It's a Good Thing that GM unveiled the Bolt nearly 3 months before Model 3 unveiling!

[CHG-ON]

I think the Bolt looks like every other econobox. Not the least bit like what we would expect a Model 3 to be, I am quite sure. And I wish that the press and "analysts" would stop equating the Volt with an EV. It is not an EV. Period. It depends upon a gas generator to power the battery after the plug in charge is gone.

It's not the same at all and equating it to an EV does a disservice to all EVs, not just Tesla, and confuses the public.

 

[vdiv]

I have a very different take on the Volt, drove one for 3.5 years. Believe it or not it has aspects superior to the Model S.

It doesn't take much to confuse the public, EVs do too. What do they depend on when the plug in charge is gone, a tow truck? EREVs like the Volt and the i3 have had their function and a lot of people still prefer them to pure EVs. Let's see what GM does with the Bolt EV and beyond.

 

[LetsGoFast]

2. The model 3 won't see it's first customer for 18-24 months. in terms of product cycles, that's a LONG time. the Bolt will have been updated by then. The current Bolt isn't the target.

American cars don't have that kind of product cycle. A typical Chevrolet sees a refresh after 5 years of production. If the car releases on schedule as a 2017 model, you won't see a next generation until 2022. It could be longer than that. The last Impala wasn't revised for 10 years.

 

[Foghat]

I have a very different take on the Volt, drove one for 3.5 years. Believe it or not it has aspects superior to the Model S.

It doesn't take much to confuse the public, EVs do too. What do they depend on when the plug in charge is gone, a tow truck? EREVs like the Volt and the i3 have had their function and a lot of people still prefer them to pure EVs. Let's see what GM does with the Bolt EV and beyond.

All the competitors are at a big disadvantage compared to tesla. The super charger network is a massive selling point to future Model 3 buyers compared to the bolt, and especially anything faraday might have to offer.

Imagine being given a choice between a 35k bolt and a 35k model 3. Bolt has no free nationwide fast charging network, tesla model 3 does. Which would most of America choose?

Until I see a partnership with tesla for access to the supercharger network(or GM/anyone else builds their own) I'm not convinced tesla has any true ev competition whatsoever.

 

[bh1783]

All the competitors are at a big disadvantage compared to tesla. The super charger network is a massive selling point to future Model 3 buyers compared to the bolt, and especially anything faraday might have to offer.

Imagine being given a choice between a 35k bolt and a 35k model 3. Bolt has no free nationwide fast charging network, tesla model 3 does. Which would most of America choose?

Until I see a partnership with tesla for access to the supercharger network(or GM/anyone else builds their own) I'm not convinced tesla has any true ev competition whatsoever.

Agreed. Most of Barra's presentation was focused on talking about Onstar and connectivity and the size of their dealer network. No mention of a charging network or any proprietary technology unique to the Bolt. Most of the car is built by LG anyways(Battery and electronics).

 

[MikeL]

GM is currently "between bailouts"

but seriously, every Bolt that's on the road replaces an ice pwrd car. That's ok by me.

 

[JenniferQ]

GM is currently "between bailouts"

but seriously, every Bolt that's on the road replaces an ice pwrd car. That's ok by me.

Good points. Both.

 

[Yggdrasill]

GM will likely start selling the Bolt in Europe as an Opel. And I think it will do very well here in Norway. If it had the option of tow hitch and AWD, it would basically be the ideal car here.

But GM's success is dependent on one thing - timing. If it were available tomorrow in significant volume, I think it would seriously affect sales of the Leaf, e-Golf and i3. I think sales of over 10.000 cars per year would be possible - and that's *a lot* in little Norway.

However, it won't be available tomorrow. In fact, it almost certainly won't be available in 2016, and it might not even be available in 2017. If it arrives here in late 2017, early 2018, it's going up against the Model 3 (arriving about the same time) and the next gen Leaf (having already been available for months). How it will stack up against these cars is much harder to say. The next gen Leaf is looking very nice, and the Model 3 will have AWD, which we love, and maybe even tow hitch. And of course supercharging. My biggest fear is that Tesla chooses a low roofline on the Model 3, optimizing aerodynamics, but compromising interior volume. This could lead to the Bolt being favoured by those who don't need the performance or Supercharging.

 

[schonelucht]

GM will likely start selling the Bolt in Europe as an Opel. And I think it will do very well here in Norway.

Same thing in the Netherlands. Opel will basically sell every single Bolt-based car they offer to the Dutch public no questions asked. It will totally obliterate every single hybrid/EV sale due to massive incentives : fiscal cost for a hybrid is 20% of sales price/year while it's only 4% for a pure EV. That makes the cost of owning a 40k Opel equivalent with owning an 8k Picanto.

 

[Chickenlittle]

I have a very different take on the Volt, drove one for 3.5 years. Believe it or not it has aspects superior to the Model S.

It doesn't take much to confuse the public, EVs do too. What do they depend on when the plug in charge is gone, a tow truck? EREVs like the Volt and the i3 have had their function and a lot of people still prefer them to pure EVs. Let's see what GM does with the Bolt EV and beyond.

I have a volt and model s. So what are the superior aspects other than use of gasoline. Electric range 6 times greater than s, cargo room greater in s, safety rating greater in s, comfort greater in s, it takes overnight to charge 53 miles while my tesla on hpwc does that in less than an hour and supercharger does 3 X that is half hr. Oh yeah, it uses gasoline. Great advantage. Oh yeah gm so concerned with safety that they actually have automatically enabled the car on warm up in your garage to start thr gas extender

 

[macpacheco]

I wonder what GM will do to convince dealers to sell bolt instead of ICE.
The only way GM will cause Tesla trouble with the Bolt is if sales explode (enough mfg capacity, dealers actively sell it, no recall problems).
I doubt this whole machine is well oiled to succeed in a way that could cause Tesla or even Nissan real trouble.
The potential BEV market is huge. There's room for everybody.

 

[vdiv]

I'm not going to win a Volt argument in a Tesla forum, but the main one is obvious, the price. This is where the Model 3 and the Bolt EV comparison will get a little more interesting.

 

[Breezy]

I don't believe that the Bolt poses a problem for Tesla Motors. I think it will help Tesla by encouraging them to get the lead out on delivering the Model 3 as soon as possible. Tesla can start booking sales sooner than it would have if they had all the time in the world to tinker with it. The cupholders may not be as compelling as they would have been otherwise, but there will be rubber on the road.

I hope they are both very successful.

The Bolt may have be refreshed (not a new model like the 2016 Volt, but a refresh) by the time the Model 3 arrives. I expect GM to continue adding features, semi-autonomous driving features in particular, during this model cycle.

 

[MichFin]

And I wish that the press and "analysts" would stop equating the Volt with an EV. It is not an EV. Period. It depends upon a gas generator to power the battery after the plug in charge is gone

I disagree the Volt is a great Gen 1 electric car. It takes the biggest problem with EV's (range) and makes it a non issue. As we move to gen 2 cars like the Model S, Bolt and Leaf with 200+ miles range it's not as much an issue. My wife drives a volt 17 miles each way to work and except during really cold days in the winter she never uses gas.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't believe that the Bolt poses a problem for Tesla Motors.

I think the Bolt will be a sales failure even though it may be a great car. The reason is Value... Can you get the same value in Bolt as you can in a ICE car?

For all the complaining that the Model is expensive; it is a great value compared to it's peers. High performance luxury cars. You can't find ICE cars that are as fast or high tech as Tesla for it's price. The BMW 7 series, Mercedes or even Porsche. They can't match the model S at that price.

If you look at the Bolt what ICE car does it compete with? Is it faster, bigger, more high tech... Does it compete with other $30k cars? Is the branding compelling? Is there anything there except being electric that makes you want to say I got to have that? Unless they can make the Bolt more desirable than other Chevy's it's not going to sell in a meaningful way.

 

[Panoz]

@MichFin: I agree. A friend owns a Model S and a Volt, and I really like the Volt. It absolutely solves range anxiety and drops gasoline use 90% or more.

 

[Duckjybe]

As others have stated the biggest deterrent to buying a Bolt is its lack of compatible fast charging infrastructure. If Tesla is really serious about accelerating the advent of sustainable transport they better start sharing supercharger technology. I am hoping this will be the year that other companies start adopting it given there are finally some longer range EV's planned. Without supercharging (or equivalent) the other companies will be at a big disadvantage. I would buy a Bolt in a heartbeat except for lack of fast charging in our area.

 

[Twiglett]

As others have stated the biggest deterrent to buying a Bolt is its lack of compatible fast charging infrastructure. If Tesla is really serious about accelerating the advent of sustainable transport they better start sharing supercharger technology. I am hoping this will be the year that other companies start adopting it given there are finally some longer range EV's planned. Without supercharging (or equivalent) the other companies will be at a big disadvantage. I would buy a Bolt in a heartbeat except for lack of fast charging in our area.

Tesla are very serious and offered this several years ago, but got no takers.
Its not through lack of trying on their part.

 

[MichFin]

It's like being at the beach. Tesla is all in so it's important that the shark netting doesn't have any holes in it. While the others are dipping their toes or ankle deep so they're not worried about the sharks.

 

[Duckjybe]

Tesla are very serious and offered this several years ago, but got no takers.
Its not through lack of trying on their part.

Several years ago there was no other long range EV that could utilize it. How do you know they have been trying? If the deal was right, I would think a new EV entrant would be crazy not to adopt supercharging technology. Tesla cannot give access to their supercharging network for free so perhaps the deal is not right.

 

[macpacheco]

Several years ago there was no other long range EV that could utilize it. How do you know they have been trying? If the deal was right, I would think a new EV entrant would be crazy not to adopt supercharging technology. Tesla cannot give access to their supercharging network for free so perhaps the deal is not right.

I have a strong feeling nobody took Tesla up on that offer because they don't want to give Tesla more PR.
That's probably a stupid idea on our (pro Tesla) eyes, but in the CEO of a competitor car company that is already feeling be burn from Tesla competition they see making any deals with Tesla as a massive strategic loss. Its far more likely pure EV startups strapped for cash to share SC infra than established competitors.

I think many of the anti Tesla articles isn't just short guys trying to create anti Tesla stock sentiment. Some are merchants of doubt paid in full by NADA and some car mfgs.