The Chevrolet Bolt Will Be A 200-Mile Electric Tesla Fighter

[cove3]

http://jalopnik.com/the-chevrolet-bolt-will-be-a-200-mile-electric-tesla-fi-1678649485

The Chevrolet Bolt Will Be A 200-Mile Electric Tesla Fighter For $30,000. Due 2017. The Tesla 3 is due around the same time at 35,000 but recent articles suggest it will be closer to 50,000. Also, I assume other manufacturers eg e-Golf, i3, LEAF are all working on 200 mile cars for the same time frame, and with probably greater economies of scale, especially if they leverage off a common platform like e-Golf .

It appears to be lithium ion battery rather than some breakthrough chemistry, so unless there's some big weight savings, it seems like it's just the Tesla solution.....a lot more batteries but also a lot more weight, which means the current 80 mile vehicles may not be obsoleted

Makes for an interesting battle brewing.

Ron

 

[cove3]

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...-30000-electric-car-concept-live-video-photos

1. Looks somewhat similar to the i3 but with full rear doors
2. Not clear if 30,000 includes 7500 tax credit. Since this expires in 2015, GM would be sticking its neck out to include it, but my guess is it does
3. No indication if any part is carbon fiber
4. Most important, no weight or indication if 200 miles is simply a bigger battery or some mix of new technology and more battery
5. Could be available Nov/Dec 2016
6. Market for pure ev is getting pretty crowded and will put huge pressures on Tesla's Model 3 volume assumptions, especially if Tesla can't make it for 35K as many have suggested

Ron

 

[WoodlandHills]

This is why it would be short-sighted to buy an EV or plugin as opposed to leasing.......
2017 will be a different marketplace from today, in addition, there will be thousands of DC chargers in place as the infrastructure gets built out. A BEV will be a lot more viable as a family car for many more people.

I fully expect to replace my leased i3 with a car that costs less, goes farther on a charge and has more features. I also hope that it has a more comfortable ride than the i3, I hate those Donk wheels and their rim protectors!

 

[cove3]

I thought of that but concluded I'd still be waiting to buy a computer as the price comes down and the function goes up every year. From what I've read, I'm of the opinion battery breakthroughs to where they can actually enter into a production car are 3 or more years away, and that talk of 150-200 mile evs is mostly, although not entirely, the Tesla approach of more batteries and hence more weight and more cost. Since 95% of my driving is <50 miles, I figure I can muddle through the other 5% with my CCS charger or else use my ICE

Ron

 

[ATXMARC]

I did the oc financing through bmw for that reason...hoping actually for a retrofit since i love the car.

 

[Blue20]

It is reported to support DC charging. ( http://www.autoblog.com/2015/01/12/chevrolet-bolt-ev-concept-video-detroit-2015/ )

But the plug does not look like a CCS combo. It starts yet another standard?

http://www.autoblog.com/photos/chevrolet-bolt-ev-concept/#image-5

 

[cove3]

It would probably be an option as with 200 mile range, there's much less need for it than with a 80 mile range

Ron