When first announced, Chevy Bolt was unique in so many ways. It is supposed to bring electric vehicles closer to the masses because of its affordability and capability to travel great distances as well – 238 mile (383 kilometers) range on a single charge. Michigan plant is in charge of production of this little hatchback, and as things look now, the first units will be ready before the year ends.
Read about 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV !
General Motors has made more than just a few smart moves. They didn’t put all of their efforts and money into just one car, expecting that it will make an Economic boom and make them famous. No, GM has a plan which will help them respond to any changes in demand. That plan includes same platform but two different cars – the Bolt which is one and the Sonic hatchback the second one that is being assembled in Orion Assembly Plant. Smart ha? If the demand shifts more to the first car, they can easily change the production ratios to its favor and vice versa. Currently, the reports suggest that the Bolt is 20 to 25 percent of the mix for the single shift of workers. The reason is the failure of the Cadillac ELR, and GM doesn’t want the same scenario happening with the lack of EV demand.
As we previously mentioned the Bolt is special in so many ways. It is supposed to be the first gen of the affordable EV’s that isn’t going to struggle with the mileage as the current “cheap” options such as Nissan Leaf that struggles with reaching over 100 miles on a single charge, while the Bolt can do twice as that right now. Bolt’s price will be somewhere around $37,500 , but that is all before government incentives, meaning that tax rebates could take the cost down to $29,995 for some buyers. There is a Premier trim for the Bolt that is offering leather seats, a 360-degree camera system, and a rear camera display in the rearview mirror, but the premium on it is still unknown. Bolt also will hugely benefit from the first-come-first-served rule in this booming segment, because Tesla Model 3 also aims at the same affordable EV’s segment such as Bolt does with the price tag of around $35,000. But what it doesn’t get (Tesla Model 3 is estimated at 215 miles – 346 km) is the Bolts electric range which is again unbeaten.
Nissan is also in the preparation of the Leafs second gen with rumors of having a bigger battery (60-kilowatt-hour) with a range of about 250 miles. These are only rumors for now, as well as those regarding the production version that might debut sometime in 2017 and be on sale in time for the 2018 model year. Once again Bolt has got that beaten, and so far no one can match it. Great work GM!
