After 130,000 Miles - Is Our Chevrolet Bolt EV Still GOOD?

[@maduramarine]

Yes, it is always great to see long-term report on an EV!

[@kevino2124]

Glad to see its aging well! My 2017 is just behind at 120,000. Only major issues, in 6 months of ownership, is replacing the windshield and the 12v battery.

[@rp9674]

How much was windshield? $

[@Kithara111]

Thanks for the update. My 2017 Bolt Premier has 48k on it. Bought it used in 2018 with 7.5,k miles. GM replaced the battery. Has been a very reliable and enjoyable-to-drive vehicle. Drove it daily (excert during the pandemice) 30 miles round trip to my job at our university where I was able to do level 2 charging in our parking garage (included with the parking fee). Have received a few offers from local dealers offering to buy it, but am not interested in selling. My wife is considering upgrading her smokey Camry for an EV but hasn't decided what she wants yet.

[@ChrisKurtz]

I love my recent purchase of a 2022 EUV and bought it heavily on your recommendation! Thank you for all you do!

[@richardteague5563]

I live in Stillwater OK, but I bought my 2014 Nissan Leaf from Platt Motors near Portland. It had just come off of a three year lease and had just over 11k miles on the odometer. I own and keep insurance on five vehicles and the Leaf is my practical choice for routine chores. It has never been back to a dealership and my total maintenance cost for the seven plus years I've owned it Is $3.57 for a key FOB battery. Whereas, I think when new, the 24kwh pack was expected to yield 86 miles, with a 40 amp charger I had 72 miles this past summer, and, now using the original charger plugged into a 15 amp home receptacle, this morning with temps around 30, I see 65 miles of range. I've never stood in wind, sleet rain or snow to charge -- just use it, drive into the garage, plug in -- stays plugged in when not in use.

[@lyledal]

Recently bought a 2023 Bolt EV and I love it. I can see from the video that the UI, controls, etc. are a bit updated, but it is pretty much the same car. I would buy it again.

[@rp9674]

Me too

[@mrjackharbour]

So glad to see you hit 130k. We just turned 100k. It gives me hope for a long future.

[@joevwgti.]

Always love to see these cars on the road. Wonderful idea with the after-market euro-cousin parts. Can't wait to see how this grows with the channel.

[@TaylerKnox]

Another excellent post.

[@anderspedersen6750]

I finally retired my Volt yesterday. Got a brand new Volvo EX30. Was not on my bingo card when I took the Volt in for service!!

[@CSHarvey]

My 2017 Bolt is at 115k miles. So far only significant issue has been a recurring AC coolant leak that dealership can't lock down.

[@Nick-yo9pg]

My a/c compressor also started leaking around 70k miles. The compressor was covered under the battery warranty. It directly affects the battery health for cooling. If you have this issue on yours, push the dealer to check for warranty coverage. Should be the same as the battery coverage.

[@CSHarvey]

Good to know. My AC coolant has leaked out twice. With the replacement btty warranty, should be covered then

[@Carnutzjoe]

Largely based upon your good fortune, I bought one. A 2022 bolt EV Lt. I love it. Great car. Sky blue. Thank you.

[@nozomikurai952]

Nicky, my wife and I had purchased yellow filters for our glasses, and it makes highway driving in all kinds of weather a lot easier. At night, a truck with nasty high beams doesn't really affect me. I would suggest this for you, if you're having issues with your rear-view mirror.

[@billhurt3644]

I’ve purchased literally 3 cars from Platt at this point. I love that there’s a purely EV focused dealer like Platt so close by.

[@cyberoptic5757]

Same thing here... my used EV is worth more to me than the value I see in an online book. With solar panels for charging, my oldie from 2014 might work for another 5 or 10 years at diminished range. Perfect for local driving, at extremely low cost. I'm keeping it until the day that it's no longer useful

[@JordyRoy94]

This gives me hope for my 2020 Bolt EV Premier. It has just shy of 40,000 miles on it and I want to see it through for at least another 5 years.

[@ziploc2000]

I live in Eugene and have a used '22 Bolt EV that lived in the Portland/Salem area before we bought it, so your Bolt updates are of especial interest to me. Our main niggle is that the backup camera occasionally won't work. Mostly it does, but then for no obvious reason it won't, then it will again after the next start. In the current cold weather we're about 15% down on predicted range, but I suspect part of that is due to running with the heated seat/wheel and cabin heating on our short journeys around town,.

[@airplanenut6242]

Today I learned there’s a button to adjust the rear view mirror dimming - holy cow! FWIW you can program a key fob yourself even if you only have 1, it’s just a giant PITA.

[@rp9674]

I like how some people have added an LED strip under the front hood gap, I just have reservations about adding a lighting circuit. Love the 12v lithium!

[@jeraldgooch6438]

About 8:30 in, you mention checking the traction battery health. How does one do that? As the (rather pleased) owner of a 2023 Bolt EUV, I am interested. Thanks!

[@douggoodman3914]

I have had a 2017 bolt for four years and still love it. I have replaced the splash guard because I hit a rock on a lawn, replaced some brake parts because I was using one pedal driving too much and he brakes were not getting enough use, and put on a new set of snow tires. Yes, charging is fairly slow, at most 45kW and often only 35kW. However, that hasn't been a problem for me as I am retired and rarely in a hurry. I like to stop every hour or so when on a road trip to take a walk, relieve myself, eat, or shop. Most of the chargers on my regular 400km route are 50kW and the faster ones (150kW, 250kW etc) are more expensive. Even if I had a car that could charge at 250kW, I would probably rather go to a 50kW charger, go for a walk or do my shopping, and save a few dollars.

[@rp9674]

I think one pedal just changes the driving control, it still uses regen almost equally, maybe do a hard stop once in a great while

[@MrHockey1720-G]

Nice update. I have a 2023 EUV Premiere. Blizzak tires for snow in the Midwest. Only issue was a need to replace transmission fluid pump at 5,000 miles

[@natepolitics1490]

@@MrHockey1720-G the EV don't have a transmission.

[@AdrianoCasemiro]

Excellent report. Watch out for the ASBOs on Cybertrucks and drive safely.

[@gmv0553]

I am looking forward to the new Bolt coming out late this year!

[@JP-sw5ho]

Amongst my friends and family I know of two 2014 Honda Civics that needed new air conditioning compressors within the first 10 years, so I don't think your experience is out of the ordinary

[@StevenGilbert88]

Are we saying that GM is capable of making a car that lasts a while? I had a 2015 buick lacrosse before i got my bolt. That car had 220k miles and didnt feel like it.

[@FameyFamous]

You recently checked the health of the battery? How do you do that?

[@CSHarvey]

I use the Torque app and an OBD2 Bluetooth dongle. Theres files available for reading all the Bolts' PID codes.

[@MrHockey1720-G]

Nice job by the way

[@teardowndan5364]

I have three major gripes with the Bolt EVs in general besides the battery fiasco: abysmally slow "fast" charging (55kW with a Goldilocks charger, 44kW up to about 55% before it drops otherwise), the huge front-left/right blind spots caused by the gigantic pillars and how accidentally hitting the shift lever while driving can switch you between one-pedal/normal modes - almost rear-ended someone while one-pedal braking when my mother accidentally nudged it while ruffling through her purse and shifted the car into coasting mode. There needs to be a lock against accidental mode shifts at the very least while regen-braking is in the middle of actively braking.

[@danielmadar9938]

Thanks

[@MarkSpohr]

People are used to ICE cars where the engine and transmissions wear out at 150,000 miles. EVs just don't wear out. Electric motors will run forever. One moving part with two bearings. Even the batteries are showing that they last much longer than all of the FUD would have you believe. I kept my 2015 Tesla for 100,000 miles; sold it to a friend and it's still going strong 3 years later. No major repairs or maintenance.

[@eddiegill]

How efficient is it ?

[@transportevolved]

Given we’re in the mountains… less than it would be in the valley. We’re averaging upper 3s low 4s most of the year.

[@airplanenut6242]

I live in the Portland area but kind of in a hilly area and I average 2.7 mi/kwh in winter and about 3.5 in the summer. Winter efficiency for me is hurt by slow moving commutes with the heater running along with frequent warm ups from cold in the morning/evening relative to how short a distance I actually drive.

[@MrHockey1720-G]

Can you remind us who applied your ceramic coat was at a automobile repair shop? And how much did it cost?

[@transportevolved]

We had it applied by Fresh Start Detail here in Portland, Oregon - The details are in the video we've linked to in the show notes! :)

[@dmunro9076]

Nikki, check out this Bolt range test using 15in Chev Sonic tires: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXS5amluhM6bhNE He claims a ~20% boost in range.

[@fatboy19831]

I have an 2018 Tesla 3. Purchased new. It now has 130,000 miles. Replaced the 12 volt battery 1 year ago $199. Replaced 2 upper ti-rods $199 ( they worked fine but were noisy). All wile enjoying 250kw charging and teslas awsome supercharger network. The Bolt is an excellent effort by GM. Had they done more of the development in house it most likely would have been a better and more expensive car. Hats off to GM for entering the fight early. To meet their price point they made too many compromises.

[@transportevolved]

We're not sure if you're trying to flex here, and not sure what compromises your'e listing. For many buyers, it's a great car.

[@fatboy19831]

@ not flexing. The Volt was an excellent automobile that still to this day has no real competition. The ice Malibu was also excellent as well as the Spark electric. The best Ev truck on the market is the Silverado Ev. I am just saying GM was capable of building a much better car. Even at its price point.

[@johnkellett7797]

Interesting. My Audi A2 is over 21 years old with nearly 225,000 miles, no rust (she's aluminium), no Bluetooth, or CarPlay or Android Auto or even electric windows for the rear seats! Original engine and clutch still does at least 50 mpg (UK miles & gallons not USA miles & gallons of course). I am expecting my next car to be an EV and I am expecting at least the same longevity. Am I over hopeful? As I've owned A2 outright for over 15 years with it only requiring a service every 30,000 miles running costs, other than diesel, have been minimal. VERY cost effective! I would expect an EV, a quarter of a century late to be at least as long-lasting. Any thoughts? I would really like an EV but following the advice of never throwing things away just use the time to replace might be near, but then may be not! I have the same policy with clothes, as buying good quality they have a life of about 30 years or more so far, so VERY cost effective!

[@willburk]

First!!

[@FameyFamous]

You recently checked the health of the battery? How do you do that?

[@transportevolved]

Using custom PIDa from… allev.info/boltpids/ and the iOS app IDB Fusion

[@FameyFamous]

@transportevolved thanks! It is past time for me to get an ODB2 reader.