Went full EV with a '20 Bolt.

[ChrisV]

Still have the Volt, but this past week we added to the fleet a '20 Bolt LT. Went down to the local dealership looking at a base LT with just DC fast charge and heated seats. The dealership had a Kinetic Blue LT and a Cayenne Orange LT with just those options for $25k. I really like both those colors. But when we got to the dealership, this Oasis blue one was sitting in the showroom and my wife fell in love:



But the one in the showroom was a base LT with ONLY DC fast charge as an option and heated seats are a must. So we went and test drove the Kinetic Blue LT (same color as my Volt). Came back in and they looked in inventory (they had 22 Bolts on hand in just about every color and option level) and found an Oasis Blue LT with the DC fast charge, heated seats/steering wheel, and the driver confidence packages (auto lane assist, blind spot warnings, auto braking, etc). We didn't really want all that, but they offered it to us for the same price as the one we test drove without those packages and we took it.

So now it sits with the Volt. The garage is full of convertibles for the time being, so yeah, the Bolt ad Volt sit outside at the L2 charger.





The '20 adds this color and longer range (259 miles, up from 238). But people are already getting well over 300 out of them in the summer. This weekend we took at all over the backroads of southern MD by the Chesapeake and spent 4 hours driving around only to use just about half it's charge. It's eye opening just how far 200+ miles really is in real driving. in day to day use, we're just never going to get close to that. And it was surprisingly comfortable for those 4 hours, considering some of the reviews of the seats. Maybe it's the cloth seats of the LT vs the leather of the Premier, but it wasn't bad. Fun car to drive, with 200 hp and 266 lb ft of torque, and a low CG. Instant throttle response means it's fun to power out of low speed corners. It's kind of like a hot hatch in concept, reminding me of the MINI Coopers we had for being fun, agile, and lively.

[Speed_Racer]

That is a fun color, I'm getting some cool 90s vibes.

[NomisR]

The amount of pull that you can get on this car surprises a lot of people too.  You can get ahead at a red light easily, and pass on the freeway easily.  My biggest complaint about this car is really the seats.  It doesn't get that much worse than this car, I hope the 2020s are better.

[ChrisV]

The '21s are supposed to get a revised interior, and I'm assuming better seats. But these cloth seats aren't bad. I fit in them fine and I've been in a LOT of base level cars and trucks that have had much worse seats. And yeah, it seems quite quick. I'm still getting used to the regen in L and one pedal driving. It slows pretty rapidly when you let off the throttle.

I also love that it doesn't come with factory nav, but all versions get Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, so that means I get Waze on the screen and can use Siri to navigate. Still don't use all the driver's aids. Probably never will.

[NomisR]

For me, it's really about the lack of cushion, my back started hurting since I got the car, I had to get a seat cushion and back cushion to make it better.  I just have the LT with the DC charger, so far, I've only used the DC charger once, and the only reason I used it was to see what it was like.  Never had a need for it in the year + 3 months that I've had the car.  Definitely never felt the need for the driver's aid though. 

[CaminoRacer]

Nice. BoltGang! Almost have as many Bolts as Miatas on this board now.

I think they started adding more padding to the seats after 2018 or whatever. So the seats are still a bit narrow but you don't hit the plastic frame like some of the 2017 and 2018 cars. I had to add my own padding since I bought a used 2017 model (LT with cloth seats).

Does the Volt not have an L mode?

[NomisR]

Nice. BoltGang! Almost have as many Bolts as Miatas on this board now.

I think they started adding more padding to the seats after 2018 or whatever. So the seats are still a bit narrow but you don't hit the plastic frame like some of the 2017 and 2018 cars. I had to add my own padding since I bought a used 2017 model (LT with cloth seats).

Does the Volt not have an L mode?

Volt does, however, the deceleration is not as drastic as the Bolt, you're looking at the difference between driving in 3rd gear vs 2nd gear of the Bolt.

[CaminoRacer]

I just have the LT with the DC charger, so far, I've only used the DC charger once, and the only reason I used it was to see what it was like.  Never had a need for it in the year + 3 months that I've had the car.  Definitely never felt the need for the driver's aid though. 

We've used DCFC twice. Once was just for fun to try it out and the 2nd time my wife actually needed it. And that was only because I live in an apartment and only charge at work, but that day I needed to take our Mazda6 to the shop so the Bolt didn't have much battery left.

The bird's eye camera thing was neat on the Premier I test drove, but the car has such short overhangs and stuff that it really isn't necessary. It's the easiest car to parallel park that I've driven.

[mzziaz]

Nice colour!

Pretty interesting how many Bolts that are bought by spinners, also.

This is the fourth, I believe

[CaminoRacer]

Nice colour!

Pretty interesting how many Bolts that are bought by spinners, also.

This is the fourth, I believe

What color is yours?

Mine is red, Chris's is 90s Blue, I don't know what Nomis has either.

[MrH]

Cool!  Congrats on the new car.

If I had charging at work, I would highly consider it.  I really like them.

New seats would be welcomed.

[FoMoJo]

Nice looking car.

[NomisR]

What color is yours?

Mine is red, Chris's is 90s Blue, I don't know what Nomis has either.

Mine's black, I wanted the Blue but this one was cheaper so I went with that.

[ChrisV]

Volt does, however, the deceleration is not as drastic as the Bolt, you're looking at the difference between driving in 3rd gear vs 2nd gear of the Bolt.

Yeah, the Volt in L will slow like letting off the throttle in a manual trans car. But it won't come to a stop. The Bolt is like shifting down a couple gears and letting off the throttle and will come to a complete stop. The Volt also doesn't light up the brake lights when you get off the throttle, while the Bolt thankfully does.

We're going to use the DCFC on road trips to upstate NY to visit the kids. There are charging points up the Jersey Turnpike and on I-87 N and S in NY. It'll take one 20 minute stop at, say, the Joyce Kilmer rest stop on the NJ TP to get there and then one on 87S to get back.

[cawimmer430]

Congrats!

[mzziaz]

What color is yours?

Mine is red, Chris's is 90s Blue, I don't know what Nomis has either.

We got the Cajun Red one. Very happy with the colour

[CaminoRacer]

We got the Cajun Red one. Very happy with the colour

Good choice

[Payman]

Beautiful. Love the colour. 

[Payman]

Needs some orange Gulf livery. 

[Payman]

Question though... why did you keep the Volt?

[ChrisV]

Question though... why did you keep the Volt?

The Volt is now my daily and will be the long distance car when going in a direction (like down to TN) that has no real charging options. The Bolt is my wife's DD and our errand runner and for day tripping.

[CALL_911]

Great cars, and I love the color. Congratulations. What all do you have you in your garage these days?

[Morris Minor]

The 'SPIN is going EV.


EarlyAdopterSPIN.

[Laconian]

The value proposition extends beyond just warm fuzzies now. PracticalSPIN.

[ChrisV]

Great cars, and I love the color. Congratulations. What all do you have you in your garage these days?

The Bolt, the Volt, the 330ci ZHP and the Suburban. The ZHP will be going away to free up garage space. As will, I hope, my buddy's Bug and MGB (the Bug has been left in the driveway while he's at work in Virginia, and the MGB is getting finished up and made drivable in the other garage stall).

[Morris Minor]

EV + EV = full commitment - GreenPeace loves you.
EV + PHEV = mostly committed - hedging for long range
EV + Hybrid = getting a bit carbony but sending the right signals (hybrids are so reliable)
EV + Gasser = love of cool gadgetry but you also love your BMW X5 xDrive 5.0i.

[ChrisV]

I'd replace the Volt with a Fiat 500e right now. But I still want the Suburban for towing the travel trailer.

The Volt got me into the EV world, and I found that 99% of the time, the generator is never used. So a full EV like the Fiat 500e with even just an 85 mile range would do me nicely as a replacement. The Volt is 7 years old at this point. I'm also thinking I just might customize it, like lowering it slightly, putting on some 19" wheels and painting the lowers body color. It's a decent daily driver.

[NomisR]

PracticalSPIN.

This part is definitely true.  I don't think anyone here with an EV is doing it for the warm and fuzzy feeling. 

[CaminoRacer]

This part is definitely true.  I don't think anyone here with an EV is doing it for the warm and fuzzy feeling. 

Do it for the torqueeeeee

[2o6]

I think in a lot of places a PHEV, Hybrid, or regular ICE + EV is the way to go. I would say that about once a week or so I do end up places that couldn't be done round trip on one charge of an EV. It would be a PITA to charge and wait, if your destination even has charging capabilities.