California
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2004
- Messages
- 14,659
- Location
- An hour north of San Francisco
- Tractor
- Yanmar YM240 Yanmar YM186D
I saw a Chev Bolt recently at a shopping mall and realized they are now on the road. Reading about the Bolt and competitors, here's what I've learned:
All-electric, no gas engine. 238 mile rated range. Same as Tesla's base (60) model. And these two (plus the premium Teslas) are the only cars in the category of 'practical for out of town use', presently.
Bolt costs about half of the Tesla. It's a compact while the Tesla seems old-Buick size. I had thought the Tesla was attractive until I saw one parked in the city, the thing is huge relative to ordinary parallel parking on city streets. The Bolt in contrast is 30 inches shorter. That's a huge difference for shoehorning it into an urban parking space.
Bolt's most expensive option pack includes automatic cruise and braking, to fall in line behind someone else and track his speed. Useful on long freeway trips and a huge improvement for creeping along in stop and go urban rush hour traffic. Also cameras claimed to watch the lane dividers then order the steering to keep you centered in your lane if you are inattentive. Both features seem like they would take some of the frustration out of driving in crowded traffic. Probably Tesla's system is far better but due to cost and size I wouldn't seriously consider buying a Tesla at this point. Maybe in a few years when sales of the new models settle down and there isn't a waiting list ranked by how expensive an option pack you ordered. I want a car for practical use, primarily the 100 mile frequent trip between home and ranch. I admire Tesla but don't want to pay the premium they presently justifiably earn.
Charging on Tesla is much faster if you buy their home charge system. Bolt is lighter, uses a little less electricity, and its charging system isn't nearly as fast as Tesla. I'm reading in user groups that many just plug into 110 with no add-ons to home wiring and haven't bothered with the next step up, a several hundred $ home charging station that more than doubles charging speed. Another alternative is a couple hundred $ for an adapter to charge from a dryer/water heater/welder/ 220V circuit, or even to plug into two 110 V circuits that are fed from opposite sides of the 220 V main panel. These methods also double charging speed. Tesla you pay a lot of money for excellence in all aspects, Bolt owners seem to find good-enough is ok for them.
Surprisingly performance was about equal in some car magazine comparison. Acceleration, comfort on the highway and on bad roads, adequate interior space for the people. Tesla has wider seats and far more trunk space, Bolt is a small hatchback.
Charging away from home might seem like a limitation but Bolt uses the same charging standard as Leaf and everybody else except Tesla, so at least it isn't proprietary. PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge your car! claims 50,000 charging stations on their map including many shared by their members.
For my use 100 miles each way to the ranch, Bolt's over 200 mile range and some charging at each end are sufficient for my needs. I doubt I'll buy one immediately but my present fleet, Subaru and Focus, are 18 and 13 years old respectively so its time to compare what I need next.
I think we're seeing the leading edge of a new era. Has anyone here bought one?
Attached: Available and proposed all-electric automobiles. (Bloomberg)
All-electric, no gas engine. 238 mile rated range. Same as Tesla's base (60) model. And these two (plus the premium Teslas) are the only cars in the category of 'practical for out of town use', presently.
Bolt costs about half of the Tesla. It's a compact while the Tesla seems old-Buick size. I had thought the Tesla was attractive until I saw one parked in the city, the thing is huge relative to ordinary parallel parking on city streets. The Bolt in contrast is 30 inches shorter. That's a huge difference for shoehorning it into an urban parking space.
Bolt's most expensive option pack includes automatic cruise and braking, to fall in line behind someone else and track his speed. Useful on long freeway trips and a huge improvement for creeping along in stop and go urban rush hour traffic. Also cameras claimed to watch the lane dividers then order the steering to keep you centered in your lane if you are inattentive. Both features seem like they would take some of the frustration out of driving in crowded traffic. Probably Tesla's system is far better but due to cost and size I wouldn't seriously consider buying a Tesla at this point. Maybe in a few years when sales of the new models settle down and there isn't a waiting list ranked by how expensive an option pack you ordered. I want a car for practical use, primarily the 100 mile frequent trip between home and ranch. I admire Tesla but don't want to pay the premium they presently justifiably earn.
Charging on Tesla is much faster if you buy their home charge system. Bolt is lighter, uses a little less electricity, and its charging system isn't nearly as fast as Tesla. I'm reading in user groups that many just plug into 110 with no add-ons to home wiring and haven't bothered with the next step up, a several hundred $ home charging station that more than doubles charging speed. Another alternative is a couple hundred $ for an adapter to charge from a dryer/water heater/welder/ 220V circuit, or even to plug into two 110 V circuits that are fed from opposite sides of the 220 V main panel. These methods also double charging speed. Tesla you pay a lot of money for excellence in all aspects, Bolt owners seem to find good-enough is ok for them.
Surprisingly performance was about equal in some car magazine comparison. Acceleration, comfort on the highway and on bad roads, adequate interior space for the people. Tesla has wider seats and far more trunk space, Bolt is a small hatchback.
Charging away from home might seem like a limitation but Bolt uses the same charging standard as Leaf and everybody else except Tesla, so at least it isn't proprietary. PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge your car! claims 50,000 charging stations on their map including many shared by their members.
For my use 100 miles each way to the ranch, Bolt's over 200 mile range and some charging at each end are sufficient for my needs. I doubt I'll buy one immediately but my present fleet, Subaru and Focus, are 18 and 13 years old respectively so its time to compare what I need next.
I think we're seeing the leading edge of a new era. Has anyone here bought one?
Attached: Available and proposed all-electric automobiles. (Bloomberg)
