Chevrolet Commits to Bolt EV Production...

I'm really looking forward to seeing if the Bolt EV delivers as promised. 200 mile range at a reasonable price would be a huge achievement.

 

let's hope it's not the usual gm hype, it really would be something.

 

i hope so! would be fabulous! any specs available yet? dimensions, pics, spare tyre, whatever?

 

The corporate website has the disclaimer "on the concept model" in nearly every mention of a big feature. What will make it past the bean counters into the production model? The futuristic dash? The all glass roof? I highly doubt it. We'll just have to wait (about a year for road mule sightings) and see.

It also states "$30,000 projected price". That's not a promise. Projections typically go up and rarely go down.

 

Promises.

How is what we're now hearing about Bolt different from the past?

GM hyped Two-Mode for years, attempting to avoid their "over promise, under deliver" reputation by being a little ambiguous. Each announcement was just vague enough to not be something which they could be held accountable for later. We watched the very same thing happen with Volt. Heck, even the term "game changer" is being used again.

What does "to completely shake up the status quo for electric vehicles" mean anyway? Wasn't that the purpose of Volt? Who will Bolt be marketed to?

What should we expect?

 

We have now heard where it will be built.

We should, warily, expect about 200 mile range for 30k after rebates.
Although realistically, I would set expectations at a 150 mile range for 35k (after rebates).

We can also expect it to be available in all 50 states far sooner than Fuel Cell vehicles;-)

I wish we would hear as much about the next gen Prius comming out this year as we have about the Bolt comming out at the end of next year.

 

how could it be cheaper that the current GM plug in with only small fraction of that range (Volt)?
i smell BS.

 

A. It isn't cheaper. The base price of the Volt is 27.5k after rebates.

B. A pure EV is far simpler than a hybrid. There are savings in not needing a ICE, associated exhaust and environmental systems, etc.

The biggest reason EV's are expensive are the cost of the batteries. The cost/capabilities of batteries are improving every year (about 7-8%).
The Volt came out in 2010. If the Bolt comes out in 2016, that is 6 years of improvements.
Of course, if LG made even small breakthroughs, that is even better.

 

The Spark EV starts at $19,185 after the tax credit and before destination and other fees. It has a range of 82 miles on a pack about 5kWh smaller than the Leaf's. The Bolt will be based on the Sonic. It is about $2000 more than the ICE Spark. With crude math, that gives GM about $8000 for a bigger battery pack in the Bolt. There is things like the larger Bolt won't be as efficient as the Spark EV to be considered, but a 150 mile range at $30k should be easy to reach.

In addition to what Zythryn stated, the Bolt will be on a smaller platform than the Volt. Their ICE platform mates have a $3900 difference starting.

 

GM's battery supplier, LG Chem, has been going around loudly proclaiming that 200-mile cars can be built and sold at 30-35k using their new cells which will be available to customers in volume sometime in 2016. They have reportedly been signing aggressively priced (cheap) contracts to build volume and grab a top position among automotive battery makers as part of their long-term business strategy.

Generally, their new cells are known to be thicker so there is more energy and less packaging overhead. They are also using new techniques for controlling the particle sizing of the raw materials. Although this is purely speculative on my part, I wouldn't be surprised if they have found a way to add silicon to the anodes in a way that is cost effective and doesn't hurt cycle life too much. With large 200-mile packs, long cycle life is a little less important than in smaller PHEV packs.

For example, a battery that starts at 200 miles and degrades to 70% or 140 miles over a 200,000 lifetime would only be fully cycled around 1.250 times and many charge cycles would be partial in reality (which is better for battery life) so that would be a worst case scenario. By contrast, I've driven over 66,000 in EV mode on my volt and average about 45 miles per charge. Assuming full charges that would be close to 1,500 full charge cycles already. Many of my actual charge cycles are full or nearly full cycles. If someone drive a Volt and only got the 2011 EPA estimate of 35 miles it would mean even more cycles.

Anyway, it isn't just GM saying this is possible. It is also LG and I think one or two other car makers courted by LG have indicated they think it is also possible in the 2017-2018 timeframe.

 

IF...they deliver a vehicle that gets 200 miles fer charge and it actually does cost $30K...I would be interested. However, I will not be an early adapter as GM's track record for mechanical reliability and TCO is horrible on a good day...as opposed to the Prius that is.

 

they did pretty well with the volt, but the cells weren't bleeding edge new tech.

 

Yea...but the price.

 

Is identical to the Prius PHEV after the federal tax credit. The Volt is available with a several thousand $$ discount from some dealers. The Prius may be also.

 

did they originally claim a lower volt price?

 

They did well with the Volt, and in the 2013 or '14 Cr big auto guide my Sonic had the same depreciation rate as the Prius.

They aimed for a lower price.
The price of batteries have been dropping while improving in performance since 2010. An EV drivetrain is a lot simpler and cheaper in cost than a hybrid electric/ICE one.