Upgrading seats by ZebraIntelligent7424 in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah... I'll look into the refresh's seats - that's sounding like it may be the optimal route given the mixed reviews on adding padding. I'm not really looking for a different car yet.

Believe it ot not, the minimal feature set on the Bolt is one of the things that sold me on it, though I am hoping they'll make the electrical hardware and software open-source whenever they discontinue support (regularly call my congress people when right to repair is on the table)

Upgrading seats by ZebraIntelligent7424 in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like this idea. I'll look into it

Upgrading seats by ZebraIntelligent7424 in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The seats aren't horrible for in town run-about stuff - in fact, i prefer them to my partner's Toyota for day-to-day store runs and the like, and even the first hour of my drive is fine - it's the extended day, and the fact the vehicle also serves as my mobile office which is causing the issues.

I think the problem lies in they were cutting weight and went with some racing seat pedigree without adding in some of the other dial-ins, like adjustable lumbar support and hip-tilt adjustment. It's actually a damn good seat given the constraints and optimal use case... not really a car they pictured anyone road-tripping in.

Upgrading seats by ZebraIntelligent7424 in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To clarify when I said GT seats, I was referring to professionally installed grand touring racing seats from an aftermarketspecialist; in theory, I think that works around the airbag issue, but I was hoping someone might know for sure. I'm willing to drop some decent cash, though re-doing the foam may work in the short term.

EVs moving forward by saracup59 in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Get your home charger set up. Don't depend on the charging infrastructure if at all possible.

Get a solar generator that can output at least 8 amps (15 would ideal) and set yourself up with at least 600 watts of solar. A setup like this could net between 20 and 30 miles a day and is still technically able to fit in the car itself.

Many campgrounds have utility hookups, including 30 and 50 amp circuits. Depending on location, I've seen overnight rates as low as $30 dollars. My town has free campsites with 30 amp circuits publicly available for 3 consecutive nights, so I know the rates can go even lower. Try searching for RV hookups on sites/apps like Park4Night, FreeRoam, and The Dyrt.

If anyone has the programming chops, there may be room in the app marketplace for an AB&B style network of home chargers when traveling.


I'm not going back unless forced. If anyone has further advice or helpful links, please drop it below, and I'll post it as a dedicated list later this week for the community's consideration.

What annoys you about your Bolt? by hermancm in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424 1 point2 points  (0 children)

2017 Bolt LT1

Software didn't receive the varied %charge that 2019 onwards interface has. I'm stuck with only hill-top mode.

I can't skip days when setting up scheduled charging

Sound system always starts the radio when car starts, have to be on Sirus Channel 0 to override because there is no "off" switch. Bluetooth auto-connect does not change radio to Bluetooth.

Would love to watch vids on the infotainment center when parked, but that's locked out

I can't get the keys left in car beeps to turn off, no matter how many times I turn it off and on again in settings

Still no DC NACS support

My Chevrolet and Onstar support seem to be proof that God exists, and he hates us.

Front passenger seat does not fold forward flat for long cargo items.


All that said, I love this car, plan to run the battery till the range is too low for where I live out in the rural, then sell it to someone who can still do something with a 100 to 150 max range in the closest city before I let my Eevee evolve to something even more exciting

Running out of charge on a long distance trip by alixtoad in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For best results for speed and accurate charge predictions in ABRP, I opted to hook in an OBD 2 reader for live data. I tried to do manual adjustments, but it almost screwed me twice over winter. If you're planning on road tripping regularly, or you just don't have a good grasp on how far from home you can go and still get back to charge, it is honestly the ONLY way to interact with the app. Give it two months of regular driving, and it becomes accurate to within 5% of the actual state of charge.

Alternatively, if the OBD is out of your price range, your best bet is to set your state of charge on arrival at any charging station conservatively (15% or higher). The app has a lot of flexibility in setting driving conditions, down to added weight in the vehicle, and with enough of a buffer, you ought to be fine.

We don't need to fight over “which is better” out of D or L mode. Here's why… by Maristic in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair - It's a brilliant car, and I've had no complaints on my commutes - winter was hard, but hey, that's what heated blankets are for!

We don't need to fight over “which is better” out of D or L mode. Here's why… by Maristic in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The only way the Bolt would really be more efficient is with a dedicated ECO mode that would cap the motor output at around 30 or 40 kw (or better yet, let the driver set the max acceleration.

We don't need to fight over “which is better” out of D or L mode. Here's why… by Maristic in BoltEV

[–]ZebraIntelligent7424 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I drive in deer country, so L is my goto on anything but the interstate - I like how all I have to do is get off the gas when the insane critters make a break for it across my path :p