Looking Back at 12 Months of Satisfaction: A Year's Log from a Happy Chevy Bolt Buyer

The time of year when plentiful heat and sunshine beat down is officially here in St Louis, and many of our customers as well as staff members are pondering just how much change our planet has encountered. We are not here to push any political views in the least, but we do all agree that on some days it's not too difficult to wonder, “Is our changing environment the root of all these drastic differences in weather patterns?” After observing this change in the Earth's condition, many of those purchasing new cars have desired to rely much less on gasoline. The experienced journalists on staff at Green Car Reports had one of their knowledgeable readers track to the last detail just how two newly-purchased Chevy Bolts worked out for him that year, and how they met his expectations during long journeys.

His choice of the Chevy Bolt was very instrumental in yielding a large savings on fuel costs, and he was able to nail down more than 300 miles of range during the summer months, even as the EPA rated the vehicle with a 238-mile capacity. Buyer Patrick Reid spoke in-depth about his satisfaction in regards to not sacrificing his hard-earned money to the fossil fuel industry, as cars that now use no gasoline, transmission oil, motor oil, filters, or power steering fluid are really making a difference in the much greener future of the planet. Scores of consumers out there have made the decision to not purchase an internal combustion vehicle, and while we will always remain steadfast for the gasoline-dependent segments of our vehicle lineup, have been encouraged daily by the rising number of customers who are making the switch that previously had not intended to.

Patrick and his wife drove off the lot with their very first Chevy Bolt in January of  2017, and excitedly made the choice to purchase another one in April of the same year. They both were overwhelmed in a major way by the performance, range, quality of construction, and versatility of the Bolt, as well as the amount saved in fuel costs alone. The vehicles they were replacing were a 2007 Chevy Impala, and a 2002 GMC Yukon. Each one of these two usually had around 15,000 miles annually put on them, with gas prices in their area hovering right around $2.70 a gallon. To illustrate the costs at hand to charge their new Bolts, their previous fuel expense was around $390 per month, and the cost to electrically charge the new pair was right around $85 per month.

After the year was over, they both had driven a combined total of 30,400 miles, and around 80 percent of the miles were derived from their own power source right in the garage at home. The cost for this power was around 11 cents per KW, and so they were able to save around $3,700 over the course of the year. Their goal for this money they had saved was to put it towards a college or vacation fund, or any other surprises that their life may throw their way. They discovered that with a healthy dose of pre-planning, the ChargePoint, PlugShare, and Chevrolet Apps have located enough level 3 charges for them on their longer drives out of town.

Right at the 170-210 mile mark seemed to be the most rational place to plan a charging stop, as well as knowing they had a backup charger within a close 20 miles range as a safe standby option. While they were back at home, they both had their vehicles plugged in at the same time, and the 20-amp garage charger did not suffer any issues with the 16-amp load duty. They were overly impressed with how rewarding their ownership of two Bolts proved to be, and swear by the fact that they both are just as fresh and zippy as they were the very first day when driven off the lot. We sincerely hope that you come down and be our guests this summer at Jim Butler Chevy of St Louis, and investigate just how much Bolt ownership can alter your entire savings and spending outlook, as well as rapidly becoming your most practical driving asset for 2018!

2020 Chevy Silverado HD Images Leaked Via Spy Shots

During the development and testing stages of a new Chevy truck model, it's no doubt that elements are kept heavily under wraps, and the next-generation Silverado HD is high in the ranks of this category. Here at Jim Butler Chevy of St Louis, we are lucky enough to get our hands on a pretty steady stream of spy shots, keeping us properly up to date on details such as what the appearances of future models will be like, even if they are hidden under fairly heavy camouflage during their stealth outings. New shots have just been leaked to us to clearly show the GM putting both the Chevy and GMC versions of these very tough and able-to-haul pickups in their various body styles. The new Silverado HD appears to now feature a very prominent bar in the grill, resulting in a bit rougher of an appearance, and the photos we got our hands on suggest that both models will sport more tiers of lights.

At first glance of the underside, LED as well as fog lights appear to exist in the same place during the test runs, and the body cladding on the heavy side does not provide the ultimate look at the truck's front and rear stance, but the front fenders appear in the shots to be a bit more prominent than they were on past trucks. Another very noticeable difference between the GMC and Chevy versions is right at the front: the future Sierra HD appears to sport more bars in the grille, and the LED lights are positioned above, instead of below them. Currently, the exact specs of the powertrain alterations have not been made public, but the GMC and Chevy feature specific adjustments and tweaks that will greatly improve their hauling capabilities, one of the most important elements of truck performance.

There is supposed to be a hefty refresh in store for the Duramax 6.6-liter V8 diesel engine, while the base engine options will most likely be the 6.0-liter Gasoline V8. The dependable and smooth shifting duties are most likely going to be handled by the same six-speed automatic heavy-duty transmission, which is the same that Ram and Ford are still placing into their largest models currently sold. The Detroit or Chicago Auto Shows will most likely be the location where these two will make their first dazzling appearance next year, and we guarantee that attendees will be dazzled by their presence, jagged stance, and performance immediately.

The very well-versed and highly road-tested folks on staff at the Jalopnik blog claimed that after checking out a few spy shots for themselves, “ The new heavy-duty Silverado HD is coming for you in your nightmares”, and gave it props for bolder, larger overall size of the truck that resonate with a serious impression at first glance. Humorously claiming that the future Silverado is a vehicle that will effortlessly instill fear in the drivers of said little tin boxes such as the Fiat, their feature article in early April is a nod to how excited they are to see out brand of dependable and hard-working trucks work heartily on new models for the future. The difference in size is evident right away, and will no doubt be a large draw for this thoroughly tough truck line. Prepare yourself to be quickly won over and amazed: 2020 will arrive in no time, and so will the laundry list of chores you'll have on your list to turn over for this massively equipped and muscle-bound duo!

Images courtesy of www.motor1.com