Buy a new Chevy Bolt and GM will install Level 2 charging in your house

Chevy’s Bolt EV has always offered pretty decent bang for your buck. With a sticker price under $40,000 and almost 300 miles of range, it’s been a relatively popular model for General Motors, but now there’s a refreshed Bolt EV version coming out for 2022, and to help get people excited about it, GM is offering something pretty cool.

Specifically, according to a report published Wednesday by Inside EVs, GM will pay to install a Level 2 EV charger at your house, including an appropriate NEMA 14-50 outlet and labor. If that sounds like a solid deal, it is. The catch is that it’s only for what GM is calling a “standard installation,” likely meaning that if there’s any weirdness with your garage’s wiring, you could be on the hook for the difference.

We asked GM for clarification on this but didn’t hear back in time for publication.

The new Bolt will come with a combination Level 1/Level 2 charger, so once the outlet is set up, you should be golden when it comes to charging your hatchback at significantly more than the glacial pace of a 110-volt outlet. Of course, even then, you’re leaving something on the table. 

By that, we mean that the new Bolt can charge at 11 kilowatts at Level 2, but its included charger and this NELA outlet that’s part of the install package will only handle a charge rate of 7.2 kilowatts. If you want the maximum amount of juice in the least amount of time, you’ll have to upgrade to a 60-amp circuit and a hardwired wall charger that will dish out 48 amps.

The program is being run through GM’s partner Qmerit, a platform that helps match EV owners with qualified home charging system installers. Customers can get in on the action until June.

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