Two Years With The Bolt EUV

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I lately received an e-mail from OnStar telling me that I had a diagnostic report back to learn. However, seeing the date, I remembered that I had picked the Bolt EUV up in September of 2022 and it has now been two years since choosing the automobile up. I figured I’d take this opportunity to evaluation what the final two years with the automobile has been like, and what this implies not just for individuals used Bolts, however for individuals contemplating newer Ultium-based GMs.

I Didn’t Take It Simple On The EUV

Most individuals shopping for a Bolt EUV (or the non-EUV) in all probability don’t have numerous journey in thoughts. The marginally greater Bolt EUV is a little bit front-drive crossover, whereas the common Bolt is a little bit hatchback. All-wheel-drive wasn’t obtainable for any 12 months or trim stage of Bolt. Even the charging, based mostly on older GM know-how, is a paltry 55 kW, which means that the majority charging stops are no less than 35 minutes lengthy on street journeys, however solely when EV charging stations are ideally spaced. When it’s a must to go too lengthy between fees, you find yourself spending an hour or maybe extra!

However, when you’re driving round on respectable paved or gravel roads and largely staying inside vary of residence charger, none of those disadvantages ever actually come into play. For commuting, there’s not a damned factor unsuitable with a Bolt. It’s received extra torque and extra horsepower than many turbocharged four-cylinder commuter automobiles, and the low-end torque from the electrical motors makes it really feel extra like an outdated V8 in metropolis driving. It’s comfy, it has loads of vary for almost all native driving, and relying on the mannequin, it has room for a couple of passengers, too.

So far as sensible commuters and every day pushed autos go, it’s onerous to beat the worth of a Bolt, particularly with the cheaper used costs for low-mileage examples.

However, I didn’t do the sensible factor with my EUV. Positive, I did numerous native driving and even regional driving and by no means had an issue. However, I wished to share a few of my extra excessive adventures after which clarify how they apply to individuals who aren’t going to push the automobile so far as I did.

Rural Responsibility Is Tremendous With The Proper Tires

It didn’t take me lengthy to search out the boundaries of the Bolt EUV carrying its inventory sneakers. Even with the inventory Michelin vitality saver tires, I had no downside happening gravel roads, even some pretty crappy ones. However, sand was one other matter. Even sandy areas that I had taken my outdated two-wheel-drive Chevy TrailBlazer two years earlier had been sufficient to rapidly replenish the tread and sink the automobile. On prime of that, there have been some rocky shale-ridden roads that I used to be hesitant to go down for concern of puncturing the street-oriented tires.

As a result of I like exploring forest roads and going to considerably distant campsites with the aforementioned sharp rocks, I upgraded to Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires. This made issues rather a lot nicer, because the knobbier tires had higher grip in almost all situations and had been made to deal with nasty rocks. However, it got here at the price of going from a 3.5 miles/kWh to about 3.0 utilizing A Higher Route Planner’s OBD knowledge assortment. That meant dropping about 15% of my vary on the freeway (one thing I examined on a number of drives throughout Texas).

So, when you reside out away from the town on a not-so-great grime street, I wouldn’t hesitate to contemplate the Bolt, particularly the EUV mannequin with the cushier suspension. With the best tires, it’s automobile for individuals residing in most rural areas so long as you have got the ability to cost it and also you’re in attain of locations inside its vary.

Freeway Isn’t As Dangerous As Folks Say

As I discussed above, I took the Bolt on a number of drives throughout Texas, and I’ve taken it throughout New Mexico and elements of Arizona. On these unloaded drives, the expertise wasn’t as dangerous as individuals declare. Whereas it actually takes extra time than taking a gas-powered automobile to cowl all that floor, I discovered that it’s affordable to tackle 500-600 miles per day going 80 MPH. Charging stops had been about each 1.5-2 hours, and I’d cost for about 45 minutes to have greater than sufficient vary to make the following station.

Bolts are speculated to get Tesla Supercharger entry quickly (we aren’t certain how a lot Elon’s rage-firing has set that again), however even with out entry to Tesla’s charging stations, I had nearly no issues. I used to be at all times capable of get a cost and at all times managed to get the place I used to be going with minimal trouble. The one tip I’d suggest earlier than contemplating a Bolt for non-local drives is to make use of journey planning software program like ABRP to plan the place you’re going and see if it’s going to take too lengthy.

Once more, although, if the Bolt may deal with lengthy highways drives at excessive speeds, there’s no motive it could actually’t deal with native freeway commuting.

Pulling A Cargo Trailer 4200 Miles

The hardest factor I’ve carried out with the Bolt EUV was to drag a customized cargo trailer from New Mexico to North Carolina and again. I initially constructed it to hold tenting gear, together with Shiftpod tents, a photo voltaic generator, photo voltaic panels, and a little bit slide-out kitchen—all powered from the Bolt’s battery! However, on this journey I used to be choosing up some furnishings, and ended up loading it to the roof, bringing the full weight to 1700 kilos.

I personally wouldn’t suggest doing this, although. The Bolt did simply advantageous, however pulling this trailer lower the vary right down to about 2 miles/kWh, nearly chopping the vary in half. When there have been loads of charging stations spaced out evenly, I may drive for an hour and cost for half-hour. However, when the stations required charging up nearly full and arriving with 10% cost, this meant driving for an hour and a half and charging for over an hour. In each instances, this implies doing numerous charging in comparison with driving.

It some methods, this wasn’t horrible, as I used to be capable of do enjoyable issues like arrange little picnics. Having a full kitchen, together with a microwave and a freezer made that fairly fulfilling and even saved some cash alongside the street journey. It was additionally good for powering issues like air con, warmth, and all the different comforts of residence at campsites!

The one hiccup of any type I skilled alongside the best way, regardless of doing the whole lot from the Blue Ridge Parkway to driving throughout the Nice Plains, was one minor charging slowdown. It took driving in 103-degree (F) warmth on rolling terrain with the battery beneath 25% earlier than the automobile’s battery heated up in any respect. There was no driving energy loss like I had skilled with Nissan LEAFs, nevertheless it did cost at 20 kW for a bit earlier than the cooling system kicked again in and issues went again completely to regular.

Once more, that is what it took (1700 lbs of trailer and a few small furnishings within the automobile on a 1o3-degree day on rolling hills) to get the automobile to do something out of the unusual, and it wasn’t that dangerous. In case you use the Bolt for issues like commuting and even gentle towing round city, you shouldn’t have any issues in any respect.

Ultium and “Boltium” Ought to Be Fairly Good

In case you’re searching for one thing that fees sooner and makes use of newer know-how than the Bolt, you’re in all probability going to be in good condition with autos just like the Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Silverado EV in addition to the upcoming refresh of the Bolt EUV. GM has numerous expertise constructing drivetrains, and so they’ve carried out fairly good with the Bolt’s setup. Sufficient additional capability was inbuilt to do issues like tow, drive throughout the nation, and so on.

That having been mentioned, we wish to get our fingers on a few of these newer autos for testing, and will certainly put them via some harder exams like this if we handle to try this!

Featured picture (and all different photographs) by Jennifer Sensiba.