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Community Question: Is 238 Miles Of Range From The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Sufficient?

Yesterday, Chevrolet dropped the bombshell many have been waiting for; the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will arrive with 238 miles of range. The announcement falls in line with reports of pre-production cars blowing past initial 200-mile range estimates, and it will be the most range available on any electric vehicle when it launches later this year.

But, we’re obligated to come to you, our readers, to ask today’s Community Question: is a range of 238 miles enough?

Taking average statistics from 2015, Americans drive around 10,658 miles per year. That’s just about 30 miles per day. Pulling out the handy-dandy calculator reveals the Bolt EV will be capable of about eight average trips before having to plug in for a recharge.

Of course, mileage may vary with driving habits, weather and road conditions. Still, even 200 miles is quite a bit before owners will have to worry about charging up the battery in a 2017 Bolt EV.

With that, we will turn it to you. Vote below and talk to us in the comment section below on this matter.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. Happy to hear the 238 mile range. Its enough. Most of my driving is local and around town. About once a month I travel for work about 250 miles each way. I would have no problem stopping somewhere in the middle and hook up to a DC fastcharger at a rest stop to give me an extra buffer. I don’t do that drive without stopping anyway. Can’t wait to see one in person and test drive it. We own a Sonic so size wise this is a similar vehicle.

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  2. At that price point, the range is absolutely outstanding in my opinion. I also am an around town traveler most of the time. Like Vic, I have to travel from Houston to Dallas (about 260) miles one way, so I would have to top off somewhere, but with DC fast charge capability, that is a non issue. I think that GM has a real winner with the Bolt EV.

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  3. That’s awesome!

    I’m a DC metro commuter. I drive into DC from the N. VA suburbs every day to work and back about a 30 mile daily round trip. I pick up “slugs” (car poolers) in the morning and evening to get down the HOV-3 (car pool) lanes more quickly (traffic in the DC region is among the top 5 worst commutes in the nation) and a BOLT would certainly eliminate some of the cost of that commute.

    I’ll may well buy a BOLT solely for my work commute. I’ll be test driving it as soon as it arrives at local dealers here in N. VA.

    GM is making the BOLT immediately available in all markets nation-wide, unlike the Volt and Spark EV, aren’t they?!

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  4. 300 is my magic number

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    1. I bet you don’t drive 200 miles every day for 360 days a year. The true magic number is ZERO miles – no need to drive at all! That is what everyone should go for – reduce driving miles, not increase them.

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      1. I’m not asking for opinions, it’s my personal number which will make me replace my car with a full electric. That old tired argument that says that most Americans drive less than 35 miles per day doesn’t apply to me. My driving is erratic and I do drive long distances quite often. I really don’t want to worry about not making it. So ye,s I need a minimum of 300 and if the tech improves to 400 and 500, then the better. Several battery companies claim that they will soon be able to double the range of their batteries. Some diesel can get close to 600 miles. Let that be a target to stretch for. Why not?

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      2. Zero miles work for people in cities or who work on the farm they own. The rest of us have to commute to our career. My career is not close enough to walk or bike.

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  5. Anything over 200 is gravy at this point.

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  6. Price,price,price. That will determine this vehicles ultimate popularity

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  7. Article is incorrect. It will not have the most range available of any electric car. That title is still held by Tesla with the lowest model at 200 and highest model at 315

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    1. It might be the longest range for a base model. Author should have stated that.

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  8. I wanted to like–and then get–the BMW i3. Then I did the test drive. They had it right at the point where the electric kicked out and the range extender kicked in. Ever driven a car that was critically ill somehow? Mostly on the shoulder, emergency flashers on, praying nobody comes up on you like a missile? That was the end of THAT idea, and I think the dealership had had problems with people demanding to return the vehicle for that very reason.

    With the Bolt EV, I would be able to do my old work commute (about 80 miles round trip) for, most likely, 3 days. I’ll be able to go out to a state park away from the metro–and get back. I’ll be able to take a Sunday drive to some small town’s fair etc.–and get back.

    Plus, there’s reason to think the 238 is understated, particularly for in-city driving. The US EPA doesn’t test in ‘L,’ which provides the most regenerative braking. The identically equipped Opel Ampera-E is going to have a higher rating, because the European testing cycle is different (read ‘more liberal’). The Monterey – Santa Barbara test drives mostly got 250+, counting the unused electrons. City driving, as distinguished from unaerodynamic highway driving, will improve mileage, taking advantage of 95% (!) regenerative energy recovery. And all that’s before hypermilers try to set personal bests, let alone records.

    “238” is plenty. An i3 this is not.

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