Various press articles coming out tonight and a CNet video first drive that may have been published too soon. Watch the video while you can.... Video: Hitting the road in Chevy's $30k, 200-mile Bolt EV Articles: All-electric Chevy Bolt shows agility, creative interior Chevy's Bolt EV designed with GM's new Lyft investment in mind
If 200 miles isn't enough for your daily driving, I wouldn't recommend it for you. For my wife and I, 200 miles a day would completely eliminate our need to waste time standing at a gas pump. For trips, they will need a DC fast charging solution. Hopefully we will hear about that today.
This is way more exciting for me than the Mirai, simply because of the fact that I can buy the Bolt here in the Midwest when they release it. Not to mention it's a lot cheaper as well, and I can "fuel" this up right in my garage. If I didn't already buy the Volt, I would definitely consider the Bolt, Nissan Leaf 2.0, or Tesla Model 3. It's likely one of those three cars will be my next vehicle purchase once it's time to replace the Volt. Your move, Nissan and Tesla.
200 miles/day and home charging would take care of 95% of my driving. The remaining could be handled by switching with the wife, renting or using a business rental. Hmm...... I'm genuinely amazed at the design. Like the Prius, the outside disguises the amount of interior space but it definitely has a smaller boot than the Prius LB. Another video not linked in the OP shows a 6ft. 5in tester sitting in the back seat with room to spare (don't know front seat position though). Hope to learn more from this afternoon's unveiling. Edit: Opps someone leaked it early. Here's some more deets: 9 hours to fully recharge on Level 2 (likely 6.6 kW or higher) EPA-estimated range of 200 miles or more Available in late 2016 Expected output of ~150 HP ~ 300 pound-feet of torque 0 to 60 MPH in ~ 7 seconds Top speed of more than 90 MPH DC fast charger will recharge car from 0 to 80% in 45 minutes (more than 50 kW?) Price still claimed to be less than $30,000 after the $7,500 tax credit 10.2-inch touchscreen Exterior structure is made of aluminium, carbon fiber and mineral magnesium Battery tucked under floor Seating for 5 4 USB ports, as well as the 4G LTE Yeah, this car should work well for Lift users in large urban areas. Lift says the average trip fare is 2-6 miles in length.
I saw a latinpost.com article that included your list here but it was drawn from some sources like a speculative article at HybridCars.com rather than actual vehicle specifications. Update.... I see now that the list is probably from an InsideEVs.com article but I think it is still drawn from speculation rather than actual embargo breakers. Many of these items above are good guesses and hopefully we will know some of them with more certainty later today after GM CEO Mary Barra's keynote address at CES at 1pm Pacific.
This is a great opening salvo in the next generation of EVs. I'm looking forward to what Nissan and Tesla have cooking.
Almost certainly. What I am curious is not so much the type of charger, but the placement of them. If GM wants to promote the Bolt as an "only" car suitable for long distance travel, they will work on a nationwide framework. Perhaps making a deal with one of those travel center chains with restaurants or such. Or, they could just rely on the DC infrastructure that is growling organically and market the car as a great car for 95% of the time.
I expect the latter. Going back to comments about the boot space being too small on the Bolt, it simply is a small car to begin with. The core platform used, the one used for the Sonic and Aveo, is two size classes smaller than midsize. Not that a smaller car can't work for long trips, but the projected price range means most purchasers will have a second car of some type. Plus, working extra towards a national network of chargers could be seen as working against the Volt, Malibu hybrid, and their other ICE models by some groups GM needs to keep happy. This doesn't preclude Lyft from pushing DC chargers in the areas they operate though.
Interesting note: There's no spare tire, but neither is there an inflator kit; the electric Bolt will be the first car on the market to use the latest development of Michelin's self-sealing tire technology. Unlike run-flat tires, these seal around any nails or other small punctures, which the owner will only learn about once the tire is replaced.
Interesting, and annoying. Aside from the lack of funds and CARB hobbling, my interest in the i3 drops when I think about those uniquely sized tires it has. Will the Bolt have a jack? I already have a plug kit and mini-compressor. I would rather not have to source an emergency jack if I skip on the self-sealing tires when the time comes.
No jack, kit or compressor. I sourced a $25 scissor jack locally for my CMax and got a compatible spare off ebay but it stays in the garage nearly 100% of the time now.
