I think it's fabulous that other car manufacturers are starting to take EVs a bit more seriously. With that said, the Bolt is definitely not for me.
The media is touting the Bolt's excellent range -- and it is excellent, in of itself -- but the problem is that the range is effectively pointless without an equivalent supercharger network. Not just the network itself, mind you, but also the speed at which it will charge your car. Tesla's Superchargers are just barely fast enough to not be a huge drag on a road trip. I'm still looking forward to faster charge times than these are right now. But the Bolt's fastest, if you're lucky and a stall is available, road trip charging speed option (90 miles in 30 minutes) just doesn't cut it -- too little range for <= 30 minutes of charging. And that's a best-case scenario with the Bolt. With the ability to comfortably road trip gone, the Bolt's range becomes pretty superfluous. If it's just a city car, you don't really need more than ~100 miles of range. A used Leaf can provide that on the cheap (~$10k or less I've heard). There are several new EVs with city range out there too.
Even putting aside how the range and charging don't work together...
-Exterior is ugly. Looks like a cheap-o $14k econobox with a few weird lines mixed in, all at the price of premium or low-end ICE luxury cars (like Acura).
-Interior isn't ugly, but looks incredibly cheap as well. Feels like something a toddler would enjoy playing with, what with its bright plastics, disjointed controls, and outdated-looking UI. Seats do not look very comfortable.
The only thing I like about the Bolt (on paper, of course), besides its existence in helping the EV market, is its interior space and decent performance/handling.
In summary, I applaud Chevrolet for putting something out there. The range would be excellent if they could combine it with supercharger speeds (or faster) and accessibility for road trips. But when weighing the pros and cons, it's still not a very compelling option. I'd much rather have a used Model S for a bit more.
As far as I can tell, the only thing the Bolt has over the upcoming Model 3 (again, on paper), is perhaps interior headroom and cargo space (due to being a hatcback). I'll reserve judgment on the Model 3 interior until we see the final design, but I do tend to prefer classy, sleek, and clean over the cheap plastic kids toy look. The great thing about the Model 3 is that, unlike the Bolt, there are no compromises in city driving or on road trips.
Model 3 looks like it will be a much more compelling car for the money. I am glad the Bolt exists though! Just wish Chevy would have put the whole package together.
After following Tesla news for the last couple months while ordering and waiting for my Model X, I've been appalled at how much the media craps on Tesla with so many utterly false and inaccurate headlines, stories, and tone. There are several legitimate and factual criticisms of Tesla, but the media would rather outright lie and slander to gain attention. It's obnoxious.