EV road trip update: Bridge reporters learn how to drive an electric vehicle

Last updated: Monday, July 22 at  4:48 p.m. Follow along as Bridge Michigan’s Paula Gardner, Kelly House and Asha Lewis take a 1,000-mile trek around Lake Michigan in a rented EV. Check here throughout the day for their latest adventures.

ZEELAND — One early question that environmental reporter Kelly House and I had as we planned this electric vehicle road trip was: What would it be like to drive an EV?

We’d heard various things, including that they’re more fun to drive — kind of like driving a golf cart, one person told me.

Neither of us can say after our first respective shifts on the road that the handling is more fun. In fact, we agree that our rented Chevy Bolt EV feels very much like driving our own cars (Kelly drives a small hybrid and I drive a gasoline-powered SUV).

But there were some differences:

It’s quiet. Very quiet. We knew that from, say, crossing a road near an EV that is moving. But on a highway, where road noise can be nightmarish, the quiet from the EV was a welcome and noticeable difference from so many other vehicles.

The performance metrics are obvious and interesting to watch. There’s a “thermometer” showing how well we meet optimum battery performance. Anything over about 60 mph shot us into the yellow zone (and the car started beeping at 80 mph). Coasting down a hill took us into peak green.

Beyond that, there’s the estimated remaining mileage, which represents the charge. We actually got it to climb while we were east of Grand Rapids. That felt like an accomplishment. 

Another gauge shows when regenerative braking kicks in. What an amazing moment when you realize you’re using the brakes to recharge the battery — and watch the gauge climb.

While we’re driving a small car, we also got to test its torque. The instant acceleration was as responsive as any internal-combustion engine (or ICE, as they’re known). We put that to a test while merging onto I-196 to head toward Lake Michigan when another car suddenly appeared from the left just as the lane ended.

Neither digital marketing associate Asha Lewis, Kelly, nor I have been cured of our range anxiety. But, about six hours into this trip, we do recognize how some planning and watching the gauges makes us feel more control over the EV unknowns.

— Paula Gardner

Monday, July 22

Meeting our new ride, first twinge of range anxiety

We're off! But it wasn't exactly smooth.

We confirmed our electric vehicle months ago, but last week's Microsoft software crisis — and subsequent  national airline meltdown — created a crush of folks needing rental cars at Detroit Metro Airport on Monday.

Despite some troubles, I, with my colleague Asha Lewis, got a rental car — a 2023 Chevy Bolt — but it was less than half-charged, prompting our first bout of range anxiety. I needed enough juice to drive 109 miles to pick up the third person on our road trip, Bridge environment reporter Kelly House, in Lansing.

Related:

• And they’re off: Bridge begins five-day EV road trip around Lake Michigan
• Bridge is taking a Michigan road trip in an EV. Come along for the ride
• Watch Bridge’s Lunch Break on the impact of electric vehicles on Michigan
• EV transition a slow go in Michigan. It needs 100,000 chargers, has 3,300

So an unplanned pit stop took place this morning before we hit the road. We stopped at an Electrify America charging station I’d written about once, before Congress approved a wave of EV subsidies for manufacturers and buyers.

The good news is, the Bolt is a Michigan-assembled car, with a range of up to 259 miles on a full charge. The bad news is, it’s notoriously slow to charge.

When in production (which ended in December), the Bolt’s  $27,495 price tag made it among the most affordable EVs on the market; and, notably, it also qualified for the $7,500 federal tax credit for buyers.

But Bolts charge at a lower wattage than their more expensive counterparts, making them unable to make the best use of public fast-chargers that are designed to get roadtrippers back on the road quickly.

Unlike competitors that charge the battery from 20% to 80% in less than 30 minutes at a fast charger, the Bolt can take well more than an hour. Our charging speed varied from 27 to 38 kilowatts. 

After waiting 40 minutes to take the Bolt from 40% to 79% full, we finally set off for Lansing. 

— Paula Gardner