Photo: Chevrolet / edited
General Motors had extremely high expectations for the Bolt EV, a subcompact hatchback with a front-mounted electric motor. Developed started in 2012 in South Korea rather than the US, and the concept was revealed in 2015 during the North American International Auto Show.
I vividly remember the headlines in which everyone and their dog was calling the Bolt EV a Tesla Model 3 killer. Even the largest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit alluded to it, although the fanboys and General Motors couldn't have been more in the wrong. The Model 3 is among the best-selling vehicles out there, yet another Tesla has been crowned the world's best-selling production car in the first quarter of 2023. The Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, by comparison, delivered a rather poor 19,700 units in the US in the same period.
General Motors also came under fire due to the Bolt's rather notorious battery recall. As fate would have it, LG agreed to pony up a simply ridiculous $1.9 billion for this blunder.
There are many reasons why the Bolt failed to live up to expectations, but regardless of said reasons, the people in charge of General Motors know that it's high time to discontinue it. Electric vehicle technologies are constantly evolving, and the BEV2 platform of the Bolt simply doesn't cut it nowadays. From rear legroom to the maximum capacity of the battery and the charging rate, plenty of stuff needs to be improved for GM to compete with Tesla on equal footing.
Mary Barra, the big kahuna at General Motors, let it slip that a second generation may be in the making. Until then, the Equinox EV is expected to replace the Bolt EV as the American automaker's most affordable electric vehicle. The Equinox EV reportedly starts at $30,000 or thereabout, whereas the Bolt EV kicks off at $26,500 sans destination.
Before the Equinox EV arrives at dealers nationwide in late 2023 as a 2024 model, the order books for the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV will close on August 17. This information comes from sources close to General Motors, who spoke to GM Authority under the condition of anonymity. It's understood that production will come to a screeching halt on November 7.
Both the hatchback and crossover are manufactured stateside, at GM's facility in Lake Orion. The Michigan-based factory will be repurposed for next-generation electric vehicles, including the long-awaited Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Their BT1 platform is shared with the GMC Hummer EV pickup truck and GMC Hummer EV SUV.
Lake Orion joins Factory Zero (Detroit-Hamtramck) and Spring Hill (Tennessee) as the American automaker's third assembly plant capable of producing Ultium-based electric vehicles. Ultium refers to platforms, batteries, and drive units in GM's vernacular. In addition to the body-on-frame BT1 mentioned earlier, the other third-generation EV platform is dubbed BEV3. Similar to the BEV2 of the Bolt, the BEV3 is meant for unibody applications. The first-generation EV platform is – of course – the one underpinning the EV1.
General Motors also came under fire due to the Bolt's rather notorious battery recall. As fate would have it, LG agreed to pony up a simply ridiculous $1.9 billion for this blunder.
There are many reasons why the Bolt failed to live up to expectations, but regardless of said reasons, the people in charge of General Motors know that it's high time to discontinue it. Electric vehicle technologies are constantly evolving, and the BEV2 platform of the Bolt simply doesn't cut it nowadays. From rear legroom to the maximum capacity of the battery and the charging rate, plenty of stuff needs to be improved for GM to compete with Tesla on equal footing.
Mary Barra, the big kahuna at General Motors, let it slip that a second generation may be in the making. Until then, the Equinox EV is expected to replace the Bolt EV as the American automaker's most affordable electric vehicle. The Equinox EV reportedly starts at $30,000 or thereabout, whereas the Bolt EV kicks off at $26,500 sans destination.
Before the Equinox EV arrives at dealers nationwide in late 2023 as a 2024 model, the order books for the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV will close on August 17. This information comes from sources close to General Motors, who spoke to GM Authority under the condition of anonymity. It's understood that production will come to a screeching halt on November 7.
Both the hatchback and crossover are manufactured stateside, at GM's facility in Lake Orion. The Michigan-based factory will be repurposed for next-generation electric vehicles, including the long-awaited Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Their BT1 platform is shared with the GMC Hummer EV pickup truck and GMC Hummer EV SUV.
Lake Orion joins Factory Zero (Detroit-Hamtramck) and Spring Hill (Tennessee) as the American automaker's third assembly plant capable of producing Ultium-based electric vehicles. Ultium refers to platforms, batteries, and drive units in GM's vernacular. In addition to the body-on-frame BT1 mentioned earlier, the other third-generation EV platform is dubbed BEV3. Similar to the BEV2 of the Bolt, the BEV3 is meant for unibody applications. The first-generation EV platform is – of course – the one underpinning the EV1.
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