First Drive – Chevrolet Bolt 200 mile electric car prototype

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 kit^1,2

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

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