2027 Chevrolet Bolt DC Fast Charging Test: Is It Finally Road Trip Ready?

The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt is the fastest charging Bolt ever. The new Bolt cuts down the 10 to 80% charging time by two-thirds, compared to the original. Ever set out to test the new Bolt's charging capabilities to determine if it's now a viable long-distance road tripper.

The 2022 and 2023 Chevrolet Bolt had a peak charge rate of 55kW. That generation charged from 10 to 80% in around 75 minutes, a dreadfully slow time for a modern EV.

For 2027, General Motors altered the battery chemistry, improved the peak charge rate, and modernized the charge port design. The new Bolt uses a 65kWh battery, the same capacity as the outgoing one, but now the battery is lithium iron phosphate (LFP), instead of nickel manganese cobalt (NMC).

LFP batteries are more chemically stable across the entire SOC range and can manage more cycles over its lifetime. The Bolt's peak charge rate increased to 150kW and the port design went from CCS to NACS. The battery voltage architecture remains 400V.

Chevrolet says the new Bolt can go from 10 to 80% in 25 minutes. Based on the EPA range of 262 miles, that translates to a cool 183 miles.

We wanted to validate these claims by testing the Bolt in a real-world scenario. Ever drove the 2027 Bolt to a V3+ Tesla Supercharger, preconditioning the battery on the way.

We plugged in at 5%, started the timer at 10%, and stopped the timer immediately when the SOC estimate displayed 80%.

The initial charge rate was strong, pulling over 153kW from 10% to 39%. The Bolt held over 100kW until the 56% mark. By 80%, the 2027 Bolt was still pulling a respectable 78kW.

The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt needed 25 minutes and 52 seconds to go from 10 to 80%. We didn't beat GM's 25-minute estimate, but this was our fastest 400V 10 to 80% time we've ever tested, barely edging out the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker by 1 measly second.

For the first time ever, the Chevrolet Bolt is a genuinely fast-charging EV.