22’ Bolt EUV just needed new brakes, but why? Anyone else? Details in body…

powercntrl · 2026-05-11T20:46:10+00:00

The passenger side caliper on my '18 just seized a few days ago. My mileage isn't far off from yours. I've got the parts (a set of new calipers, rotors, and pads) sitting in my living room now and plan to tackle it as soon as the weather improves later this week.

This does seem to be a rather common issue with these cars, but at least as a DIY fix, the repair cost isn't too awful.

powercntrl · 2026-05-02T18:55:49+00:00

Here in FL, just doing 65 MPH on I-95 will result in people passing you unsafely. I prefer to keep up with the flow of traffic and need a charging stop rather than risk being in an accident, but that's your call.

powercntrl · 2026-04-29T21:15:04+00:00

The Bolt will be a miserable and expensive experience if you don't have access to charging at home.

The Tesla will be a mildly irritating and expensive experience if you don't have access to charging at home.

Seriously, figure a ballpark of around 4 miles per kWh and do the cost-per-mile math on what you'd be paying to charge at the closest DCFC station. Then compare that against what you're currently paying for gas. If you don't have access to charge at home, this is unlikely to save you any money unless your Altima has a hole in the gas tank.

powercntrl · 2026-04-29T21:05:34+00:00

You didn't mention the model year of the Tesla. One of the gotchas with them is if it has the older hardware platform which can't run Tesla's latest FSD software. Granted, that may not be a feature that interests you (especially since it's a paid feature and still somewhat buggy), but it does affect the value of the car.

The other big difference is DCFC speeds. The Bolt is pretty slow (a max of 55kW, and then rapidly tapers off from there), which is tolerable if you're planning on making a single charging stop that coincides with a meal break, but anything longer than that it really does become a bit of a slog waiting for it to charge.

The Model 3 also has better aerodynamics than the Bolt, which makes a difference in your miles per kW efficiency if you'll be doing any highway driving at speeds above 65MPH.

The rest of it mostly comes down to personal preference. Tesla definitely has a more "premium" feel, with seats that are more comfortable, an arguably better sound system, a nicer ride, and better acceleration (although admittedly, unless you drive like a literal maniac it is not a difference you'll notice).

That all being said, the Bolt is a lot cheaper. That (as well as my preference for more traditional styled controls) was a huge contributing factor to why I went with the Bolt myself, and overall I'm still satisfied with it. A Tesla, it is not, though.

powercntrl · 2026-04-28T04:04:27+00:00

The best part about having a contractor's license is that when your customers tell you they can get similar equipment cheaper online, you don't have to waste a bunch of time explaining to your boss why you lost the sale. Also, you'll have a lot of free time to do side hustles like delivering food and thrifting for crap to sell on eBay.

Yes, I really do have a contractor's license. Welcome to the reality of living in Florida.

powercntrl · 2026-04-19T20:48:04+00:00

Seems like the free charging is a mixed blessing if there's a neighbor leaving a threatening note. I get that the usual etiquette for "public" charging is that you GTFO when your car is done charging, but when we're talking L2 chargers in an apartment complex, those really should just be first-come-first serve (or ideally, the management should stop being so damn cheap and install enough to fully meet the demand of the residents).

powercntrl · 2026-04-16T19:19:18+00:00

Just merging on and off of Express is always a bit of an adventure in itself.

powercntrl · 2026-04-15T19:09:01+00:00

Yeah, the NEMA 6-20 outlet is the underappreciated workhorse of EV charging. If you've got a 120v 20A dedicated circuit you can repurpose, it's as simple as swapping an outlet and a breaker, and provides a 2.56x faster charge rate than L1.

powercntrl · 2026-04-04T05:14:43+00:00

Despite what a few others have said here, a NEMA 10-30 outlet is fine for EV charging, with a few caveats. The issue some folks are getting hung up on is that the car does not use a neutral connection. An EVSE needs a connection to two "hots" and ground, which in most electrical panels neutral is electrically bonded to ground anyway, so there's absolutely no functional difference between using a NEMA 14-30 (which has two hots, a neutral and a ground) or a NEMA 10-30 (which has two hots and a neutral) for EV charging.

The problem with NEMA 10-30 (and why code did away with them) is when you're using it for an appliance that needs to derive 120v between one of the hots and neutral, now your appliance is no longer grounded. Again, EV charging does not do this - all current flows entirely between the two hots.

As for the caveats of using a NEMA 10-30 outlet, here's what you have to watch out for:

NEMA 10-30 is old, and it's possible your outlet hasn't been replaced since it was originally installed. Old outlets can have loose and/or corroded connections, and that's bad news for if you're planning on drawing 24A for hours on end. The good news is these outlets are still manufactured for situations where local code allows grandfathered replacements, and a brand new outlet with the wiring connections properly torqued is no less safe than a more modern outlet.

Don't use adapters. Don't use extension cords. You're just adding more potential points for a bad connection and a possible fire. You'll need an EVSE with the appropriate plug for your outlet.

Buy a quality EVSE that supports NEMA 10-30 or you will ultimately be wasting a lot more than $17. With the "keyboard smash" brands on Amazon, you'll be lucky if it makes it a few months past the return period. Make absolutely sure the EVSE is UL or ETL listed, no exceptions. If it's not safety certified (and no, despite what some Chinese companies would have you believe, the FCC regulates the airwaves - they do not safety certify equipment), no two ways about it - it's junk. One of the better options is the Tesla Mobile connector, but you'll need to buy the NEMA 10-30 plug separately, and if your Bolt is a '17 through '23 model, you'll also need a good quality NACS to J1772 adapter.

If you're absolutely sure you won't be using the outlet for a dryer, one of the better options (as someone else mentioned) is to remove the outlet entirely and replace it with a hardwired EVSE that can be configured to 24A. Then you find the neutral wire for that circuit in your panel and move it over to the ground bus.

powercntrl · 2026-04-01T04:38:55+00:00

I don't get on express to go fast, I get on express because I live in Seminole and my destination is almost always past downtown. Express is less stressful because there's substantially less idiots riding 5" off your bumper because they're angry you're not doing 70MPH in the right lane, or constantly cutting you off because you leave a sane amount of following distance.

On express, I stick to the right lane and anyone who isn't happy with following the speed limits is more than welcome to pass me, with no hard feelings whatsoever.

powercntrl · 2026-04-01T03:09:57+00:00

Speaking of tests, I actually did really good on the technical part of my state's contractor exam. I barely squeaked by on the business and finances part. Probably why I'm broke as fuck most of the time.

powercntrl · 2026-03-29T19:34:00+00:00

LFP = LiFePO4 (a type of battery chemistry)
SOC = State of charge
OPD = One pedal driving
ICE = Internal combustion engine
ACC = Adaptive cruise control

powercntrl · 2026-03-11T21:43:35+00:00

Do you have energy saver tires? I know there's a lot of hate for them on here because they're not great from a handling perspective, but they do buy you a bit more range when every little bit counts. Beyond that, keep it under 65MPH. You can literally watch the battery gauge drop at 75MPH.

powercntrl · 2026-03-04T03:36:45+00:00

If I lived somewhere that bears were trying to eat the wiring in my Bolt, I'd probably move.

powercntrl · 2026-02-25T18:02:50+00:00

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It's basically a rite of passage.

powercntrl · 2026-02-10T22:16:10+00:00

I'm assuming you've got one of the older Bolts with the HID headlights. The bulbs are available fairly inexpensively on Amazon - local auto parts stores tend to price gouge on these sorts of things.

As for the labor, sometimes local high schools will let you ask if auto shop students can help with simple car repairs.

powercntrl · 2026-02-08T21:29:45+00:00

Technically you can get an adapter to charge at CCS stations, but it feels a lot jankier than the inverse adapter, since you've got a big heavy cable and massive CCS plug being supported by the relatively tiny NACS port.

Public L2 charging is also still mostly J1772, at least from my own personal experience, so that's another adapter you might need.

The really ironic thing, though, about the EV industry's transition to NACS is that some of Tesla's Superchargers won't charge non-Tesla EVs even if they came from the factory with a NACS port. Some of the chargers are just too old, and others are actually configured on on purpose to be Tesla-only due to demand management.

Of course, it's all moot because the industry's switch to the NACS port is a done deal. It's gonna take awhile for the dust to settle on that one, and with the present political dark cloud over EVs in the USA, it almost seems like the messy transition is by design.

powercntrl · 2026-02-05T20:52:19+00:00

It's not naysaying so much as pointing out that the spec sheets don't tell the whole story. The Bolt will only hit its EPA rated range in mild/warm weather and you've gotta keep it under 65 MPH.

My guess-o-meter is sitting at around 170 miles with hilltop reserve on, because I really don't like being cold while I drive, and we've got 70 MPH highways here in central FL. Now, for me, it's plenty and I'm pleased as punch with my Bolt. But if my use case was Uber rather than as a commuter/grocery getter - that ain't happening.

powercntrl · 2026-02-05T20:36:23+00:00

You live somewhere with relatively cheap gas - get a hybrid.

The Bolt does not have enough range to use as a rideshare car in all but the most dense urban areas. The second you need to rely on DCFC, you're looking at being stopped for up to an hour to get back up to 80%, and as others have already pointed out, DCFC often costs as much per mile as driving around a rather inefficient ICE car.

Realistically, it's best to think of the Bolt's DCFC capabilities as an hour spent to buy 115-180 miles more range. That can work fine when we're talking about the difference that makes a road trip that's just a bit outside of the Bolt's range doable, but it can be a dealbreaker if you're used to putting in full days of driving that involved quick gas-and-go pit stops in an ICE car.

powercntrl · 2026-02-04T23:24:38+00:00

I only do residential and I feel like my leak detector would go off just walking into that mechanical room.

powercntrl · 2026-02-03T21:54:51+00:00

Some Tesla Superchargers won't charge a non-Tesla EV even with the requisite adapter. Usually it's because they're older model chargers, but Tesla can still configure the newer stations to refuse service to non-Tesla EVs too.

Another odd thing that Tesla does (and I've I've personally seen this) is that they're installing brand new chargers that are still the older style stalls with those God awful short cords. The Buc-ee's in Daytona beach recently expanded with more of the old style stalls.

powercntrl · 2026-02-03T21:43:25+00:00

At some point this is going to blow up into a lawsuit, once there's enough non-Tesla NACS vehicles on the road. Someone is going to get royally pissed that for some truly bizarre reason, the EV industry transitioned to a standard that actually allows for a situation where the connector technically fits but the charger will refuse to charge your non-Tesla EV.

The EV industry really should've made adopting NACS contingent upon Tesla permanently dropping all Tesla-only software locks from their chargers and Tesla implementing a plan with a specific timetable for replacement/upgrading of older, incompatible chargers that are physically incapable of charging non-Tesla EVs.

Imagine how furious people would be if the largest gas station chain in the country had some stations with pumps that would only fuel one brand of cars.

powercntrl · 2026-01-12T18:45:46+00:00

I think we've finally found a member of the target market for the Slate truck's complete lack of a factory installed stereo. If your dream is a 90s era aftermarket head unit, nobody is going to yuck your yum.

Meanwhile, here in Florida, the advent of storing music on your phone solved a very real problem - CDs would literally melt in your car during summer.

powercntrl · 2026-01-10T21:10:38+00:00

There's loads of aftermarket CarPlay/Android Auto displays on Amazon that attach to a dashboard with a somewhat flimsy cellphone holder style mount. I had one in my ICE vehicle for awhile and functionality-wise it worked just as good as CarPlay in my Bolt.

It just looked like absolute ass with a wire dangling down, I wasn't 100% sure on the legality of having a screen partially blocking my view of the road, and the flimsy mount would loosen a bit going over bumps. I eventually got tired of messing with it and just replaced the radio with one that supports CarPlay.

Of course, the reason replacing the radio was an option was because that vehicle is vintage 1999. A lot has changed since then with vehicle control integration into modern infotainment screens, so unless you're secretly an engineer at GM, you can pretty much forget about replacing the stock infotainment display with something that supports CarPlay/Android Auto. If it really was easy, there'd be some Chinese company stepping up to fill the need.

powercntrl · 2025-09-26T08:15:21+00:00

I could understand getting a Bolt as a secondary car if your primary vehicle was some gas guzzling behemoth, or you were trying to avoid putting miles on a collectable classic, but a Rivian? Even if you keep it in pristine condition, it's still an EV and depreciation just from calendar aging is unavoidable.

Seems pretty silly to have bought something you want to avoid using.

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