From the January 2020 issue of Car and Driver.



"On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio." The words of Hunter S. Thompson go through our heads as we drop 279 feet below sea level into Badwater, California, one of the lowest towns in the Western Hemisphere. We are looking for the bottom of Death Valley to begin an unorthodox range test of the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt.

HIGHS: Increased range, punchy powertrain, friendly price, mountain climber.

Aside from a new grille, the Bolt looks pretty much the same as before. The big changes are under the skin, where there's an updated DC fast charger for quicker charging and a revised battery pack. The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery still has 288 cells, but the chemistry of those cells has been altered to store more energy. The changes take the storage from 60.0 kilowatt-hours to 66.0, bumping the EPA-estimated range up 21 miles, to 259.

To test that, we decided to see if the Bolt could climb to Whitney Portal, 134 miles away and 8653 feet up, and then make it back to where we began. If we failed—or, more accurately, if the Bolt failed—we'd likely be stranded and without cell service. Please address all questions about how we got into this mess to print director Tony Quiroga. Unlike me at this moment, he has Wi-Fi. Anyhow, back to Badwater.

View Photos Jessica Lynn Walker Car and Driver

With temperatures outside hovering near 90, the Bolt heats up quickly under the solar load. As saunalike as the little cabin becomes, running the air conditioning isn't a good idea. It will drain juice quicker than a slot machine drains your checking account. Just drop the windows, you say? Nope. The aerodynamic penalty could take its toll on the range and leave us oh so high and dry.

LOWS: On the boring side of the vehicle spectrum, looks a bit like a shrunken Nissan Murano.

About 51 miles in, we arrive at the first major climb, near the town of Stovepipe Wells. Over 17 miles, we rise gradually to Towne Pass at 4956 feet. Driving an EV to maximize its charge has us seeing speed limits in a new way. Usually, we consider them a starting point for negotiations, but when hypermiling, the speed limit is a reminder that most everyone else on the road will be going a lot faster. We creep along at RV speeds.

The Bolt's 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque are great when there's somewhere to plug in, but there'll be no flooring the accelerator to experience the punchiness of the Bolt's 6.7-second run to 60 mph. No, instead of having fun, we're concentrating on maintaining momentum and precise control of that pedal. A shoe comes off to better feel the articulation. Also, it's a little cooler with the shoe off.

View Photos Jessica Lynn Walker Car and Driver

The sweat returns when the display in the instrument cluster shows that the indicated range is falling faster than the odometer is accumulating miles. After 20 miles uphill, 84 miles of range have vanished. The only thing tempering our anxiety is the knowledge that there's a steep, 9 percent grade on the other side of town. What goes up must come down.

With cruise control set a nickel below the posted speed limit, the Bolt does a remarkable job regenerating energy. In nine miles of downhill coasting, we get back an indicated 30 miles of range. Regeneration is an EV's (and our anxiety's) best friend, but regen isn't even money. In perfect conditions, which these are not, the Bolt is capable of recouping energy at 70 kilowatts, a little less than half the maximum discharge of 160 kilowatts. So the deck may be stacked against us.

View Photos Jessica Lynn Walker Car and Driver

The next stretch is a fabulously twisty section of CA-190 through Panamint Springs. This road is an absolute riot in, say, an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. While not as much fun in a Bolt, at least the road is relatively flat all the way to Lone Pine, 50 miles away.

Perhaps it's the heat or the range anxiety or that I've turned off the radio to conserve precious electrons, but I've begun talking to myself in the third person.

With no rescue plan, and imagining Quiroga comfortably situated back at the office, we resort to deep-breathing exercises before beginning the final and steepest rise. Ahead lies Whitney Portal. At 8374 feet above sea level, it's the gateway to Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48. Driving past massive pines, steep granite walls, and iced-over waterfalls is a little like driving through a train set. It's the complete opposite of Death Valley, a sort of desert upside-down world. Cooler temperatures bring relief from the searing heat and we relax for a moment. The Bolt has made the 134-mile trek to the turnaround point with 75 miles left on the range display.



Obviously, 75 is less than 134. But the way back is mostly downhill, and our anxiety fades as energy flows into the battery. Thirty-nine miles are added to the range as we come down from Whitney Portal.

The return trip over Towne Pass will either make or break this exercise (and our mental state). We start with a feel-good 101 miles remaining, but then the number begins to drop in clumps of five. Perhaps it's the heat or the range anxiety or that I've turned off the radio to conserve precious electrons, but I've begun talking to myself in the third person. Dave isn't scared. Dave can make it back. Dave can do this. You know, Dave is pretty sweet on you. You're just Dave's type. When the going gets weird, the weird turn professional.

View Photos Jessica Lynn Walker Car and Driver

We make it over the hump and the numbers make sense again. The fall from Towne Pass invigorates the indicated range by 39 miles. No problem.

The drop into Death Valley happens as the sun sets. A Martian glow covers the land. We've made it. All 268 miles on a single charge. We've exceeded the EPA-estimated range by nine miles and the Little Bolt That Could still shows 33 miles left on the display. But we can't stop here. This is bat country.

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