Chevrolet Bolt

Development

The Bolt was unveiled in concept form at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. Alan Batey, head of General Motors North America, announced in February 2015 that the Bolt EV was headed for production, and would be available in all 50 states. GM also has plans to sell the Bolt in select global markets.

As of June 2015, General Motors had tested more than 50 Bolt prototypes hand-built at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan. The cars were tested at the proving grounds and overseas locations for ride and handling dynamics, cabin comfort, quietness, charging capability, and energy efficiency.

In January 2016, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the production version of the Chevrolet Bolt was unveiled. At the show, during GM CEO Mary Barra's keynote, Chevrolet confirmed an estimated range of 200 mi (320 km) or more, around US$30,000 price after government incentives, and stated it would be available in late 2016.

Mary Barra, General Motors CEO, announced in February 2016 that the European version, marketed as the Opel Ampera-e, will go into production in 2017.

On March 22, 2016, GM released photos and a short teaser video showing that the Bolt had entered pre-production at the company's Orion Assembly plant outside Detroit, testing manufacturing processes and tooling for the vehicle.

Production

Final assembly takes place at GM's Orion Assembly plant in Detroit, which received a US$160 million upgrade for Bolt production. Manufacture of the battery, motor, and drive unit started in August 2016 at LG, Incheon, South Korea.

The car is designed for flexible production by having some of the battery in the same position as the fuel tank in internal combustion engine-powered cars, and is made on the same assembly line as the Chevrolet Sonic and one other gasoline-powered car at a combined rate of 90,000 per year. An unnamed source cited by Bloomberg News estimates that General Motors is expected to take a loss of between US$8,000 and US$9,000 per Bolt sold. A GM spokesman first declined to comment on the expected profitability. Opel refuted that in December 2016 and states that GM has battery cell costs of $130/kWh, and industry is not yet optimized for mass production.

Regular production was expected to begin in October 2016 at 25,000-30,000 the first year. Analysts expect Bolt production to be 22,000 per year, and Ampera-E at a few thousand. Production may increase to 30,000 to 50,000 per year according to demand. Initial regular production had begun by early November 2016 at a rate of 9 per hour, gradually increasing to 30/hour. Retail deliveries began in California in December 2016.

Design

The Bolt was designed by GM's Korea studio (formerly Daewoo Korea), as B-segment size on its own platform, and does not share elements with the GM Gamma platform cars Chevrolet Sonic/Spark/Opel Corsa. The EPA classifies the Bolt as "small station wagon", with less than 130 cu ft of interior volume. GM refers to the Bolt as a crossover. The passenger volume is 94 cu ft, and cargo space is 17 cu ft (381 liter).

The Bolt's doors, tailgate and hood are made of aluminum to decrease weight. It features "one pedal driving", where the driver can adjust the level of regenerative braking as the accelerator pedal is lifted. GM plans for "Over-the-air software updates" during 2017.

Battery

The Bolt will feature batteries using a "nickel-rich lithium-ion" chemistry allowing the cells in the Bolt to run at higher temperatures than those in GM's previous electric vehicles, allowing a simpler and cheaper liquid cooling system for the 60 kWh battery pack and reducing vehicle cost. The battery pack is a stressed member and weighs 960 pounds (440 kg). It accounts for 23% of the car's value, and is composed of 288 flat "landscape" format cells (similar in shape to cells used in other GM products, but contrasting the cylindrical 18650 and 21-70 cells used by Tesla). Cells are bundled into groups of three connected in parallel, and 96 groups connected in series compose the pack. The Ampera-e battery is rated at 160 kW power to avoid limiting the 150 kW/340 Nm motor. The 50 kW SAE Combo DC fast charging that can add 90 mi (140 km) of range in 30 minutes or fill the battery to 80% capacity in an hour, whereas the onboard AC charger is 7.2 kW. The Bolt user manual suggests a 80 kW charger to ensure consistent 50 kW charging. GM offers a battery warranty of 8 years / 100,000 miles (160,000 km), and has no plans for other battery sizes.

In October 2015, General Motors said they will purchase the Bolt's battery cells at a price of $145 per kilowatt hour from LG Chem, representing a minimum of $8,700 in revenue per car. The cost is reportedly about $100 cheaper per kWh than the price LG was giving other customers at the time. GM estimated a cell price of $130/kWh in December 2016.

While initially expected to share its lithium-ion battery technology with the second generation Chevrolet Volt, the production version of the Bolt uses batteries with a different chemistry more suited to the different charge cycles of a long-range electric vehicle, compared to the more frequent charging/discharging of hybrids and short-range EVs.

Drivetrain and body

Other specifications include a 200 hp (150 kW) and 266 lb·ft (361 N·m) electric motor, acceleration from 0–30 mph (0–48 km/h) in 2.9 seconds and 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in less than 7 seconds, and a top speed of 91 mph (146 km/h). The motor drive unit includes GM’s new Electronic Precision Shift, which replaces the standard hydraulic shifter with an electronic controller. The number of available gears has not been publicized, with Chevrolet reporting a final drive ratio of 7.05:1. The drag coefficient is 0.32. With regards to shape of the car, the lead designer of the Bolt said in an interview that the Bolt is "a disaster for aero."

Range and efficiency

Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) four-cycle test, the Bolt fuel economy is rated at 119 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (mpg-e) (2.0 L/100 km) for combined driving, 128 mpg-e (1.8 L/100 km) in city and 110 mpg-e (2.1 L/100 km) in highway. Charging time is rated at 9.3 hours on a Level 2 fast charger.

The Bolt EV has a combined EPA-rated range of 238 mi (383 km). For city driving, the EPA rated the Bolt range at 255 mi (410 km), and due to its relative high drag coefficient, its range for highway driving is 217 mi (349 km). The Ampera-e has a certified range of 320 mi (520 km) under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test cycle with a full battery, and achieved a range of 240 mi (380 km) under the more strict Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedures (WLTP). Opel expected the Ampera-e to achieve a NEDC range of about 500 km (310 mi).

As of October 2016, the Bolt is the only plug-in electric car with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of less than US$50,000 capable of delivering an EPA-rated range of over 200 mi (320 km). All other electric cars below that price threshold can only go 80 to 100 mi (130 to 160 km) on a single charge. The Bolt also surpasses the range of Tesla’s entry-level Model S 60 sedan, which has an EPA-rated range of 210 mi (340 km), but costs over US$50,000. Among all-electric series production cars sold in the U.S., only the Tesla Model S sedan and Model X crossover can go more than 200 mi (320 km), but those vehicles sell for an average price of around US$110,000.

The Bolt EV also has a longer range than the upcoming Tesla Model 3 (215 mi (346 km) as per Tesla Motors) priced starting at US$35,000. The Renault Zoe with the optional 41 kWh battery has a range of up 400 km (250 mi) under the NEDC cycle, but Renault clarified the upgraded battery delivers a real-world range of 300 km (190 mi) in urban or suburban areas. Pricing of the Zoe with the 41 kWh battery in France starts at €23,600 (~ US$26,460) before any government incentives, and without the purchase of the battery. The rental fee for the battery is €69 (~ US$77) per month for 7,500 km (4,700 mi) and €119 (~ US$133) per month for unlimited mileage.

Test drives

The EPA-rated range of 238 mi (383 km) was confirmed by automotive reporters driving a preproduction Bolt with a 60-kWh battery. Driven under different driving modes with the air conditioning on, the trip between Monterey and Santa Barbara was completed with an energy consumption of 50.1 kWh, representing an average efficiency of 4.8 miles per kWh. A total of 237.8 mi (382.7 km) were driven, with the Bolt’s display showing 34 mi (55 km) of range remaining. Several other journalists conducted a preproduction Bolt test drive on the same route, and all reported similar results regarding the Bolt EPA-estimated range.

As part of its debut at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Opel reported driving an Ampera-e without recharging from Piccadilly Circus in London to Porte de Versailles in Paris, the venue of the exhibition. The rebadged Bolt traveled 417 km (259 mi) with 80 km (50 mi) of range remaining.

United States

Ordering began in California and Oregon in mid-October 2016. The first three Bolts were delivered in the San Francisco Bay Area on December 13, 2016. The national roll out is scheduled to begin in early 2017 in New York, Massachusetts and Virginia, and by mid-2017 is expected to be available nationwide. As of January 2017, a total of 1,741 units have been delivered in the American market.

The 2017 Bolt EV in LT trim price starts at US$37,495 including destination charge, before any applicable government incentives. For the entry model the DC charger is optional and sold for US$750. The Premier trim starts at US$40,905 with leasing available at $309/month. New York City bought 50 Bolts for Spring 2017 at reduced price due to federal funding to improve air quality.

Canada

In Canada the Bolt LT price starts at CA$42,795 (US$32,400 at the September 2016 exchange rate) including a DC charger and before any incentives available in some provinces. Deliveries in Canada are slated for early 2017.

Norway

The Ampera-e launch in the Norwegian market is scheduled for April 2017, with pricing starting at 289,900 kr. Deliveries to retail customers are expected to begin around June.

Awards and recognition

The Bolt won the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, the 2017 North American Car of the Year, the 2017 AutoGuide.com Reader’s Choice Green Car of the Year, and the Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2017. The Bolt also ended up Car & Driver's '10 Best Cars' list for 2017 The Chevy Bolt also won the 2017 Green Car of the Year awarded by the Green Car Journal. It was also named by Time Magazine among its list of 25 Best Inventions of 2016, and among Popular Science's 10 Greatest Automotive Innovations of 2016. The Bolt EV beat out the Cadillac CT6 and Jaguar XE to win the Detroit Free Press award for Car of the Year.

Name confusion

Chevrolet has acknowledged that there is confusion about having two vehicles with a similar-sounding name (Bolt and Volt). However, in April 2015 Chevrolet's marketing chief, Tim Mahoney, announced that GM had decided to keep the Bolt name for the production model.

A similar confusion is expected among European customers with the Bolt variant destined for the continent. The Opel Ampera-e is just one letter off from the Opel Ampera, the previous-generation Chevrolet Volt sold in Europe. The similar monikers might confuse some customers who think the new all-electric hatchback is closely related to the old plug-in hybrid hatchback.