Tuesday 14 March 2017

IKEA's EVCO Grant DC L3 Chargers Now Arriving

I happened to be at IKEA North York yesterday to buy new kitchen cabinets for my house and I have always loved making IKEA shopping trips because of the L2 Chargers they have available for free.

But I pulled up yesterday and what do I see? Both spots ICE'd?? Nope, there is a sign stating chargers have moved to the upper deck. OK, no biggie up I go.

I pull up and what do I see? These babies!


I can't use them yet because the Volt is only compatible with L2 charging, But I happily plugged into the L2 chargers while a Mitsubishi MiEV charged away on the shiny new L3s. 

The new chargers are CHAdeMO and CCS/SAE so whether I got Bolt or Model 3 I will eventually be able to hook up here.  

Wednesday 8 February 2017

Hands on with a Chevy Bolt in the GTA


I was lucky enough to attend a Bolt delivery event at my Chevrolet dealer tonight and I snapped a bunch of pictures. This is likely one of the very first Bolt to be delivered in the GTA. Not to mention one of very few, my dealer got 8 of them for the 2017 model year and that was apparently very high and not the average.

According to my salesperson if I wanted to place a deposit down to hold a spot in line, it would have to be for the the 2018 model year. It would be a $1000 deposit, the same as the Tesla Model 3.

As for first impressions, I would generally say that for what it is, it is a nice vehicle. Very utilitarian, average looks and it ultimately does not have the sexy factor of the Model 3. For that reason and combined with the lack of a charging network and the lack of greater than 50KW L3 charging I think I will be holding on to my Model 3 reservation and holding out until it arrives in Canada.

In terms of more specific observations here is what I noticed:

- Seats are very comfortable, back seat leg room is incredible, even the middle seat is comfortable.
- No frunk, engine bay is all motor and electronics.
- Trunk space is average for a car of this class, probably less than a model 3 from what I have seen in pictures, but then on the other hand this is a hatchback so it will be more utilitarian once the seats are folded down.
- Fit and finish feels good, lots of plastic, but it feels well put together.
- Rear suspension is not independent, I would have hoped for that on a 40K car.
- Cup holders seem a bit awkwardly placed.
- A tow hook is included in the North American version unlike with the Volt where it was not.

Thats really all I could observe looking at it in a showroom and not yet being able to drive on as this was a customer's car. I am waiting for my dealer to get a demo in a few months so I can finally take a test drive.

Got questions? Drop a comment below and I will do my best to answer and enjoy the pictures I took at the event below.





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