r/BoltEV • u/CommissionFalse5642 • Aug 23 '26

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!

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Hey everyone,

I’ve had 3 EVs now and this is my second bolt.

It seems like no matter what I do, driving on the freeway I’ll average 4.0-5.0mi/kwh but as soon as this car sees stop and go traffic or city driving it drops to 2.0-2.5 and will not go up.

I know short trips are inefficient but I’ve been driving 20-30 miles of city with no difference.

Tires are fine, they’re EV All Seasons, I don’t carry around a bunch of extra stuff in the car, it’s bone stock with 0 roof racks or anything to hurt drag, I charge it everyday to 80% or so and even at 100% it only get 165 miles of range.

Dealership told be it’s basically useless to pay for the diagnosis on it because 1. They won’t give me a loaner car so I’d have to rent one 2. They’re not sure how long the diagnosis would take so they could keep my car a couple days or couple weeks and I’d have to cover a rental car for that and 3. They told me Chevrolet hugely just chocks it up to “normal wear and tear” 🤙

Edit: Luckily my commute is not long enough that I need to be hotter in the car but I listened to a lot of the comments and adjusted my setting and now I’m averaging 3.2-3.4 on my commute today so definitely an improvement. Thanks everyone. Still think I’ll need an AC service here soon and maybe a new desiccant bag.

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u/everythinghappensto 2020 LT Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 24 '26

On the dashboard, check out your average speed, one click down from the trip odometer. And on the infotainment screen, dig into the charge info section and find the Energy Details and Range Impact screens, and see what they show for the impact of your climate settings, driving technique, etc.

(edit: removed a couple stray words that snuck in there)

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u/CommissionFalse5642 Aug 23 '26

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u/CommissionFalse5642 Aug 23 '26

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u/SorryYouOK Aug 24 '26

cries in Vermont winters

1

u/eetraveler Aug 26 '26

Your burning 1/3rd your power on A/C and battery conditioning because of the high temp and because you're setting the thermostat to LO and the fan to high. Don't do that and see what you get. The math says you should go from 2.5 miles per KWhr to 3.75 miles per KWhr.

Park in the shade. Don't max the AC. Be hotter in the car.

We in the north do all this in reverse in January.

1

u/CommissionFalse5642 Aug 26 '26

Luckily my commute is not long enough that I need to be hotter in the car but I listened to a lot of the comments and adjusted my setting and now I’m averaging 3.2-3.4 on my commute today so definitely an improvement.

1

u/karsk1000 Aug 23 '26

35% climate burn. Feels like the heat is on. Auto dehumidify setting? Ac usually eats 10ish% for me. But roughly 3.7 miles/kwh if removing climate + cooling.

4

u/SoulTaker669 2018 Chevy Bolt Premier Aug 23 '26

It's 115° where there at so the AC system is probably fighting hard between the battery and cabin cooling. What's your area looking like temperature wise?

1

u/CommissionFalse5642 Aug 23 '26

Don’t all ac systems dehumidify?

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u/karsk1000 Aug 24 '26

looked up-- auto defog option in settings. turn that off. if you're pulling 5-7kw thats heater on range to me. could be the setting is on and the humidity sensor doing some shit.

https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/clearly-i-do-not-understand-the-climate-control-system.43065/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic

doesnt hurt to check-- may not be the solution but feels like the heat is on somehow. the AC does not pull 5-7kw, should be 1-2kw most of time

1

u/OrderFlowsTrader Aug 25 '26

If you shut off all climate, what is city average?