The Chevy Bolt EV Challenge: Surf and Snowboard in the Same Day
There’s a cause that so many individuals stay in Southern California. Those that love the open air can typically discover a slice of paradise in shut proximity to house. Or two. Or much more tempting energetic retailers throughout gentle and sunny winter months. Tackling a number of actions in a single day is a ceremony of passage for any Californian wedged between seaside and mountains—it’s solely a matter of deciding which adventures when, and easy methods to navigate the plenty and freeways mendacity in between the Golden State’s array of pure riches.
That being mentioned, the lure of the final geographical two-fer at all times stays: going from zero ft elevation to mountaintop. Everyone knows that it’s potential to log on and snowboarding in the identical day. As a coastal California native, I’ve notched a number of with little-to-no hiccups. It was time to up the ante. I wanted to see if it was potential to bag a single-day surf and journey with no emissions out of the tailpipe, utilizing a 100 % electrical car.
On a current frigid morning, we launched into this full-charge journey beginning in South Orange County. Our EV of alternative for the day, a 2020 Chevy Bolt.
On paper—listed for a most 259 miles of vary on a full cost—the new Bolt EV seemed as much as the job, particularly contemplating how a lot battery know-how evolves every mannequin yr, permitting automobiles to not solely deal with longer distances, but additionally extra rugged terrain (the new Bolt’s elevated battery capability extends vary 21 miles over the 2019). The query was: Wouldn’t it stay as much as the specs?
Daybreak opened at the Ranch Resort in Laguna Seaside, loading boards to the roof rack and tossing snowboard luggage into the again. Whereas the Bolt’s trunk is just listed at about 17 cubic ft, folding down the again passenger seats opened up greater than sufficient gear storage into the practically 95 cubic ft of passenger area. Three adults may simply match with three board luggage (positioned down the facet, using the 60-40 break up rear seats). First impressions of the inside: engaging styling and tech-forward accents. We hit the highway by 5:30 a.m., with simply shy of a full cost on our Bolt.
With the solar nonetheless behind the hills, the wind howled offshore—all indications for an epic day. The air temp at San Onofre State Seaside was fairly chilly upon arrival, however the wind course nonetheless excellent. As we navigated the bumpy dust highway towards the sand, the Bolt dealt with a number of sketchy potholes and difficult clearance conditions like a champ.
As the solar ready to peek over the cliffs and gentle up an empty lineup at the southern ‘Outdated Man’s’ break, we observed an uncharacteristically empty lineup. No crowds—a surfer’s dream. We suited up and paddled out.
The situations have been all-time to kick off the day. Other than the teeth-chattering air temp, after all, every thing lined up. The entire crew was psyched, with the vitality stage in and out of the water at full quantity.
After roughly two hours in the water, it was time to dry off, thaw out, and put together for the subsequent—way more taxing—leg of this journey.
We reloaded the gear round 8:30 a.m., and hopped on the path to Large Bear Lake (roughly 120 miles away). Checking the vary, we had 225 miles left to go. As we slid comfortably into cruise management on the freeway, we settled into the two-hour drive up the system of five-lane freeways. With 200 horsepower, the new Bolt’s easy acceleration impressed. There was extra muscle than anticipated as we weaved by closely trafficked lanes—at all times a pleasing shock.
The tech options of the new Bolt are past good—outfitted with a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot—and the integration of your cellphone utilizing the myChevrolet app makes the entire consumer expertise oh-so easy and streamlined. The wi-fi navigation out of your cellphone to the vibrant 10.2-inch coloration touchscreen made following the proper route a breeze.
When working an EV, it’s necessary to take heed to your driving type to maximise vary. Attempt to not speed up too rapidly, nor break too arduous. The true candy spot of an electrical automotive is sluggish and easy. If we may hold the drive relaxed, we shouldn’t have any downside getting as much as Large Bear Lake with the couple hundred miles of vary left on the battery. This was the second once we fired up Pandora on our cellphone and wirelessly cranked up the tunes for the hour-long trek to the base of the San Bernardino Mountains.
As we started our ascent up State Route 330, we observed that we have been burning by miles a lot faster than on the freeway. Whereas the Bolt definitely had sufficient energy to keep away from getting handed, we selected to take it low and sluggish and maximize the remaining vary. And with solely about 35 miles to the alpine lake-side city, we have been greater than assured that our 138 miles of vary would carry us up practically 7,000 ft of elevation to the base of Snow Summit Ski Resort.
By early afternoon, we arrived in Large Bear Lake with roughly 60 miles of vary to spare—plus a number of hours of daylight to burn for some activates the hill. Although the runs lacked new snow, resort crews have been rigorously blowing the synthetic stuff, which was slightly tough on the face, however sufficient to create some enjoyable pockets to journey.
After a number of hours spent lapping the uncrowded groomers, we determined that our legs have been all formally toast. We rode till final chair, and then ripped the boots off our ft on the tailgate of the Bolt, and loaded up. (The great heated seats have been a a lot welcomed characteristic at this specific second.) As we took the brief drive to close by Lake Arrowhead, the front-wheel-drive Bolt dealt with the winding descent with no worries in any respect. Whereas we didn’t take any off-road detours or brief cuts, the roads in this space are bumpier than most; we have been left assured in the Bolt’s digital stability management system with traction management (i.e., StabiliTrak), which safely dealt with the stray bump and pothole. The day ended in the parking zone of the Lake Arrowhead Resort for the evening.
With charging capabilities on the property, we juiced up our Bolt in a single day for the simple downhill jaunt again to Orange County. And the coolest half? Our Bolt truly gained vary on the drive down. It contains a Low Mode which helps brake the car—with out you having to press the brake pedal. It’s a characteristic Chevy refers to as ‘One Pedal Driving,’ which regenerates electrical energy from the friction of the braking and pumps that voltage again into the battery. It was candy to observe the vary mileage slowly climb again up as we coasted down the mountain. We began with about 100 miles of vary, and as we approached the backside of the hill we had about 130 … lots to get us house.
All in, the 2020 Bolt dealt with every thing we threw at it. Not solely did it lug all of our cumbersome gear, but it surely dealt with the tough terrain in addition to any compact automotive we’ve pushed as much as the mountains.
If prolonged highway journeys or off-highway adventures have been issues preserving you from entering into an EV, this double-dose day a minimum of helped put a few of my anxieties to relaxation with an EV’s functionality. And with model new Bolts beginning at solely $36,620—in addition to charging stations popping up throughout the nation—circumstances in opposition to going electrical are solely getting twice as difficult.
Observe: Don’t overlook to discover all of the federal tax credit obtainable for EVs and plug-in hybrids. You definitely don’t wish to miss out on any incentive to go inexperienced.
Examine Out All the 2020 Bolt Specs Right here
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