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Thread: Chevrolet Bolt

  1. #211
    mAdminstrator Random's Avatar
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    SMUD has a special TOD rate for EV charging.
    Whoomah!

  2. #212
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    Quote Originally Posted by Crazed_Insanity View Post
    With rates so low, wouldnt it be harder to justify solar panels? Do you see neighbors going solar at all?

    If you could manage to get that Hyundai Ioniq subscription, you'll be earning money as you charge. I think they are reimbursed at 18 cents/kWh charged!
    Not many of my neighbors have solar, but it's an older neighborhood with older people. In general, a fair amount of solar in and around Sacramento and in the general area. We are saving right now for a re-roof+solar+HVAC project - we'd be the second people in the neighborhood with solar.

  3. #213
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    Wow! SMUD is really awesome... you guys probably have the lowest rates in the country! Good thing you're taking advantage of it with an EV!

    Anyway, if I have your utility rate, I'm pretty sure it'll be difficult to justify my solar panels even with tax credit. One has to really want to go green to pull the trigger with those rates.

  4. #214
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    SMUD is great. Hard to believe it's a public non-profit, right?

  5. #215
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    If my math is right, a Bolt can be had for close to $20k new after the $7,500 tax credit ... about $13k less than the cheapest Tesla. Tempting.
    I recall hearing a lot of good things about the Bolt in 2017 ... anyone have 1st or 2nd -hand experience with them?
    No range anxiety (need less than 100mi/week) ... but charging is boarding on a dealbreaker (live in an apt ... no charging by work, home or play).

  6. #216
    Spiny beast TheBenior's Avatar
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    If you don't have charging at work or at home, the Bolt's relatively slow charging speeds would be rather difficult to deal with.

  7. #217
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    No experience with Bolt. My only concern is that you’ll be buying an out of production car.

    My EV experience has been that they can typically go 3 miles/kWh. 100 miles means you’ll need 33.3 kWh every week. Bolt should be able to quick charge to 80% of 65 kWh battery in < 1 hr. Tesla superchargers should also soon be available to GM cars… so charging shouldn’t be a problem.

    However I’d get auto insurance quotes before pulling trigger. EV insurance cost will likely be higher than regular cars. Don’t be surprised after the fact!

  8. #218
    I'm gooder. Phil_SS's Avatar
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    Why is EV insurance more? Because of the risk of fire to a home if it is parked in a garage? If Balki doesn't have a home/garage then it shouldn't be more expensive.

    Quote Originally Posted by balki View Post
    I heard that too, bit I just did a quote, it's basically the same as my old Honda ICEs (both out of production).

    Charging speed isn't as much a concern as charging availability. Most reasonable options involve walking a mile... wait, is it reasonable to leave an EV charging in the open and not babysitting it? In terms of electrical safety and vandalism?
    Funny enough, there is a guy I work with and he has a Chevy Bolt and he parks it in a local shopping center parking lot to charge it. Like, I believe the electricity is free for people to use the shopping center so he just hooks it up and charges there, does some grocery shopping and then he drives the car for the week. His commute is only around 7-10 miles a day. He does not have a way to charge the car at work or at his house. His house is right by the shopping center as well, so he has parked it and walked home and then came back later after it was charged.

    https://jalopnik.com/used-chevy-bolt...car-1850774000

    And of course, it should be reasonable for you to walk away from your car while it is charging. Just don't be a douche and let it sit there while it is fully charged and thus take up the charging station from someone who needs it.

  9. #219
    I was in a Bolt Uber last night from the airport. It was quick, suspension was firm. The notable thing to me is it makes a bad Uber vehicle. The rear hatch area is so small I had to put my 3 bags in the back seat along with myself. And sitting so close to the rear wheels in a short wheelbase car wasn't the most pleasant ride experience. Front seat is probably way better.

  10. #220
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil_SS View Post
    Why is EV insurance more? Because of the risk of fire to a home if it is parked in a garage? If Balki doesn't have a home/garage then it shouldn't be more expensive.



    Funny enough, there is a guy I work with and he has a Chevy Bolt and he parks it in a local shopping center parking lot to charge it. Like, I believe the electricity is free for people to use the shopping center so he just hooks it up and charges there, does some grocery shopping and then he drives the car for the week. His commute is only around 7-10 miles a day. He does not have a way to charge the car at work or at his house. His house is right by the shopping center as well, so he has parked it and walked home and then came back later after it was charged.

    https://jalopnik.com/used-chevy-bolt...car-1850774000

    And of course, it should be reasonable for you to walk away from your car while it is charging. Just don't be a douche and let it sit there while it is fully charged and thus take up the charging station from someone who needs it.
    My Honda Clarity EV lease deal was awesome! I was essentially using my gas money to pay for its low lease payments. The only surprise was the insurance cost. Every insurance company will be different, but I think main justification is the battery cost. Anyway, whatever car you buy, taking consideration of insurance cost is always a good idea. As batteries get cheap enough, maybe EV insurance will become cheaper in the future? However, premium EVs have huge battery packs. Imagine a big impact damages them... may very well total the car, regardless of how the frame is manufactured.

    With regard to free chargers, yeah, I used to take advantage of them a lot at shopping centers. I think they're call Volta. Free level 2 charging at about 6kW per hr... so to get your 100 miles of range, you'll need to charge there for about 5 hours every week. Of course you're not suppose to hog the free chargers, but in LA, they're always busy it seems. In my new neighborhood, I think people don't like EVs very much. I've see lots of these Volta chargers not being used at all! Too bad I don't own an EV now!
    Last edited by Crazed_Insanity; October 9th, 2023 at 12:55 PM.

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