Looks like the Bolt is not going to be discontinued after all. This popular seller will get refitted with an Ultium battery pack. I suppose that will make it a Boltium.
Chevy ReBolts
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EbS-P
Minister of Fire
But the Bolt factory was slated to produce something (a truck maybe). Will it be a refresh? Or the exact same car with a new pack? And what year will it be available?
It’s a market that’s really they don’t have a ton of competition in yet. I think it’s a good decision. I might buy one if I needed a smaller car just to give Elon one finger gesture if nothing else.
It’s a market that’s really they don’t have a ton of competition in yet. I think it’s a good decision. I might buy one if I needed a smaller car just to give Elon one finger gesture if nothing else.
I hope its not just badge engineering like GM used to do, buy an import brand and slap a GM badge on it.
Basically, they are just promising a hatch EV one size down from the Equinox.
My guess is that the pack will be similar sized, 66-75 kWh. But the Ultium tech will eliminate the DCFC speed limitation (of 2016 vintage LG tech), which is currently 55 kW.
So Bolt functionality and price and 150+kW fast charging would be a nice thing.
But don't hold your breath.
Predictions based on production timelines say 2025 at the EARLIEST. The main factor here is that price on the batteries will be high in the early days, and come down with time. So they will reserve the packs for higher profit margin vehicles like the Blazer.
Only when the pack costs come down (and production ramps up at the factories that are still under construction) will they launch the Boltium. My lease ends in Sept 2025, so I'm not counting on getting one of these. Esp if they do as they say and stop supporting Apple CarPlay in favor of a $40/mo nav subscription.
My guess is that the pack will be similar sized, 66-75 kWh. But the Ultium tech will eliminate the DCFC speed limitation (of 2016 vintage LG tech), which is currently 55 kW.
So Bolt functionality and price and 150+kW fast charging would be a nice thing.
But don't hold your breath.
Predictions based on production timelines say 2025 at the EARLIEST. The main factor here is that price on the batteries will be high in the early days, and come down with time. So they will reserve the packs for higher profit margin vehicles like the Blazer.
Only when the pack costs come down (and production ramps up at the factories that are still under construction) will they launch the Boltium. My lease ends in Sept 2025, so I'm not counting on getting one of these. Esp if they do as they say and stop supporting Apple CarPlay in favor of a $40/mo nav subscription.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
But how many times has that been done with other models in the industry? I’m more concerned with cost range and and charging standard.
GM claims was they can build a Bolt replacement for $7,000 less by going with the new Ultium battery and platform. Of course I have not seen any discussions on how much money they are losing on each Bolt so maybe the goal is just break even
I saw a teardown a few years back by a major engineering firm, and they noted several serious cost saving measures... and concluded that they were not losing much money, if any, per unit.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
I’ve been giving some thoughts as to minimum charging speed. For leisurely trips 100 miles in 15 minutes seems ok but the reality is my 2016 Tesla can barely do this. It would be fine for daily drives up to 400 miles. Anything further beyond this I wouldn’t want an EV with DC fast chargers below 250 Kw.
Data point 19%-51% got me 84 miles in 17 minutes. So it’s possible to get 100 miles in 15 minutes if I rolled in with 5% battery.
I won’t buy an EV with less than 250 kw charging for an ICE replacement. As a commuter it would be fine.
Data point 19%-51% got me 84 miles in 17 minutes. So it’s possible to get 100 miles in 15 minutes if I rolled in with 5% battery.
I won’t buy an EV with less than 250 kw charging for an ICE replacement. As a commuter it would be fine.
I was going to order a new Bolt by the cutoff date of 8/12 but after reading more about the federal tax credit I decided not to since my taxes for this year are already near zeroed out from a solar installation. I’ll see what Chevy has to offer next spring and possibly order a EV then. I would think the new Bolt will accept a better DC fast charge rate than the current model.
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FWIW If you have any IRAs, its not that hard to do a Roth conversion to soak up the extra tax credit.