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As in all things EV it is always, "except for Tesla."

Since I don't have a Tesla "yet" it remains that there are no DCFC stations in Montana, "except for Tesla's superchargers." ;)

Saw a good mix of Tesla's, including a Model 3, BMW i3 and an old Leaf as well as Bolts on the streets of trendy Silverlake in LA Sunday.

Paul
 
An extract from Edmonds' April Bolt Long-term test report:

Comfort

"Our Bolt rides much better than the Model 3. I spent the past weekend driving the Model 3 so it was fresh in my mind. Where the Model 3 is harsh over bumps, the Bolt feels more comfortable and composed." — Ron Montoya, senior consumer advice editor

Interior
"Have I mentioned the Bolt's light gray dashboard? If not, I am. It's too light in color. This is a problem because sunlight (or even a gas station's bright overhead light at night) creates a reflection of the dashboard on the inside of the windshield. This completely washes out the view forward and it's why dashboards are, or should always be, black. GM has only been making cars for 110 years so we'll cut them some slack for not knowing this." — Jason Kavanagh, senior road test engineer
One of Edmonds' tester's comments in their April Bolt Long-term test report:
"It's Friday afternoon at 4:45 p.m. and I'm merging onto the freeway. I'm not alone. This 40-mile commute home will ultimately suck two-and-a-half hours of life from me, but it's going to earn me some EV street cred. Everybody needs that. I left our parking garage with the Bolt's meter showing 271 miles of range. When I pulled into my driveway, it still showed 271 miles. Thank you to regenerative braking, everyone on the 405 freeway and the Academy for making this accomplishment possible. I've lost my mind." — Mike Schmidt
https://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/bolt-ev/2017/long-term-road-test/2017-chevrolet-bolt-monthly-update-for-april-2018.html

More re seats, good and bad from the May report:
Comfort

"Everyone knows that L.A. traffic is absolutely terrible, and Interstate 405 during rush hour adds an entirely new dimension to the torture. After moving and having to extend my commute as a result, I have been on the hunt for ways to make the hour-and-a-half-plus drive more enjoyable, if not simply less painful.

"The Bolt has been my knight in shining armor. Thanks to its stellar range I can commute back and forth for nearly a week (yeah, it's only 20 miles each way) before needing to charge. I also get the bonus of the HOV lane (TOTAL WIN) and I can one-pedal it the whole way (yay for L mode). While others have complained about the seats in the car, I find them comfortable enough for long periods of sitting in traffic. The technical interface is easy enough to use. My Android phone pairs seamlessly, and the audio system is just fine for those moments when I need to drown out the drone of idling engines. The Bolt is definitely my commuter of choice at the moment." — Abigail Bassett, senior director, video & photo

"I've been avoiding our Bolt because I hated the seats so much, but I thought I'd give it another chance. Which was a mistake. The seats are worse now because they've been wearing out. The seatback is still too hard and feels concave where the lumbar support should be. It then drops back right at my shoulder blades so I have no support above that. But now that the seat cushion is all messed up, I can feel the plastic bits around the edge much more. It's stupidly uncomfortable for me and I hate it." — Will Kaufman, associate staff writer
Note, leather seats. Owners' comments are similarly split on the seats, and FWIW, as noted upthread I found the cloth seats in the LT I test drove to be fine, but I also seem to have the body type/weight that makes that more likely.
 
GRA said:
An extract from Edmonds' April Bolt Long-term test report: ...

At 13k and 12 months driving our Premier with Light Ash/Ceramic interior, comments mostly agree with experience. Although I don’t remember the TM3 ride as harsh, the Bolt is definitely firm, and no treat on jagged slab freeway sections. The HO6 interior dash glare will be too much for many, and as mentioned ad nauseam, the seats aren’t for everyone either. Perspective buyers should pay attention to these items, but I would order the Bolt the same way again in a heartbeat.
 
Comparing the Bolt ride to a M3 is nonsense. There are not the same category of performance. Additionally the M3 suspension has been changed depending on the version of the car they tested but still a silly comparison. In fact they are very different EVs is every regard.
 
EVDRIVER said:
Comparing the Bolt ride to a M3 is nonsense. There are not the same category of performance. Additionally the M3 suspension has been changed depending on the version of the car they tested but still a silly comparison. In fact they are very different EVs is every regard.

The comparison is at least partially valid. The Bolt and TM3 are both supposed to be 'entry level' cars with excellent performance. Neither car rides especially well from what I've seen and experienced, and both have strong acceleration and cornering. I'm not sure what exactly is upsetting you, but I don't see anything misleading.
 
After driving my Bolt with the light interior for 8 months, I can say hands-down that I have noticed glare on the window fewer than half a dozen drives. And it was never so bad - even in the most direct sunlight - that I had any issue with visibility. I think I only noticed it because the salesman tried to talk me out of the color. He said the glare would be unbearable. I am very glad I have the lighter interior, though - I just love the way it works.

Not disparaging anyone else's opinions or experience, just sharing my own.
 
LeftieBiker said:
EVDRIVER said:
Comparing the Bolt ride to a M3 is nonsense. There are not the same category of performance. Additionally the M3 suspension has been changed depending on the version of the car they tested but still a silly comparison. In fact they are very different EVs is every regard.

The comparison is at least partially valid. The Bolt and TM3 are both supposed to be 'entry level' cars with excellent performance. Neither car rides especially well from what I've seen and experienced, and both have strong acceleration and cornering. I'm not sure what exactly is upsetting you, but I don't see anything misleading.

Not upsetting, it's like comparing a Camary sport to a BMW. The handing and 0-60 are not comparable there are in different classes and one expects a true sort sedan to be relatively stiffer than a car in a different class. Besides, the stiff suspension is also a by product of weight and these cars are not comparable there either. Being an EV and being the same price is not how cars should be compared as the same class of car just the same price range. It's just a silly comment like saying a Camary rides softer than a BMW, it should.
 
Assuming you mean "Camry" then that's true enough. The Bolt, however, is not marketed as a soft riding family car, so your own comparison suffers. A single motor Model 3 is in the same class as the Bolt when it comes to acceleration, and just putting better tires on the Bolt would make it competitive with the Model 3 in handling. Not equal, but not a lot worse.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
After driving my Bolt with the light interior for 8 months, I can say hands-down that I have noticed glare on the window fewer than half a dozen drives. And it was never so bad - even in the most direct sunlight - that I had any issue with visibility. I think I only noticed it because the salesman tried to talk me out of the color. He said the glare would be unbearable. I am very glad I have the lighter interior, though - I just love the way it works.

Not disparaging anyone else's opinions or experience, just sharing my own.
Assuming this isn't just based on natural human variation and you don't normally wear polarized sunglasses while driving, I wonder if where you are is making the difference. It tends to be a lot sunnier in say California, and the sun will also be higher in the sky in summer and lower in winter. Has the glare been worse in one season than another?

Oh, anyone who does find the glare a problem, aftermarket dark-colored dash covers are widely available for under $100.
 
GRA said:
GetOffYourGas said:
After driving my Bolt with the light interior for 8 months, I can say hands-down that I have noticed glare on the window fewer than half a dozen drives. And it was never so bad - even in the most direct sunlight - that I had any issue with visibility. I think I only noticed it because the salesman tried to talk me out of the color. He said the glare would be unbearable. I am very glad I have the lighter interior, though - I just love the way it works.

Not disparaging anyone else's opinions or experience, just sharing my own.
Assuming this isn't just based on natural human variation and you don't normally wear polarized sunglasses while driving, I wonder if where you are is making the difference. It tends to be a lot sunnier in say California, and the sun will also be higher in the sky in summer and lower in winter. Has the glare been worse in one season than another?

Oh, anyone who does find the glare a problem, aftermarket dark-colored dash covers are widely available for under $100.

I do not wear polarized sunglasses, although I have blue eyes, which are naturally more photo-sensitive than say brown eyes. I would think that would make me more disposed to notice the glare, not less. But it's certainly a variable.

Yes, it is sunny more often in CA than in upstate NY. In fact, it is overcast a large percentage of the year here. But we have sunny days too, believe it or not. And our sunny days are just as sunny as in CA. On those sunny days, I have never had a problem with too much glare.

The sun certainly is higher in the sky at more southern latitudes and that could be a factor. The glare does seem to be worse in the summer than the winter, which of course is when the sun is higher in the sky. And it's more noticeable at noon than at say 6pm. So maybe you're onto something there.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Assuming you mean "Camry" then that's true enough. The Bolt, however, is not marketed as a soft riding family car, so your own comparison suffers. A single motor Model 3 is in the same class as the Bolt when it comes to acceleration, and just putting better tires on the Bolt would make it competitive with the Model 3 in handling. Not equal, but not a lot worse.

Moreover, the two cars (Bolt / Model 3) are often cross-shopped. I considered both as well as a 2018 / 2019 Leaf. I know they are different vehicles, but I wanted a long-range EV, and had a budget of under $40k. Therefore, I basically had three options.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
..Moreover, the two cars (Bolt / Model 3) are often cross-shopped. I considered both as well as a 2018 / 2019 Leaf. I know they are different vehicles, but I wanted a long-range EV, and had a budget of under $40k. Therefore, I basically had three options.
Two real "under $40k"options, and one (model 3) currently remaining imaginary...
 
edatoakrun said:
GetOffYourGas said:
..Moreover, the two cars (Bolt / Model 3) are often cross-shopped. I considered both as well as a 2018 / 2019 Leaf. I know they are different vehicles, but I wanted a long-range EV, and had a budget of under $40k. Therefore, I basically had three options.
Two real "under $40k"options, and one (model 3) currently remaining imaginary...

As it stands today, the Leaf that I'd want/need is still "imaginary" as well. I'm sorry, but 40kWh is not a big upgrade from 24kWh to me and I ruled it out before the unveiling was over. I really need 200+ miles to go from a local/regional car to a truly long-range car. So I was comparing the base Model 3 and the 60kWh 2019 Leaf to the Bolt.

I suspect that I could get a 2019 Leaf at least 6 months before a <$40k Model 3 (no reservation), so don't worry - you will still have a few months to legitimately say that.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
GRA said:
Assuming this isn't just based on natural human variation and you don't normally wear polarized sunglasses while driving, I wonder if where you are is making the difference. It tends to be a lot sunnier in say California, and the sun will also be higher in the sky in summer and lower in winter. Has the glare been worse in one season than another?

Oh, anyone who does find the glare a problem, aftermarket dark-colored dash covers are widely available for under $100.
I do not wear polarized sunglasses, although I have blue eyes, which are naturally more photo-sensitive than say brown eyes. I would think that would make me more disposed to notice the glare, not less. But it's certainly a variable.
Indeed, blue-eyed people are more sensitive to light than brown-eyed. For anyone interested: https://www.essilorusa.com/newsroom/sensitive-to-light-blame-your-blue-eyes

GetOffYourGas said:
Yes, it is sunny more often in CA than in upstate NY. In fact, it is overcast a large percentage of the year here. But we have sunny days too, believe it or not. And our sunny days are just as sunny as in CA. On those sunny days, I have never had a problem with too much glare.
I was referring mainly to the number of days of sun, not the amount when sunny. However, the bolded statement isn't strictly correct. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_climate#/media/File:Oblique_rays_04_Pengo.svg and https://www.google.com/search?q=sol...sAQIKQ&biw=1280&bih=686#imgrc=tRh8vVp6UyvB9M:

There's about 9 degrees of difference in the latitudes between Syracuse and L.A. (ca. 5.3 deg. in S.F.), and while fairly small, it does mean that the sunlight reaching you has to go through a bit more atmosphere.

GetOffYourGas said:
The sun certainly is higher in the sky at more southern latitudes and that could be a factor. The glare does seem to be worse in the summer than the winter, which of course is when the sun is higher in the sky. And it's more noticeable at noon than at say 6pm. So maybe you're onto something there.
I suspect it's a combination of the above factors with the angle of the Bolt's windshield. For some related info pertinent to my AE days, see https://solarprofessional.com/artic...-roof-mounted-pv-arrays/page/0/1#.WyQu-ejwbEY

Then there are other physical factors:
Halos and glare can be caused by eye problems that keep the eye from properly focusing light onto your retina (the thin lining located in the back of the eye). Common eye problems that can cause halos and glare include:

  • Nearsightedness (difficulty seeing things far away)

    Farsightedness (difficulty seeing things nearby)

    Presbyopia (difficulty seeing things nearby due to aging)

    Astigmatism (blurred vision due to irregular shape of the eye)
https://nonaeyemd.com/2015/09/30/halo-and-glare-causes/ Someone who could benefit from prescription lenses but doesn't have them, or whose prescription is a bit out of date may be more sensitive to glare.
 
GRA said:
GetOffYourGas said:
After driving my Bolt with the light interior for 8 months, I can say hands-down that I have noticed glare on the window fewer than half a dozen drives. And it was never so bad - even in the most direct sunlight - that I had any issue with visibility. I think I only noticed it because the salesman tried to talk me out of the color. He said the glare would be unbearable. I am very glad I have the lighter interior, though - I just love the way it works.

Not disparaging anyone else's opinions or experience, just sharing my own.
Assuming this isn't just based on natural human variation and you don't normally wear polarized sunglasses while driving, I wonder if where you are is making the difference. It tends to be a lot sunnier in say California, and the sun will also be higher in the sky in summer and lower in winter. Has the glare been worse in one season than another?

Oh, anyone who does find the glare a problem, aftermarket dark-colored dash covers are widely available for under $100.

How can you not think location is important? Latitude is probably the biggest factor.
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
GRA said:
GetOffYourGas said:
After driving my Bolt with the light interior for 8 months, I can say hands-down that I have noticed glare on the window fewer than half a dozen drives. And it was never so bad - even in the most direct sunlight - that I had any issue with visibility. I think I only noticed it because the salesman tried to talk me out of the color. He said the glare would be unbearable. I am very glad I have the lighter interior, though - I just love the way it works.

Not disparaging anyone else's opinions or experience, just sharing my own.
Assuming this isn't just based on natural human variation and you don't normally wear polarized sunglasses while driving, I wonder if where you are is making the difference. It tends to be a lot sunnier in say California, and the sun will also be higher in the sky in summer and lower in winter. Has the glare been worse in one season than another?

Oh, anyone who does find the glare a problem, aftermarket dark-colored dash covers are widely available for under $100.
How can you not think location is important? Latitude is probably the biggest factor.
Seems to me I was pointing out that it was important. The question is how important compared to other variables? We could probably add driver biometrics and seat position/angle into the mix as well. Regardless, there's no question that AOTBE a dark-colored dash (preferably matte) will reflect much less onto the windshield than a light-colored one.
 
I have a 2016 Volt with the light ash dashboard. In retrospect I should have waited for a black interior, but my Leaf lease was ending and I needed a car. The Volt has a ridiculous amount of glare off the windshield from the dashboard in all weather. I have fount that the drivers height has a direct impact on the amount of glare. I am 6'4" and therefore sit rather high increasing the amount of the dash I can see off the windshield. If I crouch in the seat (for testing purposes only, since it is very uncomfortable), the amount of glare is reduced, but is still present. The glare is exaggerated due to the two tone dash the Volt has.

GM should not have released the Bolt with the light dash based on their experience with the Volt. There is no way they didn't know it would be an issue, or everyone at GM is really short and can't see the reflection.
 
bradbissell said:
GM should not have released the Bolt with the light dash based on their experience with the Volt. There is no way they didn't know it would be an issue, or everyone at GM is really short and can't see the reflection.

Once again, I absolutely love my Bolt with the light dash. I understand that people have different experiences - if this is yours, buy one of the other colors. But as for your assertion, I vehemently disagree.
 
bradbissell said:
I have a 2016 Volt with the light ash dashboard. In retrospect I should have waited for a black interior, but my Leaf lease was ending and I needed a car. The Volt has a ridiculous amount of glare off the windshield from the dashboard in all weather. I have fount that the drivers height has a direct impact on the amount of glare. I am 6'4" and therefore sit rather high increasing the amount of the dash I can see off the windshield. If I crouch in the seat (for testing purposes only, since it is very uncomfortable), the amount of glare is reduced, but is still present. The glare is exaggerated due to the two tone dash the Volt has.

GM should not have released the Bolt with the light dash based on their experience with the Volt. There is no way they didn't know it would be an issue, or everyone at GM is really short and can't see the reflection.
Sounds like you really need to get a dash cover. I imagine the Volt's windshield is more horizontal than the Bolt's, but I've never seen angles given. As for the Bolt, IIRR the chief designer's your height, although he may have a different torso/leg ratio: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/b...to-chevy-bolt-evs-chief-speed-freak/95259830/
 
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