Chevrolet 'Bolt' Concept 200-Mile Electric Car To Target Tesla

...from reading some other blogs, apparently Bolt is a compliance car and, if built in USA, GM could get regulatory credits to allow making more Silverados etc under CAFE rules. If you can get your hands on a Bolt, might be nice car for nice price but not sure it scales up.

 

it will have to be a big price difference.

mama mia!

 

Thunder-Bolt and Lightfoot?

 

Very Very Frightening!

 

This is true. To a point.
Alternate fuel vehicles get multiplier when determining CAFE. They count as 1.2 to 1.8 cars for each one sold. Then there is three fleets for each manufacturer; truck, domestic car, and foreign car.

The new CAFE rules expand on the credit trading. Previously, extra credits from exceeding the mpg target could only be used to offset penalties from missing it within the same fleet for 3 years before or after the credits were earned. The new rules allow them to be banked for up to 5 years, traded between car and truck fleets, and sold to other manufacturers.

To the to a point part. The Spark EV is a foreign car. The Sonic EV, and presumably the Bolt, would be domestic. An article on the Sonic EV mentioned it would be available countrywide because of credits it would get versus the Spark EV. Aside: there was talk from GM about the Spark EV going nationwide in the beginning, but it was also expected that the foreign and domestic division for CAFE car fleets would disappear. Generally with the domestic auto companies, their foreign fleets were mostly smaller, more efficient models, with the domestic fleet being the mid and full size models.

If that holds true for GM's fleets, and they wanted credits for Silverados, selling more Sparks would net more credits, since the foreign fleet likely doesn't need an EV to meet CAFE. Selling more Sonics does help bring up the larger cars in the domestic fleet. Which means less credits to trade to the truck fleet. I will admit here that this isn't term paper level researched, and that there could be details missing that leave my conclusions wrong.

Either way, the Bolt is a compliance car. As someone living outside California, I'm ok with that if a federal compliance means I have a shot of buying one from a local dealer. There were voiced doubts on the Volt actually being built, and now we are about to see the second generation. So I think this Bolt has a good chance of seeing the light of day. Even a Sonic EV with a solid 100+ EPA range, and national availability would be a plus for the BEV market.

 

I hear you Bob, but let's not forget that Bob Lutz, the hybrid's worst critic, pushed hard to get GM to produce the Volt. He then went on to help create VIA Motors. While I have remained skeptical of VIA I not so secretly want a VIA truck! If Lutz can change anything can change. lol

I just saw a Facebook status update by Chelsea Sexton and she is being picked up in Detroit and shuttled to the big event in a VIA van. Lucky girl. First she gets to drive around in an ELR with Robert Llewellyn then rides in a Vvan.

 

From what I've read the Bolt is not a compliance car, all current reports say GM has the intention of selling this car in all 50 states. Compliance cars are only sold in CAFE states and in strictly limited numbers. Time will tell I suppose but I'm currently hopeful. It certainly isn't going to fight Tesla as a compliance car.

 

It starts...

First Images Of Chevrolet Bolt (CrossVolt?) At 2015 NAIAS


Chevrolet Bolt (CrossVolt) Revealed

 

Hmm, looks similar to an BMW i3. Not that I consider that a bad thing. 200 mile EV range with a price around $30k will be really tempting as well.

Will be interesting to see what the Gen 2 Leaf will look like, as well as specs for it.

 

The Bolt.

 

I don't think the Bolt will be a compliance vehicle.
They do have work to do over the next few years if they plan to sell more than 10,000/year or so.

I've seen mentioned that the batteries will be made in the MI LG plant that makes the Volt batteries.
The capacity of that plant is current enough to produce batteries for 60,000 1st gen Volts/year.

That is about 20,000 200 mile battery packs.
So they need to expand the plant, or have additional sources.

 

They said that it will be sold nationwide, as well as other global markets. My guess is they'll build another factory if there's enough demand for it.

This is a really exciting time to be watching the automotive industry regarding electric vehicles. Though they're still clearly in niche territory, this also shows that more automakers are definitely trying to make them more mainstream and acceptable to general public.

I wonder what the Gen 4 Prius, as well as the gen 2 Plug-in Prius, is going to be like. They've got a lot of viable competition now, so it'll be interesting to see what Toyota has to offer.

 

There's always the Gigafactory.

 

The Bolt looks very much like the BMW i3 to me. I wonder if BMW's lawyers should arise from their slumber?

Chevy Bolt


BMW i3


*changed the names for ya' Grumpy, you had the names reversed for the pics*

 

sincerest form of flattery.

 

Indeed.

And the names were deliberately wrong as is the way in lookalikeys

 

I'd be surprised if they could achieve this without sacrificing battery life.

 

I like it! I like the i3 as well though so it's no surprise. If GM can pull it off I'd definitely buy one to replace my Volt.

 

great minds think alike. i liked the i3 when i saw it in person. not quite sure why.funny story at whole foods last night. pulled into the parking lot, and there was a mercedes on the charger. there was a leaf on the other side, but only one evse. looked at the charger, and the merc had been there for an hour. when we came out, the leaf lady was leaving a note on the merc windshield. we don't get much ev on ev crime around here.

 

I was able to get someone out of the charging stall at a Best Western hotel. The management called him on his cell, and he came back, and took it out to the street. Young guy; he seemed to feel generally bad about having parked there.

There's an apparent air of holiness around electric vehicles sometimes, I find.