Bolt EUV Technology and Observations, Recommendations, and Demonstrations
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- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2023
- Bolt EUV (2023) underhood technology is described including the four power modules and the system coolant loops. Various Bolt features and accessories are described. The Infotainment System is described including operations and settings demonstrations. The Driver Information Center features are described including a settings demonstration.
Perfect. Thanks for this video. I have owned 4 Bolts. One was repurchased by GM due to the original drive battery issue. I immediately bought another 2021, it ended up with the same recall issue. I did a MSRP trade with GM and they traded me up to a 2022 BOLT EUV Premier with sun and sound package. I really love that car. I found a well priced used 2020 Bolt Premier and bought that from a Porsche dealership. I have watched many videos on these cars and am completely impressed with them. I have watched all the fantastic videos you mention by Professor John Kelly, which are excellent. This video you have done is a perfect fit between those others, with a nice practicality to it which doesn't get lost in over information. Great job Mr. Parker.
Wow! I'm old-ish, love seeing an older that understands & enjoys tech & electronics, not many people, any age, can identify and understand all the systems under the hood! I gave up on trying to sell my adult son on EVs, he'll get it when he gets it and it will be all new and different.
I agree with his optioning, except adaptive cruise, though hearing about the false positives, I don't feel so bad about missing it on my 23 bolt EV. I wonder if the collision avoidance has a lot of false warnings too.
You provided a reasonable overview and I noticed a couple of settings that I missed - after owning my Bolt euv for 3 months. Good job.
Thanks for the details, I bought a Bolt EUV recently and information provided here are very helpful.
Thank you sir!
Great information and well presented :)
Now I know what I'm looking at when I pop the hood on my Bolt EUV. Lots of interesting information! Thank you.
Been enjoying our red 2023 EUV since Feb. great car
Thanks for the EUV review George! I too and still have a 2018 C-Max Titanium hybrid. I drive it to see family in Florida. (I'm in Atlanta) I drive the 2023 fully loaded EUV daily. I got it this past March. It's my 3rd Bolt. Had a 2017 premiere, Then a 2020 premiere, and now the 2023 EUV. I saw it on my Chevrolet dealer's lot with only 2700 miles on it. I got for $33k out the door. It does have Super Cruise but like you, I'll never use it. I do use the sunroof though 😊
Have you experienced any slight vibrating feedback in the steering wheel? I'm wondering if it's the steering motor doing that. Well anywho, great video and sub'd!
Thanks for a great presentation. I ordered my EUV Premiere base similar to yours except for the color- I chose Ice Blue because I hoped it was one of those hidden colors that GM sometimes does which changes color based on viewing position. The cameras are handy for parking.
Again, thanks for your presentation. I’m an electrician with 30 years experience in everything from industrial to residential new, old, and service. I’d like to suggest another video for you because this is important for EV owners to note since electricity is what runs our vehicles. I’m horribly disappointed in QMerit. Their marketing video shows a “qualified technician” installing an indoor box exactly like the one on your wall on the outside of the customer’s house. From my experience, much of the online advice is partially incorrect as well, and EV owners need to be aware of a few things to consider and discuss with their installer- QMerit or not. WARNING: Following my advice will cost you more money because I don’t built electrical services to the minimum allowed by the code.
In your case, the MC or BX cable leading to your outlet appears to be 10/3 or 8/2 to me. #8 wire would be the minimum for a 14-50 NEMA outlet supplying a 32 amp EVSE. When referring to the size and number of wires in that type of cable, or romex- the ground is not counted, therefore 8/2 is 2 insulated wires, and one bare ground. Flexible rubber cables do count the ground, so an 8/3 SO cable is the same as an 8/2 BX. There are 2 types of armored MC or BX cable sheathing, one is aluminum, the other is steel. I would recommend neither exposed on the wall of a garage under 3’. Accidents happen, and at a bare minimum I’d want steel metal tubing protecting, conduit, protecting the cable even though I have seen many aluminum clad MC cables operate with external damage.
Wire sizing recommendations for EVSE: You can go too big, but you are better off using the largest wire that will fit in the terminals, and providing enough space in the boxes to accommodate larger wiring. To the layman, amperage is directly related to heat in the wiring, and temperature ratings of insulation, printed on the insulation, denote how much heat that insulation can handle without damaging the insulation. The NEC has charts for allowable amperage based on insulation- but it is not enough to simply follow that chart!
The most common insulation used for primary wires, not cables, is THHN rated at 90C- the highest rating in that table. If you strip enough MC cable back to find the temp rating on the insulation, you might see 105C- off the charts! There is also a code that says that the temperature rating of a circuit cannot be higher than the lowest temperature rating. This will be the terminals. The highest terminal rating is 75C, therefore the minimum wire size must be determined using the 75C chart even if your insulation is rated for higher temperatures. If the wiring is run through an attic, there is a chart in the back of the NEC which gives a formula lower the amperage rating of the wiring based on the highest ambient temperature of the wire during a year. Attics can get hot. Outside wiring in direct sunlight can get hot, and both of those should be considered. The layman’s method would be to increase wire size by one AWG, so instead of using #8, use #6 when going through an attic. NOTE: I am not suggesting these wire sizes for an EVSE, I am just making an example to explain the engineering processes.
The code also says that overcurrent protection, breakers, can’t be sized greater than the lowest device, outlet, rating in the circuit. NEMA 14-50 outlets are rated for 50 amps. Therefore your breaker can’t be sized larger than 50 amps. In a garage, or outside, that breaker must be a GFCI
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Oooops… I have to get ready for work> I really need to find a more concise way to explain this!! I haven’t even gotten to why I don’t recommend using GM’s supplied EVSE as your only EVSE. I will return tonight because this is important for all EV owners, and I have yet to find anyone else online who explains this fully. There are examples of bad wiring, but that same person had that discussion with a QMerit installer sitting with him, and I’m sorry but I’m unimpressed by QMerit’s marketing. His information was not wrong, but it was incomplete and that can lead to early failure. Happy days in many ways to you and anyone who reads this far!!!
OK, back home from work. So I went through why temperature ratings for electrical equipment and wiring insulation is good to know. The scientific way to look at it is that flowing electrons create heat, and the thicker the wire, the lower the temperature rise of the wire.
Next code consideration- “continuous load.” This is defined as any circuit load that maintains a relatively steady current for more than 3 hours. EVSE’s fit this bill. The NEC says that continuous load circuits must be designed to handle 125% of the rated load. For EVSE, this means that you start your wire size selection before adding in ambient temperature considerations at 125%. Therefore, the most continuous current that a NEMA 14-50, 50 amp, outlet can handle is 40 amps. The minimum wire size in the 75 degree chart for 50 amps is #8. Personally, I would wire an EVSE outlet with nothing less than #6 if that outlet was in a well insulated garage, and the wiring was run through or on a wall- not in the attic. If the wires are run through the attic, then I would consider going up to #4 especially if using Romex, common housing cable, instead of MC cable.
Using larger wires like #6 or #4 requires more space inside the electrical box. There are larger indoor boxes than 4” sq x 2 1/8” deep. There is an 4 11/16 square deep box that I’d recommend using, but even better than that is to get an RV outlet. This will be weatherproof, and some of these will have doors that open to the side, most open to the top like a hatchback. These boxes have much more room inside for larger wire to be installed on outlet terminals, and more space to dissipate heat. It also protects the plug from a child hanging a coat hanger on it damaging the prongs.
All NEMA 14-50 outlets are not made the same. Typically, the residential versions of these outlets are made to only be plugged and unplugged when replacing your range or oven. Some people might be in the situation I am in where they must plug and unplug their EVSE every time it’s used. Regardless, I recommend Bryant, Hubbel, or any industrial continuous duty rated outlet. A good 14-50 outlet will cost $50 or more. Due to their popularity with EVSE wiring, Hubbel industrial 14-50 outlets are going for $200 !! I also recommend electrical parts grease on the plug prongs to prevent scratches on the clamps in the outlets. Eventually, this outlet will need to be replaced either at the first sign that it is loose, or once per year depending on how many times it is used. A loose fitting outlet will cause arcing, and that could cause your EVSE plug to melt requiring replacement. It could also damage the wiring or insulation due to excessive heat. I also think that wiring should be tightened every year, or use thread lock on the terminals. All that heat and expansion will take it’s toll eventually.
If an owner has the money, then purchase a hard wired EVSE for their installation. Hardwired EVSE have internal GFCI protection, and that can save you $250 on purchasing a 50 amp GFCI breaker.
Even if you can’t install a hard wired EVSE- maybe you’re like me and don’t have a garage, live in a moderate crime area, and fear someone stealing your equipment- I strongly suggest another EVSE other than the one GM sends with the Bolt. Most EVSE will allow you to choose a slower charging rate. GM’s supplied EVSE can only charge at 32 amps on 240v. I suggest charging at the slowest rate that will get you ready by the time you want to use the car. This lowers the wear and tear on your equipment so that it will last as long as possible.
So, in short, my recommendations for NEMA 14-50 or other 50 amp outlets used to supply power to EVSE:
1- #6 AWG wiring unless circuit is wired through attic or in direct sunlight, then use #4.
2- Use Bryant or Hubbel Industrial 14-50 outlets only- they do make residential outlets, but those are not as robustly manufactured.
3- Use RV weatherproof 14-50 outlet box even if inside the garage.
4- Buy another EVSE that is capable of supplying a slower charge rate, and charge at the slowest rate to get the car charged at the time you need it ready.
My Qmerit experience was fantastic. The only thing I had to correct with the technician during the install was the outlet he tried to supply, a Leviton. I had him correct that to a Hubbell.
@@J.W.W. - Bryant is Hubbell’s “value” brand. Still made in the USA, uses the same internal parts, but is sold at a lower price. Both also produce a residential line of 14-50 outlets, so make sure that the outlet is rated “industrial.” Regardless, if people unplug their EVSE often as I do because I live in a high crime area and don’t have a garage- then the outlet should be replaced often. Once per year if using a good outlet like the Bryant or Hubbell. These should have a black face, but will definitely be marked for Industrial use, and will have brass or silicon-bronze hardware visible inside the outlet. Silicon-bronze has a red color to it, and is similar in strength and hardness to low grade steel but doesn’t rust due to it’s high copper content.
I think it’s great that you had a good experience with QMerit, I only wanted to warn people that QMerit is only a company that gathers local contractors to do work. They have the contract that allows them to funnel GM’s money to local contractors. Of course, they will pick the lowest bid, but that might be the best contractor for the job as well. It all depends on a person’s financial situation as far as whether they can afford to pay a local contractor, or need GM to pay for the outlet. I was only offering advice for people to be able to check that the work is done to the highest standard. I can’t stand there and make sure that wiring terminals are completely tight, but I can make suggestions about boxes, wire size, and outlets to use. My general advice would be to size the outlet and wiring to handle the maximum load possible for the outlet- which is 50 amps even if the maximum used by the EVSE is 40 or 32 or less. I also would suggest purchasing an EVSE that charges at a lower load to extend the life of the electrical equipment on the other side of the EVSE. Best wishes for everyone.