Chevrolet Bolt at CES 2016
Credit: Jalopnik
Green Car Reports has driven a prototype of Chevrolete's mass market, ($US30-40,000) Bolt, 200 mile (320 km), range electric car, due for release as a 2017 model.
Some interesting technical details are now available:
● flat battery under the floor, abandoning the space-robbing T-shaped battery pack the Volt inherited from the EV1
● front-wheel-drive
● performance is good – GM claims 0-to-60-mph in less than 7 seconds
● passenger volume of 94.4 cubic feet is larger than the Nissan Leaf (92.4 cubic feet) & even the 94 cubic feet of the externally much larger Tesla Model S
● cargo volume 16.9 cubic feet
● Michelin self-sealing tires instead of spare tire or inflator kit1,2
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1101705_first-drive-chevy-bolt-ev-200-mile-electric-car-development-vehicle
http://jalopnik.com/the-chevrolet-bolt-is-exactly-what-tesla-motors-wanted-1751470440
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2016/01/07/first-drive-chevrolet-bolt-is-a-shocker-that-might-convince-you-to-buy-an-electric-car/
http://www.cnet.com/products/2017-chevrolet-bolt/
Tesla plans to release their Model 3, with similar range & price, in a similar time-frame. It will also have free access to the Tesla Supercharger network for the life of the vehicle.3 Given a choice between two otherwise-similar vehicles, easy, free, long distance travel is likely to tip many buying decisions.
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1 Michelin’s self-sealing tires appear to make a spare, inflator kit or run-flat capability, superfluous.
2 Tire Business: “Michelin claims self-sealing tire technology could be a game-changer”, http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/20110620/ISSUE/306209976/michelin-claims-self-sealing-tire-technology-could-be-a-gamechanger
3 Hitchhikers Guide 2 Tech: “More about the third generation Tesla electric vehicle”, http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/more-about-third-generation-tesla.html
/ production version 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV engineering development vehicles drove affordable 200 mile electric cars broad mass market Chevrolet Chevy let journalists drive integration vehicles test latest versions software GM's Bolt EV team Volt drive ride Chevrolet Bolt EV production car Nissan Leaf 2017 Chevy Bolt EV twice the range passenger space more modern interior Bolt EV drove Las Vegas parking-lot course uncloaked spy shots last year's Detroit Auto Show concept upright five-door hatchback blunt nose very short front and rear overhangs Bolt EV chief engineer Josh Tavel shortest overhangs of any vehicle in GM's global lineup Orion Michigan assembly plant Bolt EV platform suspension components body structure flat battery pack under the floor 2017 Chevy Bolt EV development GM LG Chem partnership engine transmission innovative crash engineering stubby nose lower cradle traction motor driveline upper cradle power electronics frontal transverse energy transfer absorption highest safety ratings Volt like silver vertical hatch opening spacious load bay 16.9 cubic feet cargo volume portable 120-Volt charging cord under load bay Bolt EV users owners recharge large battery pack 240-Volt Level 2 charging no spare tire inflator kit first car market to use the latest development of Michelin's self-sealing tire technology run-flat tires seal around any nails other small punctures cabin thin front seats extra inch rear legroom seating four adults sit comfortably five-passenger passenger volume two segments larger car's exterior size Pam Fletcher GM's executive chief engineer electrified vehicles short overhangs Bolt EV is wide interior space suitable long distance travel by four Chevy Bolt EV electric car prototypes testing traction electric motor engine Bolt easy to park flat floor seats comfortable occupants sit upright dashboard fully digital 8-inch instrument cluster behind steering wheel central 10.2-inch touchscreen display console graphic design user-configurable displays Bolt EV GM's new digital rear-view mirror standard rear-facing camera wide 80-degree image crisp digital display replaces mirror glass General Motors GM Chevy Bolt electric car 200 mile range enclosed test course development Bolt accelerated acceleration cornered relatively flat 17-inch alloy wheels steering positive self-centering action no motor or electronics whine audible brake feel consistent regenerative friction braking Bolt EV left-hand paddle Volt driver increase regenerative braking rate one-pedal driving Low mode one-pedal driving General motors GM variable-regen paddle accelerator paddle one-pedal driving development team felt combined long range affordability functionality performance connectivity GM engineers Bolt EV /
