Featured Chevy Bolt wins several awards

i will definitely take a close look at it, as soon as gm starts dropping it's pants.

 

Just remember the Volt was car of the year as well. I don't think I saw much advertising for the car over the last six years.

Is Motortrend car of the year relevant anyway? It's previous winners include the Ford Thunderbird and Chrysler PT Cruiser.

I wonder if there isn't a Motortrend curse. In 2015, it was the Volkswagen Golf with diesel. In 2013 it was Tesla Model S with reliability issues. Anyone interested in 2014 winner, Cadillac CTS? No? That means the 2016 winner Chevy Camaro is about to be hit with some bad PR that will make you forget about it for the Mustang instead.

 

Isn't technology grand?

I remember when I first started posting here that people would have stood in miles-long lines to see a $30,000 BEV with real-world ranges approaching 250 miles.

If it had a range extender?
I'd be fairly interested.

The B2 ought to be even better!!

 

Can't prove it, but I have always heard those awards are bought by the manufacturers. At any rate .... so what?
I have little interest and no confidence in what some group's opinion is when they have an agenda. Politics has infiltrated and tainted the agenda to such a degree that I make an effort to disregard the message they try to convey.

 

agree, i will give it a serious look for what it is, not what it isn't. but i suppose they appreciate the pub.

 

Did it get the too small award also? I'll look at it even though it's a chevy, but I appreciate the pub too, and the tavern, the saloon, and the liquor store...

 

size is my biggest question mark. but i've been happily married for almost 40 years.

 

I love people that applaud awards when it is their preferred car, and dismiss them when they don't.
Not sure if you are one of those Felt, but I have seen that from people in the past.

The Bolt is the first $30-$40k plugin with over 200 miles of range.
It deserves applaud just for that alone.

 

exactly why it gets my attention.

 

Applause.

But a little investigation tells me that:

• In NC, the $130 tax at initial buy and $130 per year EV tax takes my annual fuel charges to above the same level as my Prius.
  
• No pollution control inspection fee. $15 saved per year.
  
• I do get HOV access but there are darn few HOV lanes I ever encounter in NC.
  
• I can get to the grandkids and back on an overnight charge. Ditto the malls, Costco, etc.
  
• I can take trash to the recycler but only with the back seat down.
  
• I can't dispose of the 6 foot Xmas tree as with the v.
• My typical $500-600 Costco run with 4 large styrofoam coolers might fit with the seats down.
  
• There is no cost listed for the 240 volt home charger that has a timer capability so I can mostly charge overnight when rates are low. No idea of the cost to install the charger (run wires an easy 40 feet but through a cinder-block wall). I do have the capacity in the house without running any lines to the mains.
  
• Owning the Bolt would force all the recent road trips (typically ~4 a year totaling ~2k miles total) into a 5 year old ~22MPG Avalon with less trunk room than the v or a rental of a van.
  
• I don't see any requirement for a dealer to have multiple charger stations. Nor any detail of where charging stations are now or a schedule of when they will be built.

The Chevy dealer is 10 miles away (Toyota maybe 2) and sells lots more pickups than cars so I wonder if they would have anyone trained on the Bolt initially.

Historically I am an early adapter, not afraid of betas or even alfas. Certainly bought at least 6 cars in their first 2 months of availability. Not limited financially.

Initial conclusion:

Interesting, and worth a look but not a slam dunk for me on first review.

OTOH, I can see this fitting lots of other folks.

 

good write up. i think it applies to al bev's in the near future, unless we get a cuv, or prius sized bev. maybe ionique? idk.