Photo: Chevrolet
Chevrolet, it seems, can't get enough of the EV market these days. Even though gas is cheaper than it's been in many years, a second electric model after the bolt has just been approved for production. We are, of course, talking about the Bolt 5-door model they presented last month in Detroit, which may even enter production in late 2015 at the Orion Assembly factory near Detroit.
“The message from consumers about the Bolt EV concept was clear and unequivocal: Build it. We are moving quickly because of its potential to completely shake up the status quo for electric vehicles," said GM North America President Alan Batey.
Of course, that's a white lie, since you can't really approve a car for production in a month and the decision to move into production was actually leaked a week ago. GM's European divisions, Opel and Vauxhall will also receive this car and we have reason to believe it will be called the Trixx, after a concept they showed about a decade ago.
Previous reports indicated that a new type of battery will give this purely electric car a total range of about 200 miles (322 km) per charge, which is double what rivals like the Nissan Leaf and Fiat 500e offer. The model is expected to be based on an updated version of the Gamma small car platform and share components with the Sonic, which is also made in Orion.
GM has set low sales targets in the region of 30,000 units a year, which is reasonable considering the green car market is not growing at a fast enough pace. Demand for hybrids in the US actually shrank a bit last year, but the Bolt does partially solve the issue of range anxiety, so it may sell well. But we can't shake the feeling that Tesla's cheaper model will ruin things for the Bolt and GM's green plans.
Of course, that's a white lie, since you can't really approve a car for production in a month and the decision to move into production was actually leaked a week ago. GM's European divisions, Opel and Vauxhall will also receive this car and we have reason to believe it will be called the Trixx, after a concept they showed about a decade ago.
Previous reports indicated that a new type of battery will give this purely electric car a total range of about 200 miles (322 km) per charge, which is double what rivals like the Nissan Leaf and Fiat 500e offer. The model is expected to be based on an updated version of the Gamma small car platform and share components with the Sonic, which is also made in Orion.
GM has set low sales targets in the region of 30,000 units a year, which is reasonable considering the green car market is not growing at a fast enough pace. Demand for hybrids in the US actually shrank a bit last year, but the Bolt does partially solve the issue of range anxiety, so it may sell well. But we can't shake the feeling that Tesla's cheaper model will ruin things for the Bolt and GM's green plans.
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