[bro1999]

http://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-bolt-tesla-model-s-60-range-charging-travel/

The article details a less than stellar fast charging experience (both CCS and Chademo can't be used at the same time?? Really??), but also hints that the Bolt will be able to take advantage of 400V charging, which would mean the Bolt will be able to someday charge faster than 50 kW.

Also suggest the Bolt's actual battery size is a bit bigger than 60 kWh, and the 60 figure is the usable capacity. Want to chime in on that one, WOT?

 

[Jeff N]

http://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-bolt-tesla-model-s-60-range-charging-travel/

The article details a less than stellar fast charging experience (both CCS and Chademo can't be used at the same time?? Really??), but also hints that the Bolt will be able to take advantage of 400V charging, which would mean the Bolt will be able to someday charge faster than 50 kW.

Almost all chargers today that have a pair of cables to support both CHAdeMO and CCS can only charge one car at a time. They are basically CHAdeMO chargers that were modified to also be able to charge CCS cars. In the future there will probably be charging stations with multiple CCS and CHAdeMO cables that can support charging 2 cars at once and can intelligently split power between the cars much like Tesla does today with its 2-cable chargers that split up to 145 kW between 2 cars.

Overall, that fast charging article was not very well written. It's hopefully uncommon for people on road trips to pull up with an almost completely empty battery and then charge it to "100%" full. It's more realistic to start charging with at least 10-15% remaining (24-36 miles in a Bolt) and then charge to around 80% full where the charge rate begins dropping off rapidly as the battery reaches a high state of charge. According to GM, that will allow adding 160 miles in an hour. Tesla drivers likewise typically stop every 100-140 miles to Supercharge.

CCS stations with their present limits of 125A are current limited on an empty battery. Batteries can inherent charge faster when they are empty but their voltage is also lower so, for example, 320V at 125A is 40kW but a Tesla today can do almost 400A at a Supercharger so if the battery pack is big enough to take the power it can supply about 3x as much at the same voltage level. Even the original S60 (not the new software limited one with an underlying 75 kWh pack) can start off charging briefly at 100 kW by doing around 320V at 300A. Also, some "50 kW" stations support a max current of 100A and others support 125A. It could be that the chargers used by MotorTrend were limited to 100A and this reduced the actual charging power. On the other hand, they have an EVgo ABB CCS charger just down the street from their main offices and it appears to support 125A.

This is why Tesla cars typically start off charging at high power and then ramp down whereas today's CCS and CHAdeMO on a Bolt will start off slower (limited by the small max amperage limit) and then increase in kw power as the battery voltage goes up as the battery fills. Even if the Bolt turns out eventually to have a real charging power limit of 80 kW (for example) due to cell limitations it may still help to use a 250A charger because it could allow the Bolt to begin charging at that rate even when the battery is near empty and the battery voltage is low. That raises the question of what the maximum charging current is for the Bolt EV. Is it today's installation base of CHAdeMO-derived chargers that have a 125A limit or is it some higher amperage? GM won't tell us for whatever reason.

The article mentions ChargePoint doing something to enable 400V but that makes little sense. All chargers already support charging to at least 450-500V but that actual voltage used is requested by the car -- no design modification on the charger side will change the actual voltage used while charging the car. In the future, some chargers will begin supporting up to 1000V instead of up to 500V but that will only be useful to future cars that are prepared to request that much and it will have zero effect on existing cars.

The article also failed to mention the VW dieselgate settlement and the big impact that will likely have on growing the DC charging network in the USA.

 

[khalfyard]

Blah. That is a terribly written, scattered, and overly obfuscating article. Mainly it's the writers style that I take issue with. If it is an article about 'facts' then it should be written clearly, not all gussied up with nudge-nudge wink-wink tone.

 

[Raymondjram]

The author still thinks like TM fanboys (not even TM employees do that!). But GM didn't build the Bolt EV for them. It is an EV for those buyers who can charge at home, travel less than 300 miles a week (I travel less than that in a month), and can live without a second car or long travels. The next group of buyers are those who need a second car and use it mostly for many short distances (such as "Mommy" cars), need to carry up to four passengers (adult sized) and some cargo, or carry more cargo with one passenger. A third overlooked group of buyers are the "Seniors" (over 60) who want to travel quietly, safely, and with little hassle (no gasoline buying), plus get the new benefit of tall seating and a flat floor (all the way from door edge to door edge), so no "Senior" will stumble or strain to crawl over tall floor frames in most other cars.

The Bolt EV is not a long distance sedan, pick up, or mini-van type of vehicle. So why complain about its limits when its virtues outweigh the limits? Why do these magazine evaluate the Bolt EV differently? Why do they post spendidly about luxury foreign cars that use tens of gallons of gasoline, yet complain about charging with an EV?

GM, read me well! Don't offer your Bolt EV to these "gasser" reviewers! Instead, offer the Chevy Bolt EV for test drive to tech magazines which normally review gamer mchines, smartphones, and appliances. You will win over their readers faster because they are mostly "geeks' who want the newerst gadget, especially if it is a brand new "mobile device".The Chevy Bolt EV is the largest and best of these "mobile devices" because it is the ONLY one to move the owner/driver instead of being carried.

Maybe it is time to pass over the legacy auto reviewers because they have gasoline in their veins and engine growls in their ears, and go to those who grew up on electrons, like me!

Edit: as for the "Seniors", get AARP to review the Chevy Bolt EV and post it in their newsletters and magazines. I know many will switch over when they see how easy it is to get in and out, how quiet it is (the quick acceleration will revive many sporty fans), how easy their wheelchairs and walkers fit in the back seat area, and how easy it will be to "fuel" it in their garages while they rest or sleep.

 

[BAZINGA]

I just got rid of all my gas powered lawn gear and bought the Ego mower, blower and edger. What freedom, I actually enjoy yard work again. So the only gas powered machine in my garage is our 2016 Equinox.

Unfortunately the Bolt isn't big enough for our needs, so for now we need TWO vehicles, the Equinox and our 2017 Volt.

 

[Norton]

....CCS stations with their present limits of 125A are current limited on an empty battery. Batteries can inherent charge faster when they are empty but their voltage is also lower so, for example, 320V at 125A is 40kW ...

I question this statement. I thought I had photo evidence of my Spark EV at 2% SOC at a DCFC charging at the rated 45-48kW.
I must have deleted it. Unpleasant memory....
I mainly use DCFC's on weekends when I'm out and about.
I may press my luck and try to capture a similar event soon.

 

[Neromanceres]

This is a re-post. But I will mention what I mentioned in the other post.

The DC fast charge comparison is not apples to apples. The Bolt EV is a 60KWh car. The Model S 60 actually has a 75KWh battery that is software limited to 60KWh.

So to fully charge a Bolt EV it will encounter significant charge tapering above 80%. The Model S 60 considers 100% to be at 80% of battery SOC so it can sustain much higher charge rates up to the fake software limited 100% mark.

For a true apple to apples comparison Motor Trend should compare an older Model S 60 with a true 60KWh battery (and latest software) to the Bolt EV.