chevrolet bolt Tom Moloughney 2017 BOLT Review

[G. David Felt]

G. David Felt - Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.cheersandgears.com

Tom Moloughney 2017 BOLT Review

Tom Moloughney is a well respected EV advocate that has been asked to not only review EV's, conversions, etc. but also to fun polls and surveys to find out what people think, want and need. Tom has driven many EV's including his recent BMW i3 that was totaled. GM gave him a 2017 Chevrolet BOLT in Kinetic Blue Metallic for a week to drive around and while no auto is perfect, he did find plenty to praise about Chevrolet and all they did right on the BOLT.

I have listed below the full review for you to read, but wanted to quote a few things from Tom's review that are worthy in the 800 miles he put on.

Quote:

"Now to be clear, I know that the Bolt and the Model 3 are distinctly different types of vehicles. However, the fact that they both have a single-charge range of over 200 miles, and basically the same base MSRP, there will inevitably be some degree of cross shopping." 

He went on to state this is not a comparison, but wanted to just point this out.

"The Bolt is such a good performer in fact, that at this year’s Refuel at Laguna Seca, Billy Kwan set a Production Class record, and even beat all of the Tesla car’s times from the 2016 event."

"GM clearly wanted the Bolt EV to fit more into the “Hot Hatch” category, with above-average acceleration and good handling, while Nissan was more interested in making the LEAF a comfortable all-electric family mover."

"The rear seating area is spacious and comfortable, especially for a car of its size. The outward vision from anywhere in the cabin is excellent, and that helps make the small car feel bigger than it actually is."

"However, the more expensive i3 doesn’t even offer the options of a rear camera mirror, or Surround Vision that the Bolt has."

"With an EPA electric range rating of 238 miles per charge, GM didn’t just simply beat competitors like the Nissan LEAF, BMW i3, Volkswagen eGolf, et al, they crushed them."

"The Bolt minimizes the potential concern of range anxiety extremely well, and only the proliferation of nation-wide high-speed DC fast charge infrastructure will completely eliminate it."

"While I could have discussed the Bolt’s regenerative braking system in the previous section, I was so impressed by how GM implemented this feature that I wanted to dedicate more time reviewing it."

More good stuff to read, check out the full review as this guy clearly was pleased that GM did their homework and delivered.

Full Posted Review