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

[Trev Page]

I'd consider the Bolt however the lack of real "Supercharging" is a show-stopper for me. If I'm spending that kind of money on a car and it can do 200 miles on a charge then I'd better be able to go places and charge easily and rapidly...

No mention yet what "200 miles" actually is. Is that no aircon, no heat, 55Mph in a tailwind?

Model 3 reveal still seems like a go for late March so we'll have to see what Tesla has up their sleeve. I sure hope they don't let us down just for the sake of trying to get a magic $35K base price. It's had better have good looks, more than 200 Miles range and lots of tech. This is Tesla after all.

 

[tftf]

Agree. This will be relegated to second car status/day trip car. A good effort and start it seems from GM but not quite there yet. Certainly not competition for the Model S in the long range category.

Depends on your location. There are already plenty of CCS stations in Europe available 24/7...

CCS/Combo Charge Map - Europe

1600+ at the moment open 24/7. I guess this number will be at least up to 2000-3000 stations in 12-24 months.

GM will probably sell this car under the Opel/Vauxhall brands there (or may at least adapt the US Bolt).

I think CCS quick charging won't be an issue in a few years in NA too. That's the nice thing about open standards. All the CCS chargers set up by BMW, VW and others (as well as Nissan setting up dual CCS/Chademo chargers in some partnerships) means more charging options for the Bolt - even without GM doing anything (yet).

But I'm sure we will hear more from Ford and GM on their infrastructure strategy as well.

BMW and Nissan already offered free charging for some time with every new car sold. I imagine similar bundle options once the Bolt is available (e.g. 12 or 24 months of free DC charging with every car...).

 

[Beryl]

I'm impressed by what has been revealed and hope GM offers even more incentives to get more Bolts on the road. It appears to be a fine commuter vehicle and I can envision a lot of them on campuses.

(Not for me personally though.)

They've partnered with Lyft but I hope Uber adds this vehicle to their list for those who want to buy through their program.

 

[Trev Page]

I'm impressed by what has been revealed and hope GM offers even more incentives to get more Bolts on the road.

If they can fix the dealer buying experience. *shudder*

 

[JohnSnowNW]

Depends on your location. There are already plenty of CCS stations in Europe available 24/7...

CCS/Combo Charge Map - Europe

1600+ at the moment open 24/7. I guess this number will be at least up to 2000-3000 stations in 12-24 months.

GM will probably sell this car under the Opel/Vauxhall brands there (or may at least adapt the US Bolt).

I think CCS quick charging won't be an issue in a few years in NA too. That's the nice thing about open standards. All the CCS chargers set up by BMW, VW and others (as well as Nissan setting up dual CCS/Chademo chargers in some partnerships) means more charging options without GM doing anything (yet).

Oh, come on, the CCS network is a hodgepodge of unreliable chargers that are in place to allow townies a place to charge when they're running errands.

 

[MacroP]

Where will they cut the features to get to price point. Gas extender exhaust system and gas tank do not make up the difference

When comparing it to a Volt - the engine, exhaust (including the expensive Cat), the generator, that complex transmission to tie it all together, the fuel tank (and all fueling bits and pieces) and engine radiator - all gone. I'm sure there are more things too. There's a big cost in there to be saved IMO (especially the engine and its electronics) and only to be replaced with an upgraded battery from the existing 18kWh unit to maybe 55-60kWh in capacity. So whatever it costs for the current battery is taken away and replaced with the the larger capacity battery so there's a little more saving there. Also they can now use higher energy density cells (like Tesla does) compared to potentially compromising previously with higher power density cells which the Volt probably has. I doubt the original and now V2 Volt cells have energy densities close to a Tesla but I believe the Bolt certainly will. Even though the new battery maybe 3-3.5 times the original capacity (16-18kWh) it may not be 3 times as big or as heavy because of the potential energy density change. A little more saving there too but not much.

 

[JST]

Oh, come on, the CCS network is a hodgepodge of unreliable chargers that are in place to allow townies a place to charge when they're running errands.

Right. Which, ironically, is one thing that the Bolt will not need. I charge my Tesla to c. 200 miles of range every day and have never had to use a fast charger for local driving.

 

[scaesare]

Right. Which, ironically, is one thing that the Bolt will not need. I charge my Tesla to c. 200 miles of range every day and have never had to use a fast charger for local driving.

This is something that I think many folks who feel tht without a fast charge infrastructure announcement/rollout, the Bolt is DOA.

While lack of a comprehensive DCFC network will certainly impact one market segment, there is another for which it will likely be perfectly fine. The Leaf starts at $30K with half the range, and it doesn't have a large charging infrastructure either, yet they've sold well.

 

[jvmoore1]

Looks like some more info has leaked...
http://insideevs.com/2017-chevrolet-bolt-details-leak-ahead-todays-reveal

9 hours to fully recharge on Level 2 (likely 6.6 kW or higher)
EPA-estimated range of 200 miles or more
Available in late 2016
Expected output of ~150 HP
~ 300 pound-feet of torque
0 to 60 MPH in ~ 7 seconds
Top speed of more than 90 MPH
DC fast charger will recharge car from 0 to 80% in 45 minutes (more than 50 kW?)
Price still claimed to be less than $30,000 after the $7,500 tax credit
10.2-inch touchscreen
Exterior structure is made of aluminium, carbon fiber and mineral magnesium
Battery tucked under floor
Seating for 5
4 USB ports, as well as the 4G LTE

 

[ecarfan]

If all those specs turn out to be true this is great news for Tesla (though of course many short term investors won't see it that way and TSLA will sag until the 3 is launched, meaning deliveries start)
It's a win because it means Tesla is accelerating the EV revolution.
It's a win because the Model 3 will be able to beat those specs.
It's a win because the $35K (before rebates) base Model 3 will be less expensive than the base Bolt (which will be over $35K before rebates).
So now all Tesla has to do is make sure that the 3 exceeds those key Bolt specs. Tesla has a clear target to shoot for. GM will be playing catchup.

 

[dsm363]

Depends on your location. There are already plenty of CCS stations in Europe available 24/7...

CCS/Combo Charge Map - Europe

1600+ at the moment open 24/7. I guess this number will be at least up to 2000-3000 stations in 12-24 months.

GM will probably sell this car under the Opel/Vauxhall brands there (or may at least adapt the US Bolt).

I think CCS quick charging won't be an issue in a few years in NA too. That's the nice thing about open standards. All the CCS chargers set up by BMW, VW and others (as well as Nissan setting up dual CCS/Chademo chargers in some partnerships) means more charging options for the Bolt - even without GM doing anything (yet).

But I'm sure we will hear more from Ford and GM on their infrastructure strategy as well.

BMW and Nissan already offered free charging for some time with every new car sold. I imagine similar bundle options once the Bolt is available (e.g. 12 or 24 months of free DC charging with every car...).

How many of those locations have 4+ plugs? They look to all be single stations for the most part.

 

[FlasherZ]

If they can fix the dealer buying experience. *shudder*

To be fair, *some* dealers come within a mile of Tesla - typically those small-town dealers where everyone knows everyone else; because you don't have an infinite source of customers to screw over.

In the large cities, though, where one dealership may have 15-20 franchises, there's an unending source of suckers - err, customers - that the dealers love to exploit. What are you going to do, run to the other dealer with 15-20 franchises? Good luck with the treatment there!

- - - Updated - - -

This is something that I think many folks who feel tht without a fast charge infrastructure announcement/rollout, the Bolt is DOA.

While lack of a comprehensive DCFC network will certainly impact one market segment, there is another for which it will likely be perfectly fine. The Leaf starts at $30K with half the range, and it doesn't have a large charging infrastructure either, yet they've sold well.

I agree with this.

A majority in my county simply don't go on long road trips, and would - in the entire lifetime of their car - never need to charge on the road. The Bolt is going to be a GREAT choice for this. It's also going to be the great primary "dad/mom goes to work" car in a two-car family, with the rest of the family using the SUV when necessary. Not everyone needs supercharging, as noted by the rows upon rows of Nissan Leafs in the typical California employee parking lot.

When the Bolt comes - like Model 3 - I'm going to campaign heavily for it among friends and family, for the right use cases. It's the right thing to do.

 

[scaesare]

I agree with this.

A majority in my county simply don't go on long road trips, and would - in the entire lifetime of their car - never need to charge on the road. The Bolt is going to be a GREAT choice for this. It's also going to be the great primary "dad/mom goes to work" car in a two-car family, with the rest of the family using the SUV when necessary. Not everyone needs supercharging, as noted by the rows upon rows of Nissan Leafs in the typical California employee parking lot.

When the Bolt comes - like Model 3 - I'm going to campaign heavily for it among friends and family, for the right use cases. It's the right thing to do.

At the risk of spending too much time just agreeing with each other... the above describes my situation and what I use my Model S for. I commute under 100 miles a day, and occasionally put anther 25 miles on in an evening. I'd say that 99% of the time I don't need to supercharge.

I'd bet the majority of the 100K+ population where I live falls in to similar "1 commuter car, 1 SUV" category...

I take the Model S on road trips because I can, but if supercharging weren't available for it, I'd take my Sequoia... but that wouldn't prevent me from buying mid-range priced a 200-mile range EV as my daily driver.

 

[Breezy]

No mention yet what "200 miles" actually is. Is that no aircon, no heat, 55Mph in a tailwind?

It's 200 miles EPA. It has been mentioned many times, actually, including in several recent articles.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Depends on your location. There are already plenty of CCS stations in Europe available 24/7...

CCS/Combo Charge Map - Europe

1600+ at the moment open 24/7. I guess this number will be at least up to 2000-3000 stations in 12-24 months.

GM will probably sell this car under the Opel/Vauxhall brands there (or may at least adapt the US Bolt).

I think CCS quick charging won't be an issue in a few years in NA too. That's the nice thing about open standards. All the CCS chargers set up by BMW, VW and others (as well as Nissan setting up dual CCS/Chademo chargers in some partnerships) means more charging options for the Bolt - even without GM doing anything (yet).

But I'm sure we will hear more from Ford and GM on their infrastructure strategy as well.

BMW and Nissan already offered free charging for some time with every new car sold. I imagine similar bundle options once the Bolt is available (e.g. 12 or 24 months of free DC charging with every car...).

In terms of a usable network for long-distance travel, the vast majority of the current CHAdeMO and CCS build-out might as well not be there. They're worse than Bethesda.

 

[RubberToe]

It's 200 miles EPA. It has been mentioned many times, actually, including in several recent articles.

It's not 200 miles EPA until the EPA says it is 200 miles. Unless this happened already and I missed it :smile:

 

[ebwb]

Looks like some more info has leaked...http://insideevs.com/2017-chevrolet-bolt-details-leak-ahead-todays-reveal

More info here: Affordable Chevy Bolt packs in latest technology


94.4 cu ft of interior volume. Model S has 95.1 cu ft of interior volume by comparison. That's one of the upsides of tall hatchbacks/crossovers I suppose -- more space efficiency.

 

[Breezy]

It's not 200 miles EPA until the EPA says it is 200 miles. Unless this happened already and I missed it :smile:

Yes, very true. I should have put an asterisk there. *Government test results are not yet available. Based on internal testing, GM expects the Bolt EV to achieve a minimum of 200 miles of range.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

Looks like some more info has leaked...

Exterior structure is made of aluminium, carbon fiber and mineral magnesium

That seems like it might be expensive to fix, given the demographic the vehicle will be marketed to.

 

[Jeff N]

It's not 200 miles EPA until the EPA says it is 200 miles. Unless this happened already and I missed it :smile:

The car companies actually do the testing and self-certify. EPA only does a small percentage of cross-checking tests at a later date.