Photo: GM
You know an electric car is really good when even the hardcore Tesla fans are willing to admit to it - and some even buy it. To continue the long-lasting association between Tesla and Apple, that would be the same as a lifetime iPhone user trying Google's Pixel smartphone.
After the EV1 fiasco in the late '90s, General Motors was in a pretty conflicting position: it was simultaneously the least likely of the traditional car companies to produce an EV (given the way it handled its previous attempt), but also one of the most entitled to, considering the experience.
In the end, it turned out that the American giant had done its homework and produced the wonderful Chevrolet Bolt: a tall and roomy hatchback with five seats, plenty of space and an EPA-rated 238-mile range of pure electric power.
The car is also no slouch and handles decently, so the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Somebody even went the trouble to compile a list of things the Bolt does better than their Model S, something that was inconceivable before GM's EV. And did we mention it was kind of cheap too (for an electric car, at least)?
But it wasn't all milk and honey from General Motors. The Bolt first rolled out last December, with only a few hundred of cars reaching their new owners before the end of the year, which was enough to meet GM's target for a 2016 release. But all those people lived in ZEV mandate states, and so did the ones that followed throughout 2017.
Not only that, but GM is also restricting the number of Bolts it produces. That might have been interpreted as a precaution caused by an underestimation of the demand for its EV, but it might actually have more to do with the fact that GM is losing money with every Bolt it sells.
But that didn't stop GM from moving the planned start of nationwide deliveries one month earlier, to August. Orders for the electric hatchback can already be placed since June 1, and depending on location and availability, buyers from all over the country can expect to have their new EVs starting this August.
With the first Model 3 deliveries scheduled to take place in July, this switch from GM can be interpreted as a strategic move even though Tesla will follow the same recipe and start off with EV-friendly states such as California. At the moment, the Bolt is the only mass-priced EV with a range of over 200 miles, but the Model 3 plans to change that, as well as undercut its starting price by $2,500, while the long-awaited second-gen Nissan LEAF might also join the party later this year.
In the end, it turned out that the American giant had done its homework and produced the wonderful Chevrolet Bolt: a tall and roomy hatchback with five seats, plenty of space and an EPA-rated 238-mile range of pure electric power.
The car is also no slouch and handles decently, so the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Somebody even went the trouble to compile a list of things the Bolt does better than their Model S, something that was inconceivable before GM's EV. And did we mention it was kind of cheap too (for an electric car, at least)?
But it wasn't all milk and honey from General Motors. The Bolt first rolled out last December, with only a few hundred of cars reaching their new owners before the end of the year, which was enough to meet GM's target for a 2016 release. But all those people lived in ZEV mandate states, and so did the ones that followed throughout 2017.
Not only that, but GM is also restricting the number of Bolts it produces. That might have been interpreted as a precaution caused by an underestimation of the demand for its EV, but it might actually have more to do with the fact that GM is losing money with every Bolt it sells.
But that didn't stop GM from moving the planned start of nationwide deliveries one month earlier, to August. Orders for the electric hatchback can already be placed since June 1, and depending on location and availability, buyers from all over the country can expect to have their new EVs starting this August.
With the first Model 3 deliveries scheduled to take place in July, this switch from GM can be interpreted as a strategic move even though Tesla will follow the same recipe and start off with EV-friendly states such as California. At the moment, the Bolt is the only mass-priced EV with a range of over 200 miles, but the Model 3 plans to change that, as well as undercut its starting price by $2,500, while the long-awaited second-gen Nissan LEAF might also join the party later this year.
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