Chevrolet said it was going to bring an affordable, long-range electric vehicle to market – and it did, with the 2017 Bolt EV. I visited Palo Alto to find out more about the Bolt EV, and the tech behind it, speaking to the car’s lead engineers and designers.
The Bolt itself was present, too, of course, an impressive car currently shipping to customers that offers an equally impressive drive (more on that in a forthcoming post). Also strangely present in absentia was Tesla, which is the company that has yet to make good on a similar promise to deliver affordability and range in an EV package.
Chevrolet was quick to point out than in Canada at least, it’s outselling Tesla two to one when it comes to electrified vehicles, before the Volt has even launched. That’s if you count the Volt, Chevy’s hybrid electric with a 53-mile pure electric range and gas-powered extend range of 420 miles total. “We are the leader in the electrification of vehicles,” a spokesperson told a room of journalists at the Bolt first drive event.
The Bolt EV does feel like a vehicle capable of leading the industry; the car’s 238-mile range from its 60 kWh battery is better than the 210 mile EPA rating on Tesla’s 60 kWh Model S (though the 75, 90 and 100 kWh options all offer better estimates than the Bolt), and it costs less than half the price of the lowest-specced Tesla.
