Is the 238 Mile range of the Chevy Bolt enough for most of your needs?

[Drew Dowdell]

 

Chevrolet release the EPA estimated range of 238 miles for the Chevy Bolt yesterday.   A few publications released their experiences exceeding that, with some going as high as 250 miles on a single charge.

With most of the affordable EV's having ranges between 90 - 120 miles, a lot of fuss has been made over electric vehicle range anxiety.  So far, Telsa is the only manufacturer to offer vehicles with ranges over 200 miles, that are also supplemented by a network of free fast charging stations only for Tesla owners. 

While the Bolt doesn't have a manufacturer supplied charging network, there is a vast network of free and pay chargers out there. Plugged into a Level-3 DC Fast-Charger and the Bolt can take on 90 miles of range in 30 minutes, 160 miles of range in 60 minutes, or the full 238 mile range in 2 hours. Companies like NRG EVGo will let you do a 0 - 238 mile fill up for about $12.00 plus a $14.95 monthly membership fee.  While that is not as cost effective as charging at home ($7.20 at 12c/kWh for 60 kWh), I dare you to find any gasoline powered car that will give you 238 miles of range for that price.

When the Bolt was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January, GM said that it would cost as low as $30,000 after federal tax incentives.

So, for this reader poll, do you think the 238+ range of the Chevy Bolt would be enough for your daily needs? Hit the poll and reply in the comments below. 

[ccap41]

Absolutely. The only times I drive more than 200 miles in a day are visiting my sister which I just looked up my address to hers and it's 335 miles. So I would definitely need a charge up in the middle somewhere. Other than that even a 100 mile day is pretty rare for me. With that said.. Having a 100 mile day being rare a Volt fits in there pretty well because MOST of my driving daily is only about 20-25 miles mon-fri and usually more on the weekends.

[ocnblu]

Too expensive for me as a second car, so it would have to fill a primary transportation role.  As a commuter car it would be fine if it is decent in snow because I would prolly just plug its little butt in every night, nestled in my garage (after professional installation of an electrical hookup).  But like for summer trips to the campground I would maybe need to rent a site with lectric and plug it in so I could get home, something I don't have to worry about with my internal combustion mode of transport, since it has about 420 miles range.  Then because the beach is so far away and there are no chargers at Assateague's parking lot, I would have to see if there are any places to charge the car in OCMD, hopefully at a spot to eat.