GM Asked Me for Input (You Better Sit Down)
Here are my responses. Sorry if they are a bit disjointed, but such is the nature of surveys and the copy and paste of my answers. [Some edits for clarity.]
General observations?
The Bolt EV/EUV are superb vehicles, but Chevrolet is discontinuing the line. Granted, their Ultium technology looks to be better, and LG did them no favors with their manufacturing defects. But the company is shifting their prices and models upward. I understand that’s where the profit margins may be greater, but it leaves a major segment of the market without recourse for an affordable Chevrolet EV.
I expect that many potential Chevy new car buyers will opt for Volvo EVs, Nissan Leafs, or other affordable levels of EVs. This is a disservice to both Chevrolet as a national brand that once touted their cars as available to the average family.
I get asked often if I like my Bolt EUV. I reply that I love it and recommend it highly to anyone interested in switching from an ICE car to electricity. As I put it to people, once you to electric, you won’t go back.
But I tell them that they have to act fast — very fast — because Chevy is killing off the model.
How about those seats?
I previously had a 2013 Chevy Volt. Nice car and nicer seats. It was a joy to ride in. The Bolt seats need to be a little softer. They have all the amenities/adjustments we want, but not as comfortable as we need.
Size?
It’s a small car. I’m not using it to haul lumber, but luggage can fill the back quickly. If there’s only the two of us, we are okay with lowering the backseat backs. If there’s three or four of us for a longer trip, it just does not have the luggage space we’d need.
That said, we prefer a smaller car and sit in confusion as people drive in behemoths that are difficult to park and drive.
What don’t you like?
I do worry a bit about the rear brake lights being at the bottom of the back. Okay, there’s that brake light bar across the back window, but sometimes a distracted driver behind me might not interpret my brake lights as braking. This was a change, I think, in the name of cute that causes angst.
Requiring a buyer to pay for the Sun Roof package just to have the speed limit display in the Driver Info Console is just plain wrong. Add it to the software.
It’s the interior small storage areas that offer paths to improvement for the driver and passengers. For example, the Volt had a slot in the front doors for a small umbrella. Wonderful! Adding a properly-shaped place in the door pocket for an extra liquid container would be great too. That would help when we stop for a drink at a drive-thru but wonder where we can stash our car cups or cans when we get extra drinks.
The space under the trunk is a gigantic missed opportunity. The idea that behind the rear seats could have three levels of storage is great, but the execution missed the boat. The bottom foam insert would have been more useful if it had rectangular sections rather that the pockets designed for specific items to fit. They might work if you have an hour to figure out how to wind the cord around the portable charge cable — take it out once and you’ll never get it back in. There are slots in the foam for things that did not come with the model we bought. Those are not very useful as general storage.
Further suggestions:
- Adding some way to secure grocery bags so they don’t fall over would be great. If you’ve ever had to stop suddenly with a carton of eggs in the trunk, you always worry that they did not survive.
- Add a pocket in the back of the driver’s seat. Kids need another place to put their stuff, and they have a lot of it these days.
- Add a compartment in the ceiling for sunglasses. Our 2019 Leaf had one that made it easy to grab them when the day suddenly turned sunny. Trying to fish anything out of the storage between the seats is a danger to everyone.
- Add a tray to the front seat storage between the seats. It’ll cost you a few bucks, but the customer will delight every time they use it.
None of these ideas would cost a fortune for you guys to design and manufacture, but it’s those touches that get people to rave about how nice their car is.
Moving on to the Screens:
Do not abandon Apple CarPlay or Android Auto! I know you want to have customers sign up for subscriptions to have maps and music, but don’t do it. People are more attached to their phones than their cars, so having to maintain yet another set of data and connections is going to be a bridge too far for most. If you continue and execute this strategy, you will lose me as a customer in the future.
Finally, the 50kW cap on DC Fast Charging is unfortunate. I get that this is an end of cycle technology, but a bit more would be great on long trips. Granted, a bigger issue is if the charging station has working ports, but when you finally get a working one, you want it to be faster.
What do you like?
It does not spew dinosaur-fueled fumes that heat the planet. And electricity is cheaper than gasoline.
The acceleration/torque is delicious, when needed.
Once I figured it out to set it, the automatic windshield wipers are great.
The regen paddle for braking without brakes is fun and provides satisfaction because I’m reclaiming a bit of my momentum as electricity. The same with one-pedal driving.
I like that the motor is both advanced and simple with far fewer parts to go wrong than an ICE car. (Check out the Weber State Univ YouTube channel to see a professor describe the motor and transmission. Yes, I’m a little different.)
No more oil changes! (Yes, I know that coolant and transmission lubricants will need changing, but the intervals are measured in years rather than weeks.)
I like the look. We got the very blue one. It looks good, and I can pick it out in a full parking lot.
Adaptive cruise control is a wonderful invention. It’s the right balance between me driving and fully autonomous cars. (By the way, good luck with that. As an information technologist who started working on expert systems in the 1990s and with experience in advanced analytics and modern machine learning, it will be a long time before autonomous cars are a safe reality. Not that people won’t sell them, but they will put the passengers and pedestrians at greater risk since they find it difficult to factor in the completely unpredictable nature of human beings, weather, darkness, etc. Here endeth the rant.)
I like that it’s smaller than most vehicles, especially when I’m trying to wedge it between two four-passenger trucks in a parking space.
It’s quiet.
I can start the car with an app to cool or warm it, usually when plugged in to preserve the range.
I can track the car’s location and flash the lights and blow the horn. (That came in handy when our Leaf was stolen, and we could flash the lights and honk the horn remotely. It prompted the cops to stop the car and arrest the perpetrators. Coulda been written by Cheek and Chong.) I hope I never have to use that function in GM’s OnStar. Car stealers, take note!
Air conditioning and heater buttons. Real buttons! Oh, the ventilated seats are a delight. We have only had it in warm weather, but I expect that the heated steering wheel will be great.
Camera for the rearview mirror. Genius!! The same with 360-degree view, and front and rear views when parking.
The power driver’s seat is extremely nice. Lumbar support is very comfortable.
Really like the wireless phone charger, but adding a little light that comes on when shutting off the car would prompt me to remember to take it with me.
Like the pedestrian and vehicle warnings when backing up. Saved me once.
Like the blind-spot warning lights on the outside mirrors. Positioned where I’m going to look anyway.
So, there you have it. ‘Hope you had fun reading it.
