Chevrolet Bolt


The Chevrolet Bolt or Chevrolet Bolt EV is a front-motor, five-door all-electric subcompact hatchback marketed by Chevrolet; developed and manufactured in partnership with LG Corporation. A rebadged European variant is sold as the Opel Ampera-e in mainland Europe.
As of the 2020 model year, the Bolt has an EPA all-electric range of, up from for the 2017–2019 model years, and EPA fuel economy rating of 119 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent for combined city/highway driving. The European Ampera-e, has a certified range of under the New European Driving Cycle and under the more strict Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedures.
Production for the model year 2017 began in November 2016. The European version began production in February 2017. U.S. sales began in California in December 2016, with nationwide US and Canadian release in 2017.
At its introduction, the Bolt was named the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year, the 2017 North American Car of the Year, and an Automobile Magazine 2017 All Star—and was listed in Time Magazine Best 25 Inventions of 2016.

History

Development

GM Korea began developing the Bolt in 2012 with a team of 180 people, and with its initial concept debuting at the 2015 North American International Auto Show.
, General Motors had tested more than 50 Bolt prototypes hand-built at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan. The cars were tested at the proving grounds and overseas locations for ride and handling dynamics, cabin comfort, quietness, charging capability, and energy efficiency.
Alan Batey, head of General Motors North America, announced in February 2015 that the Bolt EV was headed for production, and would be available in all 50 states. GM also has plans to sell the Bolt in select global markets.
In January 2016, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the production version of the Chevrolet Bolt was unveiled. At the show, during GM CEO Mary Barra's keynote, Chevrolet confirmed an estimated range of or more, around price after government incentives, and stated it would be available in late 2016. Barra projected in February 2016 that the European version, marketed as the Opel Ampera-e, would enter production in 2017.
In March 2016, GM released photos and a short pre-production video of the Bolt at the company's Orion Assembly plant outside Detroit, testing manufacturing and tooling.
The car's user interface was developed in Israel.

Profitability

An unnamed source cited by Bloomberg News estimated that General Motors is expected to take a loss of to per Bolt sold. A GM spokesman declined to comment about expected profitability. Opel refuted that in December 2016 and stated that GM has battery cell costs of $130/kWh, and industry is not yet optimized for mass production. A UBS tear-down in 2017 suggested slightly smaller losses per vehicle, of $7418 on a base spec, or $5520 on a higher spec vehicle. They estimate that by 2025 the Bolt will make a profit of about $6000 per vehicle.

Production

Final assembly takes place at GM's Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan, which received a upgrade for Bolt production. Manufacture of the battery, motor, and drive unit started in August 2016 at LG, Incheon, South Korea.
The car is designed for flexible production by having some of the battery in the same position as the fuel tank in internal combustion engine-powered cars, and is made on the same assembly line as the Chevrolet Sonic at a combined rate of 90,000 per year. Although the car is assembled near Detroit, it has only 20% domestic-parts content.
Analysts expected Bolt production at 22,000 per year, and Ampera-e at a few thousand. Production may increase to 30,000 to 50,000 per year according to demand. Initial regular production had begun by early November 2016 at a rate of 9 per hour, gradually increasing to 30 per hour. Retail deliveries began in California in December 2016.
Regular production was expected to begin in October 2016 at 25,000-30,000 the first year.

Design

The Bolt was designed from 2012 by a team of 180 people in GM's Korea studio, as B-segment size on its own platform, and does not share elements with the GM Gamma platform cars Chevrolet Sonic/Spark.
The EPA classifies the Bolt as "small station wagon", with less than 130 cu ft of interior volume. GM refers to the Bolt as a crossover. The passenger volume is, and cargo space is .
The Bolt's doors, tailgate, and hood are aluminum. The driver can adjust the level of regenerative braking as the accelerator pedal is lifted. The front seats are asymmetrical to maximize cabin volume while accommodating airbags.
GM planned for over-the-air software updates during 2017 but the feature was finally released to the Bolt in April 2018.

Specifications

Battery

The Bolt's battery uses "nickel-rich lithium-ion" chemistry, allowing the cells to run at higher temperatures than those in GM's previous electric vehicles, allowing a simpler and cheaper liquid cooling system for the battery pack. The battery pack is a stressed member and weighs. It accounts for 23% of the car's value, and is composed of 288 flat "landscape" format cells. Cells are bundled into groups of three connected in parallel, and 96 groups connected in series compose the pack. The battery is rated at 60 kW power to avoid limiting the 150 kW/340 Nm motor. GM offers a battery warranty of 8 years /, and has no plans for other battery sizes.
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In October 2015, General Motors said they will purchase the Bolt's battery cells at a price of $145 per kilowatt hour from LG Chem, representing a minimum of $8,700 in revenue per car. The cost is reportedly about $100 cheaper per kWh than the price LG was giving other customers at the time. GM estimated a cell price of $130/kWh in December 2016.
While initially expected to share its lithium-ion battery technology with the second generation Chevrolet Volt, the production version of the Bolt uses batteries with a different chemistry more suited to the different charge cycles of a long-range electric vehicle, compared to the more frequent charging/discharging of hybrids and short-range EVs.
The 2020 model year will have the battery capacity increased to 66 kWh, because of a small change made to the battery chemistry, that increases the EPA rated range by.

Drivetrain

Other specifications include a and Interior Permanent Magnet electric motor, acceleration from in 2.9 seconds and in less than 7 seconds, and a top speed of. The electric motor is integrated with a single-speed transmission and differential, to form a single modular drive unit that connects directly to the front axles. The single-speed transmission has a final drive ratio of 7.05:1.

Body and chassis

The Bolt EV is tall hatchback design, with a curb weight of 3,580 pounds. Despite its overall height of nearly 63 inches, the center of gravity is under 21 inches above the ground, yielding surprisingly stable handling during cornering. The low center of gravity is due to under-floor mounting of the battery pack, following the lead of Tesla's Model S.
Bolt uses the now-common kammback/hatchback low-drag body design, with sweeping curves leading to an abrupt back end. It was initially reported to have a but GM says the final production vehicle has.

Range and efficiency

Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency five-cycle test methodology, the Bolt fuel economy is rated at 119 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent for combined driving, 128 mpg-e in city and 110 mpg-e in highway. Charging time is rated at 9.3 hours on a Level 2 fast charger.
s rated up until July 2017 and priced under in the U.S. Only model year 2016 and 2017 cars are included.
The Bolt EV has a combined EPA-rated range of. For city driving, the EPA rated the Bolt range at, and due to its relative high drag coefficient, its range for highway driving is. One Bolt owner was able to drive from McHenry, Maryland in the western part of the state to Ocean City, Maryland, a distance of, on a single charge.
The Ampera-e has a certified range of under the New European Driving Cycle test cycle with a full battery, and achieved a range of under the more strict Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedures. Opel expected the Ampera-e to achieve a NEDC range of about.
As of July 2017, the Bolt was the only plug-in electric car with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of less than capable of delivering an EPA-rated range of over. All other electric cars below that price threshold and available for retail sales fell under that range, except the Tesla Model 3, which can go on a single charge. Among other all-electric series production cars sold in the U.S., the Tesla Model S sedan and Model X crossover can go more than.

Charging

All models of Bolt support standard SAE EV charging plugs, at Level 1 or Level 2. A factory option supports Level 3 charging with the SAE Combo DC system. A portable Level 1 charging adapter is supplied with each Bolt, stowed in a special compartment under the hatchback floor. It is UL Listed to operate at 120vac in the US market but is capable of operating at 240 VAC.
Level 1 charging supplies roughly 1 kW and adds 3–5 miles of range per hour of charging. Level 2 charging supplies up to 7.2 kW and adds 20–30 miles of range per hour of charging. Level 3 charging with the factory-option 55 kW SAE Combo DC fast charging system can add of range. The Bolt user manual suggests fast-charging to only 80% charge to ensure consistent 50 kW charging. The fast charge rate steps down to 38kw at 56% charge and again to 24kw at 68% charge. Above 85%, the charge rate varies from 16kw to 0kw.

Tires

The Bolt EV is delivered with self-sealing tires whose interior surfaces are coated with a sticky compound to automatically seal small leaks and punctures in the tread area. There is no spare tire, nor is there a place to store one. The car is equipped with a digital Tire Pressure Monitoring System to warn the driver if a tire is leaking, and a portable air compressor kit is supplied as an optional part. Under the rear hatchback cargo deck, there is a space that can be used to store an undersized spare, and some owners carry a compatible Chevy Cruze spare tire there.

Test drives

The EPA-rated range of was confirmed by automotive reporters driving a preproduction Bolt with a 60-kWh battery. Driven under different driving modes with the air conditioning on, the trip between Monterey and Santa Barbara was completed with an energy consumption of 50.1 kWh, representing an average efficiency of 4.8 miles per kWh. A total of were driven, with the Bolt's display showing of range remaining. Several other journalists conducted a preproduction Bolt test drive on the same route, and all reported similar results regarding the Bolt EPA-estimated range.
As part of its debut at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Opel reported driving an Ampera-e without recharging from Piccadilly Circus in London to Porte de Versailles in Paris, the venue of the exhibition. The rebadged Bolt traveled with of range remaining.

Markets and sales

United States

Ordering began in California and Oregon in mid-October 2016. The first three Bolts were delivered in the San Francisco Bay Area on December 13, 2016, and a total of 579 units were delivered in 2016. Availability was rolled out gradually across the United States, and by August 2017 the car was available nationwide.
Demand profile did not exactly match predictions, leading GM to slow production in July 2017. However, in the last months of 2017 Bolt demand rose rapidly; by October, it outsold any other model of electric car, including those from Tesla. Sales totaled 23,297 units in 2017, making the Bolt the U.S. second best selling plug-in car in 2017 after the Tesla Model S. In California, the Bolt listed as the top selling plug-in car with 13,487 units delivered, ahead of the Tesla Model S, listed second with 11,813. The Bolt also led the state's subcompact segment in 2017, with a market share of 14.7% of all new cars sold in this category., cumulative sales in the American market totaled 26,477 units.
In January 2019, GM reported that 2018 US sales for the Bolt totaled 18,019, down 22% from the previous year. The combined sales of the Bolt and Volt also triggered the start of the full $7,500 tax credit phase out in Q4 2018, prompting the tax credit to reduce to $3,750 in April 2019 and $1,875 in October 2019 before disappearing entirely April 2020.

Canada

The Bolt has been available in Canada since the beginning of 2017. A total of 2,122 Bolt EVs were sold in Canada in 2017.

Norway

The Ampera-e launch in the Norwegian market was scheduled for April 2017, when 13 were registered. Deliveries to retail customers began on May 17, 2017. Over 4,000 cars were ordered in Norway, with some to be delivered in 2018. Registrations totaled 1,121 units in 2017.

South Korea

In South Korea, General Motors opened the order books on March 18, 2017, and all 400 units of the first allotment were sold out in 2 hours.

European discontinuation controversy

In October 2017, European dealers were asked to completely stop accepting orders for the Ampera-e, reportedly because of supply problems, at the point when in the nation of Norway 4,000-5,000 people had already ordered the car. At that time the Bolt was offered for sale in Norway at a price of $35,000, not significantly higher than that of the Nissan Leaf, despite both its range and battery capacity being at least 50% higher than the Leaf's.
The fact that GM was limiting deliveries of the Bolt to Norway, its most promising market, in 2017 led to suspicions that GM was going to "kill" the model in Europe. No new Bolts could be ordered in Norway after 2017, and deliveries to Norway completely ceased in 2018. GM has been accused of purposefully sabotaging its own EV programme in the past.
In 2018, it was virtually impossible to order the car in Europe. Statistics show that, as of February 2019, a total of less than 5,000 Bolts were ever delivered in the entirety of Europe. The new owner of the Opel brand offered the Opel Crossland X, a gasoline- or diesel-powered car with styling mildly reminiscent of the Bolt, to the customers, and suggested it's going to make two EVs based on the Opel Corsa and the Peugeot 208.
In late 2018, about a year after Norwegians were prevented from ordering more Bolts, a close competitor, the Hyundai Kona EV, was offered for sale there. The entire yearly allotment of the cars was sold out almost instantly.

Awards and recognition

The Bolt won the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, the 2017 North American Car of the Year, the 2017 AutoGuide.com Reader's Choice Green Car of the Year, 2017 Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Awards Car of the Year and the Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2017.
The Bolt also ended up Car & Driver's '10 Best Cars' list for 2017 The Chevy Bolt also won the 2017 Green Car of the Year awarded by the Green Car Journal. It was also named by Time Magazine among its list of 25 Best Inventions of 2016, and among Popular Science's 10 Greatest Automotive Innovations of 2016. The Bolt EV beat out the Cadillac CT6 and Jaguar XE to win the Detroit Free Press award for Car of the Year. Automobile included the Bolt in its 2017 All Star list.

Pre-production name confusion

In 2015, Chevrolet acknowledged confusion between two vehicles with a similar-sounding names; Bolt and Volt.
Chevrolet's marketing chief, Tim Mahoney, subsequently announced GM would keep the Bolt name.
Autoblog projected similar confusion among European customers where the Opel Ampera-e is just one letter off from the Opel Ampera, the previous-generation Chevrolet Volt sold in Europe—suggesting the names could confuse customers who think the new all-electric hatchback is closely related to the old plug-in hybrid hatchback.
Tata Motors has had a car named the Bolt on the market since 2014, and has registered the trademark in India and other countries.