Haven't been able to drive it much since they've locked NJ down and I'm forced to work from home. Can't wait to put it to the test on my first commute.

Congrats. Let us know how it works out for you.