This isn’t my first road trip in my 2023 Bolt EV requiring multiple charging stops, but it did crystallize some must-haves for me in my next EV purchase, particularly after recently renting a Tesla Model Y for a road trip.

For reference, It was a 500 mi round trip taking place in a single day. I left with 100% charge and returned with 14%. I only used DCFC at EA stations. I used ABRP for route planning. I traveled 75 MPH in the 80 MPH zones (about 380 miles of the trip).

GOM: not sure how many miles this takes for recent driving behavior to catch up to the range estimator, but it was wildly off, naturally, for the first 200 miles. At one point decreasing about 2 miles for every mile driven. On the return trip, the range estimator was pretty accurate.

EA stations - traveling through rural Utah along the interstate, not a lot of charging traffic. I used plug share to check reports of the stations. I was able to initiate charging and get the 53-54 kW speed the Bolt maxes out to. There were reports of some stations not working correctly or limiting charging output, but I selected stations that seemed to work fine In the bolt.

ABRP : I have an OBD dongle and was using it for live data. For most stretches ABRP was pessimistic against my actual driving (perhaps because I was slightly below the 80 mph speed limit). However, for one section, involving some uphill sections, it was slightly optimistic, with me arriving with 3% less than expected.

Also, the app was not very stable. Had to restart it probably 4-6 times. Acting a little funny and not displaying correctly on CarPlay at times.

Overall, apart from charging times inherent to the bolt, good experience. Bolt is a very pleasant car to drive on the freeway.

So after this road trip and driving my Bolt for the better part of a year, what are my must haves?

Onboard route planning with battery pre-conditioning. Obviously, incorporating on board route planning would drastically help with the range estimation, as it would know how you WILL BE driving rather than providing a range based on how you have BEEN driving. And if the manufacturer wants to charge a subscription for this feature, it’s a no go. Tesla has this nailed.

Genuine fast charging with hopefully flat charging curve. This one speaks for itself.

NACS port - I’ve kind of been on the fence about whether this is worth waiting for. And I’m starting to think it is. Not a huge deal admittedly, but the CCS plugs are so large and unwieldy. Very displeasing to use.

Actually useful app - not being able to select the desired state of charge for charging on the bolt app is ridiculous. I assume this is available with OnStar, but I don’t pay for that. A little irksome I have to remember to change my charge level while I’m in the car in my garage to adjust the charge level before a road trip where I want a 100% charge level rather than being able to do it from an app when I happen to think about it.

Same thing with remote start. I know this is available with OnStar but ridiculous this requires a fee.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my Bolt in general. I’m hoping early reports that Chevy will only offer an EUV with the ultium platform are incorrect. But if they don’t provide the route planning with more accurate range estimator or insist on charging extra for basic app functionality, I’m going to be a very hard sell.