Chevy Bolt Owner’s Routine LA–Vegas Trip Entails ~1 Hour Of Round-Trip Charging On The Road

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

In the comments of an article we recently published regarding an odd New York Times road trip in a Chevy Bolt, one Chevy Bolt owner who routinely drives that route chimed in. She explained that her trips to Vegas from Los Angeles typically entail just one ½-hour charge in each direction. Given the length of the journey, that offers a nice opportunity to stretch, use the restroom, and quickly grab a bite to eat. The Bolt owner also briefly explained some of the tremendous benefits of EV ownership. Since the comment was so good, we decided to republish it as a full article below.

Photo by Kyle Field | CleanTechnica

By Kathy Christianson

Driving to Las Vegas in an electric vehicle is NOT a big deal and I don’t have to spend any significant amount waiting for my car to charge — certainly not 5 hours!!!

I live in Los Angeles County and my son and mother-in-law live in Las Vegas. I visit them often and I always drive my 2017 Chevy Bolt EV, which has a 238 mile official range, and I have never had a problem. My one-way trip is 270 miles (540 round trip plus some other driving around town to visit my mother-in-law usually results in a 600 or so mile week-end trip).

I leave my home with a full charge since charging up at home is easy (and effectively free with my home solar panels). I generally stop once for a half hour charge at the Victor Valley Mall or Baker and grab something to eat. When I get to Las Vegas, I have stayed at the Rio or other hotels that offer charging (sometimes free). When I drive home, I stop once for a half hour charge at Baker or Victorville and grab something to eat. My electric vehicle offers a smooth, quiet experience compared to a gasoline vehicle, which I personally prefer.

In the 2 years I have had my EV, I have driven 63,000 miles (most on my 50 mile one way commute to my office, but I have also taken trips over 1,000 miles). I generally charge at home or at work (both have solar) and I have saved over $4,000 per year in gas. Charging on trips has never been a problem.

On a long trip, I typically charge for ½ hour or 45 minutes, generally after 200 miles or so, and I pick a place to stay overnight that either has a level 2 charger (that will charge my EV to full overnight) or has a level 2 charger close by.

Related stories:

Tesla Model 3 & Chevy Bolt Go From LA To Vegas & Back Only Charging 59 Minutes & 167 Minutes, Respectively

Vegas, Baby! Los Angeles To Vegas & Back In A Tesla Model 3 — 8 Hours Of Driving & 70 Minutes Of Charging


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

Zachary Shahan has 7317 posts and counting. See all posts by Zachary Shahan