OnStar is Expensive and Invasive. We Replaced It With OVMS In Our Bolt EV

DESCRIPTION

OnStar is one of the oldest telematics systems still in use today. It allows owners of GM-brand vehicles — including Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick — the ability to remotely monitor important information about their car. It allows them to activate built-in navigation, activate subscription add-ons, keep track of their vehicle's location in real time, and in the world of EVs, start and stop charging and activate cabin pre-conditioning.

But for owners of older GM-brand vehicles — like early Chevrolet Bolt EVs and Chevrolet Volts — the OnStar systems that came from the factory are showing their age. Their connectivity is becoming spotty and unreliable, and many customers simply give up and cancel their subscription.

Yet thanks to the wonderful community of tinkerers, programmers, and hardware experts working together on the Open Vehicle Monitoring System, you can now add those features back to your Bolt EV without paying a massive monthly fee. GM no longer sees your data — and you regain your own data sovereignty.

Today, Nikki — who used to rely on OVMS V2 hardware in some of her EVs more than a decade ago — gets up to date with OVMS V3, builds her own add-on board from scratch, and gives her Bolt EV the features she no longer wants to rely on GM to provide. With a little help from her alter ego, of course.

👉 Watch on YouTube — or if you'd prefer (we would), PeerTube.

⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:

00:00 - Introduction and Opening Skit

02:01 - History Lesson

04:28 - Why We Had OnStar

06:29 - Side Tracked: Nikki's Home-Made Vise Plate

07:49 - What is OVMS?

09:35 - V2 vs V3 Hardware

12:54 - The Challenges of GM's SWCAN Protocol

19:42 - Provisioning

20:19 - Installing it in the Bolt

21:00 - Routing and Hiding the Hardware

22:06 - MQTT and EMQX

24:41 - Cancelling OnStar

26:11 - Giveaway — #Queenie

27:33 - Thanks and Goodbye!

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

OVMS is an open-source, community-driven hobbyist project. It is not a commercial product and comes with no warranty or official support. Installing OVMS in your vehicle requires a degree of technical confidence — you will be expected to read documentation, troubleshoot your own setup, and engage with the community forums and GitHub issues when things don't go as expected. If you're not comfortable with that, this may not be the right solution for you.

Neither Transport Evolved nor the OVMS project are responsible for any issues arising from the installation or use of OVMS hardware or software in your vehicle. Install at your own risk.

Links:

🎵 Music

"What Floor?" (Slowed & Reverb) by idokay - Licensed via Artlist

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9E5YHlvZNE

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1CFuZLaHSRmEfC2qK4yZsH

🛒 Buy OVMS

Europe — Open Energy Monitor: https://shop.openenergymonitor.com

North America — Medlock & Sons: https://www.medlockev.com

🔧 OVMS — Hardware & Software

Main OVMS repository: https://github.com/openvehicles/Open-Vehicle-Monitoring-System-3⚠️ Note: if building from the main repo, you must enable SWCAN support in the build configuration — it is not enabled by default.

Nikki's pre-built fork with SWCAN enabled (recommended for Bolt/Volt owners):https://github.com/aminorjourney/Open-Vehicle-Monitoring-System-3

SWCAN board design (Marko Juhanne):https://github.com/kssmll/ovms-swcan-board

📱 OVMS Apps

Official OVMS app (iOS): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/open-vehicles/id490098531

Official OVMS app (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.openvehicles.OVMS

OVMS Connect — Nikki's preferred app: - iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ovms-connect/id6747955064

OVMS Connect — Nikki's preferred app: - Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.CrashOverride.OVMS&hl=en-US

Home Assistant Integration for OVMS: - https://github.com/enoch85/ovms-home-assistant

🔌 SWCAN Board

If you have a Bolt EV and want to use OVMS to its fullest potential, you will need an SWCAN board. - You can win one in our Giveaway below! ⚠️ Compatibility note: 2017–2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV owners should be able to connect directly via the OBD2 port with no additional wiring. Owners of later model year Bolts will need to tap the SWCAN bus directly — see the GitHub discussion for guidance: https://github.com/openvehicles/Open-Vehicle-Monitoring-System-3/issues/704

Board design (Marko Juhanne): https://github.com/kssmll/ovms-swcan-board

Pre-assembled boards: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/365182274464

PCBWay (bare boards): https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/SWCAN_adapter_for_OVMS_b002c070.html

DigiKey (components): https://www.digikey.com

📡 Self-Hosted MQTT

EMQX: https://www.emqx.io

🔩 Nikki's Vise Board Plate Design:

STEP file - https://forgejo.insearchofportlandia.com/Aminorjourney/carvera-air-k11-vise-plate/src/branch/main

🏆 Giveaway!!!

We're giving away one fully assembled SWCAN board — built by Nikki herself — to one lucky Chevrolet Bolt EV, Opel Ampera-e or Chevrolet Volt / Opel Ampera owner.

To enter: comment below with #Queenie and tell us what you're most looking forward to about ditching OnStar.

⚠️ Please note: this is the SWCAN board only — it does NOT include an OVMS V3 module. You will need to purchase one separately (~$325) — see Buy OVMS links above. One winner chosen at random on August 14, 2026.