- Someone range-tested the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV on the highway at a constant 75 mph.
- The new Bolt has an EPA-rated range of 262 miles, but that refers to combined driving, not just high-speed cruising.
- During the test, conditions were pretty much perfect, with an ambient temperature of 72°F and almost no wind.
The Chevrolet Bolt was always a solid, affordable commuter EV, but it fell short on road-trip duty—mainly due to its 55-kilowatt charging capability.
But is the overhauled 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV more of a long-haul champion? It may be the most affordable new electric car in America right now, but General Motors did a great job in significantly revamping the old Bolt EUV, giving it a more resilient and affordable lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, a much faster charging speed, and all the latest tech goodies.
With a starting price of $28,995, including destination, and an EPA-rated range of 262 miles, you really can’t go wrong with the new Bolt EV if you’re looking for a nimble and efficient urban runabout. The thing about EPA ratings, though, is that they’re calculated based on a mix of city and highway driving. If you want to know how an EV will perform on a daily highway commute or at sustained highway speeds, only real-world testing can clear things up.
Thankfully, Joe from the EV Motoring YouTube channel got his hands on a base-spec 2027 Bolt EV LT and did a quick highway range test, so we can get an idea of what to expect from America’s cheapest new EV.
With a full battery, the driver set off on the highway at a constant 75 miles per hour. The ambient temperature was just about perfect, at 72°F, with virtually no wind. With 50% left in the battery, the car had driven 96 miles and estimated that it could go another 117 miles until running out of energy.
With just 7% left in the battery, the 2027 Bolt EV went 183.5 miles and averaged 2.9 miles/kilowatt-hour. An additional 13.5 miles were driven on side streets, bringing the total up to 197 miles on a full charge. That’s a 24.8% difference from the official range figure, but that finding needs some context.
First, the EPA procedure takes into account both city and highway driving conditions, and it’s common knowledge that EVs sip less energy at low speeds. This bring me to the next point, and that’s the speed at which this test was conducted. Typically, highway EV range tests are done at a constant 70 mph, including here at InsideEVs. But in this particular case, the presenter chose to go a speedier 75 mph because that’s the usual highway speed in the Midwest.
And if there’s something that kills EV rage, it’s definitely speed. The faster you go, the quicker the battery will run out.
By comparison, the previous-generation Chevy Bolt EUV, on which the new Bolt EV is based, was powered by a nickel-rich 65 kWh battery pack—the same capacity as the new model, which has a different chemistry. When our own Tom Moloughney range-tested the 2022 Bolt EUV at 70 mph, he ended up with a respectable 231 miles driven and an average efficiency of 3.6 mi/kWh.
Logic dictates that the new Bolt EV would probably get similar results if it were driven at a lower speed. And there’s another upgrade to the new Bolt that makes it far better on the highway than its predecessor. With a peak rate of 150 kW, the 2027 Bolt EV only needs 26 minutes to go from 10% to 80%, whereas the old Bolt took more than twice as long.
What’s more, the LFP chemistry allows owners to regularly charge up to 100%, fully utilizing the battery’s capacity. The recommendation for non-LFP batteries is to regularly charge them up to 80% and only go to 100% when needed, to protect the cells.
If you like the sound of this, act fast. Despite all the effort that was put into making it better than the previous version, the new Chevy Bolt EV will only survive for about 18 months.
