Bolt EUV Road Trip: Towing a Teardrop Trailer to the Trona Pinnacles

Come along with us for our first attempt at teardrop camping with our Bolt EUV.
Music:
Cryin In My Beer by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artist: audionautix.com/
Drankin Song by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Everything Where it Needs to Be - Nat Keefe & Hot Buttered Rum
Green Green Garden - Chris Haugen
Longer Distance - TrackTribe
Rainy Sundays - The 126ers

[@kiellivingston7100]

KITTY!!!!! 😺 😺

[@johnp2178]

This was a more or less random viewing of your video because we are planning on purchasing a 2023 Bolt EUV. Your trip was pretty much a worse case scenario and it went quite well. That is encouraging and confirms our plans since we will not encounter such cold temps, wind and elevation changes. Thank you for the video and for the kitten rescue.

[@jkfeatherranch]

Definitely was the worst case we will encounter, and kitty says you're welcome. He is doing well and wreaking havoc as all kittens do 😺 🐾

[@rambunctiousmedia3350]

This video armors my decision to get a Bolt EUV, a tow hitch, and a 2180 lb. Braxton Creek Bushwhacker Plus teardrop trailer. And as a car guy, the picture of your totaled previous Bolt hurt.

[@jkfeatherranch]

Good luck! Yeah it was my wife's car, she liked the first-gen Bolt much better but at the time with the inflated used car market, it made no sense to get another one when we could get a new EUV for roughly the same price.

[@davidrandall2742]

Thanks for the video. I don't think I'll pull anything more than a utility trailer to the landfill, but all this is good to know.

[@jkfeatherranch]

We just completed another trip and it did great again. Definitely handled towing no problem and this time with better range.

[@JimBronson]

@18:38 fantastic view Overall interesting video for a use case I probably would have have considered for an EV. I do wonder how many stops could have been eliminated for a similar size EV that had more range. That little side trip to Bradys would have been nice to avoid.

[@jkfeatherranch]

But then we wouldn't have gotten a kitten 😺 🐾 There are actually EV chargers right by the pinnacles that opened literally a few weeks after our trip 🤦

[@ks5831]

Beautiful scenery!! What Bolt year and Model did you tow with? Thanks for telling the accuracy of ABRP and your charging data. Sorry the weather didn't cooperate with your plans. But, you did gain a loyal, forever friend.😻

[@jkfeatherranch]

It's a 2022 EUV, base model with no options because that's what the dealer had coming in. We used ABRP with an OBD2 scanner otherwise it would have been way off. The kitty is doing well 😺 🐾

[@daemoncan2364]

Cat distribution system at work.

[@jkfeatherranch]

This is actually the second time we've found a kitten on a road trip. My wife found one in a parking lot when I wasn't with her as well. 🐱

[@glennkverneland833]

Beautiful scenery, even other-worldly! Surprising efficiency result during towing.. Curious how a slightly lighter trailer (say 1000 lbs) would affect efficiency. Also would be nice to see the charge times added for reference. Kind of expensive rates though. Do you use the plug share app and private party charging?

[@jkfeatherranch]

Sadly the charger in the middle of nowhere was expensive, probably because it was the only one around. Still cheaper than $5-6 gas at the time, though. Charge times were 45 mins to an hour, but would have been significantly less if the weather was nicer, or if we were driving anything other than a Bolt. For what it's worth, we just got back from the grand canyon towing our trailer and averaged 2.6 mi/kwh.

[@RodFamVlogs]

If you randomly listen to a radio song while vloggin in your car will your video be flagged by YT? Thx

[@jkfeatherranch]

Sadly most likely

[@SuperchargedTravels]

Thank you for posting this video. Given the fact that the Bolt EUV has a maximum DC fast charge rate of 55 kW, do you find that this limits your road tripping? For example, would your trip be different if it took 20 minutes to reach 80% instead of 60 minutes? And would it be different if you had access to the Tesla Supercharger network (meaning, more locations to plug in)?

[@jkfeatherranch]

It certainly would have been more convenient to have a vehicle that charges faster. On this particular trip, access to the Supercharger network would not have helped us, however access to the Rivian Adventure Network would have prevented us from having to go out of the way to Brady's to charge. Overall, it can only help, though!

[@SuperchargedTravels]

@@jkfeatherranch I can see that there's plenty of DC fast charging capacity in Inyokern, but it is all restricted to Rivian and Tesla vehicles only. There is a single DC fast charger in Ridgecrest, but based on reports on PlugShare it seems it has never actually worked. You should make a video about how frustrating it is to find chargers that actually work and are not restricted. Good news... there are plans for an "EV Charge Park and Coffee" in Ridgecrest, with covered parking next to a McDonalds! However, still no pull through spots. :(

[@jkfeatherranch]

Yeah there was nothing in Ridgecrest in November 2022 when we took this trip. There are also a couple ChargePoints literally right at the turnoff to the dirt road to the pinnacles that weren't there either :(

[@brucekrisko4364]

Thanks for doing this trip. It gives me less anxiety about tripping in my Bolt. You mentioned that you have air bags in your EUV to help with trailer loads. I would like to add them to my 22 EUV also. What make and model did you use? Thanks, Bruce

[@jkfeatherranch]

AirLift 60910 - www.amazon.com/dp/B018O94R48?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Fit right inside the rear springs

[@brucekrisko4364]

@@jkfeatherranch Thanks for the info. I ordered them today!

[@jkfeatherranch]

@@brucekrisko4364 nice 👍

[@mcsc2404]

@@jkfeatherranch Hi! Thanks in advance! ... Do you have a video of your install of this product or did you farm this work out to your local mechanic?

[@Cain-x]

Nice trip! What was the range impact while towing the trailer? mi/kwh? Thanks Edit: I see you posted some stats at different points of the video - thanks for that

[@jkfeatherranch]

You are welcome. Range for this trip was pretty bad, due to constant wind and rain on the way back. We did a second trip to the Grand Canyon in April and got a much better 2.5-2.6.

[@chrismaxny4066]

Would have liked to see the time at each stop.

[@jkfeatherranch]

Thank you for the suggestion, we will try to include it in our next road trip video (going from SoCal to Texas in a Bolt towing a trailer to see the eclipse, that should be an experience lol)

[@anibal7121]

Hello quick question how about using back seats folded down to sleep back there is that possible?...also what about a rooftop tent?

[@jkfeatherranch]

Unfortunately I am 6'1" and do not fit in the car even with the back seats folded down. We tested that before taking the teardrop with us. I am not sure I would trust the roof to support the weight of both of our fat asses, but an SUV tent that goes over the hatch area might be an option.

[@DashingonEV]

Hi just subscribe to your channel. Thank you for this blog. What other station does Gibbs free battery in California? I know Volta is any other one ? 😊thank you.

[@jkfeatherranch]

You are welcome. Volta and the CalTrans chargers are free, there are probably others but I'm not sure of where they are. You can find them using the PlugShare app or website (plugshare.com); you will have the option to only display free ones.

[@livingston5390]

Should have warshed your car before filming, and get a steady cam.

[@UlexiteTVStoneLexite]

Did you see the kitty?

[@jkfeatherranch]

No point when you are going on a dirt road. We will eventually get a better cam

[@livingston5390]

@@jkfeatherranch Helps to be able to see out of the window.