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Early adopter fired up about Chevy Bolt

Peter Miller likes to wear hats year round. And with his Nissan Leaf he was able to get in and out of the car without taking his hat off. That was a plus, he reports.
Chevy Bolt
Peter Miller poses with his new Chevy Bolt, an electric car delivered in Canada this year, which boasts a longer driving range than previous electric options. photo Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

Peter Miller likes to wear hats year round. 

And with his Nissan Leaf he was able to get in and out of the car without taking his hat off. That was a plus, he reports.

The compact, five-door hatchback, boasts 107 miles (172 kilometres) on a full charge with its larger 30 kWh battery (the smaller battery will give you 84 miles or 135 kilometres). Reportedly the best selling highway-capable electric car, the Leaf provided just enough head room for Miller to keep his hat on, with all the features of a gas-free drive to boot.

“It’s guilt-free motoring. You know you’re not leaving a trail of gas behind you,” he says of driving electric.

Miller got the Leaf, his first electric car, about four years ago but has been a fan of the battery-charged vehicles since he first came to Canada in 1981 and met a member of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association. It was suggested to Miller at the time that with the right tools and mechanical know-how he could simply strip out the engine on his traditional car and replace it with a battery pack to create an electric version. Miller admits he didn’t have the ability to do that.

Although he was unable to build one in his own garage, Miller followed news of the development of electric vehicles over the years, and was “thrilled” when the first Tesla Roadster was revealed in 2006. He explains that the Roadster was meant to show the world that electric cars could go fast.

“They’re not golf carts,” says Miller.

The Roadster was not meant to be a mass-market item, and was followed by the Model S, with a broader-appeal design. The Model S was popular but pricey. Miller says it was meant to be enviable, something working professionals would want to be seen in. And they did.

The Model X, with its fancy falcon-wing doors, was next on the Tesla production line and sought to solve the sedan versus SUV debate. But it was also geared toward a higher-end pay cheque.

Next up: the Tesla 3, which will be relatively more affordable. During his speech at the car’s spring 2016 unveiling ceremony, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk suggested the original Model S and Model X designs helped lead to the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt programs. 

Recently released, the Bolt was named 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year and the North American Car of the Year at the North American International Auto Show in January.

It was on sale in the U.S. for a number of months last year before it became available for sale at dealerships in Canada in September 2016.

When Miller got the call, he says he “was there in about 40 minutes” on the first day they were available to order. He finally received delivery on March 1. “I really, really, really wanted that car,” he notes.

Although he loved his Leaf, Miller says the Bolt extends the driving range to more than 300 kilometres on a full charge, which is convenient for him because he travels for work. Previously, when business took him to Mission, Cloverdale or White Rock, he had to stop at Ikea in Coquitlam or SFU Guilford to recharge the car for about an hour in order to get back to the North Shore.

Range was one of the challenges with the first generation of electric cars, he explains. Now the Tesla 3, which can be reserved but is not yet on the roads, and the Chevy Bolt are offering new range options.

“So that means that people can drive around with less concern about stopping somewhere,” says Miller, a West Vancouver resident. 

Although the official specs have the Bolt’s range closer to 328 kilometres on a full charge, Miller says he has seen videos on the Internet from U.S. drivers claiming they have gotten up to 500 kilometres on a single charge.

And so, Miller remains a fan of electric options and is particularly fond of his new Bolt.

“They’re a delight to drive because they’re so zippy. They’ve got this instant acceleration, which you don’t get in a gas car,” he says, adding: “They’re very quiet, so you listen to the radio and hear things you never heard before.”

Miller says he doesn’t miss visiting gas stations (he hates the smell of petroleum), nor does he miss regular oil changes and other maintenance associated with the thousands of moving parts in a normal gas engine.

Electric cars these days are robust and cheaper to maintain than gas-fuelled cars, he explains, and with smooth handling, auto self-correcting safety features, heated seats and steering wheel, and plenty of leg (and hat) room, Miller says the Bolt, one of the first second-generation electric cars, “just got all the bits right.”