As the newest and first completely EV model from Chevrolet in many years, the Chevrolet Bolt grabbed our attention last year and gave us the range and the affordability we’ve been looking for in an EV.
While the Nissan Leaf is the most popular EV on the market, its late arrival last year and previously smaller range along with the empty promise of the Model 3 from Tesla have made it possible for the Chevrolet Bolt to be the EV that we see as the one we can drive and enjoy on the roads around the country.
The question for the Bolt isn’t whether or not it’s a great car to drive, because it certainly is, but is the Bolt a car you can enjoy and drive on a daily basis even when you don’t live in the city. The range of this model is 238 miles on a single charge, which seems like plenty, but you might need to think about how much you drive on a daily basis. Now that this car is offered for the second year as the 2018 model, the only changes you see are a heated steering wheel as part of certain packages.
Where Can You Drive the Chevrolet Bolt?
As a car that brings you 238 miles of driving range, could you live in the suburbs or have a long daily commute and still have this as the car you want to drive? If you live in an area where there aren’t any DC fast charging ports available, you’ll want to have a Level 2 charging port installed in your home for the Bolt so that it can charge faster. Considering the charge using a typical 12-amp circuit will only give you about six miles of charge per hour, you’ll want the Level 2 charger to make the charging time much shorter.
One of the biggest reasons to make sure you have a charger at home that can give you a full charge overnight is the troubles you may run into when you look for a DC Fast Charger. In some cases, these chargers have been blocked by vehicles that don’t even need the electric charger and some of the chargers only allow you to charge for an hour before shutting off. This means you may need to stay with the car for a few hours to ensure the charge is filled before going on the road again, which can be time consuming and frustrating; better to charge overnight at home.
Because of charging woes that some have had around the country, it can be difficult to decide you want to drive an EV, but if you find there are plenty of charging stations, and your employer or parking area has charging places while you’re working, you’ll find the Bolt EV is easy to enjoy and offers plenty of range for your drive. The trouble could be when you’re ready to drive on the road for a long period of time.
Plan Your Routes and Your Charging
You can take the Chevrolet Bolt for a road trip, but you need to know where public chargers are and possibly call the business where the charger is located to make sure you’ll have access to it. Sometimes online reviews can be wrong or misleading and you’ll want to ensure you can access the place to charge when you make this car one you take for a road trip. Another benefit is to find a charger that’s in a shopping center or near a place where you want to spend some time.
Sure, it would be easy to go with a traditional gas-powered Chevrolet vehicle, like the Chevy Cruze. The question is, can you make the Chevrolet Bolt the car you can use to visit friends in the next town or handle your daily commute? Yes you can, but you need to be prepared for what you may find when you’re looking for a charge along the route. Don’t leave home without a full charge and be familiar with the different stations along the way that will allow you to charge your Bolt EV. You also need to plan for more time away if you’re going to stop and charge along your route, but if you know you’re going to be gone and only need the 2438 miles offered, you’ll feel this car acts like any other, just without gasoline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1wIowLKrfs&t=1s