5 ms·

Why do you prefer the Bolt? From my perspective the Bolt is: -Ugly -Less safe -Slower -Doesn't drive itself, or will be capable in the future Worst of all the

Why do you prefer the Bolt? From my perspective the Bolt is: -Ugly -Less safe -Slower -Doesn't drive itself, or will be capable in the future Worst of all the Bolt's infotainment system is horrible. https://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/chevrolet/na/us/english/index/vehicles/2020/cars/bolt-ev/gallery/interior/2020-bolt-ev-int-gal-04.jpg?imwidth=1440 https://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/chevrolet/na/us/englis...

throwaway5752 7y ago
I preferred the Bolt because it had similar and adequate range, adequate recharge capability, better drive, felt substantially roomier in the interior, and I preferred the higher seating. I have no use for an infotainment system in any vehicle (give me a hotspot and I'll bring my own devices). I disliked the Tesla center mounted tablet console dashboard, though that's subjective. I don't think the Tesla drives itself, does it? That was not a factor for me, and if anything would be a mild negative at the current level of self-driving tech maturity. At any rate, the Bolt had some useful driver assist packages for safety, though they are upgrades. I think they both have fairly similar safety ratings. And speed isn't a consideration for me, as long as it goes fast enough for highway. Nor is appearance, within reason. I really am thrilled for Tesla's success and don't think there is a "right car" but a "right car for you". The Bolt is a good car, though.
- primrose 7y ago
  > would be a mild negative at the current level of self-driving tech maturity Tesla's more or less take over on the freeway. They are also on their way to mastering traffic lights. > center mounted tablet console dashboard Yeah, that's a little weird. > the Bolt had some useful driver assist packages for safety, though they are upgrades Tesla's are the safest cars on the road now.
  - kbenson 7y ago
    > Tesla's are the safest cars on the road now. Eh, I imagine that depends on how actively you use the autopilot and auto unpark features. I know they don't want to cede the frontrunner status of that technology, but it still feels like a risky gambit for tesla and for its customers.
    - joshualross 7y ago
      The IIHS rates TM3 it's top tier aware of Top Safety Pick+ which is a higher rating than the Bolt (noted in the article)[0]. This doesn't factor in autopilot although it does evaluate collision avoidance systems, which must rate advanced to superior. [0]https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/tesla-earns-its-first-ever-safety-award-from-iihs-for-model-3 https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/tesla-earns-its-first-ever-...
  - CPLX 7y ago
    > They are also on their way to mastering traffic lights. Sure and I’m on my way to mastering Russian Roulette. Until I actually get there though you might not want to sell me life insurance. There are some things where being “on the way” to mastery is worse than nothing, and propelling a two ton object at a red light is one of those things.
  - xkjkls 7y ago
    What statistic says that Tesla’s are the safest cars on the road right now? Based on death statistics for vehicles of their age and class they generally are about 2x worse.
sf_rob 7y ago
>Worst of all the Bolt's infotainment system is horrible. It has Carplay/Android Auto; you'd never look at that UI if you didn't want to.
clouddrover 7y ago
> Why do you prefer the Bolt? The 2020 Bolt has 259 miles of EPA range and is the best value for money of any EV in the world at the moment. Have a look at these prices: https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action/?mdId=36274172&mkId=20053&page=1&perPage=50&rd=99999&searchSource=SORT&sort=price-lowest&stkTypId=28880&zc=60606 https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action/?mdId=362... Here's a real world example of someone who has leased a 2020 Bolt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Egdi0GU9Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Egdi0GU9Y He has a 2017 Bolt on lease and he was thinking about getting a different EV, but in the end he went with a 3 year lease on a 2020 Bolt because the offer was too good to refuse. He paid $2500 down (which was covered by state EV incentives) and the lease is $147 a month for 12,000 miles per annum. Show me a better EV deal than that.
- DarmokJalad1701 7y ago
  Is it practical to own it as the primary car though? Can you travel cross-country in the Bolt without spending hours charging?
  - clouddrover 7y ago
    Yes. In the video he talks about the roadtrip he is on right now from Boston to Austin for the Fully Charged Live event. He's posting more videos as he goes. Here's a 2020 Bolt doing a 1,000 km trip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMVRm8UvHjs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMVRm8UvHjs Here's a Bolt which did the Cannonball run: https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-set-cannonball-run-record-and-no-one-noticed https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-set-cannon... Here's a 2017 Bolt surviving the cold: https://www.torquenews.com/8861/my-chevy-bolt-ev-sat-unplugged-cold-heres-what-i-learned https://www.torquenews.com/8861/my-chevy-bolt-ev-sat-unplugg... As ever, you need to plan your trip around charging stops. A Better Route Planner (https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ https://abetterrouteplanner.com/) is a useful tool but it's a bit conservative for the Bolt (although I think it's better to be conservative than stranded). It also doesn't necessarily take into account overnight charging. On a long trip you'd charge overnight and start the next day with a full battery: https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-issues-better-route-planner https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-issues-bet...
diek 7y ago
I recently bought a 2020 Bolt LT and I really enjoy it - $26k "out the door" price (after taxes, registration, etc) - 260 miles of range (66kWh battery by LG Chem) - DC Fast Charging - upright seating - lots of headroom/legroom in the front and backseat - dedicated LCD for the driver, separate from infotainment system I compared it to a Tesla (test drove a Model 3), and a Tesla would be about $15k more. I have no use for self-driving. As a software engineer, I feel that full self-driving requires a general AI, which I think is on the order of decades away. I really just wanted a simple electric car with minimal maintenance and no fossil fuel dependencies. Minimal complexity, no gimmicks (fart generator, Tesla? come on...) With those requirements, the Bolt is awesome.
- megablast 7y ago
  > I have no use for self-driving. As a software engineer, I feel that full self-driving requires a general AI, which I think is on the order of decades away. Doctors make the worst patients.

throwaway5752 7y ago

I preferred the Bolt because it had similar and adequate range, adequate recharge capability, better drive, felt substantially roomier in the interior, and I preferred the higher seating. I have no use for an infotainment system in any vehicle (give me a hotspot and I'll bring my own devices). I disliked the Tesla center mounted tablet console dashboard, though that's subjective. I don't think the Tesla drives itself, does it? That was not a factor for me, and if anything would be a mild negative at the current level of self-driving tech maturity. At any rate, the Bolt had some useful driver assist packages for safety, though they are upgrades. I think they both have fairly similar safety ratings. And speed isn't a consideration for me, as long as it goes fast enough for highway. Nor is appearance, within reason. I really am thrilled for Tesla's success and don't think there is a "right car" but a "right car for you". The Bolt is a good car, though.

primrose 7y ago
> would be a mild negative at the current level of self-driving tech maturity Tesla's more or less take over on the freeway. They are also on their way to mastering traffic lights. > center mounted tablet console dashboard Yeah, that's a little weird. > the Bolt had some useful driver assist packages for safety, though they are upgrades Tesla's are the safest cars on the road now.
- kbenson 7y ago
  > Tesla's are the safest cars on the road now. Eh, I imagine that depends on how actively you use the autopilot and auto unpark features. I know they don't want to cede the frontrunner status of that technology, but it still feels like a risky gambit for tesla and for its customers.
  - joshualross 7y ago
    The IIHS rates TM3 it's top tier aware of Top Safety Pick+ which is a higher rating than the Bolt (noted in the article)[0]. This doesn't factor in autopilot although it does evaluate collision avoidance systems, which must rate advanced to superior. [0]https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/tesla-earns-its-first-ever-safety-award-from-iihs-for-model-3 https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/tesla-earns-its-first-ever-...
- CPLX 7y ago
  > They are also on their way to mastering traffic lights. Sure and I’m on my way to mastering Russian Roulette. Until I actually get there though you might not want to sell me life insurance. There are some things where being “on the way” to mastery is worse than nothing, and propelling a two ton object at a red light is one of those things.
- xkjkls 7y ago
  What statistic says that Tesla’s are the safest cars on the road right now? Based on death statistics for vehicles of their age and class they generally are about 2x worse.

sf_rob 7y ago

>Worst of all the Bolt's infotainment system is horrible. It has Carplay/Android Auto; you'd never look at that UI if you didn't want to.

clouddrover 7y ago

> Why do you prefer the Bolt? The 2020 Bolt has 259 miles of EPA range and is the best value for money of any EV in the world at the moment. Have a look at these prices: https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action/?mdId=36274172&mkId=20053&page=1&perPage=50&rd=99999&searchSource=SORT&sort=price-lowest&stkTypId=28880&zc=60606 https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action/?mdId=362... Here's a real world example of someone who has leased a 2020 Bolt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Egdi0GU9Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Egdi0GU9Y He has a 2017 Bolt on lease and he was thinking about getting a different EV, but in the end he went with a 3 year lease on a 2020 Bolt because the offer was too good to refuse. He paid $2500 down (which was covered by state EV incentives) and the lease is $147 a month for 12,000 miles per annum. Show me a better EV deal than that.

DarmokJalad1701 7y ago
Is it practical to own it as the primary car though? Can you travel cross-country in the Bolt without spending hours charging?
- clouddrover 7y ago
  Yes. In the video he talks about the roadtrip he is on right now from Boston to Austin for the Fully Charged Live event. He's posting more videos as he goes. Here's a 2020 Bolt doing a 1,000 km trip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMVRm8UvHjs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMVRm8UvHjs Here's a Bolt which did the Cannonball run: https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-set-cannonball-run-record-and-no-one-noticed https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-set-cannon... Here's a 2017 Bolt surviving the cold: https://www.torquenews.com/8861/my-chevy-bolt-ev-sat-unplugged-cold-heres-what-i-learned https://www.torquenews.com/8861/my-chevy-bolt-ev-sat-unplugg... As ever, you need to plan your trip around charging stops. A Better Route Planner (https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ https://abetterrouteplanner.com/) is a useful tool but it's a bit conservative for the Bolt (although I think it's better to be conservative than stranded). It also doesn't necessarily take into account overnight charging. On a long trip you'd charge overnight and start the next day with a full battery: https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-issues-better-route-planner https://www.torquenews.com/8861/chevrolet-bolt-ev-issues-bet...

diek 7y ago

I recently bought a 2020 Bolt LT and I really enjoy it - $26k "out the door" price (after taxes, registration, etc) - 260 miles of range (66kWh battery by LG Chem) - DC Fast Charging - upright seating - lots of headroom/legroom in the front and backseat - dedicated LCD for the driver, separate from infotainment system I compared it to a Tesla (test drove a Model 3), and a Tesla would be about $15k more. I have no use for self-driving. As a software engineer, I feel that full self-driving requires a general AI, which I think is on the order of decades away. I really just wanted a simple electric car with minimal maintenance and no fossil fuel dependencies. Minimal complexity, no gimmicks (fart generator, Tesla? come on...) With those requirements, the Bolt is awesome.

megablast 7y ago
> I have no use for self-driving. As a software engineer, I feel that full self-driving requires a general AI, which I think is on the order of decades away. Doctors make the worst patients.