After an email exchange in which Elon Musk reprimanded him for buying a gas-guzzler in 2013, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, also known as the Woz, bought a Tesla Model S. He has since often been spotted at Tesla Superchargers and talking up Tesla on his various social media accounts.
Surprisingly and in what almost looks like a marketing stunt, he now says that he wants to trade his Model S for the upcoming Chevy Bolt EV.
In a post on his verified public Facebook page, the Woz shared a picture of himself with a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV (top right – in his Model S on the left). While the vehicle is not currently in production, early models have been seen around Detroit and around the Bay Area in California.
The caption “I expect to be switching cars soon!” was attached to the picture and when asked about why he would trade his Tesla, he commented:
“Knowing myself, it may replace the Tesla. A lot of complaints about the Tesla that my wife and I have are solved in this car. It’s not just some name where you have to take a side. The user conveniences are well thought out and the functionality is great. I tell everyone that the most valuable, useful car of my life was the Prius that I drove for 10 years. I don’t need top-of-the-line luxury. We have a Tesla but there is no other EV choice that’s good for road trips. The Bolt will need some personal testing by Janet and myself to find out how it is on road trips. Otherwise, it’s what we want. Extra features aren’t the big picture, or we’d have skipped the Tesla for a Mercedes.”
While no one can argue that luxury is not important for everyone, the Woz will have a bad surprise when it comes to his “personal testing” for road trips, which could be enough to kill his idea of trading his Tesla.
On his Foursquare account, the engineer can often be seen checking-in at Tesla Superchargers across California. Tesla’s Supercharger network and the Model S’ capacity to DC fast-charge at 120 kW are really what enable Tesla’s vehicles to go on road trips.
Charging car, but ending our road trip and returning to pick up a puppy surprise that came through. https://t.co/bVywjvhFxB
— Steve Wozniak (@stevewoz) June 29, 2016
While the Bolt EV has somewhat of a similar range with “more than 200 miles”, its charging capacity is whole other thing. The car is capable of DC fast-charging, but as an option. That’s not really a problem here since if Wozniak is willing to buy a Tesla Model S, he is able to pay for a few options on top of the Bolt’s $37,500 base price before incentives.
The problem is the charge rate. While GM has yet to confirm the details of the Bolt EV’s fast-charging capabilities, the company hinted that it will be limited to the already commonly available 50 kW by saying that it will “add 90 miles of range in about 30 minutes“.
A Tesla Supercharger can add up to 170 miles of range during the same period of time. Anything less than that is not ideal for going on road trips since you would need stop for 30 minutes every 90 miles or for 1h30 every ~180 miles because the charge rate goes down as the battery pack fills up.
While the Bolt EV’s range and charging capacity could work for a lot of drivers, considering Wozniak’s habit of taking road trips, it doesn’t look like a good idea for him.
What do you think about the Woz’s idea of “switching out” his Tesla for a Bolt EV? Let us know in the comment section below.
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