Since the fully-electric 2017 Chevy Bolt was announced a little over a year ago we’ve been debating the merits of its concept, price point and design. But this week we’re finally going to drive the thing. Imagine that! What do you want to know about the Bolt?
The Bolt is being pitched as an electric car for the people. It’s cute, but not elegant. Efficient, but not exactly dialed in for high-performance driving. With an MSRP of almost $40,000 is also a pretty expensive little “economy car,” but GM says about $10,000 of that can actually boil off for buyers as they get their state tax breaks from EV ownership.
The Bolt is important because it has the potential to make electric cars significantly more practical for more people by offering an immense range by our current standards (over 200 miles) without costing as much as, well, a Tesla. At least until the Model 3 comes out, which remains “TBD.”
So far GM’s presented the Bolt’s headline features as its 238-mile range, 200 horsepower output, 10.2-inch infotainment screen and suite of driver aids that could keep just about anybody from bumping into something with a car this small. Pretty much in that order.
I’m excited to crawl all over it and find out what it’s actually like to spend some time in. Get your questions in here, I’ll answer the quickies in the comments and try to get to everything else as I write up my impressions this week.