We get behind the wheel of the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier and discover a great car that just happens to be fully electric!

1. Behind the Wheel:

2. With the emerging electric vehicle market, the
toughest nut to crack will be the entry-level. Creating
a luxury car leaves room to ramp up volume and
demand a higher price. But selling a low-price
electric vehicle requires appealing to a large market,
keeping costs low, and organizing production for
high volumes. None of which have been
successfully accomplished, yet.
With market leader Tesla planning to enter this field
with the Model 3, anticipation for the EV industry
explosion has been high. The bad news for Tesla is
that Chevrolet has a leg up on the them with an
excellent product. Discussions of poor quality and
production ramp-up issues are hampering Tesla, but
Chevrolet’s Bolt EV just needs the demand to catch
up.
The Bolt’s cabin is laid out comfortably. The front
seating height is high, so the view outward is better
than average. The seats are deceptively simple. The
seat backs subtly wrap around in much the same
way early bucket seats held you in place without
being obtrusive. Unlike those early seats, the Bolt’s
seat backs have a bit of lumbar support. The seat
bottoms also have subtle side bolsters
that do a good job of locating your
posterior without trapping you behind
something you’ll have to climb over while
entering or exiting the car.
Interior quality is a bit of a mixed bag.
While the instrumentation is clear and
reconfigurable, the dash materials are
hard plastic. This is in sharp contrast to
the pleasantly soft steering wheel and
nice cloth seating areas. At a distance,
the dashboard is modern with a distinctive blue
accent light running across, which may be annoying
to passengers at night. The firm texture, however,
belies the Bolt EV’s price tag.
Controls fall easily to hand, though I found the
wonderfully thick and grippy steering wheel to be a
bit small in diameter. The information layout on both
screens is intuitive. Basic control operation can be
executed quickly enough, though any intricate
operations make you wish you’d read the Owner’s
Manual first. Manipulating the shifter with your right
hand causes you to find the reverse-gear lockout
switch under your right thumb.
Pressing that allows you to pull the
lever to the left, thus engaging reverse
gear. Anyone who has experienced
Jaguar’s fabled J Gate will appreciate
the homage. Many others will be left
fumbling for the ability to back out of a
parking space until the movement
becomes rote.
Another unique feature is the Gentex-
supplied digital rear-view mirror.
Looking out the rear-view mirror seems
to be just like any other car’s mirror.
But flip the switch which would typically
dim the mirror and it becomes an HD display for the
rear-view camera. On the plus side, the clear
camera provides an excellent nighttime view of the
traffic behind the vehicle. However, it takes quite a
bit of time to acclimate to the display. The natural
focus in a standard mirror is fifty feet (or so) deep
where the digial mirror’s display is flat and a foot or
so from the driver’s eyes. Farsighted drivers will find
the system difficult to use.
Ready to drive forward, step-off is sedate. Speed
gathers slowly, regardless of the pressure placed on
the throttle (potentiometer, perhaps?). This feels like
an electronic intrusion, as if the software was written
to defeat jack-rabbit starts. But once at speed, things
change. Mid-range throttle response can be
surprising, if not explosive. The instantaneous
application of torque makes the Bolt move smartly
through traffic, and into the next lane if that’s the
driver’s intention. But such maneuvers come at a
cost to battery reserves. The throttle is best used in
a low-key manner. Don’t ruffle anyone’s feathers,
and you’ll arrive at your destination almost rested.
Throughout your journey, there is no noise or
vibration from a traditional gasoline motor to disturb
or distract all on board. NVH are almost non-
existent.

3. Driving in traffic, drivers can switch between two
ways of bringing the Bolt to a halt. Applying the
brake pedal slowly lights the Regeneration icon on
the dash. However, pressing past the regeneration
section of pedal travel brings a somewhat unsettling
feeling. The brakes lose all feedback to the driver.
And while in this “dead-zone”, they feel as if they’re
doing a worse job of bringing the car to a halt. It’s
completely counter intuitive to what most drivers
expect and takes some getting used to before a
driver becomes confident in their operation. The
second way to stop the Bolt makes a driver feel
virtuous. Using the regeneration paddle on the left
underside of the steering wheel brings the Bolt to a
positive, controlled stop. Though there is the
question of how far the car will roll while
decelerating. It does take a little practice to gauge
the appropriate stopping distance before relying on
the paddle in traffic.
Shifting the drive selector into the “L” position
creates a uniquely EV experience. Sometimes
referred to as “one pedal” driving, speed of the Bolt
EV can be controlled almost entirely with the driver’s
right foot. After getting accustomed to it, the brake
pedal is only needed in emergency situations. Apply
the accelerator in the normal fashion to drive but
speed is regulated by the regeneration effect of the
motors. Properly utilized, the car can be brought to a
full stop just by releasing the accelerator. Drivers
with decades of experience will take longer to make
the transition, but once there, it becomes natural and
the ultimate way to extend the distance between
recharges.
Underway, the Bolt offers some surprises.
Maneuvering in stop-and-go
conditions, the car behaves
as you would expect, the
brake pedal
notwithstanding. Steering is precise, but somewhat
numb. There isn’t a lot of feedback to the driver
through the wheel. But quick maneuvers can be
accomplished with confidence. The car handles very
well indeed. The highway reveals the Bolt’s great
strength as well as it’s weakness. It’s strength is the
aforementioned handling. The masses of the electric
motor and lithium ion battery are located between
the center lines of the axles. The extremely stiff
chassis combines with a very well dampened
suspension ensures the Bolt takes corners at speed
with little or no body roll, but the short wheelbase
creates a rocking action when driving over broken
pavement. The low-rolling resistance, narrow cross-
section tires display their limits gradually and
intuitively, which keeps a check on a driver’s urge to
explore the Bolt’s performance envelope.
The Bolt’s biggest weakness is its range at highway
speeds. Cruising at up to 70 mph, the Bolt’s
readouts indicate a steady and measured decline in
range left on the battery’s charge. Above 70 mph,
the battery’s discharge rate increases dramatically.
Travelling 100 miles with half of battery reserves left
at highway speeds increases the dreaded range
anxiety levels. Even the occasional excursion above
the 70 mph limit will see the gauge reveal the hefty
cost to battery reserve.
Driving in stop-and-go traffic is where the Bolt EV
shines. The distance-to-recharge display calculates
range based on the most recent driver’s relative
leadfootedness. When the car arrived, a full charge
equated to a driving range of just over 200 miles.
After a 25-mile commute, the range dropped fewer
than 10 miles, proving that the estimated 238-mile
range is possible in real-world driving.
With all of the Bolt’s baked-in quality and goodness,
not being able to sustain highway speeds seems to
be the car’s biggest weakness. A two-speed final
drive may be the easiest way to overcome the
problem as it would allow the electric motor to make
fewer revolutions at speed.
Every automaker plans to add an EV or three over
the next five years or so. Being first to market does
not always bring the best answer, but in this case,
Chevrolet has an excellent vehicle. Exposure to EVs
like this, perhaps at ride-and-drives or even driver’s
education classes, could easily convert skeptical
drivers of traditional ICE vehicles. The Bolt EV is
reasonably priced (around US$40,000 before local
and $7,500 federal tax credits), fun to drive, and
quite usable for 90% of all drivers. For buyers
looking to swap their gas or hybrid for an EV, the
currently available Bolt EV should give the people
waiting for a Model 3 a reason to question their wait.
- Conrad Layson, Brian Maxim, Joe McCabe, and
Sam Fiorani
Model Tested: 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier
Body Style: 4-door hatchback
Segmentation: C-Segment
Base Price: $40,905
Price as Tested: $43,905
Fuel Economy: 119 MPGe (238 miles; 28 kWh per 100 mi)
Motor 150kW/360Nm permanent magnet
Battery 60kWh lithium ion
Length: 4,166mm
Width: 1,765mm
Height: 1,594mm
Wheelbase: 2,600mm
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