Everything You Need to Know About Charging and Caring for Your EV Bolt

Here at Online.Cars, we absolutely love showing the Chevy Bolt EV to drivers who didn’t formerly believe that battery electric vehicles could be affordable. They’re always surprised at what a wallet-friendly MSRP this BEV subcompact hatch carries. This peppy subcompact is an incredible vehicle for anyone who needs to drive around the city or town for their work, like professionals who take various client meetings in a certain square-mile radius each day or students who are back and forth between campus and their dorm or apartment several times a day. Its dimensions make it easy to park in places where larger vehicles struggle, and its hatchback trunk gives it a deceptively large cargo area. We often have people interested in going EV and on a budget visit our website looking for a Chevy Bolt EV for sale.

Many drivers are still primarily accustomed to gas-engine vehicles, so they have questions about exactly how driving an electric vehicle (EV) works. From how to charge it to how long they can drive it and how to maintain it, customers have questions, and we have answers. We want you to go into your EV driving experience empowered with knowledge. Here’s what you need to know about your Chevy Bolt EV’s battery, from charging it to caring for it and how to maintain the Bolt overall.

How Long Your Chevy Bolt EV Battery Can Last

Naturally, there are a lot of drivers who want to know how long they’ll be able to be on the road before they have to stop to charge their battery. The EPA estimates that the Chevy Bolt EV can go well over 200 miles before recharging. So, if you need to face a 20-mile round-trip commute to work each day, you should be able to get through two Monday through Friday stretches before needing a recharge. If you mainly tackle frequent but short trips around the neighborhood, you should find that you don’t need to recharge often.

As for the overall longevity of a Chevy Bolt EV, these batteries are covered by a Chevy-backed eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty. So that’s a confirmation from Chevy that the brand new Bolt EV’s battery shouldn’t see factory-originating issues for many years. Some experts do recommend replacing your EV battery every four to five years, so if you purchase a used Bolt EV, check how much time is left on the warranty and consult with a trusted mechanic on how often you should test the battery to see if it’s time to replace it.

All About Caring For Your Chevy Bolt EV

Here’s one of the many perks of driving an EV (along with saving on gas, driving a quiet vehicle, and not contributing to pollution): it doesn’t need oil changes. That’s right—oil changes are for internal combustion engines. So are transmission flushes, spark plug replacements, fuel filter checks, and coolant top-ups. Those are all things that you need to do when you have a gas engine, but once you go EV, you can kiss those types of services goodbye.

What you do still need are tire rotations because your tires are still facing wear and tear, regardless of the powertrain type. Having your brake fluid checked out and replaced when necessary is still important. You’ll still want passenger air filters replaced occasionally, too. Some types of service, like tire rotation, will happen at nearly every service, while others will only happen every few services. In most models, the electric drive unit replacement only happens every roughly 100,000 miles. Check your model’s manual and speak to your mechanic about the best schedule for your Bolt.

All About Charging Your Chevy Bolt EV

Your Chevy Bolt EV is chargeable via three types of chargers: Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast charging. A Level 1 charger can be used anywhere you find a 120-volt (aka a three-prong) outlet. It’s super convenient, but it only gets you about four miles of range per hour of charge. That’s why Level 1 charging is best for those who plan on charging their vehicle overnight. If you get home at 6 PM, plug in your vehicle, and don’t leave again until the following day at 8 AM, you will easily have a little over 50 miles of range, which is usually more than enough for your everyday activities.

Level 2 chargers use 240-volt outlets. These can bring a battery electric vehicle (BEV) from zero to a roughly 80 percent charge in anywhere from four to 10 hours. However, many Bolt EV drivers report they get there in around nine hours on a Level 2 charger.
Then, there are DC fast chargers. You’ll primarily find these at public charging stations because they’re meant to give you a charge fast. These chargers can get you about 100 miles of range in roughly 30 minutes. They’re pricier than your at-home chargers, which is why it’s best to schedule times you can plug in at home.

Tips for Extending Your Bolt EV Battery Range

The 200-plus range is an estimate, but it will vary depending on how you drive your vehicle. There are things you can do to extend the life of your battery and spend less time waiting around at chargers.

First, your Chevy Bolt EV will have something called REGEN mode. When you select this, the vehicle lets you decelerate using steering wheel-mounted paddles. It will then send braking energy to the battery, which can extend the battery life anywhere from 10 to 15 percent.

Driving slowly will naturally extend your battery life. Rapid acceleration eats away at EV battery life quickly. So try to maintain an even, slow speed when possible. It’s also a good idea to keep your Bolt EV plugged in when it’s parked, even if the battery is full. EV batteries lose a bit of power, even when parked, so staying plugged in at home can make sure that the battery stays at 100 percent.

Check Out the Chevy Bolt EV at Online.Cars and See Dozens of Offers
This is a terrific vehicle for drivers who are on a budget and want the power of an EV vehicle. It’s packed with convenient features that make it a joy to ride around in. Don’t let its subcompact size deceive you: its interior is comfortable, and its hatchback trunk is ready to carry a lot of cargo.

Switching from a gas-engine vehicle to an EV can seem intimidating at first, but it doesn’t have to be. There are differences in the way you care for the vehicle and how you “fuel up” (power up, in this case) to make sure you can get where you’re going. However, once you get used to driving an EV, you’ll find that maintaining it is pretty straightforward, as is charging it.

Check out Online.Cars to see offers for the Chevy Bolt EV across the country. Don’t forget that we offer customers a 24/7 online concierge nationwide. So, if you have questions about how to drive, charge, or care for your Bolt EV, hop on our website and speak to one of our experts. We are always here to help make the transition to EVs easier and to help you compare prices on the Chevy Bolt EV from dozens of dealerships.