We spent last week in Alberta, Canada to participate in the eighth annual EcoRun event, hosted by the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The event focused on a vehicle’s energy consumption, whether gasoline, diesel, electricity, or hydrogen-powered in order to find out which of today’s cars are the cleanest of them all.
Of course, an EcoRun couldn’t be complete without the presence of GM’s all-electric subcompact – the Chevrolet Bolt EV. We drove the bright EV for good measure, and walked away with this interesting anecdote.
One of the Chevrolet Bolt EV’s signature characteristics, besides its all-electric propulsion, is its large 60 kWh battery, which enables the car to travel up to 238 miles on a single charge. The Bolt EV’s long range, currently one of the highest in the industry, allowed us to keep going even when we encountered defective charging stations. Here’s what transpired.
Well-known for its petrol production, Alberta is late to the game when it comes to alternative fuels. When comparing the province of Alberta to other Canadian provinces, such as Québec or British Columbia – both of which having recently installed thousands of public charging stations across their respective territories, charging infrastructure in Alberta is scarce at best, and in some cases, not fully operational.
During one of the legs of the EcoRun, we had to spend the night in a hotel in Calgary where 240-volt (Level 2) charging stations would allow us to replenish the EV overnight. When connected to such a station, it should take the Bolt EV roughly nine hours to completely charge up from a fully-depleted state. Upon arriving in Calgary, the car had 105 miles of range left. The next day, we were to drive 62 miles south of the city for our next leg. Though we had enough juice remaining to complete that drive, we figured a good charge couldn’t hurt.
But for some unknown reason, the charging stations proved defective. This had a relatively vital impact on the entire drive, since our Bolt EV – along with a Kia Niro EV, a Nissan Leaf Plus and a Hyundai Kona Electric – sat stranded the next morning with uncharged batteries. Among the vehicles mentioned earlier, only the Niro EV and the Bolt EV had enough range remaining to complete the next leg. Once we got there, we made sure to find fully operational fast-charging stations to replenish the batteries in the EV.
Nevertheless, our experience behind the wheel of the Bolt EV got us thinking: had the car been fitted with a lower-capacity battery, we might have been stranded in Calgary. Of course, circumstances could have been different and we could have arrived in Calgary with a lower charge, preventing us from completing the next leg. Alas, that didn’t happen this go-round.
We should also note that, of all the electric cars that were parting in the event, the Bolt EV is the only one to have been on the market for three years now. All other participants are significantly newer, yet the little Bolt could still compete – and quite favorably, at that – thanks to its class-leading range. That should demonstrate just how well Chevy first all-electric vehicle has been engineered.
Those curious to know what we averaged during our journey in the Bolt EV will be happy to know that we saw a 12 kWh consumption average, which ranked among the most frugal of electric cars on site. Only the Nissan Leaf Plus beat the Chevy with an 11.8 kWh average.
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Comments
“Not fazed (PHASED)”? Really? Is that an EV joke?
Faze is generally used only as a verb, and means “to daunt or disconcert.”
Considering the Bolt EV is now 3 years old and was the first affordable long range EV on the market it has held up quite well. A moderate mid cycle refresh would keep this car going for a while yet. We love our 2018 Bolt EV. We drove it 2500 miles round trip from Ontario, Canada to Orlando, Florida and had no major issues.
Extra battery range (or a backup range extender) is always handy. That said, didn’t they have regular 120v electrical outlets in Calgary? While significantly slower, at least *some* range could have been added using the standard portable charge cord during the overnight stay—maybe enough to prevent the other cars from being stranded.
Had I been in the same bind, my first thought would have been to search (using PlugShare) for alternate nearby charging stations. My second thought would be to ask the hotel to help me find some outdoor plugs I could use instead of the broken stations.
You’re assuming that they knew the 240 chargers weren’t working. It sounds more like they discovered the next morning that they hadn’t actually charged their cars, making it a bit late to plug into 120.
In EPA testing, Bolt EV has 238 miles of range, not 288…The Niro has 239, the Kona have 258, all three Teslas you can buy are at least 240…”The Bolt EV’s long range, currently one of the highest in the industry”, while it does beat the Leafs range, somewhat disingenuous, to claim its one of the highest…
238…239…240…258.
Yup, the math checks out.
Its one of the highest.
In mild climates people get considerably more than 238 miles per fill up. In San Francisco, we get typically 270 miles per charge. It will go down to maybe 220 when we have a bit of cold weather in the winter, but generally it averages 270.
It’s too bad that Barra will cancel the Bolt to focus on v6 front drive crossovers like the brilliant new Acadia and cutting edge XT6.
GM is launching a new “enhanced” BEV2 CUV later this year. Also the Bolt EV is likely going to get a mid-cycle refresh soon. They are not going anywhere for at least a few years when over 20 EV’s will hit the market on BEV3 at about 2023.
GM has a huge number of engineers now working on vehicle electrification at Warren.
“Engineers” hasn’t been a problem with GMs EVs, its been managements decisions to hold back on compelling vehicles and features not to mention lacked oversight the supply chain which led to faulty cells/modules…Put the Bolt EVs powertrain into the Blazer, don’t change the styling, offer optional dual motor/AWD for another $5,000, give it active standard safety features, allow at least 100KW charging without an aggressive taper, sell the base for $49K and you’ll have a hit on your hands…Reality is we’ll probably get a FWD tiny Buick Encore that someone will make uglier…
You seem to have all the answers. Why don’t you do it. The EV industry would applaud you for it.
Paul, you miss the point. It’s not Bacardi that is the demon here: he’s just the messenger so it’s a bit bizarre for you to attack him as if he’s the problem. This isn’t a radical cuckoo idea that only some crazed person would make: this is mainstream. There are plenty of large and small auto companies who are making a commitment to making it work. So yeah, they are taking your suggestion, and they will be laughing all the way to the bank.
I don’t think you understand the engineering that goes into these vehicles. What is GM just supposed to duct tape it? Whip out some sheet metal sheers and just rivet the sucker in there? Also even if you did that this new Electric Blazer would have about 2/3’s the range have a 0-60 that is about 8-9 seconds and everybody would just crap all over it. It would be a near disaster.
I’d rather GM just do it right. Do it profitably. Do it sustainably I’ve been a Volt owner since 2012 and I’m also a Bolt EV owner. I’m willing to wait a few more years for GM’s electric revolution.
If the Alberta government had offered *thousands* of dollars in rebates like Que & BC there might be more charging stations in Calgary. There is an L3 highway between Edmonton and Calgary. The northern stop is in Sherwood Park just east of Edmonton. Middle is Red Deer and Calgary in the south. They are all Level 2 &3 operated by FLO I believe. All located in Canadian Tire parking lots. Hard to find on Google maps (the chargers) but they do exist. chargehub.com shows them. Lots of options if you look for them. There are even Tesla Superchargers spread around the main population corridor.
I smell astro-turfing… is it really too bad that Barra will focus on the “brilliant” new Acadia and “cutting edge” XT6? As long as they burn gas they are risky investments as EV alternatives gallop toward the tipping point. I would agree though that GM management has its head in the sand when it’s engineers can repackage LG’s drivetrain so successfully.
A Volt would have just kept going.
“Bolt EV will be happy to know that we saw a 12 kWh consumption average”
How do I translate that figure to something real like Kwh/mile?
Where was a Tesla?
The article states that the Bolt EV is Chevy’s “first all-electric vehicle”, but I seem to recall the EV1 being the first which was then followed by the Spark EV. Or am I missing something here? Btw, I own a 2019 Bolt EV and while the interior leaves a bit to be desired the powertrain is excellent!
The EV1 was never marketed as or sold by Chevrolet. The Spark EV did come before it, but was only sold in a few, very limited areas.
I want to purchase a GM PHEV, so where are they. Honda has the Clarity with 47 miles EV, Please GM you can build a perfect PHEV. So I can stay with you. I have been with you for the last 25 years, right now I have a 2019 Buick Envision Premier 11 and I love it. Convert the envision from the Chevy Volt and use the battery position in the Volt but increase the battery size to at least 19 or 20 khr battery. Use the same 2. ltr engine and a 20 kilowhr battery..
You should have bought the Volt when they were still being made then.
GM has decided that they aren’t building anymore hybrids, plugins or otherwise.
You actually WANT a PHEV? Really? That is soooo last GM, Joseph.
Move on and get a good BEV. All the benefits but none of the maintenance, or emissions..
EVs are here, try to keep up. 😉
In Pa. not many charging stations. I want to security of a engine as a backup.
Its a shame you feel that way. I have been a GM customer for over 50 years. I am a disabled veteran and it seems that I will be forced to purchase a foreign PHEV.
Thank you for your prompt reply.
Never forget, and Thank You for your Service Joseph! My dad was 100% service connected DV, Army..
Well, the road GM has taken is not exactly your fault.. You have been loyal to them. You bought their cars when they were great AND when they weren’t so good. I loved my Volt, put 125K miles on it over 6 years. But you know what, I bought another American car with the money the Volt saved me. A Tesla Model 3. I’m never buying another gas car again! It is night and day difference.
I think you may be right, KIA/Hyundai and VW are going to run away with the lower end market. Once you have that 300mi battery range, and can start every morning with a “full tank” range stops being a big issue. Also.. the fun. I hope you get the car you want but PHEVs are a 15% solution and you get to pay the difference. My 2 cents!
The problem with having the security of a backup engine is that the additional equipment costs $1000’s to add, takes up a ton of space, and will cost $1000’s to maintain over the lifetime of the car. With an EV, most of the typical drivetrain components can be skipped. Obviously my Bolt is not going to take me on a 1000 mile journey because it lacks a Level 3 input. That’s ok – I understand its limitation and it completely rocks for what it can do. Too bad Mary Barra has so little vision or conviction. Her mediocrity is sad.