Chevy Bolt production version

[jray3]

So now it's out there, hopefully we will see some more interior photos soon. Besides the exterior package, the following interior description has me thinking it'll be i-like. Another article said it has a flat cargo floor. One shortcoming of the Spark is that the rear seats don't fold flat.

Bolt design chief Stuart Norris explains that his team designed the car from the inside out. By tucking the battery pack beneath the floor and packaging the driver and passenger seats with a harder back and less foam than conventional seats, the Bolt team created ample leg room in the two rear seats

.

http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2016/01/sleek_and_spacious_2017_chevy.html

http://jalopnik.com/the-electric-chevrolet-bolt-this-is-pretty-much-it-1751258676

 

[PV1]

The official site is up, too.

According to it, the Bolt charges at 25 miles per hour, which tells me it has a 6.6 kW on-board charger. A full charge takes 9 hours.

It's not a bad looking car, but the relatively anemic charger will put the Tesla Model 3 ahead. I feel the Bolt should have at least a 10 kW on-board charger.

 

[Phximiev]

I like it and hope they sell a million of them.

This is exactly what the EV movement needs.

Mitsubishi succeeded to a degree with the iMiev and the Bolt, or something like it (Tesla 3?), is the next step.

I just hope that Mitsubishi continues with their EV efforts and, as to the iMiev, increases its range.

On the other hand, GM blew it with the EV1. They could have owned the entire EV market had they done it right and continued.

Let's hope they don't blow it again.

 

[tigger19687]

Anyone know how the battery pack is wired or specs for it ?
I can't seem to find it.

I would still wait for the Tesla 3, just for how the battery pack is wired alone.

I don't think anyone has as good a warranty for the battery as our 'i' does, except for Tesla and not sure what it will be on the 3

 

[PV1]

I highly doubt those specs are available because Chevy probably isn't done finalizing the design of the battery.

Even though I like the practicalities of a small, 4-door hatchback, I will probably also gravitate towards the Model 3 because of faster charging and a better charging infrastructure.

 

[sandange]

I Like what I see from the latest photos /videos and reports on the Bolt.

Truly a second generation EV leap forward, most importantly in mass production and full distribution/availability
Bring it on

 

[JoeS]

Unambiguous similarity to our i-MiEV! Did I detect the charging port on the right rear fender? Love the paddle regen which just may make me pop down to a Chevy dealer for a test drive to see how that's implemented on the new Volt.

As much as I have a lifelong aversion to GM (for, among other things, their misdeeds when they destroyed this country's local rail infrastructure), this Bolt is exciting because the 200-mile range addresses the primary perceived concern of our mostly-innumerate population.

 

[sandange]

Just caught this Kool video that show the Bolt interior pretty well....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erVHuXJLR3c

 

[Don]

*like* it . . . . but since it doesn't really do anything for us that our iMiEV's cann't already do, I don't think I'll be running down to order one. Maybe by 2020 or so when our cars are on their last legs we'll find a good deal on a used one - Probably no where near as great a deal as we got when we bought the used 3,900 mile 2012, but . . . . we'll see!

Don

 

[JoeS]

I had a couple of hours to kill before a meeting yesterday afternoon so I made a 20-mile detour and dropped in on a huge Chevy/Cadillac dealership in Gilroy to have a look at the 2016 Volt as I'm really curious about their regen paddle which some of the commentary says is what's implemented on the Bolt.

Left my partially-disabled friend in the car but then cooled my heels for a few minutes while being totally ignored - I either don't fit their typical customer profile or else they saw me drive up in the i-MiEV. :? Anyway, when I finally connected with someone they said they didn't have one and that Volts sell out immediately after they get them and the next one was coming in three weeks and was already spoken for but I could see it then. I didn't bother engaging them in conversation about either the SparkEV or Bolt, nor to charge my car (the person graciously said I was welcome to do that), as I felt like a fish out of water in this showroom.

Although I could have used the DCQC near the dealership, I had no trouble making it to my meeting with two bars flashing at my final destination (having driven almost 60 miles) - avoiding the freeway for the last seven miles from the dealership to the meeting, with my passenger nervously sweating as I gleefully pointed out the almost-empty fuel gauge. It was going to be a long meeting and I had access to a dryer outlet there so it was a matter of emphasizing to him exactly why I wasn't at all worried as I had the RR consistently greater than the GPS distance-to-meeting location and we were on very level ground with no wind and didn't need the heater. After the meeting and dinner and almost-full (CaniOn said 95% SOC) recharge, I impressed the group by pre-heating the i-MiEV before taking off for home into that cold evening.

Which brings me back to the Bolt: the 200-mile range threshold was probably correctly identified by marketeers as necessary to overcome innumerate (love that word!) consumer resistance based on perception rather than reality. I really hope they're successful!

 

[databeestje]

I really like the Bolt, but I like small hatchbacks, so there's that

The range is probably the thing that gets my attention most, it is enough to get to the airport and back and bring a suitcase too. The practial aspects are what I like a lot, It's more the like the car I had in that respect (Peugeot 206 SW, a compact estate).

I like the buttons, I like the roomy boot, I like the dash, I like that I can one pedal drive, I like the conventional styling.

It checks all the boxes, and I'll be looking for a 2nd hand one in a couple of years.

 

[wmcbrine]

... I felt like a fish out of water in this showroom.

Here's hoping the Tesla dealership model catches on, and I don't just mean because EVs.

 

[JoeS]

More specs released at the Detroit auto show.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...cs-released-battery-pack-motor-power-and-more

60kWh battery pack
7.2kW onboard charger
CCS optional
FWD 200hp (150kW)
Torque 266 lb-ft (360 Newton-meters)
0-60 less than 7 seconds

 

[wmcbrine]

7.2kW onboard charger

Ugh, would 10kW really be too much to ask? 7.2 is more than twice as fast as the i-MiEV, but the battery is almost four times the size, so...

CCS optional

Come on, make it standard!

/grumble

 

[databeestje]

Yeah, that implies single phase 32A. I really hope they'll do 3 phase 16A for the EU, that's 11kW and most residential houses can get it, and most public EVSE have it.

 

[pbui19]

I think the Bolt will have DCFC. I am looking forward to the Tesla 3 announcement in March. One concern I have is that Chevy is really only providing the chassis for the Bolt, the entire drive system, battery, motor, control, BMS etc....is supposedly done by LG. By now, one would think that Tesla has learned a lot so it'll be all in-house. I was hoping that the Bolt would have 2 motors, as in the Chevy Volt, and the Tesla 85D. I think that is how the Volt manages to be as efficient as the iMiev.

In any case, I am opening a new account and start saving for the 200-mile EV. My daughter has been eyeing my iMiev.

 

[Phximiev]

Bolt on Plugshare pics, Arrowhead Towne Center:

http://api.plugshare.com/view/location/80646

The engineer testing the car said it was fabulous.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

It looks very good in the dark blue!

 

[Phximiev]

It does indeedy, but how did you download the picture?

 

[PV1]

On a computer, click the thumbnail to bring the picture up larger, then right click and save picture.

Hmm. I wonder how the interior will compare to the i-MiEV as far as space and capacity. The Model 3 would be a good road trip car (designed to be super-aerodynamic like the Model S), but small hatchbacks are much more utilitarian (i-MiEV and likely Bolt). My local dealer is supposed to get one when they are released. The 2017 Volt is already available in PA, so this shouldn't be too far behind it.

I like that blue color. Beats the pictures of the silver Model 3.