Exclusive: GM will build Chevy Bolt in Michigan in late 2016

[apacheguy]

For me, the Superchargers is the magic potion that still sways me to Tesla. The Bolt is an unknown at the moment and I really do like the i3 design but if I'm going to spend $55K on an EV I don't want just a city car, I need something I can *travel* in. If the i3 had a 320Km (200 mile) battery and Supercharger access I'd consider it.

^This. The SpC network is currently under appreciated. No other EV maker has anything like it and it's a big downside even for other 200+ mile range EVs like the Bolt.

 

[stopcrazypp]

SAE article says the exterior is production ready - interior will change.

Link please. I have a hard time believing the current headlights/tail-lights, all glass roof, wraparound rear glass, pop-out flush door handles, etc. will make it all the way to the end. Plus given they didn't even get the connector correct, I doubt they can just use the exterior body AS-IS.

 

[Beryl]

I'm going to spend $55K on an EV I don't want just a city car, I need something I can *travel* in.

This. And for twice the price, the model X will be my "tiny house".

 

[Yuri_G]

GM is getting their cells from the LG Chem factory in Michigan. That factory was designed to initially produce enough cells for up to 50,000 Volts a year each having 288 pouch cells. The factory was designed so it could be rapidly expanded to produce enough cells for 200,000 Volts. The new Volt (and the Spark EV, which is supplied by the same factory) now uses 192 cells per car which might imply that the plant could now be expanded to supply up to 300,000 Volts per year ((288/192) * 200,000). Let's say it takes about 3x the cells in the Volt to make a 55-60 kwh pack (2016 Volt has 192 cells for 18.4 kwh so 3x would be 55.2 kwh). That implies that the existing LG Chem plant could be relatively rapidly expanded to support up to 100,000 200-mile cars or maybe 85,000 plus 45,000 Volts. That's not 500,000 cars a year like the GF at full capacity in 2020 but it's still plenty of cars. There are very few passenger car models that sell that well that are priced over $30,000. I would hardly call that "compliance car" territory.

Of course, if sales are that successful I'm sure LG and GM will be building out a new factory in short order. The original factory took a couple of years to build. And, of course, LG has other factories and could export enough cells to Michigan to fill the gap while they build a new US factory.



LG Chem To Set Up Michigan Battery Plant | TheDetroitBureau.com

Except that three times the 2016 Volt's battery capacity does not equal 200 EPA rated miles. So now you're at 75k Bolts maximum per year with out any Volts, dividing 300k by 4. And no, the Bolt won't be magically light and make up the 50 mile difference in weight savings. GM has yet to show tangible proof they can make a 200 mile range EV. Maybe by 2020, but not with the Bolt before then.

 

[EVNow]

Link please. I have a hard time believing the current headlights/tail-lights, all glass roof, wraparound rear glass, pop-out flush door handles, etc. will make it all the way to the end. Plus given they didn't even get the connector correct, I doubt they can just use the exterior body AS-IS.

Took me less than a minute to search it ...

GM's production 2017 Bolt EV to offer +200-mi range at $30K price - SAE International

The concept’s exterior form, with its short front and rear overhangs, is “very close” to the production car but the concept interior “is being extensively reworked for production,” said a GM engineering source who asked to remain anonymous. GM engineers are putting a major effort into reducing mass in the Bolt’s structure to offset the battery weight; the concept was said to weigh 3543 lb (1607 kg). The production car will use a mixed-materials strategy consisting mainly of high-strength steel and aluminum alloys, with magnesium and (perhaps) carbon fiber used in specific areas.

One thing probably not appreciated here is that Detroit leaks like a sieve. People constantly reject "rumors" printed in major publications - but most of them have proven correct.

 

[RobStark]

Took me less than a minute to search it ...

GM's production 2017 Bolt EV to offer +200-mi range at $30K price - SAE International

According to above article "Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that his company’s upcoming Model 3, designed for similar range, will enter the market in the 2017 time frame at $35,000 after incentives, Musk said." Which is flat out wrong. Musk has said repeatedly Model 3 is $35k BEFORE incentives.


Whether the production Bolt will look like the concept or not depends on your definition of "very close."

I will wager it will "look" like the concept minus all-glass roof, wrap around glass, and probably the Tesla style pop-out handles.

And GM can credibly say the look is "very close" minus the expensive tough to engineer cheaply bits.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Took me less than a minute to search it ...

GM's production 2017 Bolt EV to offer +200-mi range at $30K price - SAE International

The concept’s exterior form, with its short front and rear overhangs, is “very close” to the production car but the concept interior “is being extensively reworked for production,”

"Very close" and "production ready" is not the same thing. When you say production ready, it means that the car will pretty much launch exactly as pictured. This is similar to the production 2011 Volt vs the production design version they in 2008 (although even that is not truly a right match as there were some lighting changes). "Very close" can mean a lot of things (for example I would consider the Model S concept "very close" to the production Model S, but there were still lots of significant details that changed).

Production 2011 Volt

Production Design 2008, Concept 2007.

One thing probably not appreciated here is that Detroit leaks like a sieve. People constantly reject "rumors" printed in major publications - but most of them have proven correct.

They were wrong in the previous Chicago announcement though: there was no announcement of 2016 production.

 

[renim]

According to above article "Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that his company’s upcoming Model 3, designed for similar range, will enter the market in the 2017 time frame at $35,000 after incentives, Musk said." Which is flat out wrong. Musk has said repeatedly Model 3 is $35k BEFORE incentives...

Musk statement of the price at $35,000 before incentives explicitly excluded inflation...

so take it as $35,000 +4 years inflation (ie 10%) and the incentives have expired for the entry level Tesla 3 (but higher level Tesla 3 still got the rebate)

actually its not hard to forecast that people who wait for others to take delivery of entry level Tesla 3, will pay much more than $35,000 for their own car. (due to additional inflation, and Tesla price increases)

 

[EVNow]

I will wager it will "look" like the concept minus all-glass roof, wrap around glass, and probably the Tesla style pop-out handles.

Yes, that's my guess as well. Those are the normal show car elements that don't make it to production.

Basically, the sheet metal is done. There won't be a change like what happened with Volt. Infact I bet Bolt will look rather like the next gen Sonic - just as Volt looked like Cruze.

- - - Updated - - -

"Very close" and "production ready" is not the same thing. When you say production ready, it means that the car will pretty much launch exactly as pictured.

No that's not production ready means. Show cars are always have some extra elements never meant for production.

They were wrong in the previous Chicago announcement though: there was no announcement of 2016 production.

Right, but a lot of other things that was reported proved right. Most of the naysayers here were proved wrong (but they'll never accept).

 

[Krugerrand]

Most of the naysayers here were proved wrong (but they'll never accept).

I'm sure they'll accept 'it' when 'it' actually happens, which 'it' hasn't yet.

 

[Jeff N]

Except that three times the 2016 Volt's battery capacity does not equal 200 EPA rated miles. So now you're at 75k Bolts maximum per year with out any Volts, dividing 300k by 4. And no, the Bolt won't be magically light and make up the 50 mile difference in weight savings. GM has yet to show tangible proof they can make a 200 mile range EV. Maybe by 2020, but not with the Bolt before then.

The Bolt is using new cells that will be more energy dense than even the new cells in the 2016 Volt. I just used the 3x 18.4 kwh or 55 kwh if using the Volt cells as an example to show that the numbers are approximately in the correct zone. The S60 is EPA rated for 200 miles on 60 kwh so it seems entirely reasonable that the Bolt might use 3x the cells of the Volt but where the cells are 10% or so more energy dense. Or thereabouts. It's close enough to show the viability of the general idea. We will have to wait and see how many cells they actually use and what the total pack kwh rating is. Likewise for the total Bolt vehicle weight and the energy efficiency of the motors and power electronics.

 

[RobStark]

Musk statement of the price at $35,000 before incentives explicitly excluded inflation...

so take it as $35,000 +4 years inflation (ie 10%) and the incentives have expired for the entry level Tesla 3 (but higher level Tesla 3 still got the rebate)

actually its not hard to forecast that people who wait for others to take delivery of entry level Tesla 3, will pay much more than $35,000 for their own car. (due to additional inflation, and Tesla price increases)

Tesla 3 is scheduled for release in 2nd half of 2017 not 4 years from now. Maybe 4 years before it reaches Oz.

I have not heard Musk mention inflation. Inflation has been low the last couple of years. The last couple of months we have had deflation in the US.

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/



It is not hard to forecast that people in the distant future will pay more for X than people do today. That is not breaking news.

People who want the cheapest possible Tesla Model 3 should reserve a vehicle shortly after Tesla starts taking reservations.


If you want to wait until Tesla "works out the kinks" then you may pay more. That is your risk averse choice to pay more to avoid some risk.

 

[ecarfan]

Tesla 3 is scheduled for release in 2nd half of 2017 not 4 years from now. Maybe 4 years before it reaches Oz. I have not heard Musk mention inflation. Inflation has been low the last couple of years. The last couple of months we have had deflation in the US

I have heard Musk specifically mention inflation in relation to the Model 3 but can't find the source right now, sorry.

Form the article you linked to, quote: "Stripping out food and energy, so-called core consumer prices rose 0.2% in January after coming in flat for December."

The recent small drop in the PCI was driven by the fall in oil prices in January. That won't last.

 

[scaesare]

I have heard Musk specifically mention inflation in relation to the Model 3 but can't find the source right now, sorry.

I have as well. I don't believe it was in the original proce estimate, but something he referred to sometime later when asked about the Model 3 pricing.

 

[stopcrazypp]

No that's not production ready means. Show cars are always have some extra elements never meant for production.

Even ignoring the exact meaning of "production ready", the quote does not say "production ready", it says "very close" which is sufficiently vague such that it does not exclude sheet metal changes (which you seem to agree would exclude a "production ready" design).

 

[RubberToe]

GM giving away $10 billion, nothing better to do with the money...

GM Avoids Proxy Fight With Deal for $5 Billion Share Buyback - WSJ

The CEO doesn't even have EV's on her radar screen...

"Ms. Barra said there are significant demands on GM’s roughly $25 billion cash pile. Designing driverless cars, adding vehicle connectivity and increasing fuel efficiency top the list."

That $10 billion could have started construction on a nice giga-factory. The fact that they are not on that path speaks volumes.

They are done, stick a fork in them. The next public bailout will be in about 3 years.

RT

 

[ChadS]

I was at an event for fleet managers yesterday, and a GM rep announced that GM was hoping to start Bolt production around July or August of 2016. We talked after the event, and he offered (without me asking) that the schedule was aggressive and there might be slips. But that's apparently what they are currently aiming for.

 

[mknox]

I was at an event for fleet managers yesterday, and a GM rep announced that GM was hoping to start Bolt production around July or August of 2016. We talked after the event, and he offered (without me asking) that the schedule was aggressive and there might be slips. But that's apparently what they are currently aiming for.

Good. I say let's encourage them. Better than statements I hear coming out of Fiat and Toyota lately.

 

[Jeff N]

One thing I'm looking forward to hearing more about is the use of weight-saving construction techniques in both the Bolt and Model 3. That will be important to efficiency and efficiency means fewer battery cells but alternate construction costs more. There's a balance. The i3 BEV weighs only 2,800 pounds. I'm wondering what, if any, construction materials will be shared between the new Cadillac CT6 being announced in April and the Bolt being announced next week. Likewise, Tesla has to figure out the right balance between possibly cheaper steel and lighter aluminum and other materials.

There is more information now about the CT6. It will be 64% aluminum and use a variety of other specialized light-weight materials. It remains to be seen whether any of this construction style will be used on the Bolt.

cadillac.com: Cadillac CT6 Elevates the Science of Mass Efficiency

 

[Twiglett]

Chevy Bolt not really 200 mile range

Not surprised to read that the Chevy claim for 200 mile range for the Bolt is actually "maximum" - imagine that.
http://media.gm.ca/media/cn/en/gm/n...ges/news/cn/en/2015/april/0419_chevrolet.html

or "a maximum range of 320 km."