Following the official launch of the 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV in Brazil, General Motors has just announced that the small electric crossover set a world record of 560 miles of range in the South American country.
GM South America released the results of a maximum energy efficiency test of the new 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV dubbed the “Bolt EUV Autonomy Challenge,” which the automaker’s engineering arm conducted at the GM Cruz Alta Proving Ground. In it, the Bolt EUV traveled a total of 901.8 kilometers or 560 miles on a full charge, which represents the world record for the highest range achieved by the model and any EV in its category.
“Chevrolet’s Bolt line symbolizes a great technological achievement towards GM’s 100 percent electric future and is also a global reference due to its pioneering spirit, being the first large-scale production EV in the world to offer high autonomy at a more affordable price,” said Brazil’s GM Cruz Alta Proving Ground Director, Leandro Couto. “And the impressive performance of the Bolt EUV in this challenge of maximum autonomy reinforces the superiority of the product in its category,” he added.
The Bolt EUV Autonomy Challenge, which lasted 28 hours and 30 minutes, included the participation of more than 70 people including journalists, influencers, customers, dealers and GM employees who took turns behind the wheel of three Chevy Bolt EUV units during the test performed on a 4.3 km round circuit that simulates an infinite flat straight line. The initiative sought to find out what distance the Bolt EUV was capable of traveling in conditions of maximum energy efficiency and was authorized by the Mauá Institute of Technology in Brazil.
As such, the world record of 901.8 kilometers or 560 miles of range for the Chevy Bolt EUV was achieved by taking full advantage of the model’s energy regeneration system with special directives. The challenge was for drivers to avoid sudden acceleration and braking, no use of heating systems (seat and steering wheel) or air conditioning, as well as a serene driving style that yielded an average speed of 35 km/h or 21.7 mph.
The 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV was launched on May 8th in Brazil and will be available for sale later this month throughout the country’s official Chevrolet EV dealer network, which includes some 80 specialized stores with the necessary infrastructure to sell and offer technician support to electric vehicles of the brand. Only a batch of 200 units equipped in similar fashion to the Premier trim level will be offered for customers who have been waiting for the model since its official announcement.
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Comments
It makes sense to cancel your top selling EV!
GM sold around 212,000 Chevy Equinox in 2022 in the US (can’t find total global numbers). The Equinox EV sales figures are probably going to crush Bolt sales. It’s a just a more popular size vehicle in the US.
I agree, but only if GM can produce enough Equinoxs to meet the demand. The Equinox is the first car they should have electrified and they would have been in a much better place right now. Also, they need to make enough of the base models (1LT) for $30,000 which will not happen until spring of 2024!! Who knows how long it will really take to bring up production enough to where you can actually go to a dealer and pick between a few Equinox EVs, test drive them and then buy one like an ICE car today. I was tired of waiting and waiting and waiting that I decided to buy a 2022 Kia EV6 Wind model in April of last year off the lot and I love it. It rides so much better and is quieter than my old 2017 Bolt EV. And I got the tax credit too.
rEVolutionary: The problem is that not all of us want an SUV. Not all of us want to spend 40 grand or more on a vehicle. Not all of us care about having the newest and latest thing being offered. You say, but wait. The Equinox EV will be starting at 30 grand. I say, yes. But like Jeff rightly pointed out, how long will it be till the even offer that base trim? When they do, will you be able to get one? In the mean time, I’ll bet that every Equinox EV will be 40 large or more.
SUV, no thanks.
Over 30 grand, no thanks.
Go to YouTube and search ,’ ultimate range test ‘ was done in Colorado up and down mountains, Bolt beat a Tesla model 3 performance which had a bigger battery and 318 range
That was one of my favorite videos to watch. Several EVs involved, and they all had a great rapport. Love that the Bolt won.
Just watched that video. Super cool. But I had range anxiety just watching it! haha.
Go Bolt!! And GM decided to kill it.
It will have a new generation version with the Ultium power train in 2024. So GM will not kill the Bolt, just make it better. Then we will see a new range record!
It will not be available in 2024. More like 2026 or 7.
I don’t disagree, that some are going to want those smaller vehicles, but hard to blame GM for targeting the biggest market segment.
Think about how Bolt sales would fall off a Cliff, if right now, they announced a Trax EV at Bolt prices for more range and higher charge rates.
They need to get their Ultium factories humming, but once there, the Ultium platform should have enough scale where they could reintroduce a small affordable EV that’s not a crossover.
PS – Personally, I wouldn’t call the Equinox EV an SUV. It’s more like a small wagon or large hatchback.
Nome of us want to spend 40 grand on a car. Even 20k is a lot for me.
The average price of a new car in the US In March, the average price paid for a new car fell below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the first time in 20 months. The average transaction price paid for a new vehicle in the United States declined in March 2023 to $48,008, according to Kelley Blue Book data
Then wait to buy it used.
The thing is, they are gonna still sell little SuV electrics that have the same weight as a car. The lowest cost models will be coming from asia. Which is just fine. Our builders can pay nicely. You just can’t do cars in the US.
Gm volts using Mullens/Hardge’s emm tech ???
Unrealistic test. NO ONE would drive 560 miles at only 21.7mph without air conditioning in Brazil or any place else. And what is a EUV?
Who cares if it’s unrealistic? It’s still cool. And google is your friend.
I’m getting 325 miles in real world driving, that’s in Tesla territory. I’m not using heat or AC right now and limited high speed interstate driving. My last charge cost me $6.01 for 198 miles. The Bolt is an incredible car.
Im glad you like it Danno and i agree you should have the choice of whatever you wanna drive. I just dont want it to become my only choice.
mechanic bill: I am sooooooo glad you just said that. I mean truly really super glad.
When it comes to SUV/CUV’s, I say the same thing. And what responses come after that? I’m told to get over it. Move on. Stop complaining. Everyone wants an SUV and nobody wants cars. That’s what people on here (not saying you, but many) come back and say.
And you are 100% correct. If you don’t want an EV, you should NOT have to take one. They are certainly not for everyone. And neither are SUV’s or trucks.
The Bolt isn’t a 3 box sedan or a coupe, its a tall mini-wagon crossover type vehicle, its not a car in the conventional sedan, coupe, wagon sense of it.
It’s also taller than compact hatches like the Fit and Mirage.
I get over 325 miles in my Model 3 with the AC blasting, the stereo on 11 and crushing 3.1 second 0-60 runs at every light.
Just saying…
Enjoy your bolt though. I looked for one for awhile but in my area dealers add an average markup of $5000.
That makes the car well over $40,000. Forget that!!
No you don’t. (From fellow Model 3 owner).
If you’re going 0-60 in 3.1 at every light, you’re not getting 325 per full charge.
Actually, 560 / 28.5 equals 19.65 mph average.
Yeah. How realistic is that?
Agreed, that’s what this country is all about.
You forgot they kept stopping to change drivers. It says they had 70 drivers, so at least 70 stops to change over, and probably not super fast like a Nascar pitstop.
Electric Utility Vehicle.
C-6 crystal: If I may, I think you missed the entire point. This was a challenge. Not about real world driving.
No AM radio? I would have lost my mind
The Bolt has AM radio
I just wish they filtered out the drive inverter hash so that you could listen to weak stations like on the 2011 volt. USB sticks don’t play all the songs either
The AM reception in my 2017 Bolt seems acceptable, but I listen to mostly local stations on AM.
id rather have all the luxuries like a/c, driving however fast I choose and the sound of an ice, not mention not selling my soul to china or whatever government will turn my car off when i dont comply.
American corporations sold this country out, it’s the downside of capitalism and you can’t blame either party, they both allowed it to happen.
The average price of a new car in the US In March, the average price paid for a new car fell below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the first time in 20 months. The average transaction price paid for a new vehicle in the United States declined in March 2023 to $48,008, according to Kelley Blue Book data
Unless you want to figure out how to de-integrate the telematics from your car, you are pretty much at the whim of the powers that be regardless of your car’s power source.
Not true, i have a 2004 chevy Silverado that can’t be turned off, still in great shape. Its been well taken care of. Now i guess an emp style contraption could technically disable it. So if that happens ole 3/4 ton chevy suburban with a 5.9 Cummins init will do just fine.
I accidentally left out the phrase, “late model,” in what I wrote above. I have a one year newer 2005 Tacoma which was assembled at what was then NUMMI in Fremont. The Tacoma 2TR-FE 2.7L ECU doesn’t even support ignition mobilizer, let alone any thought of telematics was a pipe dream. Now, you’d probably have to go with a Chevy Spark or something equally awful not to have the spy in the sky able to control the telematics unit.
If I really want to go Mad Max, I still own a 1963 Studebaker whose entire wiring diagram fits on one 8.5 x 11 page with room to spare. I have a Pertronix solid state drop-in points in the distributor because adjusting a dual points distributor every 1,000 miles gets old. If I survive the gamma ray burst when the big one drops, I still have my mechanical points I can put back in (if the EMP fries the Pertronix). The engine displacement is about 299 CID with a factory Paxton blower, so I do my part supporting the fossil fuel industry with about 12 city/18 highway MPG.
You don’t buy much do yah
Mechanic bill – “I choose and the sound of an ice”. We’ll I prefer to choose the sound of EV silence. It’s the sound of me not giving money to the oil companies.
So u had rather give ur hard earned money to China, and Africa who use child labor to mine the materials needed to make the batteries to go in said ev? Give China and Africa bargaining power over us? Least if your giving it to the oil companies the workers are paid well for their hard work, vs enslaving poor people and children for your silence.
Mechanic Bill, the largest portion of annual lithium production comes from Australia; and the Inflation Reduction Act (opposed by most Republicans) incentivizes domestic sourcing of battery materials. But I know you aren’t going to let facts get in the way of your anti-EV crusade, since so much of what you have written on this thread has little basis in reality. A quick Google search reveals that EVs beat internal combustion vehicles in every metric (yes, even when it comes to carbon footprints) with the exception of energy density.
But since you also call climate change a “hoax,” it’s fairly clear that research and analysis are not your strong suits. Hopefully you are a better mechanic.
EV’s are louder than gas engines. Or are your ears too old to hear that terrible whine that they emit constantly that’s lounder than a gas engine at idle and cruise.
This is the stupidest comment I’ve read yet.
Actually Steve, the Bolt EUV constantly gets compliments on how nice an experience it is to ride in – especially the huge backseat area .. Yes there is a bit of inverter whine but it is minimal in that almost all passengers comment on how smooth and quiet the ride is for them.
I have the barebones 1LT, and it’s cloth seats – no seat heaters even – are cool in the summer and warm in the winter – AND some of the most comfortable seats I’ve ever had. At least as comfortable as my new Lyriq.
It may be a ‘cheap’ car but it gives a very premium ride overall. If you get a chance to ride in one I will bet you’ll be very pleasantly surprised..
One point I can agree on is it is DOPEY for Gm to discontinue it.
In view of the egg they laid with the Lyriq, they need one or two cars that people speak highly of.
Bill, the Bolt will not be discontinued but upgraded in 2024 with the Ultium power train, same one in your Cadillac Lyric.
No way that shows up before 2026.
For all you naysayers, this is the last decade for new ICEVs. After 2035, only used ICEVs will be available. So either switch or else stay on gas until you or the gas engine drops dead.
You’re dreaming if you think that is a hard fast deadline.
By 2035, if you aren’t in a ZEV mandate state, you’ll still be able to buy and register a new an ICE vehicle.
Even the ZEV states have clauses for niche vehicles. Off-road, race cars, collectors items, etc.
But you’re going to have be willing to pay big bucks for them.
Gasoline availability and distribution center infrastructure (gas stations) probably won’t really be hard to come buy until 2040/2050, maybe.
Let me think— I drive I-80 a lot for work.That’s about the same distance from Denver to Omaha. And just think, in the Bolt I can do it without stopping (if I choose) in only about 26 hours. Comparing that with my current 1500 diesel at 30 mpg and something close to 55 mph average (driving 75 with a couple stops for food and other breaks) I can make the trip without stopping in just under 11 hours and still have about 200 miles of fuel. If you want an EV, by all means get one. Just don’t tell me that because you want one, I have to want one, too.
I don’t have a problem with anyone driving what they want, just don’t coal roll my little Bolt when I’m on I-80. LOL
No worries, Danno. I leave the coaling to the big boys in the 3/4 ton trucks.😎😎
Hyrolr: Quoting you:
” If you want an EV, by all means get one. Just don’t tell me that because you want one, I have to want one, too. ”
Thank you. You are the second person commenting on this story to say just that and I couldn’t agree more. You are 100% correct.
And in return, let’s say that same thing about SUV/CUV’s and trucks. Not everyone wants them and I certainly don’t want any of them. Yet by GM, Ford and others refusing to give us sedan/cars, and by many of you telling those of us who want cars to just live with it and drive an SUV, they and you are being 100% contradictory. Go figure.
Thanks, Dan. We get too many people on these threads that just want to be here to bash somebody. Not my thing. Actually, I do drive a sedan and I like it. I have a Ford fusion turbo gas model. All wheel drive, still gets over 30 miles to the gallon on the highway and drives like a dream. It is my company car and has a little over 100,000 miles on it with no trouble. Unfortunately, most of my driving is long highway trips for work. At this point, an electric vehicle simply will not do it for me.
Agreed. I will be one of the first to say that EV should not be mandated nor is EV right for everyone. It just happens to be the near perfect vehicle for me at this time, but I also have two older cars (86 Seville and 88 Cimarron) in my garage too. So if I needed to take a longer trip, I could just jump in one of those two and be more comfortable than the Bolt.
The Fusion was a fantastic car that Ford should be shot for dropping.
Ford did not “drop” the Fusion (I have a hybrid Fusion). It is still sold as the Mondeo worldwide. It is that U.S. buyers did not want it enough, and went for Asian sedans that are cheaper. And the latest 2023 Fusion/Mondeo was seen tested in Michigan. Go to Ford Authority and search for Mondeo.
It’s a good thing all development on energy sources for EV’s has stopped and no one is making them more efficient, lighter and with greater energy density. California has a ton of Hydrogen fuel stations. Those cars using that have outstanding range. and even if it were half a 40 gallon Dodge/Chevy/Ford truck, who cares when the cost of filling it is about $10.
The key is development and infrastructure. Honestly does anyone really believe that in 100 years anyone will be selling NEW ICE vehicles?
Of course not. Technology progresses. How many people have said they’d never give up their land lines?
Or you could do the same trip at 75 mph in a Bolt with a couple of stops to charge/eat and charge/other breaks and also get there in just under 11 hours. No one said driving 21mph on flat ground was the quickest way to drive in an EV only that it is the most energy efficient. Driving 75 in a truck is also not the most energy efficient for the truck.
I hear what you are saying, Kg, but under real world conditions you most likely could not drive a Bolt at 75 mph and still get to Omaha in under 11 hours. You would have to stop to charge at least twice. I admit that I know very little about charging or charging stations but if your range is 300 miles at that speed and it takes you an hour to get 80% back, you’re going to need more like 13-14 hours to make the drive. The point I was trying to make is that I can do the trip without stopping to refuel. There are arguments both ways and that’s why we all have choices. I’m just worried because someone somewhere is telling me I should not have the choice to drive what I choose. I chose the pickup because it’s extremely comfortable for my wife’s bad back. Even the Fusion I have won’t do it for her on those longer trips.
I don’t get it. GM is discontinuing the build of Bolt EV and EUV in the Orion, MI plant and won’t be available for sale in the US. Yet GM is beginning sales of the same car in Brazil. So… is the Bolt EV and EUV going to be built somewhere else? Brazil, Mexico, or???.
Bolt EV/Bolt EUV are going away everywhere, they are NOT being introduced in Brazil or anywhere else. The recent GM authority headline that apparently you mis-read states “ The Chevy Blazer EV And Equinox EV Confirmed For Brazil”
Search for it
At yes. I see there is another more recent GM Authority post dated May 10th. That clarifies a post that was a few weeks earlier. “
After being first introduced in the South American country during the recent Lollapalooza music festival, General Motors has just officially launched the 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV in Brazil.” I see upon further reading it is just 200 units. I don’t get it. Why would GM send just 200 units to Brazil and then discontinue it? Seems like it doing that is a logistical support nightmare. What a load of crap.
Bob: You would be wrong there. GMA just did an article claiming that Brazil would be getting the new Bolt EV/EUV with 200 units being shipped.
Oh the irony. Someone calling another out for being wrong when they are in fact wrong.
I’m loving the comments on this article today. So far, there have been two people comment about not caring if others want to drive an EV, just don’t make them get one. And in response, I say that I agree 100%. I also then say that there is a lot of contradiction in those statements. Many of these same people saying get an EV if you want but don’t make me get one are also telling others who want cars (sedans) instead of an SUV or truck to just live with it and stop complaining. So today I am thankful to be reading these reversed comments.
Having a 2023 Bolt EV that so far has been great, I find this article to be of interest. Under those conditions which are obviously not realistic, I can see my car going that many miles. So far I’m consistently getting around 300 average per charge and more now that it’s warmer. And I do drive on the freeways at different speeds, use the A/C and/or heater as well as the radio. Outside of the goofy looks and cheap non-painted trim, the Bolt is a fantastic vehicle and GM is beyond stupid for dropping it.
I read where a retired GM engineer said that Chevy lost $9,000 on each car. If it’s true, I understand why they discontinued it.
Danno: That is not unusual in any business. Several ways to look at it. First, the cost of doing business. Just like GM and Ford basically killing sedans because they didn’t make as much profit as the big SUV’s. What about the lost business and lost future business? By dropping the sedans (and now the Bolt), GM will lose more future customers. It costs a lot to get those customers back once lost.
Secondly, the amount lost per sale goes down over time and higher sales. It’s not like GM would lose that on every Bolt forever. Remember when calculators first came out and how expensive they were? Now you can pick up a nice one cheap or just use your phone. Same concept of costs per unit over time.
I agree. They would make money on a larger volume, but for some reason they declined to amp up Bolt production.
I owned a 2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid and sold it in late 2020 for more than I paid for it due to the car-demic. Since Ford isn’t building sedans anymore I won’t be purchasing any of their products. They would have to make a reasonably priced EV for me to even consider it.
I don’t know where the Bolt models which will be sold in Brazil will be produced. The US sales are stopping because: First, the Orion facility which currently produces Bolts will be retooled to produce electric trucks. Second, future vehicles in the Bolt size range will be based on the Ultium platform with Bolt’s BEV2 platform being retired.
One of the first Ultium based small SUVs will oddly enough be the Honda Prologue which is planned to go on sale in 2024.
According to an article in Green Car Reports dated May, 21, 2017, Investment firm UBS estimated each Bolt cost $28,700 to produce in 2017, at a loss of $7,400 per unit. The article goes on to say that Toyota probably had a net loss on each Prius for the first four years of production.
It is possible that the Bolt and Bolt EUV are now profitable, just in time to be discontinued.
(Edited to improve readability of next to last paragraph.)
Bill,
That May 2017 Green Car Reports article confuses me. If it cost $28.7k to produce a Bolt, and they were selling for $35k+ at the time, how does that equal a $7.4k loss? Did someone change the rules of math on me?
The UBS report adds “indirect costs” on top of the $28k direct cost of production.
But it was also predicting positive gross margin for the Bolt by 2025.
Something else I meant to mention is that GM should be earning carbon offset credits for the EVs it builds which may be used to get a pass for its own fossil fuel vehicles, or to sell to other manufacturers who need credits.
Losing money on Bolt units might be more than made up by selling other high profit luxury vehicles.
I also question the math. I concluded with reservations that it must be the overhead between the list price and the unit cost left them in the hole for $7,400. That seems like a surprisingly large number to me too.
I’ve heard a lot of loose talk about GM losing money on the Bolt, but haven’t seen anything definitive. If Munro and Associates gave us a cost breakdown, I’d believe it. But right now, I haven’t seen anything more authoritative than this story from years ago when the Bolt was selling for over $35k. So it doesn’t seem to me that GM was losing money on it.
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110563_chevy-bolt-ev-costs-28700-to-build-tesla-model-3-a-bit-higher-analysis
So Dan, you emphasize that choice is important? Yet you endlessly bash the Hummer EV for various reasons ignoring that it provides a choice for those who can afford it. You pretty much take a similar stance on large trucks as well.
So what is it? You support choice or only support choice when a product is within your budget?
Ah GMC Fan. You wouldn’t get the point if I stuck you in the head with a needle. Go away. Better yet, just stop reading my comments.
Beats my330 on 80 % charge
If they wanted to seta record , why didn’t they use a BOLT EV , that would make more sense
It would be interesting to see much of a hypermile stretch could be done in an Equinox starting with a full gas tank under the same driving conditions. It would be cool, no need to prove anything one way or the other.
Ya it’s weird that GM would cancel the Bolt EUV. It seems like the Bolt is just starting to take off in popularity. I know three other families with new Bolts who also feel the same way.
My wife and I just got one for around town and going to work and we both love it. I’ve never been a crazy electric car fan but now after driving around for a few months in our Bolt it feel like every non-electric car is out-dated tech. The driving experience is so much better than any gas car I’ve driven. My wife fights me for who gets the Bolt. But hey, we both love Apple CarPlay and GM’s discontinuing that too.
We use our Honda Odyssey for travel.. but that being said we’re heading out for a long weekend with the Bolt for the first time to see how that goes. It’s so much more fun to drive. We’ll need to charge on the way home but where were stopping for dinner has chargers.
If AM radio AND Apple Car Play both go away it’ll be a long time before I buy any new car. Guess I’ll just have to take really good care of what I have.
You’ll always be able to get an aftermarket head unit that will give you exactly what you want.
It appears that it would be quite a challenge on a car like a Bolt. The infotainment is displayed on the center stack screen along with telematics, HVAC and other power train settings. There isn’t a separate radio head unit in the usual sense. I haven’t looked to see how infotainment is handled, if there is one hidden box specifically for that duty. It would be great if there were some faceless CAN bus connected thing which was basically a radio without a faceplate, but talking digitally with the display screen.
At any rate, swapping out the factory system looks like it would be complicated and probably beyond what many DIYers would feel comfortable taking on.
Ditto! I was pretty teed off when I read that GM is going to ditch CarPlay.
Getting rid of AM radio seems like a money grab to force customers to sign up forSirius/XM to get sports programming. I believe I’ll stop short of a woke agenda conspiracy theory to block out conservative talk radio, which seems to be the only thing other than sports on AM these days.
Getting rid of CarPlay seems like money grab version 2.0 to force people to re-purchase capability from GM that they were already paying to get from their mobile phone company via Apple / Google Maps. You can pretty much count on whatever GM does to require a pay subscription.
Once you rode an EV, getting back on ICE is a challenge. Two years ago I leased a Nissan Leaf and now I am so hooked, I am getting a Nissan Ariya in two days. My ICE SUV is rusting outside my garage.
Yep, it’s like going from dial-up to broadband.
Thats almost as bad as the horse to car comparison most EV humpers use…..
I have an EV BMW i3 and love it, and a ICE. ICE vehicle is a unique one, SAAB 9-4x, and i love it. I’m one of the 840 some people in the world who owns one. So that’s a keeper. First few months were challenging, the way brake works on EV and vehicle is stationary even if you do not put it on park. I forgot and still do, putting my ICE in park when I park.
That speed is impossible to maintain. You’re telling me i have to drive like I’m in a school zone all the way through? It is cool to know that though, in case getting caught with low charge with limited charging options.
I agree the points people make Bolt vs. Equinox. Equinox EV might be an SUV but it is more efficient tightly spaced Prius for example.
GM is making a huge mistake by discontinuing Bolt EUV cars. The rationale is these cars don’t make a lot of money like bigger cars, not alone comparing to trucks. But for many people who are interested in EV cars, they don’t want a bigger car. I bought my EUV car last year and I absolutely love it. No need to go to pump station, no need to do oil change.
Model 3 did 606 miles years ago.
Makes no sense. 25mph isn’t even a real world speed to drive constantly. I believe the Kona ev is 500 miles. If ran this way, it would hit 700 miles easily.
In real world environments, your bolt euv will hit closer to 180 miles or less.
This story is a total embarrassment.
The Bolt mileage test was just that – a test in contrived, but interesting conditions, like a top speed test, braking test, acceleration test…
My Honda insight had 1000 miles coaxed out of a 10 gallon tank for fun – not regular use.
What is really amazing about the Bolt is how far it goes per KWH. Only the Tesla model 3 beats it – barely and at a much higher price.
There is a 6 month wait for the car, dealers are marking up 5 to 10 k above MSRP, while offering discounts on big trucks and SUV’s.
A 5 star safety rating too. It does charge more slowly than others on the highway 200mi/hr, but most charging is at home.
The real point is zero CO2 emissions at least here in Oregon. Even with coal fired electricity, and mining cost, it will allow us to drive and reduce climate impacts.
Petroleum is mined in inhumane and unethical ways too.
85% of the energy in gasoline goes out the tail pipe as waste heat 85% of the energy in a battery moves the car.
Let’s stop wasting and move into a more sustainable future.
The Bolt is an amazing car, A smart auto maker will start making a similar vehicle, but likely it will be a foreign maker.
Detroit has blown it before ,- there used to be very few non US made vehicles here.
Looks like they want to blow it again.
Good review, thanks.
I’ve had a Chevy Bolt since November of 2017. At the time, the Tesla Model 3 had a waiting list and few if any were shipping. I was able to walk onto a Midwest Chevy dealer lot within 20 miles of where I live and buy a Bolt which was optioned the way I wanted the same day. I was also able to get a pretty good educator discount because I teach classes in a technical school and the dealer also applied some discretionary incentive cash from GM. I also had enough federal tax to be able to use all of the $7,500 credit. In my location, electricity is $0.13 per KWH, so charging at home makes the Bolt very inexpensive to operate. The Bolt has been an unusually reliable vehicle. I’ve only had two dealer visits since I got the Bolt. The first was to replace a left front stabilizer link which had a squeaky bushing right after I got the car. The other trip was to replace the battery for free in 2022 under the safety recall. I would say the Bolt is very un-GM-like in that it has had hardly any mechanical issues.
The Bolt is very spacious inside despite its small dimensions. I like that there’s a lot of head room. At my height, the top of my head is jammed up against the headliner in many cars. Cargo space is pretty good. With the back seat folded down, a surprising amount of stuff can be piled in. Even though the Bolt is fairly heavy, the 200 HP drive motor puts out enough toque to make taking off from the line pretty snappy.
No regrets, I’d definitely buy the Bolt again if I had a reason to do so. I can’t say that about quite a few other of the new cars I’ve bought over 40 or so years.
Omg, an ev car, truck, suv, euv and any other electric vehicle does not, i repeat does not help the climate nor do they reduce impact on the climate. At least not currently, In all honesty even out to 180k they create more c02. Some people who speak that an ev uses less energy or produces less c02 is false in itself, reason being usually they compare a 400mile range ice vehicle to a 125mile range ev. So the numbers are skewed to begin with, they should compare a 400mile range ev but most do not. Also most times they don’t factor in the co2 produce to make the ev batteries. Most ice vehicles create around 6 tons c02 to be produced to make it to the showroom floor, evs double that at 12. You would have to drive that ev roughly 80-90k before you offset that penalty. But like I said that’s comparing a 400mile range to a 125-mile range, if you were to compare a 400mile range ev to the 400mile range ice, in the end the ev emits more co2 than the ice does. Thats not to say we wont ever get there but folks we are a long way from that pie in the sky. Just please don’t think you are somehow helping the climate by owning an ev, you are actually causing more harm, not less if you believe in the climate hoax.
Well said, Bill. But some people will not be convinced by the truth.
Lemme ask you hyrolr, what percentage of our atmosphere is co2?
Those figures are too pessimistic.
MIT estimates an average car emits one ton of CO2 per 2,500 miles.
MIT estimates the Tesla 3 battery manufacturing carbon footprint is between 3 and 16 tons (wow, that’s a pretty wide uncertainty band). Sorry, they didn’t cite numbers for the Bolt.
The unknown is the carbon footprint of the electric power source. If you’re lucky enough to live in a hydropower area, electric has hardly any carbon footprint because the infrastructure construction is amortized over so many decades.
Assuming an average gasoline powered car and a Model 3 have about the same carbon footprint exclusive of the battery, the EV penalty worst case is 13 tons and probably less. In a hydropower area, the carbon break even point is 27,000 miles driven.
Personally, I’m not a environmental hugger, but I love not having to deal with gas stations. At $0.13 per KWH, average 5.4 mi/KWH and 87 octane gasoline at about $3.50, the cost equivalent of driving a Bolt is like driving a gasoline powered car which obtains ~140 MPG.
You have some great numbers in your comment. 6 tons to build an ice, 12 tons for an ev. Models vary, but those are reasonable ball park figures.
An Ice that gets 20mpg will emit 100 tons of CO2 over its 200,000 mi lifetime. If renewable energy is used, an ev will emit 0 tons in 200,000 mi.. Of course if coal generation – worst case scenario – is used it will be higher, approximately 25 tons because the increased efficiency of steady state generation as opposed to variable speed gasoline consumption is significant. 50% conversion of fuel to electricity in generation – more if co-generation, or waste heat recovery are employed- vs 15% efficiency of energy use of gasoline to propel a vehicle.
Because the components of an ice cannot handle the heat of combustion, 85% of the energy is removed as waste heat. Ceramic engines could do better, but are not used in motor vehicle applications.
EV’s are not perfect, but the numbers pencil out highly in their favor.
Add in the oil changes, and regular maintenance for an (incredibly complicated) ice vs ev maintenance, and even more savings result. Additionally, lithium is EASY to recycle, or the worn (often after 500,000 mi) batteries can be repaired, or repurposed for domestic or commercial energy storage (decreased capacity does not matter (as much) in a stationary application)
Climate change is not a hoax. Your reference to it as such makes me wonder if you have an agenda, or a fear of change – most of us do, consciously or unconsciously – we are human.
The physics of atmospheric CO2 are well documented. We are lucky to have some CO2 – the planet would be uninhabitable without it, but the rapid increase – unprecedented in earths history – is a dangerous experiment, and is having clear worldwide consequences already.
Current c02 in our atmosphere is .04%, up from .03% over the last 50 or so years. Plant life dies off at .022%. I don’t believe contorting our entire transportation system, infrastructure, way of life, and forcing us to rely on a country that has already said they want to take over as the world’s largest superpower. I can’t understand why we as the US is so worried about C02 when we are not the largest emitters of c02. China and India well outpace us. Also estimates are at we will spend 50trillion dollars to initiate climate control measures of which they have no idea how much it will change the temperature nor co2 levels. Does anyone really think that China and India will spend 50trillion dollars to initiate climate control measures? I feel that the US is going to go all in on a said problem in which the very scientists who claim the climate problem is dire, yet none of their predictions made all the way back to the 50s have come true. In summary i believe we are being sold a bad bill of goods, one that will fundamentally change this country in ways that other countries will not. One that will shift power and control even further into the hands of our government, and they never do anything wrong do they? Also, yes I have some fear of change, a fear that control of our lives is slowly being shifted to our government in ways once its theirs, we will never get back. A fear that this will weaken our country to the point that will have to bow to China to survive. But that’s just me.
Two points.
1. 25% of current atmospheric co2 came from the U.S. About 15% from China and 20% from EU countries. We did not know what we were doing to the atmosphere at the time, but the atmosphere does not care about intent or knowledge. Per capita U.S. emissions are still more than twice Chinas. Many middle eastern oil producing countries are much higher than U.S or China per capita. Only Europe is decreasing emissions. U.S is flat – nice work – China is soaring- India too.
2.All of the predictions made are coming true – only faster than expected. Glaciers are melting, the sea level is rising (partly due to warmer water), temperatures are increasing (especially at night, so you may not notice it as much) , extreme events are becoming more frequent (100 year floods are 25 year events now), forest fires are larger (not only in places where fire suppression has increased fuel loads, also in unmanaged forests in the sub arctic regions).
Some places like it. Russia and Canada have better agricultural production. Others don’t. Low lying islands and flat coastal areas (like Florida) are experiencing flooding during smaller storms, and salt water intrusion into aquifers.
We can’t change it back as fast as we made it happen, but electric cars (or zero emission vehicles) are a potential part of the l-o-n-g term solution.
Mechanic Bill, please read and absorb John Fischer’s reply to you, which clarifies that the United States is singularly responsible for a large portion of the CO2 in the atmosphere. Please keep in mind that we put all that CO2 there with only 5% of the world’s population. The United States bears an outsized responsibility for climate change even if China, with three times our population, recently started exceeding our annual emissions.
Also, Mechanic Bill, electric motors in cars make nobody more dependent on the government. People like myself who produce their own electricity can power their vehicles without paying oil companies for the privilege. I am MORE independent with my EV, not less.
Frankly, it’s weird seeing so much anti-EV nonsense coming from so many people. Are these same people also anti-seatbelt, anti-airbag, anti-fuel injection and anti-electric starters for combustion engines? EVs are just cars with batteries that we plug in. I love driving mine. It’s a great driving experience. I just hope manufactures start introducing more affordable and efficient EVs rather than the bloated SUV types so many people seem enamored of.
CO2 is a building block of life. It is more incorrect to call it ‘carbon’ than it is to call water ‘hydrogen’ but then people always confuse oxidation with reduction.
It’s actually a big money laundering scheme, and soon humans will be taxed for exhaling dangerous green house gasses, even though they will have changed to eating unhealthful bugs rather than meat.
This is the one time I agree with mechanic Bill. Whenever there is ‘too much’ C02, deserts shrink in size. And that is not a bad thing.
You are very far off.
Volvo did a side by side comparison of their XC40
ICE vehicle and their C40 recharge BEV.
Lifetime emissions (including production) for the ICE is stated at 59tons. For the EV, it’s a range of 50 (basing on global energy average mix), 42tons based on EU energy mix, or 27tons if you used wind energy. There is definitely a “payback period” but it’s measured in a max 2 years of typical driving. ICE is gonna lose out on this comparison every single time. And as the energy production mix improves and gets cleaner, it just gets worse and worse for ICE and better for EV.
France invented a car that ran on water , about 70 to 80 years ago but oil companies bought it and shelved it, for life. Anything I can do to get rid of the oil cartel, I will. My wife next vehicle is a Chevy Equinox E.V.
Wayne:
There is no way to get any extra chemical energy from water… It is rather like saying that you can build a bar-b-que grille to run on ASH….. Any high-value hydrocarbons have been burned to result in water and CO2… There is no heat available left to do anything with.
Oh sure, the J.C. Whitney car accessory mail order joint used to claim that a ‘water addition’ to a carburetor would result in ‘Increased Gas Mileage’, but in a properly working car – the device lowered mileage by preventing normal operating (efficient) temperatures and just caused more of the engine to RUST. Here, there was heat released, but it was from the METAL RUSTING ENGINE to create heat.
The only time the water addition helped slightly was in a HORRIBLY MISTUNED car and it helped by slowing down the combustion time in a JUNKER HEAP.
How old are you? I am old enough to have seen the video a few times. It should be on Google somewhere. Solar is still the best way to go for just about everything, anyway, heating , lighting, industries, etc. I agree that water is not the best solution, because mankind pollute s it and we need all the clean drinking water we can get/keep for living.
As far as the whole story of GM losing money on evs. I never believed it other than with the Generation 1 Volt…
The Gen 2 Volt from 2016-2019 was in some respects a nicer car, – with much more range and economy in both electric and gasoline modes. AND much lower production costs..
The BOLT EV/EUV pair seem to be very economical to make..They have very simple refrigeration/cooling systems and also cheap resistance heating for the cabin and battery. For cost effectiveness, they have eliminated one cooling loop in that one loop dumps its heat into the other, so there is a very slight efficiency hit – but then again everything in the car has been built down to a price…. The cars are also selling for thousands cheaper than the 2 I bought.
Eventually – GM will get the cost of the 65 kwh battery for a bolt-sized vehicle to be in the $5,500 range, certainly under $6,000 when the case and aluminum refrigeration plates are added.. That is granted, the most expensive thing in the car, but it is cheap….
GM’s forte used to be in mass production…. I simply cannot see how these cars are anything but economically manufactured in Orion Township, Michigan, with Korean battery pouches, and LG electronics.
There is a happy medium till EV infrastructure is better and range is longer. The reality is the average person drive ~12,000 miles a year. Roughly 250 miles a week. I currently own 3 gas/electric hybrids. I sold my 4th. My latest purchase was a 2 year old 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid w/ 18,000 miles. I paid $46k for it. 25 mpg 30.5 gallon tank, it was just under 3 tons. It has a 7.2 KW Power onboard (110/220) and can tow 12,400 lbs. 0-60 in 5.4 and a quarter mile in 13.4. My 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid that I bought in 2015 gets 40 mpg and a 17 gallon tank. My daughters 2012 Camry Hybrid gets 40 mpg and 13 gallon tank. I’ve had no major repairs on any of them. Tires, breaks, regular battery. I sold my wifes 2013 Ford CMax that I bought in 2016 for $13,500 late last year to a dealer for $12k cash. Figured 6 years for $1500 was a good deal. It was plug-in hybrid and got 20 miles on electric and then switched to gas. We only put gas in it a few times a year as my wife was FT work from home. I wouldn’t own a pure electric vehicle as my only vehicle yet, but I love my trick and I may replace the Lincoln with an Ioniq 6. Truck for towing and long range..Ioniq for everything else.