The first 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars should be arriving in dealerships sometime this month, likely in electric-car friendly California before anywhere else.

The launch of the 238-mile electric car is now close enough that General Motors has undertaken the mundane yet critical task of issuing an owner's manual for the car.

Owner's manuals were traditionally thick tomes lodged in glove boxes and often forgotten by the drivers they were meant to inform.

DON'T MISS: Chevrolet Bolt EV: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2017

Recently, carmakers have begun turning them into pdf files that can be accessed on the go.

That's the case with the 2017 Bolt EV owner's manual, which is now available online—even though the first cars do not appear to have been delivered to customers quite yet.

Reading the owner's manual of new car you may consider buying is always a good idea, to familiarize yourself with the car's controls, maintenance requirements, etc.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV owner's manual

The latter isn't too much of a burden for owners of electric cars.

Other than regular tire rotations and replacement of the cabin air filter, the only maintenance Bolt EV owner's manual only calls for in the first 150,000 miles is replacement of coolant.

It's also worth noting that GM says it expects battery degradation of 10 to 40 percent during the warranty period of 8 years or 100,000 miles.

MORE: GM ramps up 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric-car production; how many can it build?

That's according to the warranty information on page 323 of the 361-page document.

The manual also indicates that the Bolt EV will accept a charge rate of at least 80 kilowatts for DC fast-charging, notes Inside EVs.

GM previously described the Bolt EV DC fast-charging system—which uses the CCS protocol—as adding 90 miles of range in 30 minutes.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV owner's manual

But language in the manual clarifies that when using a DC fast-charging station "with at least 80 kW of available power" recharging a depleted battery pack to 90 miles of range takes 30 minutes.

GM hasn't discussed plans to support the expansion of DC fast-charging infrastructure to support the electric cars that use it, as other automakers have.

Nor has it made specific sales projections, only saying that it will build as many cars as the market demands.

[hat tips: John Briggs, Jukka Kukkonen]

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