The first-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV rides on a platform called BEV2 that stands for Battery Electric Vehicle 2. The name is sometimes spelled with two Roman Numerals – BEVII.
Notably, the platform is not the Gamma 2 (G2) platform that is commonly, yet incorrectly, believed to underpin the Bolt.
Gamma Beginnings
Engineers initially started out developing the Bolt EV on the Gamma 2 platform, but as development continued, engineers created a new platform now known as BEV2, which doesn’t share components with Gamma.
“There are no Bolt EV parts tied to the G2 architecture,” lead product engineer Josh Tavel was quoted as saying.
Interestingly, the Bolt is assigned the G2UC-E internal program code, which decrypts as follows:
- G2 – Gamma 2 platform (underpins the Chevrolet Spark, Sonic/Aveo, Trax/Tracker and Buick Encore
- U – utility body style
- C – Chevrolet brand
- E – Electric Vehicle
Though the program code indicates that the Bolt uses the G2 platform, the discrepancy is explained by the fact that the Bolt EV program originated on the Gamma architecture, but then evolved to create its own platform, even as the vehicle program maintained the G2UC-E code.
BEVII Platform
Very little is known about the BEV2/BEVII platform, which is short for “Battery Electric Vehicle”. It is believed that the platform is capable of supporting  electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes, from subcompacts like the Bolt EV to compacts, midsize, and full-size models. This flexibility is made possible by an approach called the “skateboard” design in engineering circles.
Notable components of the BEV2 platform include:
- Electric motor mounted in the front of the vehicle, under the “hood” of a conventional car
- Battery placed under the floor of the vehicle
- MacPherson strut suspension in the front and torsion-beam arrangement at the rear, though the latter could potentially be changed for other, more advanced types of suspension
- Front-wheel-drive configuration, though all-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive are theoretically possible
- Flexible wheelbase configurations
- Extensive use of high-strength steels
The platform, drive unit, and battery configuration of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Other Vehicles
As of May 2019, the Chevrolet Bolt EV is the only vehicle to utilize the BEV2 platform. However, two other future GM electric cars are expected to use the architecture by 2020.
More Info
See more detailed information on the GM BEV2 platform.
News
Follow our coverage of GM BEV2 platform news.
