Personal: Chevy Bolt EV Mysteriously Loses Half its Range

Suddenly Let Down By My Great Car

Since I got my Chevrolet Bolt EV on January 8, 2017, I’ve been a big fan. It’s been totally reliable, delivering 200+ miles of range and handling all kinds of loads, all while being fun to drive. And, I love the way it looks, including the Kinetic Blue paint on the outside and the white-and-gray interior. I appreciate the regeneration setting that enables one-pedal driving. I enjoy not visiting gas stations. I’ve spent time and energy promoting the car on my business cards and in many posts to my personal blog and stories on Clean Fleet Report.

But over the last few months, my Bolt let me down. Nothing broke and it drove fine, but when I charged it, it said it was full with only 100 miles of range.

It all started after I took my car in for its first service. Unlike gasoline-powered cars, EVs need very little attention, so my car had never been back to the dealership in more than two years. The only required service was a tire rotation. However, I accepted a new job that would move me away from the Chevy dealer in Redwood City, CA, where I leased the car, so I decided to take it in for a checkup while I had the chance.

There was nothing to fix, of course, and they performed the tire rotation for free. I let them replace the cabin air filter (they did charge me for that),  They also ran a couple of battery system updates. Notably, they fixed one tiny annoyance—my bird’s eye camera had always shown the left side at an angle—and I appreciated the effort they made, including ordering a new part.

A Drop in Range

I then started my new job in late February, which cut my daily driving from 36 miles to about four. I also tested some new EVs from the fleet, so the Bolt sat a bit. When I started driving it regularly again, I discovered that when I charged up the battery, it topped out at around 100 miles, instead of the normal 200+ it had been doing since I brought it home the first time. After a couple of instances of this, I decided to take it back to the dealer to get it looked at.

They reported there was nothing wrong, and said they had reset something and told me that if I didn’t use my heater, it would improve the range. This struck me, frankly, as silly. I had ALWAYS used the climate system, summer and winter, for more than two years, and had never seen 100 miles of total range. Running the climate system reduces the range by only about eight miles. I drove the car some more, gamely trying to go without the climate system just to test it, but the battery still topped out at 100 miles.

I contacted the media people at GM/Chevrolet with my plight and decided to try the dealership nearest to my home–F.H. Dailey in San Leandro, CA, to see if they could come up with something. The short answer—nope. Same recommendation—don’t use the heat or A/C. They suggested that I run it through a couple of charging cycles to reset the range.

But the story doesn’t end there. The next day—about 24 hours after I picked up my car—I got a call from the dealership. After consulting with GM’s tech experts, they decided that it was probably a bad cell in the battery, and asked me to bring my car in again to do more tests.

So, the following Monday, I drove my car to F.H Dailey, arriving around 7:35 a.m. I checked it in with the same person, service advisor Fatima Rios, and then waited around a half hour for a shuttle ride home. This time, with GM’s tech people in the loop, they came up with a different diagnosis: Replace the battery! So, they ordered it—and I felt vindicated.

The dealers’ service departments were missing something, and the first one telling me to put a band aid on it felt disrespectful. The second dealer’s conclusion, when I knew there was a real problem, meant I had to push back, and they listened.

Lessons Learned

Through this experience, I was reminded that a 100-mile range is actually enough for most people. I learned this from my three-month test of my cute little blue Fiat 500e, which had only 80 to 90 miles. The few times I’ve actually needed the range to visit my granddaughters have been handy, but mainly it means you don’t have to charge as often, and you don’t have to worry about range. There were only two times last year when I knew that the Bolt wouldn’t be able to handle a long trip, so I used another vehicle in one case and flew in the other.

So, on a Thursday morning, I drove my Bolt EV down to the dealership to receive its new battery. It turned out it had to spend an extra few days away from home—the battery was delayed and didn’t arrive until Friday. On Friday they did most of the work, and Tuesday I got a call from Fatima mid-afternoon saying that the surgery was a success, it was all charged up, and I could pick it up.

I drove the white Chevrolet Cruze they rented me (at no charge) down to the dealership. I was greeted by Fatima, who by now was my friend. She, and F. H. Dailey in general, took good care of me, and I now recommend visiting them if you’re shopping for a new Chevy. They have dozens of Bolt EVs in a rainbow of colors lined up and waiting for your test drive.

Battery replacement isn’t cheap, but as a warranty repair, it didn’t cost me a dime. Neither did the rental car.

I got into my Bolt, adjusted the seat that they had moved, and pushed the start button. And there it was—260 miles of range. My car was restored.