towing CHEVROLET BOLT EV 2018 Owner's Manual

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
Seats and Restraints 81
“Child Restraints”in the Index for
additional information about the
importance of proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion,
or aftermarket equipment such as
seat covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers can affect how well the
passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that you
not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. See Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 081
for more information about
modifications that can affect how
the system operates.
The on indicator may be lit if an
object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop,
or other electronic device is put on
an unoccupied seat. If this is not
desired, remove the object from
the seat.{Warning
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are parts
of the airbag system in several
places around the vehicle. Your
dealer and the service manual have
information about servicing the
vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information 0341.
{Warning
For up to 10 seconds after the
vehicle is turned off and the 12‐
volt battery is disconnected, an
airbag can still inflate during
improper service. You can be
injured if you are close to an
airbag when it inflates. Avoid
yellow connectors. They are
probably part of the airbag
system. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make
sure the person performing work
for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end, or side sheet
metal may keep the airbag system
from working properly. The
operation of the airbag system can
also be affected by changing any
parts of the front seats, seat belts,
airbag sensing and diagnostic

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
Driving and Operating 193
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 197
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 198
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 199
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 203
Power Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Starting and Stopping theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Electric Vehicle Operating
Modes
Driver Selected Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Electric Drive Unit
Electric Drive Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 213
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 215
Regenerative Braking . . . . . . . . 215
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 221
Assistance Systems forParking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 222
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 Forward Automatic
Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Side Blind Zone
Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 231
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 233
Charging
When to Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Plug-In Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Delayed Charging Override . . . 239
Charging Status Feedback . . . 240
Charge Cord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Utility Interruption of Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Electrical Requirements for Battery Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
Driving and Operating 199
.The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) improves vehicle stability
during hard stops, but the
brakes should be applied sooner
than when on dry pavement.
. Allow greater following distance
and watch for slippery spots. Icy
patches can occur on otherwise
clear roads in shaded areas.
The surface of a curve or an
overpass can remain icy when
the surrounding roads are clear.
Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while
on ice.
. Turn off cruise control.
Blizzard Conditions
Being stuck in snow can be a
serious situation. Stay with the
vehicle unless there is help nearby.
If possible, use Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside
Assistance Program 031. To get
help and keep everyone in the
vehicle safe:
. Turn on the hazard warning
flashers. .
Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
To save energy, run the vehicle for
only short periods as needed to
warm the vehicle and then shut the
vehicle off and partially close the
window. Moving about to keep warm
also helps.
If the Vehicle Is Stuck
Slowly and cautiously spin the
wheels to free the vehicle when
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow.
The Traction Control System (TCS)
must be turned off by pressing the
TCS/ESC button. Traction control is
not completely off, but will only
engage if the maneuver can cause
damage to the electric drive unit.
{Warning
If the vehicle's tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you
or others could be injured. The
vehicle can overheat, causing an
underhood compartment fire or (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
other damage. Spin the wheels as
little as possible and avoid going
above 56 km/h (35 mph).
Rocking the Vehicle to Get
it Out
Turn the steering wheel left and
right to clear the area around the
front wheels. Turn off TCS. Shift
back and forth between R (Reverse)
and a low forward gear, spinning the
wheels as little as possible. To
prevent electric drive unit wear, wait
until the wheels stop spinning
before shifting gears. Release the
accelerator pedal while shifting, and
press lightly on the accelerator
pedal when the electric drive unit is
in gear. Slowly spinning the wheels
in the forward and reverse
directions causes a rocking motion
that could free the vehicle. If that
does not get the vehicle out after a
few tries, it might need to be towed
out. SeeTowing the Vehicle 0307.

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
Driving and Operating 201
“Steps for Determining Correct
Load Limit–
1.Locate the statement "The
combined weight of
occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or
XXX lbs." on your vehicle’s
placard.
2.Determine the combined
weight of the driver and
passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined
weight of the driver and
passengers from XXX kg or
XXX lbs.
4.The resulting figure equals
the available amount of
cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the
"XXX" amount equals
1400 lbs. and there will be
five 150 lb passengers in
your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggageload capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5 x 150) =
650 lbs.)
5.Determine the combined
weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle.
That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing
a trailer, load from your
trailer will be transferred to
your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how
this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle.”
This vehicle is neither designed
nor intended to tow a trailer.Example 1
1.Vehicle Capacity Weight
for Example 1 = 453 kg
(1,000 lbs).
2.Subtract Occupant
Weight @ 68 kg (150 lbs)
× 2 = 136 kg (300 lbs).
3.Available Occupant and
Cargo Weight = 317 kg
(700 lbs).

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
252 Driving and Operating
Trailer Towing
General Towing
Information
The vehicle is neither designed nor
intended to tow a trailer.
Conversions and
Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical
Equipment
{Warning
The Data Link Connector (DLC) is
used for vehicle service and
Emission Inspection/Maintenance
testing. SeeService Vehicle Soon
Light 0126. A device connected
to the DLC —such as an
aftermarket fleet or
driver-behavior tracking device —
may interfere with vehicle
systems. This could affect vehicle
operation and cause a crash.
Such devices may also access
information stored in the vehicle’s
systems.
Caution
Some electrical equipment can
damage the vehicle or cause
components to not work and
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Always check
with your dealer before adding
electrical equipment.
Add-on equipment can drain the
vehicle's 12-volt battery, even if the
vehicle is not operating.
When adding electrical equipment, it
should only be connected using the
accessory power outlets. The
maximum power that can be
supplied by one accessory power
outlet or spread across all three is
200 watts or 15 amps. Exceeding
200 watts or 15 amps may cause
erratic vehicle operation.

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
254 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 255
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . 256
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Underhood Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Battery - North America . . . . . . 264
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 266
Windshield Replacement . . . . . 267
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . 270
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Electrical System Overload . . . 271
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 272
Underhood Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Self-Sealing Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . 280
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Tire Pressure Monitor
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 295
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Storing the Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Jump Starting
Jump Starting - NorthAmerica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Towing the Vehicle
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Recreational VehicleTowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
Vehicle Care 307
5. Connect one end of the redpositive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal on the
discharged battery.
6. Connect the other end of the red positive (+) cable to the
positive (+) terminal of the
good battery.
7. Connect one end of the black negative (–) cable to the
negative (–) terminal of the
good battery.
8. Connect the other end of the black negative (–) cable to the
negative (–) grounding point for
the discharged battery.
9. Start the vehicle with the good battery.
10. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery. If it will not start
after a few tries, it probably
needs service.Caution
If the jumper cables are
connected or removed in the
wrong order, electrical shorting
may occur and damage the
vehicle. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always connect and remove the
jumper cables in the correct order,
making sure that the cables do
not touch each other or other
metal.
Jumper Cable Removal
Reverse the sequence exactly when
removing the jumper cables.
Towing the Vehicle
Caution
Incorrectly towing a disabled
vehicle may cause damage. The
damage would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty.
Do not lash or hook to
suspension components. Use the
proper straps around the tires to
secure the vehicle.
Use only a flatbed tow truck for
towing a disabled vehicle. Never
use a sling type lift or damage will
occur. Use ramps to help reduce
approach angles if necessary.
A towed vehicle should have its
drive wheels off the ground.
Consult a professional towing
service if the disabled vehicle must
be towed.

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
Vehicle Care 309
Rear Tow Eye Attachment
Point
Carefully open the cover in the
fascia by using the small notch that
conceals the tow eye socket.
Install the tow eye into the socket
and turn it until it is fully tightened.
When the tow eye is removed,
reinstall the cover with the notch in
the original position.
Recreational Vehicle
Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means
towing the vehicle behind another
vehicle, such as behind a motor
home. The two most common types
of recreational vehicle towing are
known as dinghy towing and dolly
towing. Dinghy towing is towing the
vehicle with all four wheels on theground. Dolly towing is towing the
vehicle with two wheels on the
ground and two wheels up on a
device known as a dolly.
Here are some important things to
consider before recreational vehicle
towing:
.
What is the towing capacity of
the towing vehicle? Be sure to
read the tow vehicle
manufacturer's
recommendations.
. How far will the vehicle be
towed? Some vehicles have
restrictions on how far and how
long they can tow.
. Does the vehicle have the
proper towing equipment? See
your dealer or trailering
professional for additional advice
and equipment
recommendations.
. Is the vehicle ready to be
towed? Just as preparing the
vehicle for a long trip, make sure
the vehicle is prepared to be
towed.

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
310 Vehicle Care
Caution
Use of a shield mounted in front
of the vehicle grille could restrict
airflow and cause damage to the
electric drive unit. The repairs
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. If using a shield,
only use one that attaches to the
towing vehicle.
Dinghy Towing
Caution
If the vehicle is towed with all four
wheels on the ground, the
drivetrain components could be
damaged. The repairs would not
be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not tow the vehicle
with all four wheels on the
ground.
The vehicle was not designed to be
towed with all four wheels on the
ground. If the vehicle must be
towed, a dolly should be used. See
“Dolly Towing” following.
Dolly Towing
Tow the vehicle with the two rear
wheels on the ground and the front
wheels on a dolly.
To tow the vehicle from the front
with the rear wheels on the ground:
1. Put the front wheels on the dolly.
2. Shift the transmission to P (Park). See Shifting Into Park
0 206.
3. Set the parking brake.
4. Secure the vehicle to the dolly.

Chevrolet BOLT EV Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11434431) - 2018 - crc - 2/14/18
Vehicle Care 311
5. Follow the dolly manufacturer'sinstructions for preparing the
vehicle and dolly for towing.
6. Release the parking brake.
7. Turn the vehicle off.
8. Open the hood.
9. Wait two minutes.
10. Disconnect the negative (-) terminal connector from the
12-volt battery.
11. Close and latch the hood.
Caution
Towing the vehicle from the rear
could damage it. Also, repairs
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Never have the
vehicle towed from the rear.
Appearance Care
Exterior Care
Locks
Locks are lubricated at the factory.
Use a de-icing agent only when
absolutely necessary, and have the
locks greased after using.
Washing the Vehicle
To preserve the vehicle's finish,
wash it often and out of direct
sunlight.
Caution
Do not use petroleum-based,
acidic, or abrasive cleaning
agents as they can damage the
vehicle's paint, metal, or plastic
parts. If damage occurs, it would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Approved cleaning
products can be obtained from
your dealer. Follow all
manufacturer directions regarding (Continued)