I love our new EV.
After that first week or so of range anxiety, I calmed the fuck down and let myself totally love our 2022 Chevy Bolt 2LT. No gas. No oil changes. Way more headroom, way more comfort, and way better interior/layout than the Focus, the Subaru, or the C-Max gasoline-powered cars we owned over the past decade, y'all.
Range Anxiety
It's so funny, everyone talks about the range anxiety but hell, where am I going where I'll need to 'fill up' on the road? Um, nowhere yet. I made sure to get a car that could technically get me all the way to Portland if needed, but with a ton of fast-charge stations up and down the I-5 corridor, it's not a big deal if that were needed (especially as with Sea/Tac traffic, by the time I'm halfway there I'm honestly ready to get off my bum and take a stretch while it fills up). Initially you find yourself watching the 'miles left' with utter paranoia, then you basically have a D'OH! moment where you realize dude, this is no different than seeing how close you are to empty in a gas car. Also? I got over this after taking a quick trip to Seattle to pick up our annual sockeye salmon share, which was about 130 miles. No problemo, plenty of miles leftover. Of course, I still 'filled up' when I got home because, well, I could. Which leads me to...
Home Charging
So as I mentioned in my original post, we got a JuiceBox 32 charger through our utility, which was running a killer special this summer that, with both an instant rebate for us being 'low income' (not poverty line, just working class wage) AND a summer special, we got it for $1. Holy shit, right? A buck. Here's the thing - it was the ONLY one they had that was a 32, and therefore suitable for old homes with smaller electrical panels. If I had to do it again, I'd have read the fucking reviews for this particular charger, and insisted on getting another one. Why? Well the charger itself works perfectly - no worries there. But it's technically supposed to connect to their app so you can make sure it charges during the most efficient time of day and notifies you when it's done charging...which does not work. After doing some research, turns out there is an updated app out there for the company, BUT the reviews are SO bad - like with warnings that once you connect the app to your car you can't charge your car any more, and all kinds of horrific issues - that I decided not to take the chance, and instead just treat it like an analog 'fueling station; in our garage. It may not be as modern? But it works and for a buck, I'm not going to complain. As far as Puget Sound Energy? Their service sucks ass.
One-Pedal Driving
Okay so I saw this in the manual and on some videos and was scared to death to try it because it sounded like it would not be intuitive at all to start primarily using just the gas pedal to go, slow, and stop during in-town driving (which amps up the efficiency of the vehicle, maximizing your range through regenerative braking). I watched the Chevy video for it and was even more confused. Finally I found this tutorial and it made complete sense immediately. Basically it turns your gas pedal into a throttle, so you are easing up on the gas to slow down and ultimately it will come to a stop on everything except a steep incline, where you still use the brakes. Best part is your brakes still work so us longtime drivers don't freak out. I took my husband out in it a few times and his mind was continuously blown at this feature. It's pretty rad. All cars should have this efficiency feature, for sure.
Overall Driving Experience
It's cool, y'all. Do I feel superior now that I'm not using fossil fuels to get around? A little. Do I feel better than Tesla drivers? Fuck yeah. (No Muskmobiles in our house, that man is pure scum and I'd never let that unionbusting shitbag T*ump supporter have even a dime of our money.) Do I finally feel like a grownup because I have a pretty nice sound system and leather seats and it drives way more luxe than any car I've literally ever owned? Haha, yup I sure do. A few key differences from our last two cars:
Bolt vs. Subaru Outback. Honestly, the only thing I can say I miss are the roof rails. We loved it on the farm because we could fit a 2x10 (or 2x12 with the front window open, lol...) in it with the hatchback closed, or the full XL dog crate in the back when we relocated with our 4 ducks! But other than that? It was a mediocre car with mediocre (24-28 mpg) gas mileage. And it was a dark depressing gray...yawn!!! Both, unlike the C-Max, had/have adaptive cruise control (the kind where it automatically slows down on the freeway if a car gets in front of you or reduces speed) which I really dig.
Bolt vs C-Max Hybrid: Before I bought it I wrote down the dimensions of our old car vs the Bolt, and while the Bolt looks the same or even bigger, it's actually just TALLER - and 6 inches shorter in length! I gotta say, ever since we sold the Subaru after leaving the farm, I have LOVED having small cars for far easier maneuvering including parking, especially parallel (not that I can't park literally anything, kids - my first car in high school was my older brother's '73 Monte Carlo and my first car I ever bought with my own money was my beloved '93 Chevy S-10 pickup). Anyhow, the layout is far better as it actually feels roomier, and with the back seats laid flat, still has great cargo space!! I will say I really liked the Ford's handling because it was super responsive at the lightest touch, while the Bolt is more of the 'sporty' type. My sweetheart likes the Bolt better in this regard because he says he feels more in control of it, while I'm the opposite, so it's just a taste thing. I also like the dual mirrors on the C-Max for blind-spot detection rather than the little yellow light on the mirror where you're just supposed to 'trust' that no one's in your blind spot (making me revert back to actually turning my head to look when changing lanes as I need to SEE if a car is there or not). Modern amenities on this include even better power seats with a GREAT lumbar adjuster (that has eliminated the need for my old strap-in back support pillow thingy, woo hoo!), and this comes with with Android Auto (amen to not having to prop up my phone or just rely on the audio when using GPS, along with incorporating things like my calendar and Apple Music, which we decided was a far better investment than TV streaming services), wireless charging and a big-ass display which has a killer backup camera (plus the bonus of front/surround cams as well - particularly cool for pulling into the garage and making sure I'm not running over anything).
Also, I gotta say having leather seats is pretty sweet 'cause I'm messy if I eat in the car and need an easy-clean environ. As our pup has yet to go in the EV (in his old age he has no interest in rides anymore, the little homebody he's become), no worries about dog hair or scratch marks, etc. I've invested in front floor liners and a cargo liner for easy cleaning after muddy days, hikes and the like, so we now just need to figure out the bike rack situation since we included our old one with the C-Max sale. But I'm contemplating a folding e-bike once the state e-bike rebate comes available, which could just be tossed in the hatch, so that'll come hopefully in spring before any more decisions are made.
In the meantime, I'll give this a - sigh of relief - solid thumbs up. After a life time of being around a variety of cars of all sizes (minus SUVs which always grossed me out) - as well as going car-free for many years - this is the best decision we've made around transportation to date. We went EV while also buying used instead of new (yay!), and now have completed our huge goal of eliminating all fossil fuel usage from our daily lives since arriving in the Valley just over a year ago!
Gas? Gone!
Heat pump? Installed!
Heat Pump Water Heater & Combo Washer/Dryer? Check!
Solar array up top? Heck yeah!
EV in the driveway? You know it...
“It is one world. And it’s in our care. For the first time in the history of humanity, for the first time in 500 million years, one species has the future in the palm of its hands.” ~ David Attenborough
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