For Chevy Bolt EV enthusiasts and owners who love to delve into the details of their electric vehicle, there’s exciting news regarding data accessibility. A significant update has been released that dramatically expands the range of information you can access through your Chevy Bolt’s OBD2 port. This opens up a new world of diagnostics and performance monitoring, allowing you to understand your EV on a much deeper level.
Previously, the accessible data points, known as PIDs (Parameter IDs), were limited to around 60 parameters. However, a comprehensive update has quadrupled this, bringing the total to approximately 240 PIDs! This substantial increase provides a wealth of new data, excluding cell voltage readings and duplicate Fahrenheit readings, giving you an unprecedented look under the hood of your Chevy Bolt EV.
This expansion isn’t just about quantity; it’s about quality and organization. The updated PID list has been meticulously reorganized and harmonized to ensure clarity and ease of use. Categories have been refined, and new, highly valuable data points have been added. Here’s a glimpse of the exciting new information now at your fingertips via the Chevy Bolt Obd2 Port:
- Enhanced Charging Data: Delve into the specifics of DC Fast Charging with new PIDs for requested current, giving you insights into charging performance and efficiency.
- Comprehensive HVAC Details: Monitor every aspect of your heating and cooling system with detailed HVAC PIDs, allowing for in-depth analysis of energy consumption and system performance.
- Pump and Cooling Fan Insights: Access data from various pumps and the cooling fan system, essential for understanding thermal management and system health.
- Expanded Battery Monitoring: Go beyond basic battery data with a significant increase in pack, module, and cell level PIDs. Track State of Charge (SoC) variation, battery resistance, and high/low cell voltages for a detailed view of battery health and performance.
- High-Resolution Current and Voltage Readings: Get even more precise data with higher resolution current and voltage PIDs, crucial for detailed electrical system analysis.
- In-Depth Charging Information: Explore a wider range of charging-related PIDs, offering a complete picture of your EV’s charging behavior.
- Transmission Data: Access transmission-related PIDs, including torque readings. While some torque data is still undergoing validation, the potential for transmission performance analysis is now available.
- Temperature Sensor Suite: Monitor a broader spectrum of temperature sensors throughout your vehicle, providing valuable insights into thermal conditions across various systems.
Alt text: Location of the OBD2 port in a vehicle’s interior, typically under the dashboard.
Important Considerations for Utilizing the Updated PID List
Before you dive into this expanded dataset, it’s crucial to understand a key update requirement. Due to the extensive reorganization and harmonization of the PID list, it is highly recommended to clear your existing PID list before importing the new one. Failing to do so can result in a messy merge of old and new lists, leading to duplicates and errors in your monitoring dashboards, indicated as “Missing PID” errors.
While this means a temporary inconvenience of recreating your custom dashboards in apps like EngineLink or Torque (be sure to take screenshots of your current setups!), the benefit of accessing such a vastly improved and organized PID list far outweighs this short setup process.
Navigating the New PID Landscape: Prefixes Explained
To further aid in navigating this extensive list, prefixes have been introduced to categorize PIDs based on their utility and validation status:
- ‘-‘ Prefix: Less Interesting, Known PIDs: This prefix designates PIDs that are identified but may be of limited practical use for most users. An example highlighted is Phase U, V, W currents, which, while technically measurable, fluctuate rapidly and may not provide meaningful insights in typical use cases. Another example mentioned includes sensor data related to shifter pressure, which might be interesting for very specific diagnostic purposes but not for general monitoring.
- ‘?’ Prefix: Potentially Broken or Unsure Formulas: This prefix marks PIDs that are recognized but may have issues with data accuracy or formula correctness. Some PIDs might even be inherently broken, providing inaccurate data even when accessed with professional diagnostic tools like GDS2. The accompanying documentation (Google Spreadsheet) provides detailed notes on these PIDs, encouraging community collaboration to decipher and validate them.
Call to Collaboration and Continued Expansion
The creator of this updated PID list encourages users to explore the new data, share their custom dashboards, and contribute to the ongoing effort of validating and understanding the newly accessible PIDs. This collaborative approach will be invaluable in unlocking the full potential of this expanded data access.
Further updates and refinements to the PID list are expected, promising even greater insights into the Chevy Bolt EV in the future. By utilizing the OBD2 port and these expanded PIDs, Chevy Bolt owners and enthusiasts can gain a deeper understanding of their vehicles, contributing to a more informed and engaged EV ownership experience.
