Earlier this 12 months Chevrolet introduced that the strong-selling Bolt EV and EUV have been going to get the ax. GM is on monitor to promote 70,000 of those this 12 months, which is a reasonably robust quantity for the tiny electrical runabout. According to a report from InsideEVs, the Bolt will get a keep of execution with a serious mechanical overhaul for the 2025 mannequin 12 months, however solely the plastic-cladding-and-taller-suspension EUV mannequin (launched for the 2022 mannequin 12 months) will reside on. The commonplace Bolt EV, launched in 2016, will shuffle off subsequent 12 months.
GM CEO Mary Barra mentioned the next-gen Bolt “will deliver an even better driving, charging, and ownership experience with a vehicle we know customers love.” The replace will embody a faster-charging NACS (Tesla) port, superior Ultium battery chemistry, and up to date software program. This ought to add as much as a automobile with higher vary, a lot faster charging functionality, and improved effectivity. The present Bolt EUV provides 247 miles of vary, however its DC quick charger can solely settle for electrons at a charge of 55 kW. Current NACS chargers can ship at the very least 250 kW, which might be a large step ahead. The present Bolt prices from 0-80 % in about an hour, whereas the next-gen automobile ought to get that quantity right down to at the very least half that.
The present Bolt was on the chopping block as a result of it prices Chevrolet fairly some huge cash to construct each, and the cheap EV sells at a loss for the corporate. The up to date automobile received’t be a clean-sheet design, so GM can proceed to make use of the identical underpinnings and whatnot to save lots of money. If Ultium can scale up correctly, and the structure might be unfold out throughout all of GM’s EVs, then the economies of scale ought to assist the Bolt develop into a worthwhile train for the corporate. That’s particularly necessary as a result of GM says it desires to retain the Bolt’s place out there for the next-generation mannequin. The Bolt EV begins at $26,500, making it the least costly electrical automobile within the U.S. market proper now, and it’s eligible for the total $7,500 federal tax incentive.
Source: jalopnik.com