Despite the criticism and the hype, the current Chevrolet Volt did a pretty good job of living up to the technical expectations set for it by GM, but it never lived up to GM’s sales expectations. Now the company General Motors is expected to take the wraps off an all-new Chevy Bolt in Detroit this week.
Essentially a pure electric crossover aimed right at Tesla Motors for a fraction of the price, the Bolt would be priced in the $30,000 to $35,000 range after incentives, including a $7,500 federal tax credit. The Bolt electric vehicle is larger than the Volt and shares its hatchback body style. Batteries from LG Chem would give the car a range of 200 miles on a single charge. The powertrain would be derived from the one in the tiny Spark EV that is sold in California and Oregon.
The current Volt has a range of 38 miles before a petrol-powerered generator kicks in, but the next-generation car will improve on that performance.
But besides simply competing with a potent newcomer, as the WSJ notes, the Bolt represents an unusually big risk for the often-conservative GM. Demand has been weak for electric cars lately thanks to cheap gas, but the company also has to deal with regulations in Europe and Asia that penalize automakers for relying too much on trucks and SUVs — two GM traditional strong points.
