Chevy Bolt - 200 mile range for $30k base price (after incentive)

[Saghost]

And the 200 miles is likely to be 200 marketing miles (100 to 150 real miles as driven).

It's still a few years away, so I don't know how we're going to have much insight into what it'll actually do.

The one tidbit I do have, though, is that when GM did their focus group that leaked a few months back, they were asking people to evaluate an EV with a 205 mile EPA range.

I'm thinking their target is something close to what the S60 does for range in the real world; it remains to be seen how well they hit it.
Walter

 

[JRP3]

Other than the large grill area I like the look. I also know that will most likely not be what the actual vehicle looks like when produced.

 

[ecarfan]

This is a positive development for EVs, though I think the name "Bolt" is laughable. It sounds antiquated, clunky, and confusingly close to "Volt".

I do not understand how GM can produce large numbers of this car because I don't know who is going to produce the batteries for them.

The design shape looks like the rear seats will be cramped.

Regardless, this is good news for EV enthusiasts. I just hope the car is decent and not a failure, and I'm concerned that without a properly designed and useful charging network sales will be limited. I'm sure the Model 3 will be a vast.y superior vehicle and of course it will be able to use the Supercharger network, which by 2017 will be ubiquitous.

 

[artsci]

Might be a little strong, depends on the structure of questions, invitees, group dynamics and how comments are extrapolated. Focus groups of geeky EV enthusiasts and/or early Tesla owners could have saved Tesla a lot of headaches (e.g., communications) and made good suggestions (interior design, color options, headrest size, etc.).

I'm in the research business and we would never suggest a client rely on focus groups for critical decisions about anything. But advertisers love focus groups largely because they have insufficient regard for serious research and love anecdotal stuff. When Elon Musk made decisions about the configuration of the Model S I doubt very much that any of his choices were based on the kind of group think that focus groups involve.

I suppose a session with a group of Tesla owners would be valuable as the car evolves but is it really necessary? I think Tesla gets all the anecdotal feedback it needs from this web site and its own. And they pay attention to what we have to say here.

 

[jerry33]

The one tidbit I do have, though, is that when GM did their focus group that leaked a few months back, they were asking people to evaluate an EV with a 205 mile EPA range.

Focus groups are how the 2004 Prius ended up without an MP3 player. Results coming from a focus group is always going to be sub-optimal.

On another note, every real EV that comes out is a good thing--regardless of manufacturer.

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Regardless, this is good news for EV enthusiasts. I just hope the car is decent and not a failure, and I'm concerned that without a properly designed and useful charging network sales will be limited. I'm sure the Model 3 will be a vast.y superior vehicle and of course it will be able to use the Supercharger network, which by 2017 will be ubiquitous.

Agreed. Every real EV that comes out will help replace ICE with EV. This car looks as if it will be competition for the Leaf, rather than Tesla.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

Among people that are actually willing to plunk down $30k plus on a battery electric vehicle Chevrolet goodwill = Blackberry. And Tesla = Apple.

Good one, Rob. But this time, "Blackberry" maker can adopt tech from "Apple's" patents 'in good faith' and not face litigation.

 

[Merrill]

I guess Elon will get what he wants, other manufactures to take BEV's seriously. This is very healthy for the industry and competition is what makes products better. The only problem is that no one else has a supercharging network, so if the Bolt happens and has 200 mile capability you still will have to use level 2 chargers to go cross country.

 

[gene]

Not sure why the hate (or at least the dismissive attitude).

Elon's goal was to spark the industry as a whole to move toward sustainable transport. He was then disappointed when they didn't move that way after the Model S introduction. He subsequently invited patent usage to again push the industry.

Chevy may be stepping up. While it may be in a different class, not have the same charging infrastructure, etc... there is room for many different designs/players/options.

This is a major step in the right direction. And it should quell what many nay-sayers have had to say about EV's in general.

This is a welcome move, IMO.

I agree completely with this poster. There is by a huge margin, room for many useable EV's. I do not consider other EV's competition, it is the ICE that is the competition.

 

[cgiGuy]

The lack of a fast charge network is the real story here. Without a dense network of fast chargers, an EV is still a second car for most people. That said, if GM is willing to invest in a 200 mi EV, maybe they are also willing to invest in a fast charge network.

With 21,000 dealerships worldwide, I can't imagine it would take very long for each of them to throw a charger or two at their location--especially if the mothership pays the bill.

 

[JST]

With 21,000 dealerships worldwide, I can't imagine it would take very long for each of them to throw a charger or two at their location--especially if the mothership pays the bill.

True. This is something I've been thinking for a long time. And while Tesla's supercharger build out has been hugely impressive, the total cost of that program is likely a rounding error in GM's budget.

So I have no doubt they *can* do this. And I have no doubt that they *should.* I've been saying for a while that owning the refueling infrastructure is a great thing for car companies, as it gives them a way to get continuing revenue from the owner even after they've made a purchase. Tesla doesn't do this (yet), but you can easily imagine instead of a $2K upfront charge having a subscription model, where you pay $X/mo for access to the charging network. You could even bundle it with OnStar.

The question is--will they? That will say a lot to me about how serious they are in their effort to own the next generation of vehicle tech.

 

[Jaff]

The Bolt will do 200 miles for under $35,000?...that's Usain...:biggrin:

 

[jerry33]

With 21,000 dealerships worldwide, I can't imagine it would take very long for each of them to throw a charger or two at their location--especially if the mothership pays the bill.

The problem is that for the most part, they would only be available during business hours, and would often be not available because of charging dealer cars or even being blocked by parked cars. Each dealer could also set up their own policy about who gets to charge (some Nissan dealers only allow cars purchased at that dealership to charge). So, yes, they could install them at the dealers, but actual usefulness would be problematical.

 

[wart]

With 21,000 dealerships worldwide, I can't imagine it would take very long for each of them to throw a charger or two at their location--especially if the mothership pays the bill.

Sure, but what kind of charger? A 50 kWh CHAdeMO or SAE Combo DC charger is barely adequate for a 75 mile city EV. To enable road trips you need faster charging.

The rendering looks almost exactly like a 4th generation Mitsubishi Eclipse, with a Chevrolet nose grafted on. Good for a sporty coupe, not so good for a family car.

Overall I'm glad to see GM showing signs of getting serious about the EV business. I've read that the Spark EV actually has some very cool motor technology, it just suffers from lack of range and lack of a proper EV-oriented chassis.

As others have mentioned, there are still questions to be answered.
Real-world range?
Battery supply?
Charging infrastructure?
I'll be interested to hear what GM has to say on Monday.

 

[MSEV]

Am I the only one to think that Elon will supply the batteries? 2017 is being used for both Model 3 and Bolt...
Doesn't that make sense and fit with a number of issues (not all) that are discussed?
Hasn't Elon set Tesla up to win in many ways, being an energy company that makes the best electric car?

 

[mackgoo]

There was a small article I saw on Yahoo. LG is the battery producer.

 

[Larry93428]

Wow. Imagine a battery swap available at every Chevrolet/GM dealer!
This "Bolt" could be a real game changer.
~Larry

 

[tga]

Am I the only one to think that Elon will supply the batteries? 2017 is being used for both Model 3 and Bolt...
Doesn't that make sense and fit with a number of issues (not all) that are discussed?
Hasn't Elon set Tesla up to win in many ways, being an energy company that makes the best electric car?

I'm surprised it took 54 posts for someone to make this point. I'll take it one further...

If Musk/Tesla's real goal is to promote EV development/adoption (as opposed to maximizing TSLA profits), I could see a couple of possible paths.

1. Gigafactory - If the Gigafactory's supply capacity grows faster than the Model 3's demand, I can see Tesla looking for other places to sell batteries. Solar City has already been mentioned, but I haven't seen any real studies of the demand for in-home storage. As long as we have net metering and TOU rates, I'm not sure most people would see the value in a big battery pack at home.

Yes, the Bolt is currently designed for LG batteries, but I don't see a huge difficulty in re-spinning the pack to use Gigafactory cells.

2. Charging network - You know, there no real reason the Bolt couldn't be supercharger compatible. They SC's already "phone home" to authorize the car based on VIN. It's not that hard for the system to recognize a non-Tesla VIN, look it up in a charging account database, and bill the owner's credit card.

OK, flame away, I'll go put the Nomex undies on...

 

[Breezy]

This is all kinds of good news. Happy to see that Mary T. Barra herself is supposed to do the introduction; hopefully that's what happens.

I'm still a "Model 3 enthusiast" and probably will be for the foreseeable future, but so pleased that I may actually have options.

 

[JRP3]

OK, flame away, I'll go put the Nomex undies on...

They already said LG batteries, so....

 

[JST]

The problem is that for the most part, they would only be available during business hours, and would often be not available because of charging dealer cars or even being blocked by parked cars. Each dealer could also set up their own policy about who gets to charge (some Nissan dealers only allow cars purchased at that dealership to charge). So, yes, they could install them at the dealers, but actual usefulness would be problematical.

That's the way Nissan does it, but there's no reason GM couldn't do it differently. They could require that the Chargers be available 24/7 in an accessible part of the lot, and if they are owned/managed centrally (eg by OnStar), corporate could set access and charging policies, too.

The dealer would have to agree to place the facilities, of course, but there are all sorts of carrots and sticks GM has to persuade dealers to do things like this.