2017 Chevy Bolt 200-Mile EV Charges Into Dealerships Later This Year With $30,000* Price Tag

"It was less than a year ago that we revealed the Bolt EV concept and promised to deliver a long-range electric vehicle attainable by the masses," said General Motors CEO and Chairman Mary Barra. "The Bolt EV is capable of using the latest mobile app technology to enable car sharing, advanced GPS routing and gamification, all designed to enhance the ownership experience now and into the future."

GM is trying all sorts of tricks to ensure that the Bolt reaches the 200-mile target. In addition to packing in a rather large lithium-ion battery pack, the Bolt will keep track of your driving habits, temperature, time of day, and even plot a course to your destination based on topography (to ensure that the EV isn’t straining itself by going up unnecessary hills). As for performance, GM is targeting 0-60 times of around 7 seconds, which is nowhere close to the sub-3 second times that the Tesla Model S P85D is capable of, but should be more than enough for mere mortals.

Inside, you’ll find a 10-inch MyLink color touch screen display along with support for both Android Auto and CarPlay (a first for an EV according to GM). The Bolt also uses a technology that we first saw demoed on more expensive Cadillacs: a rear camera mirror. A rear-facing camera provides a wide-angle view of what’s behind the vehicle and projects the image onto the mirror. That way, even if you have tall passengers sitting in the back seat or a full load of cargo blocking the back window, you’ll still have a clear view of the surroundings to your rear.

The rear camera mirror is joined by a Surround Vision system which uses additional camera located around the vehicle to provide a bird’s look of what’s around your Bolt when you’re attempting tight parking maneuvers. In addition, the Bolt features onboard 4G LTE connectivity, allowing the vehicle to serve as a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot for your passengers.

Although GM hasn’t providing any additional clarification on pricing, it’s simply stating that it is the “first long-range, affordable EV,” which fits in nicely with the $30,000 price tag that the company tossed around last year. But you’ll have to remember that the $30,000 price takes into account a $7,500 federal tax credit that is still lingering around for Americans that purchase a new EV.