Chevrolet News:Spying: Chevrolet Bolt Comes Into Focus

[William Maley]

Another vehicle has been revealed earlier than expected. This time, it is the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt which was caught during a photo shoot.

 

The styling for the production model retains the basic shape of the concept. Up front is the clip from Volt and the rear end reminds us of the BMW i3. As we reported in a previous Bolt spying piece, the interior will look similar to the Volt's. But we think the Bolt will have a larger touchscreen.

 

Now the Bolt will make its official debut next month at the Consumers Electronic Show in Las Vegas. Production will begin sometime late in 2016 at GM's Lake Orion plant.

 

Source: Autoblog, Car and Driver

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[G. David Felt]

Very cool, looks good and true to concept form. Weird observation in the very first photo is a weird boxy thing around the right front bumper area. Wonder what that was as it is gone in later photos.

[G. David Felt]

Any Idea what this is in this picture, it is gone from all the others. Maybe packing material for when the auto was shipped for the photo shoot?

 

 

Very sexy overall, Cannot wait for newer better quality pictures of both the inside and outside.

[ocnblu]

Model X is a foolish farce compared to this.  This is for real earth people.

[regfootball]

agree, this Bolt looks more interesting than i thought it would be.

[Robert Hall]

Any Idea what this is in this picture, it is gone from all the others. Maybe packing material for when the auto was shipped for the photo shoot?

 

2017BOLT.jpg

 

Very sexy overall, Cannot wait for newer better quality pictures of both the inside and outside.

C-pillar looks cribbed from recent Nissan design cues...

[G. David Felt]

 

 

225 mile range based on the 9hr charge time and battery capacity posted to date.

 

 

We have learned so much and now know that this EV will be a real product hitting dealer lots at the end of this year.

 

Cargo Capacity.

[G. David Felt]

Posting this here to keep all things BOLT together.

 

[hyperv6]

I think people will be shocked by this car. Yes pun intended. 

This is what will happen. The 3 will be late and much higher priced than the claimed $35K that was promised. Tesla has a history of over promising and under delivering. 

 

The Tesla will sell for sure as Musk could put 4 wheels on a turd and a lot of people will buy it if he can ever get them build. 

But Chevy here with all the options will under cut the 3 price. They will have more tax kick backs to offer and this car will have a 1 to 3 year lead on production.  This car has been doing better than what Chevy has claimed on the charge so that will be an extra bonus for many. 

The bottom line is this is the car Chevy said they would  build and it will be just in the price range of the average buyer. As long as this car is reliable and the dealer sell them properly they could gain some real traction with this car. 

 

Also GM does not have to make a profit here where Tesla needs to make a lot of money as they are pretty cash poor right now. The development cost and no profits from the cars are really hurting now. Selling Carbon credits right now is only going to go so far with more new car development needed. 

 

The only thing that could go wrong here is the dealer mess up on selling this and Chevy does not follow up on the best customer service they have ever given on these cars. That will be key as this is expected now with many EV cars. 

 

Any Idea what this is in this picture, it is gone from all the others. Maybe packing material for when the auto was shipped for the photo shoot?

 

2017BOLT.jpg

 

Very sexy overall, Cannot wait for newer better quality pictures of both the inside and outside.

C-pillar looks cribbed from recent Nissan design cues...

 

 

The floating pillar is cribbed from many cars even Opel.  It is a popular thing that just is not all that original anymore. 

[G. David Felt]

I agree with you Hyper, I know there are 300,000 folks who have preordered and plunked down $1000 to Tesla. I do wish GM would have done this with the BOLT. I think they could build allot of excitement with this auto. 

 

I think GM will deliver more than most expect and with a very clear message of 25 miles of charge per hour and a 9hr charge time for full means the BOLT is 225 miles of range compared to the 215 of Tesla. Yet I respect the conservative 200 mile range they quote.

 

I really think the BOLT SCARED Tesla and finally forced them to move forward with the Tesla 3.

 

Wether GM has many or few rebates depending on where they are at with the 200,000 sold and they do have strong sales of the VOLT, Tesla it is already known will not have them at all.

 

My wife is very excited about the BOLT and we cannot wait for them to get here. I wish it would arrive sooner than later but totally understand GM as they do need to make sure this is spot on perfect.

[ccap41]

It looks so small. 

[hyperv6]

I agree with you Hyper, I know there are 300,000 folks who have preordered and plunked down $1000 to Tesla. I do wish GM would have done this with the BOLT. I think they could build allot of excitement with this auto. 

 

I think GM will deliver more than most expect and with a very clear message of 25 miles of charge per hour and a 9hr charge time for full means the BOLT is 225 miles of range compared to the 215 of Tesla. Yet I respect the conservative 200 mile range they quote.

 

I really think the BOLT SCARED Tesla and finally forced them to move forward with the Tesla 3.

 

Wether GM has many or few rebates depending on where they are at with the 200,000 sold and they do have strong sales of the VOLT, Tesla it is already known will not have them at all.

 

My wife is very excited about the BOLT and we cannot wait for them to get here. I wish it would arrive sooner than later but totally understand GM as they do need to make sure this is spot on perfect.

 

 

Here is why the Three is here so far before production taking order. Tesla Needs the Money! 

 

GM does not need to take orders a year or years before production. They just build them and sell them. 

Also Tesla has a cult like following that appear to fall for the gag every time so if they are willing to cough up the money more power to Tesla. Just look at all the people who plunked down $5K how many years ago still waiting for their cars. 

GM could be well on the way to a second gen model or a larger sister model by the time Tesla gets the Three out at a higher price than quoted here. GM still has almost half their credits and Tesla has less then 1/4 left. 

The real telling thing will be how many who plunked down the money will wait as more models will hit the market and many cheaper than the Tesla overall. 

 

The fact is Tesla is living from hand to mouth right now and needs more product and volume to pay for development. As it is now they are behind and burning through money. Will they keep up and get ahead. They may but doing it with cheaper cars than the X and S will be a challenge. Also how will the 3 sales impact the S sales? 

There is no way to call this game as even Tesla and GM do not know where this will be in 5 years. They can make projections but they are ever changing with the public perceptions and technology changes. 

One thing for sure is the road will not get any easier for Tesla and as it goes on it will only get tougher. While they have made a cheaper S they have not made a Cheap car yet. Just watch as by the time of release the 3 will be $50K-60K ATP and the Bolt will be around $40K. By then GM will have more product as well as Porsche will be eating into S sales as well as Nissan and others. 

 

Tesla had an easy time making lay ups on the court before anyone else showed up. Once the game starts they will be the shortest player on the court. They may score but not as often and not as easy as they have. 

 

That is not a criticism of Tesla but just the nature of large vs small business. 

[G. David Felt]

+1, Some nice very valid points. Good overview.

[G. David Felt]

Love this new Commercial released online by Chevy.

 

[G. David Felt]

PreProduction Run

 

[Suaviloquent]

Good commercial.

[daves87rs]

Excited!!!

[oldshurst442]

All Electric. All Aboard. Seeing the USA in my Chevrolet while Finding New Roads because...the Heartbeat of America IS today's Chevrolet.

Edited April 16, 2016 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

More BOLT Updates  GM Media

 

GM has released more info and this continues to show how solid GM engineering is, on the range front, Chevy Spark has an 82 mile range, the batter in the BOLT is double the size and triple the capacity plus. The density of power per cell is 60 percent more according to GM Media. The Battery will come with an 8yr 100,000 mile warranty.

 

 

 

Bolt battery is 164 inches long, 70 inches wide 60 kWH 288 Lithium ion cell 960lbs.

 

More info found here Chevrolet Media

 

 

For those that say this is no Tesla, the motor is a 200HP 266lb-ft of Torque electric. 100% from zero. This is how you hit below 3 seconds to 30 and below 7 seconds to 60. Final drive ratio 7.05:1.

 

 

COOL Comparison

 

Left to Right - VOLT Gen 1, VOLT Gen 2, Spark and BOLT Battery packs.

 

[G. David Felt]

CNET had a Deep Dive session with Chevrolet about the BOLT powertrain. All of the pics are on GM Media but also in the story, A very good read with comparisons to Tesla and what Apple is doing. Interesting is that the story clearly states that the Spark is only sold in states that mandated an EV, aka a compliance auto. The BOLT will be available in all states. The BOLT only weighs 700 lbs more than the Spark at 3580lbs and is a Crossover compact compared to the Subcompact car that is the Spark.

 

Road/Show by CNET

2017 DEEP DIVE - BOLT's Electric Powertrain

 

 

In an accident, GM learned from the First Responders what they wanted for safety. No electrical issues as seen in other EVs. GM built in the fastest disconnect of the electrical system.

 

 

GM's Leaders who presented the Deep Dive session.

 

[G. David Felt]

Gas2.org published the following story

 

Chevy BOLT Not a Compliance Car Says GM

 

Click the link above for the full story, but the end result according to Kevin Kelly, GM has the ability to build 50,000, 100,000 as many as the market demands. This is not to satisfy the Government due to the loans or california but truly move to what customers are asking for. GM has invested in their 3rd party supplies 250 million to insure supply for world wide demand plus the millions invested in the assembly line in the US to build the BOLT and export it all around the world.

 

[ZL-1]

In reply to the c-pillar comment above; it's Opel, not Nissan I think about when I see the Bolt... I see it coming to Europe as an Opel, just needs Opel-ized fascias...

Edited April 18, 2016 by ZL-1

[hyperv6]

In reply to the c-pillar comment above; it's Opel, not Nissan I think about when I see the Bolt... I see it coming to Europe as an Opel, just needs Opel-ized fascias...

Like I said they all are using the floating pillars anymore. Many MFGs have them and yes Opel too. 

[G. David Felt]

This makes me wonder if due to the size, if 3rd party companies will start to build upgrade PERFORMANCE motors for the BOLT or others?

 

 

After all, unlike a petro engine, this is much smaller and should be able to handle an easy change out.

[Suaviloquent]

Eh, a performance Bolt while nice...actually I might warm over to that.

 

But lack of AWD means tire slippage.

[G. David Felt]

Eh, a performance Bolt while nice...actually I might warm over to that.

 

But lack of AWD means tire slippage.

One benefit of EVs is you do not need a driveline between back and front, so why not have an option for a second motor in back, I can see a 3rd party building that option. Then like Tesla has done add 300HP and Torque to the rear, flash the computer and have a 500hp 566 lb-ft of torque BOLT.

[hyperv6]

 

Eh, a performance Bolt while nice...actually I might warm over to that.

 

But lack of AWD means tire slippage.

One benefit of EVs is you do not need a driveline between back and front, so why not have an option for a second motor in back, I can see a 3rd party building that option. Then like Tesla has done add 300HP and Torque to the rear, flash the computer and have a 500hp 566 lb-ft of torque BOLT.

 

Where would you add the additional batteries to power the second motor?  It would take more power and you would have to increase battery capacity to not degrade the range as it is.  

 

Now someday that may work in a small car when batteries are better. 

 

Now in a car like the CT6 I could see where that would work in a AWD system with a motor in each wheel with enough room to add the extra batteries. 

[Suaviloquent]

I think it's stupid to put RWD and performance into this car. totally against the mission.

 

Aftermarket...sure, as long as it doesn't void warranty.

[G. David Felt]

Remember those of us who think outside the box is what drive innovation. Too many places around this country are happy to stay with status quo and just live on old money. Why just like there are plenty of companies that build replacement engines for current petro cars would there not also be a desire for performance parts and upgrades for EVs?

 

I can see offering performance EV motors, batteries, etc. all kinds of performance upgrades that people would buy to improve or change their EV to meet their personal desire.

 

After all those thinking outside the box is why we have the tech industry today.

[ccap41]

CNET had a Deep Dive session with Chevrolet about the BOLT powertrain. All of the pics are on GM Media but also in the story, A very good read with comparisons to Tesla and what Apple is doing. Interesting is that the story clearly states that the Spark is only sold in states that mandated an EV, aka a compliance auto. The BOLT will be available in all states. The BOLT only weighs 700 lbs more than the Spark at 3580lbs and is a Crossover compact compared to the Subcompact car that is the Spark.

 

Road/Show by CNET

2017 DEEP DIVE - BOLT's Electric Powertrain

 

BOLT-EngineCutView.jpg

BoltMotorDetails.jpg

BoltBatteryPackOptimized.jpg

BOLT-Battery-Details.jpg

 

In an accident, GM learned from the First Responders what they wanted for safety. No electrical issues as seen in other EVs. GM built in the fastest disconnect of the electrical system.

 

BatteryDisconnectsAccident.jpg

 

GM's Leaders who presented the Deep Dive session.

 

BOLT-Battery-Motor.jpg

If I'm not mistaken the e-Golf is the same way. I tried to shop around for one just for the heck of it to see prices and they are nowhere near me. 

[G. David Felt]

 

CNET had a Deep Dive session with Chevrolet about the BOLT powertrain. All of the pics are on GM Media but also in the story, A very good read with comparisons to Tesla and what Apple is doing. Interesting is that the story clearly states that the Spark is only sold in states that mandated an EV, aka a compliance auto. The BOLT will be available in all states. The BOLT only weighs 700 lbs more than the Spark at 3580lbs and is a Crossover compact compared to the Subcompact car that is the Spark.

 

Road/Show by CNET

2017 DEEP DIVE - BOLT's Electric Powertrain

 

BOLT-EngineCutView.jpg

BoltMotorDetails.jpg

BoltBatteryPackOptimized.jpg

BOLT-Battery-Details.jpg

 

In an accident, GM learned from the First Responders what they wanted for safety. No electrical issues as seen in other EVs. GM built in the fastest disconnect of the electrical system.

 

BatteryDisconnectsAccident.jpg

 

GM's Leaders who presented the Deep Dive session.

 

BOLT-Battery-Motor.jpg

If I'm not mistaken the e-Golf is the same way. I tried to shop around for one just for the heck of it to see prices and they are nowhere near me. 

 

The e-Golf is a true compliance auto for sale in only select states that have mandated an EV. As such like the Leaf it has a limited 83 mile battery range based on average 60 degree temp. Be interesting to see if VW follows BOLT and Tesla 3 with a 200+ mile version. I think it would be a great upgrade, but they do need to add HP and Torque. I see on the web site it is about 1/3 less than the BOLT.

[G. David Felt]

Very cool Green Sustainability report and clearly talks about the EV BOLT being all state / global auto compared to the Compliance Spark.

 

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