Chevrolet announced Thursday that it has begun testing its new electric car, the Bolt EV. The car company announced the Bolt earlier this year, and with a 200-mile electric range, Chevy is hoping the Bolt can compete with Tesla, which is also gearing up to release a new electric vehicle, the Model 3.
The Bolt is being tested as part of General Motors’ Powered by Innovation initiative. A Chevy representative says roughly 55 Bolts are being tested on the roads of Detroit. They have been camouflaged to prevent them from being identified by other drivers.
Chevy is claiming that the Bolt will have an all-electric range in excess of 200 miles, and that the car will cost consumers roughly $30,000 after federal tax rebates. This is a rather lofty goal for an electric car in terms of its range and price. Most electric cars with a range of over 200 miles are nearly triple the expected price of the Bolt. Meanwhile, those priced similarly to Chevy’s new car have a range that’s less than 100 miles.
The current crop of Tesla vehicles are roughly in the same price range as the Bolt, but are built more for shorter communes rather than long-range drives. If Chevy can fulfill its promise of selling a 200-mile range electric vehicle for around $30,000, it should be able to compete with Tesla, whose Model 3 car is expected to cost around $35,000 with an all-electric range of roughly 200 miles.
Of course, Chevrolet failed to deliver on its last big electric venture, the Volt hybrid in 2007. That car did not live up to expectations and sales suffered because of it. This puts Chevy under a little added pressure to fulfill its promises for the Bolt, especially if it expects to compete with Tesla, which is far more established on the electric car market.
After it’s current round of testing, the Bolt is expected to launch sometime in 2016. Chevy will make it available to the public in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as a few foreign markets.
I’ve been saying it for a while but before electric cars can penetrate the auto market effectively they will have to equal or surpass the overall performance of petroleum powered cars:
1. Range per charge in excess of 300 miles
2. Recharge time not greater than 30 minutes
3. Total driving weight not less than 2000 pounds
4. Time to repair major components roughly 500,000 miles
5. Unit cost equal to or less than same type and class of petroleum powered car.
6. No hybrid complications, must be all electric
7. Ability to charge at home in less than 30 minutes, or an infrastructure as expansive as the gasoline infrastructure.
Until that happens consumers are too familiar with real-world performance to buy into anything less than this. In the meantime electric cars will be a toy for those with too much money.
What were the expectations that the bolt did not meet in 2007? Very important detail left out…
Why is it that only tesla can make a sexy looking electric car and all these other companies make there electric car look like nerdie mini van
safety?
soft ride? comfort?
safety?
automatic driving?
safety?
if i wanted strictly $$ per miles , i’d buy an electric bicycle.
My guess is that the 200 mile range is significantly reduced if the A/C or heater is running. Perhaps to less than 100 miles, right?
‘The current crop of Tesla vehicles are roughly in the same price range as the Bolt, but are built more for shorter communes rather than long-range drives. ”
The current range of Tesla vehicle have a 70k price point and a range of 250-285 miles.
You have substituted “Tesla” for the word “electric”. You have also substituted communes for commutes but that is a fault of your software rather than a freudian slip.
“The current crop of Tesla vehicles are roughly in the same price range as the Bolt, but are built more for shorter communes rather than long-range drives.”
Ahm, Telsa Model S travels 240-300 miles per charge.
This statement is wrong… “The current crop of Tesla vehicles are roughly in the same price range as the Bolt, but are built more for shorter communes rather than long-range drives.” Current Tesla vehicles are 2-3x the price and are all 240+ mile range.
After driving a Nissan Leaf for almost three years, I would love to see the 200 mile range in an electric vehicle. Even better would be a 4wd version to handle the hills and snow in SD. Driving electric is fun, fast and worth it until it has to stay in the garage because it will not make the required trip.