General Motors first introduced the Chevy Bolt EV for the 2017 model year, offering customers a small, affordable, practical all-electric solution with plenty of room for passengers and cargo. Now, we’re getting a look at the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV as it plies the sun-soaked streets of Dubai.
This particular model is covered in Silver Ice Metallic paint, a classy choice that looks good day or night, regardless of the background. The Chevy Bolt EV slots into a niche segment in terms of body style, looking like both a crossover and a hatchback without falling squarely into either category.
Looking at the front end, we see the styling lines narrow towards a two-tiered grille design, with the headlamps underlined by signature lighting elements and the upper grille housing a gold Bow Tie badge. Black surrounds and trim continue the lines started in the headlamp surrounds, drawing rearwards towards the shoulder line and window line, showing off the Bolt EV badging above the fender.
Viewed from the side, we can see the Chevy Bolt EV’s five-spoke wheel design, with the rollers complementing the silver paint with a silver-finish of their own. The window line comes with a unique U-shape that rises as it moves rearwards, enhancing the crossover-like hatchback’s natural forward-leaning visual rake. Polished window trim above is matched with black trim below, while black cladding rings the side skirts and fender line.
Finally, in the rear, we find the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV’s hatch equipped with further black graphics, feeding into a floating roof design around the rearmost side pillar. Up top, a trailing-edge roof spoiler is done in silver.
As a reminder, the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV rides on the GM BEV2 platform, and is equipped with a 66-kWh lithium-ion battery pack good for 259 miles between plug-ins. The upcoming 2022 Chevy Bolt EV will bring a refresh with revisions to the front and rear styling, as well as a new interior.
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Comments
It’s unclear how popular Chevrolet’s Bolt EV will be in Dubai given that the Bolt still features what is essentially GEN 1 technology for electric vehicles as the Bolt features 110/220 volt battery charging systems which take forever whereas competitors now feature 440 volt charging which allow full charging in under an hour and the size of the Chevrolet Bolt is still a problem as it would be significantly more popular if it was the size of the Chevrolet Trailblazer and featuring the fast 440-volt charging.
I happen to prefer the size, but agree with you on the charging.
The Bolt EV has DC fast charging. It’s nominal pack voltage is 360VDC which charges from about 310 to 400VDC which is very common for many EV’s (including Tesla which uses the same pack voltage [96S configuration]).
Try not to get overly hung up on DCFast charging speed, and I’ll even tell you why.
1) When was the last time you traveled more than 120 miles from home? Less than that and fast charging doesn’t matter because you’ll charge at home when you get back.
2)experienced EV roadtrippers know you never sit on a charger longer than necessary. Which means you only charge on the bottom side of the battery, so you get max charging rate, and as soon as you have enough to hop to the next station + safety margin (mine is 5%) you’re off to next charger. Most CCS chargers going coast to coast are going to be 90-110 miles apart or about 2hrs drive time.
3)efficiency and charge speed have to both be considered. So indulge me in this hypothetical situation
Bolt 55kW intake and 4miles/kW average = 0.92kW/min = (4 x 0.92) = 3.7 miles/min intake
The new Cadillac Lyriq being released next year
100kW battery with 300 mile range, max charging speed 100kW.
Lyriq 100kW intake and 3 miles/kW average =
1.67kW/min = (3 x 1.67) = 5 miles/min intake
Let’s now just use one of those average distances between hops 100 miles
Bolt = 100 miles ÷ 3.7 miles/min = 27 mins
Lyriq = 100 miles ÷ 5 miles /min = 20 mins
The caveat to this is 3 miles/kW is overly optimistic for the lyriq, its probably going to be more like 2.7 because of size and weight, and the Bolt is going to get more like 4.2+. That 7mins difference can easily disappear.
So over an entire days driving you MIGHT do 3 of these types of stops, but probably only 2 because you’ll learn to only stay in hotels with level 2 chargers so you have a full charge every morning. In reality you’re looking at about 15 mins difference between these two cars over the course of a days driving.
And if your only doing long trips a couple times a year, then 15 mins extra is insignificant.
So to say it again, don’t get to hung up on charging speed. Unless you want to pay $120-200k+ for a taycan which is a completely different 800V ball game.
100% agree I’ve owned a Bolt for 2 years and I have 22k miles on it. I’ve DCFC about 15-20 times (not even once per month). I do have another vehicle that I use for long distance, but 90% of my trips are in the Bolt. The DCFC is just a backup. It’s a vital backup, but the average time I’ve spent on the charger when I need it is less than 15 minutes (typically it is just to top up if I am running a bit low for some reason, which seldom happens).
why is the author going over design elements on this vehicle? i don’t think it has changed in four years.
it still looks like an econobox with an absurd price tag.
You’re an uninformed idiot. The Bolt has had DCFC since it first shipped.
sorry but it is still an overpriced econobox.