Any GTAM'ers own an electric vehicle? | Page 346 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Any GTAM'ers own an electric vehicle?

Brian P said:
First longish trip. One of my criteria was that the car had to be able to make it to my sister's place (Lindsay) and back. The Bolt did that easily (I just got home). Right now, from the energy consumption screen - "since last full charge" (yesterday) ... Used 34.9 kWh (out of 64 available), drove 291.7 km, consumption 12.0 kWh/100 km. Obviously the weather helps, used nothing on HVAC. Still, there's a lot of wiggle room.

This was via the northern-bypass country-roads route that I usually take, King Road, Bloomington, through Port Perry. I know it's going to have higher consumption (and shorter range) on motorways.
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That’s pretty close to my requirement. Wasaga and back on a single charge as I will often go up, do what needs to be done, and then come back.

The Bolt seems to tick all of my boxes, except the sweet sexy form factor like a Mustang or a Tesla3 will.

Also need to ask my buddy how his Mini EV is treating him. Low range of about 220 or so.

EDIT: 230km return via side roads, 300km via 401-400.
 
mimico_polak said:
The Bolt seems to tick all of my boxes, except the sweet sexy form factor like a Mustang or a Tesla3 will.
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Nothing is ever perfect. The Bolt's form factor works for me, but if there was a real "GTI-like" option package (the Redline appearance package on the EUV doesn't cut it) I would have bought it.

Wish list:
Tires with more grip (and I can fix this)
Slightly lower and firmer suspension (there are some aftermarket options, I can fix this, too)
Slightly quicker steering ratio with actual feedback instead of artificial weight (this is the tough one)
Seats with better side bolstering (I would say that they are not as bad as some online reviewers make them out to be, but they are not the equal of the excellent seats in the Fiat that I traded in)

For a normal daily driver mission ... it's fine as is.
 
Brian P said:
Nothing is ever perfect. The Bolt's form factor works for me, but if there was a real "GTI-like" option package (the Redline appearance package on the EUV doesn't cut it) I would have bought it.

Wish list:
Tires with more grip (and I can fix this)
Slightly lower and firmer suspension (there are some aftermarket options, I can fix this, too)
Slightly quicker steering ratio with actual feedback instead of artificial weight (this is the tough one)
Seats with better side bolstering (I would say that they are not as bad as some online reviewers make them out to be, but they are not the equal of the excellent seats in the Fiat that I traded in)

For a normal daily driver mission ... it's fine as is.
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Good points. I actually find the Volt to drive pretty good for a commuter. Suspension is alright, steering is fairly good, but the seats are garbage for extended drives.

The WRX had great seats, but loud as eff inside and the road noise from the 18s (and harsh ride) was a bit much. The 17" winters were a much better/comfortable ride.

The tires are an interesting one, as in how much % of range do you lose once you go to a grippier tire? 5...10...20%? Guess it depends on the sticky factor.

Volt is great as a commuter and overall...but I want something different. Hopefully BIL will not keep his GTI, but that's at least another 1.5 years away.
 
mimico_polak said:
The Bolt seems to tick all of my boxes, except the sweet sexy form factor like a Mustang or a Tesla3 will.
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There far more compelling choices then the Bolt. Presenting Car and Driver's 2022 EV of the Year

The Bolt is a last generation design with technology that GM has already abandoned. It totally won't surprise me if GM pulls the plug on this model soon.

If you are leasing it for a year or two, you might be ok, as you can hand the keys back, and walk (run) away.

But if I were plunking down my cash to own one of these long term? Not a chance for a number of reasons. (think re sale value when used buyers check the fire history of the Bolt)
 
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SunnY S said:
There far more compelling choices then the Bolt. Presenting Car and Driver's 2022 EV of the Year

The Bolt is a last generation design with technology. time tested

If you are leasing it for a year or two, you might be ok, as you can hand the keys back, and walk (run) away. I would say this with any of the new first gen EVs, mustang mach e, Kia EV6, etc more so than the Bolt
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SunnY S said:
There far more compelling choices then the Bolt. Presenting Car and Driver's 2022 EV of the Year
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That's nice.

It's too wide. Too hard to sneak past my van side-by-side in the driveway. The Fiat 500 was great for this. The Bolt is ... okay, requires more maneuvering and careful watching, but it works and I'm getting used to it. Much wider than that (and/or much longer than that) ... no bueno.

It's too long. If I get it past the van to where it needs to be parked, I can't sneak motorcycles between them on the way in and out of the garage without shuffling cars around. Don't want that.

It's way more expensive.

I don't care for the styling of the Ioniq 5. The rounded top front corner of the front doors and the squared-off top rear corner of the back doors grates my OCD. I don't like the pixellated headlights and taillights. I don't mind the Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60, but they're even more expensive and the same size (too big).

The faster DC fast-charging of the Hyundai/Kia vehicles will matter maybe once a month.
 
And there's another factor. A customer of mine makes parts for the Bolt. I'm visiting them tomorrow. We've been working on a ton of projects for GM electric vehicles of all sorts. Bolt final assembly is in Lake Orion MI.

I don't think we've done any work for Hyundai/Kia ever.
 
Saw a RIVIAN few days ago on the highway. Nice looking from the back. Didn't know they were already being delivered, and this one had a US plate.

34CA8932-74F0-42B3-8C13-57BD4F82D839.jpeg

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Chris-CJ said:
Came across this news article
(I neither repudiate nor support it, posting it for info)

tnc.news

Electric vehicle facts the establishment doesn’t want you to know

True North has compiled a list of major issues with the Trudeau government’s narrative that transitioning to EVs is the way to create a more green world.
tnc.news tnc.news
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I'm with Brian. Inflammatory crap. They didn't even try to be objective just throw lots of smelly talking points against a wall to get clicks.

1. Extracting minerals damages the planet. GG- Yup, no argument there but so does extracting oil. Need to compare damage vs utility over the life-cycle of the extracted product. No attempt to do that.

2. Insufficient infrastructure. GG - mostly completely false. Sure your house may need an upgrade for home charging but many won't and for those that do, charging away from home likely makes more sense. Blackouts are pure fear-mongering. Don't charge EV's during the peak hour and that problem is mostly solved. That should rarely be happening anyway. At a neighbourhood level, there is the possibility of overloading the local transformer if multiple 100A EV's all kick on at 19:01 but that can be mitigated with a small amount of electronic brains (either smart scheduling or EV chargers that are voltage sensitive and don't kick on if voltage is less than 210. When others stop charging, voltage rises and yours goes).

3. Inconvenience. GG mostly false. For the vast majority of the people in sfh, the vast majority of the time starting every day with full-range is far more convenient than filling up with gas. For people without home charging, this point has some validity but it's not crippling assuming they bought a vehicle with sufficient range (charge weekly while shopping, etc and it doesn't affect your life at all). Battery capacity reduced by 41% in the cold is almost fraudulently false.

TL: DR True North is complete BS and not worth anyones time to read. All they care about it talking points and fear-mongering and they don't let reality impede their message.

EDIT:
Further to Point 3. For those in the City, access to gas is only going downhill. Gas stations get replaced with condos. NYC loses about half every 10 years (purely economics, nothing to do with EV). I suspect toronto will follow a similar path. When you have to either pay for a fuel delivery to come to your parking spot or go on a drive out of the city specifically to fuel up, ICE use will collapse for the average city-dwelling citizen over a generation or two of vehicles.
 
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mimico_polak said:
Saw a RIVIAN few days ago on the highway. Nice looking from the back. Didn't know they were already being delivered, and this one had a US plate.
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US plate, probably a rental. Will have to check that out.

Edit: Looks like only available on Turo, so guess its a tourist vehicle.
 
Checking in, at 2000 km on the Bolt.

Have not used a DC fast-charger yet. Haven't even come close to needing one. The lowest the state-of-charge has been when arriving home has been around 40%, and that was after going to Lindsay and back.

Lifetime consumption 12.4 kWh / 100 km. Granted, this is under near-ideal weather conditions and without long highway trips.
 
Someone on StromTrooper was giving readers a hard time in the EV thread about fires ....ironically a fully engulfed ICE vehicle clogging the only route in and out of Cape Tribulation.
I snuck past the the traffic jam and the fire.....will do the same in a few minutes heading home to beat the monster jam up at the ferry. People out okay but going to be a difficult retrieval for the family as no services or electricity north of the Daintree River plus then a ferry to deal with. Feel bad for them as a totally gorgeous day.
Screen Shot 2022-09-15 at Sep, 15 2022 12.17.56 PM.jpg

Think I'll avoid my deserted tropical beach stop on the way home.

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I will admit I'm really digging the new Ioniq5. Everytime I see one I like it more. The square styling works for me. I can see one in our driveway in 4-5 years when it's time to move on my from 2011 Volt.

Saw a Rivian for the first time in the wild last week in Lake Placid.
 
This is hardly a 60 minutes investigative segment but, I think there are some elements to consider. With the focus on fossil fuels being bad and climate change being bad, is mining for the materials for batteries and the energy required to recycle them as well as some emissions during the recycling, should be contemplated.

I believe with the push and advancement, improvements will come and I'm fully in support of technology and advancements. I don't want to remain a caveman all my life.

 
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Oof. I don't think I'd own a BEV if I didn't have access to charging at home. A UK charging station company has raised their prices from £0.49/kwh in June to £1/kwh now. That's pricey. At a typical 12 kwh/100 km that is really close to the same cost as gas (and the vehicle cost a lot more up front). They are the most expensive network for now but others have little reason not to aim for a similar number. People with BEV's and no charging at home are stuck with market rates.

www.driving.co.uk

Osprey increases prices to £1 per kWh for EV charging amid soaring energy costs

The electric vehicle charging company Osprey has announced an enormous hike in the cost to use its rapid chargers, becoming the first operator to increase prices to £1 per kilowatt hour, with the new pricing coming into effect from September 15.
www.driving.co.uk www.driving.co.uk
 
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