You got a steal!

"an average Joe" I like your sense of humor, Joe!

That was a great deal!!! 👍🏼

I got my 2017 Bolt Premier with 35k miles for $16k out the door. Best car I ever owned. Love it!

@@jamesengland7461 Well spotted james !! do you happen to live in England by any chance?

Auto magazines always seem to ignore American 🇺🇸 cars with hybrid & ev technology… I remember when there was practically an embargo on the Ford Escape Hybrid & Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid - the auto review industry just said they were not going to review it and did not give a good reason. I was in the market for a car back then, both features were pretty high on my list, for a crossover/suv type vehicle, and few car companies had such a beast

It’s been trouble free except for the exploding cars part? Wow cool

@@Dumbledore6969x I get it. Lots of people hate GM. Lots of people hate EVs. Gm deserves credit for making an affordable EV that people can afford. LG made some bad batteries and paid to replace them.These are good cars.

But at the price they must have had to sacrifice the quality of parts. This video goes more into the frame and position of some components but not really the quality and reliability of those components. The one thing they did mention is the cheap suspension. Affordability isn't just the initial sale price. It has to factor in the cost of repairs and how long the car is going to last. Someone in the market for a new economical car would be better off not getting an EV and instead getting something like a Corolla if affordability is really their main goal. I'd be surprised if a significant number of Bolt owners get to even 100,000 miles without needing any repairs.

@@jimv1983 Mine is still trouble free. You can check out the Bolts owners forum if you want. About the suspension, It is a low cost design, but the question should be, does it hold up? Haven't seen anything on the owners forum. Keep in mind the battery and drive train are covered for 8yrs/100,000 miles. Bolts have been around since 2016 and some have racked up a lot of miles.

Thanks Jay

🥊

Lmao hilarious!

The first rule of fight club is that you don’t talk about fight club…

Some of the cars they were tearing down fought back

That’s what get when you say to Sandy, let me finish my lunch

Thanks for watching!

Except the Toyota BEV has its wheels falling off for some unknown reason.

@@brucec954 i mean, theres also the electric rav4 that was built in small numbers? If i remember, they sourced the electrics from tesla

re: "The tech may be dated and uninspiring". okay but "dated" relative to what...? BEV or ICE...? once viewed using the proper "perspective" and using the proper "context" the understanding becomes clear. for even if you use other modern BEV's as a reference, I contend the Bolt actually does a BETTER JOB in the current market REALITY at avoiding high gas prices (ie, "pain at the pump") than a fancy $180,000 dollar Porsche Taycan does even with it's 800V architecture...? I mean one doesn't have to be a "Math wiz" to calculate how paying an extra $150 grand (over a Bolt) also buys a driver a whole lot of gas even at $5 and $6 dollars per gallon. people driving past local fuel pumps in Bolts look very "inspired" and surprisingly relaxed. LOL. now if fighting Climate Change is the goal...? (and let's assume I believe you when you say this) then one is either doing that...? or they're not...? this means labeling a vehicle as being "dated" or "uninspiring" has jack sh!t to do with the "current narrative" of why one buys a BEV in the first place, and that one is LYING about their real motivations.

In a production environment though you can have a bespoke fixture to hold that cast part square to your machine, no?

@@bradcomis1066 ...that is sort of what he is saying. Where they decide to machine as a fixture point is up to the industrial engineer/machining dept.

@@bradcomis1066 Its really dependent on the shape of the casting and the quality. And I will admit the quality of casting have improved so much over the last few decades it does make the machining a lot easier and faster

Is this motor even made by GM? Or they are ordering from someone?

I wonder if it was done to try and reduce weight.

Thanks so much!

Thanks

Much appreciated!

Will do!

Glad you enjoyed it!

A tax credit they are not qualified for?

@@davidbeppler3032 in january... it comes back...

@@davidbeppler3032 They will qualify, certainly for the first year 2023, and the the battery requirements in the bill will be adjusted because no EV would qualify given China dominates the Lithium market. Waivers will be issued etc. It’s typical government bureaucracy.

That ' Orange cabling' is protected with fuses inside the pack. No thermal event.

@@Weezedog I'm pretty sure the bill just wants the battery pack built in the US.. not necessarily the cells of the batteries. Though cell production is growing in the US rapidly. It could be the bill is pushing for more of that. Not sure exactly what the new stipulations are to qualify since it's a massive bill and I haven't seen anyone really get into the weeds on what it says about everything

Thank you!

Thank You!

We can read! You don’t need to “scream” in the comments

@@tobias..6688 some things need to be emphatic 😁💚💚💚

Also maybe they're just using existing stock of engines, later production may be as cast.

I was thinking 💭 If they could use the same component across multiple generations of vehicle 🚗, that would be a huge cost benefit!

Also, in a company with a lot of process and controls, it could literally cost tens of thousands of dollars to make an engineering change of any kind. Tangent here: I love buying $5 items through my company’s procurement system-I feel so compliant and efficient. Ironically, the controls are legally required to avoid abuse because it’s taxpayer funded. I guess the labor overhead to avoid abuse acts as an economic stimulus so it’s not a total waste of money.

​@@snower13 There's nothing quite like multiple hour+ meetings just to figure out how to get the government to reimburse a single $15 part. Never mind that everyone in that meeting makes at least double that hourly!

I wonder if the older Bolt EV also did? The new EUV is a bit heavier.. Maybe they were worried about thermal load as a result. Weber Automotive has a great teardown of a older Bolt EV.. battery disassembly and powertrain and cooling. May have to go back and look and see if the cooling assembly is present on the older ones. I live in a Hot climate area... could be a concern. Or maybe its for heat scavenging in the EUV and in the EV they just use a PTC heater and keep it simple.

@@kens97sto171 it is in the same loop as the electronic systems cooling using the front radiator.

@@thelast1900 I don't think the bolt EV has an actual glycol radiator up front. If I remember correctly the only heat exchanger up front is the AC condenser. I believe the glycol loop goes through an AC to glycol heat exchanger. I'm only commenting that I wonder if the original bolt actually utilized that lower cooling area on the motor? I don't remember from Weber automotives videos. Regardless all of the glycol including battery cooling and motor and electronic cooling I believe go through that glycol to AC heat exchanger. Then all heat is dissipated through the condenser at the front of the car. Many EVs do it this way. Eliminates a lot of liquid glycol in a large radiator. Quite heavy, and the heat coming off of either battery or electric motor and electronics are not really that hot. Not like a combustion engine. I'll have to go back and rewatch Weber automotive videos to see if I can notice whether or not that lower casting is empty or whether they actually put the glycol loop in there or left it blank.

Americans have been demonstrating for years that they don't want this car, which, by the way is being discontinued.

@@jamesengland7461 - lower profit cars have been getting discontinued, basically leaving that market to Kia

@@DavidHalko lower profit- margin, inexpensive cars must be sold in large number or they actually lose money for the company. Bolt sales are awful.

@@jamesengland7461 - “Bolt sales are terrible” Too expensive. Not enough batteries 🪫 to produce more. You have to have enough components be able to produce enough cars 🚗 to have good sales. “inexpensive cars must be sold in large numbers or they actually lose money” Inexpensive cars lose money 💰, even when produced in large numbers: Inexpensive cars 🚘 were used to attract young buyers so they would buy expensive cars 🚗 from the same manufacturer, later. A Yugo would not need many batteries 🔋, especially without the electronics. We have golf cars 🚙 & scooters everywhere- no reason for government regulations to require so much cost today. I had a 40mph 4 door sedan 🚘 car in the early 90’s, virtually no electronics, reliable.

@@DavidHalko Bolt sales were terrible before the supply chain broke, when other EVs are selling like hotcakes. Cars like Corollas and Civics have been profitable for half a century, though GM has always done poorly with small cars.

You're welcome!

My pleasure!

They spoke about a cover they pulled off, the cover was not really structural. I noticed the way they did the crosshatch in the steel, it looked like it was all for rigidity!

no cover over the battery pack itself. the cover/shroud is only up at the front over top (underneath) the drive unit and HV connectors at the front of the battery pack, the rest of the pack all the way to the rear is exposed. unlike some EV's where the case is aluminum for weight savings (ref Kona ref Ioniq5) the Bolts case is all steel for crash strength, impact and torsional resistance with the primary goal being to PROTECT THAT BATTERY. as with all skateboard platforms (which is what the BEV2 is) having extra weight down low as we all know in the form of steel is less of an issue since the Lion battery themselves are already 2x-3x heavier than that.

The contactors most certainly are opened right away when the car detects a collision.

Speaking of contactors: my Bolt experienced a positive side welded shut on the contactor a few months after the HV battery was replaced. The contractor module in the battery was replaced and firmware updated under warranty even though my Bolt is 2017. The repair required the battery to be smoke checked for leaks. I’m wondering if LG Chem is recycling used parts when they are producing the recall batteries? If so, may have gotten a contractor which already had a 150,000 miles on it. I received a text message from OnStar stating the battery “should be serviced within seven days.” My scan tool gave the detail that the positive side of the contractor had welded shut.

I believe there may be ballistic disconnects on some of the electrics too. If 12 Volts goes away, the HV contractor should open immediately.

should not???

A: no. though it does highways just fine, the Bolt is mostly a city car with a CoD of like .30 and is speed limited to 93 mph. but yet with all this, it still gets a decent 250 mile range rating.

Can vouch, I never hear the compressor noise over the other sounds of the vehicle.

You sure can hear it from outside on a hot day, but like you said, not inside.

@@moniack Yes, audible outside. Overall the Bolt is a fairly quiet car and HNV is well controlled. The most prominent thing I’ve noticed is I can hear some wires rattle somewhere in the doors between 40 snd 50 degrees F. when driving over brick pavement. I believe it might be the wiring for the power mirrors. There aren’t any squeaks or noises in the instrument panel or seats as far as I can tell.

After careful calculations and decision making, I went for the 2020 Bolt EV over the 35k Tesla Model 3 Standard Range, because I knew maintenance on the Bolt would be even less. The tires last 2~3x longer and cost half as much for a set, just as an example! Got the LT trim fully loaded on all options for 29.5k after rebates and incentives. Sadly it no longer qualified for the federal incentive, but I still found it to be well worth it.

I agree.. Need a new Inverter someday.. right on top.. couple bolts and connectors.. and you could fix it in your driveway. Weber Automotive has a great teardown series on the Bolt.. Both Battery pack and powertrain and cooling systems. Pretty cool videos if you like mechanical stuff. Weber is an Automotive Technical college. So they are training videos.. THey have videos on other cars too.. Prius's, Honda Hybrids, Ford..etc. And some Tesla stuff too,

I don’t think you can get a standard range Tesla for 35k

@@timber8403 Not currently... But there is talk that they might reduce price on a specific model to allow it to qualify. Who knows. Though.

@@timber8403 You could in 2020.

There is another DIY upgrade. Reduce the unsprung weight, by changing to another tire/rim assembly. With another ET, transversal offset, you might go to 15 inch rim from steel. In the right setting, it will improve drag resistance. It will not touch the brake caliper. It will increase comfort. I managed to get 310 miles out of it at 55 mph road trip, on a single charge, Going down from SoC 100% to 6%. The Chevy Bolt isn't appealing? The Chevy Bolt, is strapped with the most energy-efficient engine on the market. The Chevy Bolt, is solid like a rock. The Chevy Bolt, doesn't need roads, it needs you. It needs you that clever and handy hard-working Joe, and than afterward it will find so many new roads, as no one did never before 🙂. ♥ The engineers from GM were doing Great Motoring, as they had done it before. ♥ Like a rock.

right then, tell all me mates in Australia I said "good day".

In the case of the Bolt, (we own one) it rides better than a model 3 down the road until you come to harsh conditions, potholes and such, then it loses composure and even hits the bump stops. However, you save a lot on repairs and maint as well.

@@Icayn Thank you, great answer. It does not have to behave like an expensive car, as long as it is a good car... and cheap repair and maintenance sounds good!

Or to have design this as a RWD, which would improve things IMHO.

"NO COSTLY SPARE TIRE FOR YOU...!!!" (Soup Nazi voice)

The spare tire is omitted for cost, but mostly for weight, not because it doesn't fit.

At least there is no gasoline to ignite. It may be fused in a way that won't cause a thermal event.

It would be a hell of an impact though.

As soon as the airbags are triggered on basically any EV, the high voltage system is immediately shut down, so all of those orange cables will have no power on them.

@@ouch1011 Oh! Good idea. Thanks for the info.

$25,600 and in production now. Just figure out how to get the dealer to not charge an extra $5,000 for "market adjustment". It's already insulting paying full sticker.

Gotta cut costs everywhere!

All cars with independent rear suspension use anti roll bars anyway. While very basic, the linked torsion member is just a combination of structure for positioning and anti roll of the rear wheels.

Torsion beam suspension is considered to be semi-independent. It’s hard to visualize, but between the built in twisting of the beam and how the suspension actually moves, it’s not as bad as it seems. Better that something like a live or straight axle. When driving the car, you don’t even notice the difference.

re: "I’m a bit disappointed in the design… rear suspension isn’t even independent" no worries, many of Euro hot hatches everybody loves are built with rear twist beams. fully independent is obviously the best (for a price) but twist beams actually ride/work better than they would appear to at first glance.

@@AudiTTQuattro2003 re: "the linked torsion member is just a combination of structure for positioning and anti roll of the rear wheels." bingo, if/when you examine it closely, a twist beam rear suspension in it's basic form is nothing more than a GIANT ANTI-ROLL BAR (with wheels attached directly to the bar). yeah look at it, what's happening is right there in front of our faces.

Air, I assume!

From the look under the hood of some 2022 Bolts, they still have liquid cooling, it just seems they relocated the module (design improvement) or reduced the motor cooling capacity (efficiency improvement).

@@jrharbortproductions The cooling of the motor was connected to the cooling of the inverter and the charger. It seems the latter two still exist. But it does seem that the motor cooling is deleted.

@@patrickgroeneveld2340 That's a good thing if they combined cooling into fewer parts, thanks!

no major changes, same design, same output, same input, same thermal loads, same excellent range figures.

afaict, the rust is on the CV joint. It's very thick, and pretty robust. Most CV joint I've seen looks like that. No big deal :)

Yes, that's the aero shield that they talk about (but don't show) that was removed before this review.

@@brianb-p6586 You can buy for ~$490 an aftermarket steel skim plate, shipped from the Ukraine. It replaces the plastic cover. How it modifies the crash dynamics is TBD.

The fact that you speak a different dialect doesn’t make you right and them wrong. In North America, it’s called a hoist.

It's a Demo car from GM and they probably had to get permission to remove the bottom dust cover. No teardown will be forthcoming. Besides who would pat $1/4 for a teardown report on this car?

Yes

🤣scalloping