from the backdashboardcargofirst fast DC chargerear seating areaSt. LouisLong range
OwnerPaul Pancella
Owner's Other EVs1992 Honda Civic
2013 Nissan LEAF
LocationKalamazoo, Michigan United States map
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Vehicle2018 Chevrolet Bolt
Base model of Chevy's long range hatchback
EV. Purchased at the end of March 2018.
Motor LG permanent magnet synchronous
150 kW power rating (200 hp) 8810 rpm max.
DrivetrainFWD single ratio transmission (7.05:1)
Batteries288, 3.75 Volt, Lithium-Ion
3p96s nominal 60 kWh capacity, under the floor and back seat. Active thermal management, heating and cooling.
System Voltage360 Volts
Charger Stock GM/LG Chem
7.7 kW rate onboard
Also DC fast charging via CCS-combo
connector, at about 50 kW rate max.
HeaterElectrical resistance, 9 kW max.
DC/DC Converter Stock GM/LG
1.6 kW max.
Instrumentation8" digital gauge cluster display, different
info can be selected. 10.2" color touch
screen in the center. I also use Torque Pro
for additional data.
Top Speed93 MPH (149 KPH)
Electronically governed
Acceleration0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds
More than needed, by me anyway.
Sport mode available, but why?
Range238 Miles (382 Kilometers)
This is EPA rating, which is conservative
in my experience. In most of my driving (in
a city most of the year) I can easily go 300 miles on a charge
Watt Hours/Mile250 Wh/Mile
These numbers for pleasant weather or
warmer.
EV Miles
Start:5 Miles (8 Kilometers)
Current:12,000 Miles (19,308 Kilometers)
Total:11,995 Miles (19,299 Kilometers)
 
    As of 4/17/2019
Seating Capacity5 adults if individuals are not too large
Curb Weight3,565 Pounds (1,620 Kilograms)
Almost 1000 lbs. in the battery pack
TiresMichelin X Energy Saver All-season, self-sealing. P215/50R17
Michelin X-Ice for winter
Conversion CostI paid $38,000 total at our local dealer. I
will get a $7500 reduction on my federal tax
bill for this year.
Additional FeaturesHeated seats and steering wheel. Rear camera and grids when backing up. Also cross traffic and proximity warning in reverse. Blind spot alert.

More interesting for some will be what is not included.
This car comes with no spare tire. Adaptive cruise control is
not available. There is no built-in navigation system,
although there is OnStar, wifi, other telematics stuff. Center
screen can pair with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay from smart phone. No CD audio player.
Not available in Michigan until September 2017, although final assembly has always been here.
We took delivery March 30, 2018

May 2018: Battery management software updated at dealership

mid-July 2018: successful round trip Kalamazoo-St. Louis, first use of DC fast charging

late July, 2018, 4600 miles: Picked up a long nail, not sure
when. Eventually observed very slow leak. By the time I took it in to a shop, tire was damaged beyond repair. These tires are expensive.

October, 2018: Put original tires on lighter wheel rims, Maxxim "Winner". 5 pounds less per wheel!

12/14/18: Mounted Michelin X-Ice winter tires on the original rims, swapped onto the car for the coming Michigan stuff. For the winter months, I won't have the self-sealing feature.

late January, 2019: Polar vortex! First time significant energy is being used to keep the battery warm, even overnight in our garage! Efficiency gone all to hell, <2 miles/kWh. Handling is good, though.

Torque Pro app reports capacity now down to 57.2 kWh. I'll see when the weather gets warmer if this measurement is affected by our winter temperatures.

March 31: one year, 12,000 great miles. Efficiency coming back with warmer weather (finally) capacity reported at 58 kWh. Before the end of this year, this will be the EV I've put the most miles on (of three I have owned). DCFC infrastructure starting to make longer trips less painful.

code by jerry