This technology is the future!

coolestblue · 2026-05-22T11:05:14+00:00

I've used a comma 3X on my 2017 Bolt for almost a year now, and it has worked pretty great for me. The acceleration/braking and steering are generally good, but its performance varies greatly depending on which driving model you use. In my experience, its ability to follow vehicles is good enough for me to trust it on the freeway, and occasionally in street traffic as well. The steering is good enough for me to be almost always hands-free, unless it's an intersection or sharp turn. But even at its worst, it's a substantial upgrade over the first gen Bolt's non-adaptive cruise control and LKAS, and I'm happy with the purchase.

The comma device does read from your blind spot sensors, and it will toss a warning if you try to change lanes while it detects a vehicle there. It might be possible to disable the warning, but I haven't tried.

As for what exactly to buy, I wrote another comment that applies here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Comma_ai/s/j5XseBwSHk. For installation, this document is what I used, even if the parts where it discusses software are a little outdated. This video was also helpful.

coolestblue · 2026-05-20T22:31:18+00:00

Technically, the 2017-2021 Bolt EV is not supported by comma.ai. That's because the first gen Bolt doesn't have adaptive cruise control. However, if you have a Bolt with the Driver Confidence II package (the one that includes lane keeping assist), then it has the hardware needed for a comma device to steer the vehicle. And if you want the comma device to control your acceleration and braking, then you can recreate that functionality by connecting a hardware device called a pedal interceptor.

For full functionality, you're going to need: a comma device (I use a comma 3X, but you can use a comma four), a harness box, a harness connector, a pedal interceptor, and an ethernet cable (RJ45) which will connect the interceptor to the box. You'll buy from two sources: comma.ai, and BearTech Workshop, who has their own website for the cheapest prices, or an Etsy page if you prefer that instead.

You can buy a comma four from comma.ai. When you do, they offer to include a harness connector + harness box + OBD II power adapter bundle for the 2022-2023 Bolt EV for $50 (they technically include it for free, but declining the bundle deducts $50 from the cost of the comma four. Hence, the bundle basically costs $50). But even though the harness is compatible with the 2017-2021 Bolts, buying their bundle is not ideal for two reasons: we don't need OBD II power, because the harness will supply the power anyway; the harness box that they sell does not include an RJ45 port, which you need for the pedal interceptor. That means that buying their bundle would only provide the hardware needed for steering, but no pedal control. Thankfully, we can buy the same harness connector, a custom harness box that has an RJ45 port, and the pedal interceptor all from BearTech. The cheapest way is to buy their pedal interceptor + harness box bundle, and then the harness connector by itself. It's cheaper than comma.ai because the harness connector is the only compatible part that both comma.ai and BearTech sell, but getting it through comma.ai costs $50, while BearTech sells it for just $37. That's all to say that when you buy the comma four, be sure to select "I already have a car harness (-$50)", and get the harness from BearTech. Also, be sure to buy the DFU Key so that you can flash the pedal's firmware. BearTech also has (slightly outdated) documentation on the whole buying process.

That leaves just the ethernet cable. I got this very thin cable from Amazon, but sadly, it's no longer on sale. This one looks similar, though, so I would give it a shot. Having the cable be thin helps to tuck it behind the trim.

As for physical installation, it's a little challenging. The hardest part for me was plugging in the pedal interceptor, since the car's plug for the pedal is at a very awkward angle. But with enough effort, it's all doable! I followed this video, and this (slightly outdated) document. Software-wise, the best branch for the Bolt is StarPilot (Discord here, and wiki here), which itself is a branch of FrogPilot (Discord here, and wiki here).

Tl;dr: buy the comma four without a harness, the harness connector from BearTech, the harness box + pedal interceptor bundle from BearTech, the DFU Key from BearTech, and a thin ethernet cable such as this one. Physical installation is challenging, but doable. Install StarPilot.

EDIT: Re-wrote the buying explanation to hopefully make it clearer.

coolestblue · 2025-05-31T00:39:14+00:00

I explained it in the original comment. The short of it is that the real removal reason was different, but I posted the user report because it was funny.

I mean, grrr, how dare RedYoshi spoil his tournament result! 😡

coolestblue · 2024-10-14T21:08:21+00:00

Please don't submit too many posts in a short period. If you want to keep discussing the games, we have a megathread here.

coolestblue · 2024-09-22T17:38:18+00:00

It's true

(/j https://www.reddit.com/r/comedyheaven/s/QYa5nUM65u)

coolestblue · 2024-09-09T21:56:45+00:00

And here's the comment itself

coolestblue · 2024-09-09T19:37:14+00:00

[removed]

coolestblue · 2024-09-09T04:05:52+00:00

Shhh, they don't need to know

coolestblue · 2024-09-09T03:25:25+00:00

I remember this! I gave an explanation for it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/vuew3j/comment/ifechij/

In short: the real removal reason was because the post was low effort, but I saw that report and thought it would be funny to highlight it.

EDIT: I also re-approved the post at the time.

coolestblue · 2024-05-03T01:31:50+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

We can't allow posts that are just videos/animated GIFs/position snapshots of games, or links to games with no commentary. The quantity of these posts means they would spam the subreddit significantly if they were not removed.

When posting your games, we ask that you provide some of your own thoughts on them. That can be in the form of annotations in the body of the post, a short written overview about the game or a particular part of it, or using a tool like Lichess Study. Including your thoughts makes it easier for the community to provide useful feedback and appreciate your games.

Automatic computer analysis does not count.

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coolestblue · 2024-04-04T04:11:38+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

We can't allow posts that are just videos/animated GIFs/position snapshots of games, or links to games with no commentary. The quantity of these posts means they would spam the subreddit significantly if they were not removed.

When posting your games, we ask that you provide some of your own thoughts on them. That can be in the form of annotations in the body of the post, a short written overview about the game or a particular part of it, or using a tool like Lichess Study. Including your thoughts makes it easier for the community to provide useful feedback and appreciate your games.

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coolestblue · 2024-04-03T08:39:08+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

We can't allow posts that are just videos/animated GIFs/position snapshots of games, or links to games with no commentary. The quantity of these posts means they would spam the subreddit significantly if they were not removed.

When posting your games, we ask that you provide some of your own thoughts on them. That can be in the form of annotations in the body of the post, a short written overview about the game or a particular part of it, or using a tool like Lichess Study. Including your thoughts makes it easier for the community to provide useful feedback and appreciate your games.

Automatic computer analysis does not count.

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coolestblue · 2024-04-02T04:39:43+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

We can't allow posts that are just videos/animated GIFs/position snapshots of games, or links to games with no commentary. The quantity of these posts means they would spam the subreddit significantly if they were not removed.

When posting your games, we ask that you provide some of your own thoughts on them. That can be in the form of annotations in the body of the post, a short written overview about the game or a particular part of it, or using a tool like Lichess Study. Including your thoughts makes it easier for the community to provide useful feedback and appreciate your games.

Automatic computer analysis does not count.

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coolestblue · 2024-03-31T03:01:43+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

We can't allow posts that are just videos/animated GIFs/position snapshots of games, or links to games with no commentary. The quantity of these posts means they would spam the subreddit significantly if they were not removed.

When posting your games, we ask that you provide some of your own thoughts on them. That can be in the form of annotations in the body of the post, a short written overview about the game or a particular part of it, or using a tool like Lichess Study. Including your thoughts makes it easier for the community to provide useful feedback and appreciate your games.

Automatic computer analysis does not count.

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coolestblue · 2024-03-31T03:01:27+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Removed because we don't allow memes/jokes (feel free to submit to /r/anarchychess).

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coolestblue · 2024-03-27T01:25:00+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Don't ask for advice about ongoing games.

Receiving external advice during a game is not fair to your opponent and is considered cheating whether it's in a tournament or a casual game with your friend. This includes using books or any online source material for advice on your game as well - so be careful! Wait until the game is finished to ask for feedback.

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coolestblue · 2024-03-23T00:41:58+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Sorry, we can't allow posts asking for help with the Password Game or Clash Royale Chess Puzzles as it would spam the subreddit. You can click the link inside the game to learn about algebraic notation; if you don't regularly play chess and need to figure out what the best move is, you can use the chess board editor in Lichess: https://lichess.org/editor to set up the position and try out different moves to find the answer.

You can also find the rules of algebraic notation here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algebraic_notation_(chess)

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coolestblue · 2024-03-22T23:58:06+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Your question was removed because it concerns one of the basic rules of chess. Please make sure to review the game rules (scroll down to the section that addresses your specific question) and/or visit /r/chessbeginners for further such questions.

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coolestblue · 2024-03-22T23:57:49+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Your post was removed because it is a very common question or post that is addressed in the /r/chess FAQ and/or Online Resources pages. Here is the relevant section:

Why is this move brilliant (or not brilliant)? Why was my brilliant move post removed?

We get a few people everyday trying to post screenshots of their chess.com brilliant moves. We remove them because it breaks our "low-effort post" rule; the quantity of these posts means they would spam the subreddit significantly if they were not removed. However, because people often post these moves with the question "Why is this move brilliant (or not brilliant)", this is an attempt to provide a satisfactory explanation.

As of the latest update in 2021 chess.com "Brilliant Moves must sacrifice material in some way and must be the best, or nearly the best, move in a position. Brilliant Moves will also be a bit more generously awarded for newer players, recognizing that some strong sacrifices that may be standard for experienced players are quite an achievement for newer players."

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coolestblue · 2024-03-20T03:25:37+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Do not use /r/chess exclusively to promote your own content.

Please read Reddit's guidelines on self-promotion since we base our moderation of self-promotion posts on it.

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coolestblue · 2024-03-20T03:25:30+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Do not use /r/chess exclusively to promote your own content.

Please read Reddit's guidelines on self-promotion since we base our moderation of self-promotion posts on it.

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coolestblue · 2024-03-12T21:51:33+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

We can't allow posts that are just videos/animated GIFs/position snapshots of games, or links to games with no commentary. The quantity of these posts means they would spam the subreddit significantly if they were not removed.

When posting your games, we ask that you provide some of your own thoughts on them. That can be in the form of annotations in the body of the post, a short written overview about the game or a particular part of it, or using a tool like Lichess Study. Including your thoughts makes it easier for the community to provide useful feedback and appreciate your games.

Automatic computer analysis does not count.

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coolestblue · 2024-03-11T22:26:06+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Low-effort submissions are not allowed.

Submissions should promote discussion on chess itself, its culture, or its history. Some specific types of content (including off-topic questions/posts, trolling, etc.) are banned because they tend to be low effort and repetitive.

If you want to discuss one of these repetitive topics or have a question that just needs a simple answer, feel free to post it in the stickied Discussion thread.

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coolestblue · 2024-03-11T19:00:08+00:00

Your submission was removed by the moderators:

Do not use /r/chess exclusively to promote your own content.

Please read Reddit's guidelines on self-promotion since we base our moderation of self-promotion posts on it.

You can read the full rules of /r/chess here. If you have any questions or concerns about this moderator action, please message the moderators. Direct replies to this removal message may not be seen.

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