GM To Unveil 200-Mile Range, $30k Chevy Bolt Concept EV In Detroit
It was revealed in early October that General Motors was planning to release an electric vehicle with a 200-mile range. According to the Automotive News’ sources at the time, the vehicle will be based on the current generation Chevrolet Sonic, which was first introduced in the U.S. market back in 2011 as a 2012 model.
The Wall Street Journal is now giving us a few more details on the upcoming EV, which will bill called the Chevrolet Bolt when it debuts in 2017. An additional detail gleamed from the report is that the vehicle will be styled to look more like a crossover and that a concept version of the vehicle will debut on Monday at the Detroit Auto Show.
The Chevrolet Spark EV is about to receive a bigger, longer range brother
Most importantly, the Bolt will be priced at $30,000, although it hasn’t been stated if that price is before or after a $7,500 federal tax credit is taken into account. We’d surmise that the stated price already includes the credit, as the existing subcompact Chevrolet Spark EV, which features a 19 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that gives the it a range of 82 miles, already costs $26,820 before the tax credit is applied. We highly doubt that GM would be able to offer over double the range of the Spark EV for the added cost of $3,000, but stranger things have happened…
It should be noted that some states offer additional credits, which would further reduce the price of the vehicle. Georgia, for example, offers a $5,000 tax credit for the purchase of EVs, which would drop the price of the Bolt down to an even more palatable $25,000.
The Bolt would also be accessible by more of the U.S. population than the current Spark EV. The Spark EV is only sold in California and Oregon, while the Bolt will be sold in al 50 states.
General Motor will have stiff competition when the Chevrolet Bolt hits the market in 2017. Tesla Motors’ entry-level Model III — also expected to feature a 200-mile range — will debut during the same year and will cost around $35,000 after the federal tax credit.
