The Chevy Bolt Might Be A Mistake 

"JR1" (type35bugatti) 01/24/2016 at 10:51 • Filed to: Chevy Bolt

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As an American it makes me quite proud that our nations automotive industry is leading the charge with alternative fuels. First Tesla and now the Bolt. Both are able to easily travel well over 200 miles on a single charge. But unlike Tesla I am not totally convinced the Bolt will be a resounding sales success. It has a few noteworthy problems.

1. Slow Charge and a Lack of Charging Stations : While the range is more than acceptable for a daily driver, until Chevy says it travel across the nation with “supercharging stations” the Bolt will never be a true long distance cruiser. Although the Bolt does manage to charge to 80% in an hour, Chevy needs to find suitable outlets to let owners charge their vehicles.

2. It is a Hatchback: Americans love trucks and crossovers. In the gold ol’ days we also loved sedans but that segment is !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Where does that leave hatchbacks? Well somewhere between not cool and utilitarian. Save for a few exceptions hatchbacks have never been considered good looking cor even lust worthy cars. So why is Chevy producing a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that is so pedestrian? If Chevy really wanted to maximize Bolt sales they would have sold it as a sedan or crossover. Hopefully in the future they will remedy this issue.

3. Gas is very cheap: This issue is not really the Bolt’s fault but nevertheless it is an issue it will have to contend with. Gas prices are !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Which makes the argument for an electric car much more difficult. I am not sure how the Bolt can solve this issue but it will certainly worth remembering when the sales figures start to roll in.

Although the Bolt has several problems I am hoping it is a success. The idea of becoming carbon neutral and saving the environment is something everyone should be excited for. But if we want electric cars to be a success shouldn’t the automotive industry be putting their best foot forward to make it a success? With 4g LTE, a 200 mile range, a 30,000 price tag, and numerous other goodies the Bolt is an attractive option and I wish the Bolt and GM the best of luck. But I am not sure this is the revolution that the company is hoping it will be.

Photo Credit: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

deekster_caddy > JR1 01/24/2016 at 11:01

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Bad timing for the new Bolt and cheap gas. It’s the only EV with that kind of range at a reasonable price. Should be a big hit replacing Leaves (Leafs?).

It does have DC Fast charging, but what’s going to hurt all fast charging EV sales is the three differemt standards of fast charging. CHAdeMO, CSS (SAE standard) and Tesla’s proprietary “supercharging”. So when Elon says “We want competition and more EVs on the market” but then deploys a Teala only charging network, remember that what he’s really saying is “screw you all, we are only going to let Teslas fast charge at all these EV charging stations. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” That decision will just muddle the market and hurt mass EV adoption.

(I can’t seem to find this out, but do supercharger stations have other types of DC fast chargers available? I’d love to be wrong about this.)

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > JR1 01/24/2016 at 11:01

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I have an itching feeling that Chevy pushed this to market only to beat Tesla to a 200mil/$30k car and they cut corners to do so...hope this succeeds better than the ELR/Volt did but I will not be surprised if this turns out to be a POS.

Mercedes Streeter > JR1 01/24/2016 at 11:06

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I think the Bolt will do just fine. Despite cheap oil, people are still buying EVs at a pretty decent rate. Electric Vehicles have moved on from “we’re the alternative to expensive gas” to both “we’re the future!” and various political statements (depending on which kool-aid you wish to drink). Plus, they beat Tesla at the race to having a 200 mile EV that the average joe could buy.

The only problem I see with the Bolt is that it’s a $30k Chevy that isn’t a huge ass sedan or truck. Chevy buyers seem to have a hard time paying more than $20k for small cars.

Justin T. Westbrook > JR1 01/24/2016 at 11:10

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About the 9-hour charge thing — it charges to 80 percent in an hour.

JR1 > Justin T. Westbrook 01/24/2016 at 11:13

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Thanks for the tip made a slight edit to the first point. Does that 80% charge work at all EV charging stations?

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > deekster_caddy 01/24/2016 at 11:14

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But the patent for the Tesla Supercharger system is open, so manufacturers can use it if they like.

JR1 > Mercedes Streeter 01/24/2016 at 11:15

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Which brings us back to 30k for a hatchback which is quite a large sum of money. They should have made a sedan or crossover. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bolt doesn’t sell much better than a Leaf.

JR1 > deekster_caddy 01/24/2016 at 11:16

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Even if it replaces the Leaf that is still a very small amount of sales per year. Isn’t the Leaf a slow seller?

JR1 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 01/24/2016 at 11:16

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I am not sure I would call it a POS. But I do think it is a vehicle that won’t leave up to the hype.

Mercedes Streeter > JR1 01/24/2016 at 11:19

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The Leaf is the second best selling EV on the US market (with the Volt coming up third), so matching or beating the Leaf will probably be a good thing?

Mercedes Streeter > JR1 01/24/2016 at 11:27

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It’s also pretty sad to note that per that graph, Nissan sells more Leafs in a year than smart sells petrol powered fortwos. :O

nermal > JR1 01/24/2016 at 11:27

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I think the Bolt would do well as a stand-alone sub-brand. The car itself is exactly what the market needs - A (relatively) cheap (er) EV with a 200 mile range and broad availability. Basically, it’s an i3 with an infusion of beige into the styling, with much longer range and $10k lower price.

The problem it will have is similar to the one that they Hyundai Genesis had / has, which is the dealer base. They don’t know how to sell EVs, and don’t really care either. Why buy a bolt when an Equinox is bigger and cheaper? Or a Cruze?

Honestly the best way for GM to sell these is to copy Tesla’s sales style - Showrooms where you can look but not buy, online ordering, and delivery through a current dealership so they don’t whine.

Chasaboo > JR1 01/24/2016 at 11:40

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Electric is here to stay. The price of fossil fuels has no bearing on that.

punkgoose17 > Mercedes Streeter 01/24/2016 at 12:20

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I think Smart needs to sell the Forfour here. I think it would more than double their sales.

Justin T. Westbrook > JR1 01/24/2016 at 12:23

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I think that 80% figure is based on the DC charging station power. Everything so far is still very vague about what type of charger gives what kind of power with the Bolt.

For example, the Bolt website claims that the 240v home charger does “25 miles every hour” of charge, but that’s misleading because most electric car batteries charge to 80% in a short amount of time, and the last 20% can take quite a lot longer to fulfill. So is that 25 miles just an average over the full 9-hour charge time? Or is it more like 160 miles in an hour or two and the rest just takes up the last 7 hours?

It’s all questionable still. But the fact is most people will not be running on 0 miles when they go to charge the car, so you’re almost never going to need to be charging all the way up to 200 miles from nothing.

punkgoose17 > JR1 01/24/2016 at 12:24

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I agree with all these points. The fact that it looks like an economy hatchback is the biggest disappointment and likely its biggest problem for sales.

Mercedes Streeter > punkgoose17 01/24/2016 at 12:43

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That’s what myself and the vast majority of smart owners think. Unfortunately, Mercedes-Benz USA has made it clear that they do not care about what owners think.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > JR1 01/24/2016 at 13:25

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I think thats a matter of battery management more than the type of connection. I think most batteries can do 80% charge in a short period of time, its a matter of long term degradation.

http://www.plugincars.com/eight-tips-ext…

A buddy of mine was working for a battery company and from what i understand its a balance of charge time vs reducing degradation vs battery capacity (pick two).

ranwhenparked > punkgoose17 01/24/2016 at 14:46

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Daimler’s own studies show that it would double sales, but they concluded that even that would make the cost of federalization economically unfeasible.

Jonee > JR1 01/24/2016 at 14:54

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Slow, but not non-existent like an iMiev. I see Leafs all over L.A. And the Bolt appears to be a better, more practical thing. It won’t set records, but I think it’ll do all right. It looks to have sort of CUV ride height and that’s one the key features of C/SUV’s.

JR1 > Mercedes Streeter 01/24/2016 at 15:23

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I would hardly call 17,000 units at roughly 35k a sales success.

JR1 > nermal 01/24/2016 at 15:25

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The dealers are certinanly an issue as well. I am surprised GM and other companies don't try to take better control of them.

JR1 > Chasaboo 01/24/2016 at 15:26

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I disagree. As long as fuel is low there is less desire to buy EV

JR1 > Justin T. Westbrook 01/24/2016 at 15:28

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I agree with you. Except during road trips. That's when (at least in my family) we run the car pretty low before refueling.

JR1 > punkgoose17 01/24/2016 at 15:29

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Exactly the economic hatchback is not exactly something people lust after

JR1 > Jonee 01/24/2016 at 15:31

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Yeah but it doesn't have the styling of a CUV. And I would say LA is an abnormality when one considers the rest of the country

Jonee > JR1 01/24/2016 at 15:46

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It’s not that abnormal. Georgia is actually where they’ve sold the most Leafs because of that state’s higher tax break for EV’s. Although that’s coming to an end. It’s supposed to get higher range this year which is one reason its sales have tailed off I think.

Justin T. Westbrook > JR1 01/24/2016 at 15:55

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You don’t buy an EV to be a road trip car. You buy it knowing full well your going to drive it to work and back and fly to see your family or go on vacation. It’s not meant to replace the station wagon.

Mercedes Streeter > JR1 01/24/2016 at 16:01

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Tesla didn’t do much better. You have to remember, EVs are not mainstream. For most people in the country, an EV would not be a good choice. That’s the point behind the Bolt and the upcoming Tesla Model 3, make EVs better for normal people. So 17k units moved in a country that looooooooves trucks? That’s not bad.

JR1 > Mercedes Streeter 01/24/2016 at 17:47

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Tesla sells their cars for more than double a Leaf. I imagine 25k sales at that price point is pretty good. Leaf sales were better than expected but next to a Fusion or even something more to the price point like a BMW 3 series the Leaf sales still are not great.

JR1 > Justin T. Westbrook 01/24/2016 at 17:49

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True but Tesla can. And if Tesla can then the Bolt should be able to as well. It may cost less but the convince of not having to worry about long stops is something every company should be able to offer to customers buying electric vehicles.

deekster_caddy > JR1 01/25/2016 at 09:10

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The Leaf, Volt, Tesla, are all slow sellers. They will continue to be for a few more years, but there is a growing population that either sees the value, or has been waiting for something affordable with more range than a Leaf. And the more that sell, the better the charging infrastructure gets. The better the charging infrastructure, the more that will sell...

The Volt has the advantage that it doesn’t rely on the charging infrastructure and can ‘recharge’ at the pump in 5 minutes. Until recharging an EV takes 5 minutes, or there is a ‘real’ charging infrastructure around the country, EVs are going to continue to be slow sellers to a niche market of buyers.

The Bolt’s price and range just expands that niche. By how much, we’ll find out!

deekster_caddy > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 01/25/2016 at 11:58

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It is open, but there is already an SAE standard. Why didn’t Tesla use that? They both flow electrons through a plug at about the same rate, but the plugs aren’t compatible with each other.

This article sums up some of the differences, but 3 years out of date. Needs an update.

http://insideevs.com/dc-quick-charg…

Nikhil > JR1 01/25/2016 at 14:21

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I am sure that this car will accelerate the EV revolution already underway. Good luck to GM and Bolt!!!

Nauraushaun > JR1 01/25/2016 at 22:36

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200 miles is more than many people drive in a day. This is a city car first and foremost. It’s a hatchback because that makes it smaller and lighter and more efficient. Gas will get more expensive.

It’ll be fine.