This year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit saw the unveiling of a potentially very important electric car, the Chevrolet Bolt.
The battery-electric concept car is a five-door compact hatchback that is promised to offer a 200 mile range. In comparison to other electric cars of its size, currently on the market , this is at least a 70 mile improvement.
Mary Barra, chief executive of GM, said: “The Bolt EV concept is a game-changing electric vehicle designed for attainability, not exclusivity,”
The electric car is scheduled to reach production in 2017, which puts it on course to go head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3.
The Model 3 was announced by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, in July 2014 as a compact vehicle with an expected range of over 200 miles (sound familiar). The Model 3 will be Tesla’s third battery-electric production vehicle, hence the name, after the Model S and Model X (due to be released in 2015) and like the Bolt, it is planned to be launched in 2017.
The car will be 20% smaller than the Model S and priced at around £23,000 (not including government incentives). This is just shy of the £24,500 Chevy indicated the Bolt will likely cost.
Both the Chevy Bolt and the Tesla Model 3 will be extremely important if the electric vehicle market is to be accepted into the mainstream. Affordability and range are undoubtedly the two biggest hurdles to overcome. These two vehicles together, would help dispel consumer anxiety and make the transition to electric motoring much smoother.
The Chevrolet Bolt concept was revealed in Detroit alongside the refreshed 2016 Volt plug-in hybrid.
The new Chevy Volt will utilise two electric motors instead of one in its new drive system, designed to increase efficiency.
Both cars, the Bolt and Volt, will take advantage of new battery technology, developed in alliance with LG Chem, which reduces the amount of cells required, in turn diminishing the weight of the battery pack and increasing the vehicles electric range.
The Guardian
