First, let me state unequivocally that we love our Chevy Bolt.  As I've mentioned in previous posts in my EV Category, the Bolt has become our primary vehicle.  Unlike many EV owners and most Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) car owners, we have no concerns about taking our EV on longer trips.  Last summer, we drove from California to Oregon and back for the eclipse (over 1200 miles), and we regularly do trips of 350 or more miles in a day.  But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.  

We chose the Bolt because for us, it was the most practical EV available.  In addition to not wanting to pay nearly 6 figures for a Tesla, we needed a car that could carry bikes, surfboards, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and more.  I also needed to be able to park it in remote places without fear of someone vandalizing an expensive car.  The Bolt has served us well.  

In fact, we are continually amazed by what we can do in the Bolt and its impressive range in a variety of road conditions.  On our trip to Oregon for the eclipse, driving at 75-80 miles per hour for most of it, we averaged nearly 3.9 miles per kilowatt hour (kWh).  That's 238 miles of range at highway speeds even with the AC set to 70 degrees and hundred-degree temperatures in the Sacramento Valley.  

Those longer trips I mentioned?  At least twice a month, we make a trip to our place in the Sierra Nevada, mostly at 70+ mph,  and amazingly, we average at least 4 mi/kWh.  This is with two adults, a full-sized spare tire, jack, etc., and sports toys.  And again, we run the AC through the heat of the Central Valley.   We see similar results on our trips to the North Bay (100 miles each way).  So what am I complaining about?  

Well, there is one other trip that we do at least once a month.  We drive from Santa Cruz, California to San Luis Obispo, California.  It's about 175 miles each way and we do it in a day, charging a bit over an hour  at an EVgo station in San Luis during our meeting there.  There is a sizable hill (1500 feet) just outside of San Luis, but the net altitude difference between Santa Cruz and San Luis is less than 300 feet (Santa Cruz is at sea level).  

Even in winter, it's a stretch to get near 4 mi/kWh.  We come close, but I attribute the lower range to the road surface which is largely concrete and isn't in the best of shape.  Still, we have no concerns whatsoever making this round trip with just a charge in San Luis.

Our real problem strikes in the late spring and summer.  Getting down to San Luis isn't a problem but the return is sometime touch and go, even though it's mostly downhill.  So what's the problem? 

Wind!

In the late spring and summer, the ocean is cool and the land is warm.  Often it can be in the low 60s in Santa Cruz, and well over 100 just a few miles inland.  This temperature difference creates wind.  Worse for us, the Salinas Valley, through which we have to travel for this trip, has mountains on each side, creating a wind tunnel/venturi effect.  We're often facing 40+ mph headwinds on our return.  

A lot has been written about how speed affects the range of EVs, and gas mileage for ICE cars: the aerodynamic resistance increases by the square of the velocity.  And while the Bolt has a somewhat respectable coefficient of drag (Cd) at about .31, when we try to drive 65 mph against a 40 mph headwind, our efficiency drops to 2 - 2.5 mi/kWh.  With a 60 kWh battery, that means our range drops to between 120 and 150 miles.  

So, while we were confident that with our Bolt purchase (actually a lease), range anxiety was a thing of the past, for this trip, it's back. 

Our return this past Wednesday was rough.  We lucked out after climbing the 1500' Cuesta Grade where we first encountered the wind and saw our efficiency drop to 2.5 mi/kWh (even slightly downhill).  Ahead of us was an mCoach and it was driving 65 mph.  I pulled in behind, and our mi/kWh went up to 4.5!  We followed it for about 40 miles, but the driver got annoyed (sorry about that!) and forced me to pass him by pulling in front of a truck and slowing down, leaving me no room to pull in behind.  I passed and slowed to 60 mph, but we were still down to 2 mi/kWh against a crazy headwind.  

At King City, the half-way point, we decided to stop to charge at the Chargepoint there to provide a comfortable buffer.  But as often seems to happen with Chargepoint level 3 stations, it was down.  I called and they opened a ticket.  

We nervously pulled back onto 101 for the worst of the wind.  Dust storms surrounded us from King City to Salinas.  Again, we lucked out.  I pulled in behind a large semi, and followed at a sedate 55-60 mph.  Ultimately, we made it home in the orange with very little left on the battery, and less than 20 miles on the GOM.  

So, after a year and a half driving the Bolt, I can honestly say that our only real disappointment is its performance against a headwind.  To some degree, I find it hard to believe that it has a Cd of less than .31; a headwind severely impacts range.  

And while I'd certainly like to see a Nav system on the Bolt since we often drive where there is no cell service, if GM is listening, it would be very nice to see an improvement in Cd.  Not only would it help out in situations like ours, I'm sure it would significantly increase the already remarkable range of the Chevy Bolt.   

​Since the Bolt is already strong on tech and has surround cameras in the Premier model, maybe GM could remove the side-view mirrors like Audi is doing in the European version of their eTron Quattro which ships in the fall.  

If you've read any of my novels, you've met characters who are the sons or daughters of military personnel.  Needless to say, you also probably noticed that they are a bit different from the so-called average people you might meet elsewhere. 

​In person, particularly for brief encounters, you may not recognize how abnormal they may be.  But if you take the time to get to know them, assuming they let you in to do so, you'll find them quite unique.  They suffer from what I call The Military Brat Syndrome.

I note that this affliction doesn't just affect children of military personnel.  You will find many of the same issues in children of diplomats, and children of parents who frequently moved from place to place.

Imagine if you will a child raised in a non-military family.  Over the course of their child-rearing years, the family may change homes few times within a small geographic area.  But more likely for the largest part of our country and others, 'normal' kids may grow up in the same house until they leave as adults.  In the course of their youth, they develop friends from an early age, many of whom are still friends when they become adults.  Their family usually extends to nearby grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, and often their parents' friends become almost like family members.  

These children usually have extended support systems - family and friends who encourage them in social activities.  They often stay in touch with favorite teachers, and they have a strong sense of community.

We military brats don't have any of that.  In my case, I attended fifteen schools before graduating high school.  Every time I made friends, it would be time to move.  In those days before email, social media, and unlimited calling plans, it was difficult to stay in touch.  We tried a few times, but with long waits for responses and the fact that our friends were moving too, it proved impossible for most of us.  

Obviously, we didn't develop a sense of community, and moving as much as we did, it was hard to get close to extended family who we usually saw briefly only when relocating - if we happened to be passing through.  

On the other hand, most of us learned a lot about other cultures.  If we  moved internationally, we lived in countries with different languages and customs.  

Moving again and again, even within the US, sometimes created culture shock.  As one example, I lived in Hawaii where my best friend was black.  He and I were both considered Haoles by the locals who seemed to get their kicks out of beating up 'outsiders'.  We watched each other's back.  But then my family relocated to the deep south where my dancing with a black girl caused major outrage at the teen club.  This was a real wake-up call for a young teenager.

At home, discipline and respect for authority was the rule.  My father followed orders at work, so I followed orders at home.  Not to do so invited painful consequences.  

Of course, there are many benefits to being a military brat:

• Acceptance of radical life changes
• Tolerance of different people, cultures and lifestyles
• The ability to get along with most anyone
• The discipline to take on new challenges

These are the things we present to the outside world.  Many of us are considered successful.  But the real effects of The Military Brat Syndrome are insidious:

• The need for regular radical change: In my case, it was romantic relationships.  No matter how perfect my relationship with my partner was, after two to three years, I needed a change. And obviously if things got difficult in any relationship, job, or living situation, why not just move on?  
• In spite of a desire to fit in to a community, the inability to do so.  You feel like you're always an outsider who doesn't have the long term friendships or relationships that would make you a part of a community.
• Similarly, with an almost overwhelming desire to have a close extended family, the inability to really get close.  You were patterned to expect relationships to end.  It's hard to believe that they might last.
• A need to escape: it could be unjustified change, drugs or alcohol, or obsession with sports or careers - many of us  can't help running away from our friends, family, jobs, and partners.

The bottom line cause? You always feel like an outsider looking in. 

​What was the safe place in Monopoly?  Just Visiting!

So what can you do about it?  How do you stop suffering from The Military Brat Syndrome?

For military brats, first and foremost, you need to recognize your patterns of behavior and understand their roots.  Then you can make a conscious effort to change.  I did that with relationships.  After recognizing my pattern of ending them for no reason, I decided not to run at the first hiccup. 

Counseling might help, but most counselors are not military brats, so it's unlikely they can truly understand just how deep these patterned behaviors go.

For family, friends, and employers, again, recognizing the military brat syndrome is critical.  At that point, you can try to be a bit more patient, refuse to let the military brat just run, and encourage them to begin to believe and trust that some things can be permanent.  

Because ultimately, that's what it's about: TRUST.  When, from the time you were born until you left home, you've been raised to expect radical life changes  - loss of friends, loss of community, loss of places you might love, and having to start over every two years, it's hard to trust that anything is permanent.    

But it can be done.  Unfortunately, because we don't recognize it early on, it often takes decades to overcome The Military Brat Syndrome.