Update: Chevrolet has stated and clarified the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will not be available through the Express Program first, as previously reported. The Bolt EV will launch for retail customers and Lyft by the end of 2016.
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will reach select U.S. dealerships by the end of this year, but Lyft drivers will be receiving first dibs on the vehicle, according to USA Today.
General Motors will deliver the very first production Bolt EVs to the ride-sharing service, which isn’t shocking considering the automaker invested $500 million into the company at the beginning of 2016.
“Drivers on the Lyft platform will be receiving Bolts to drive first,” said Emily Castor, Lyft’s director of transportation.
Lyft will not purchase the vehicles outright, but instead they will be available through GM and Lyft’s Express Drive program for drivers. The program provides access to GM vehicles for Lyft drivers at low costs if they do not have a vehicle that fits Lyft’s transportation requirements.
Drivers will have access to the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2016 GMC Terrain, 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, 2016 Malibu and 2017 Volt. Express Drive is available in Detroit, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
GM and Lyft plan to expand the program into Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Comments
The first production Bolt EV leaves the plant on October 1st, less than three days away!!
I knew production would start in October. WHere did you read that the first comes off the line on Oct 1?
I know the story has been corrected but the original one gave me an idea: what if the likes of Lyft and Uber were used to bring electric car prices down symbolically and literally?
What if progressive states STRONGLY encouraged such cab services (including cabs) to buy these vehicles with big incentives. At the prices they are kind of at currently. But then after 50,000 miles were encourage to sell as used?
It’s my understanding that (perhaps?) these vehicles don’t have the same wear and tear as petrol cars. Perhaps the interiors could be designed in such a way to have a layer over the actual carpeting, seating, whatever — knowing full well they’d later be sold.
This would result in these cars selling at very high levels to companies… and then being resold at irresistible prices to consumers. The only downside is that if you bought a used one people might see it as buying a used ‘cab’.