A big announcement came from Detroit today with Chevy’s announcement of the range of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Chevy has long been promising an affordable electric vehicle with a range over 200 miles. With the 2017 Bolt EV, the Detroit automaker has said that they have achieved a usable range of 238 miles on a full charge. Few companies outside of Tesla have been able to boast such a range with their electric vehicles and this could be a major milestone for EVs.
For a lot of people, the one barrier to entry in the electric vehicle market is that the cars simply don’t have enough range. A lot of Americans like to take their cars on road trips and don’t want to have to worry about where the nearest charging station is. Or say you live relatively far away from where you work. If your car can’t get you to and from the office on a single charge, you simply wont buy the car. Having 238 miles of range may be enough to sway those who were on the fence before.
Another barrier to entry, which is especially relevant for Tesla, is the fact that some EVs cost upwards of $50,000-$60,000 or more. The everyday consumer simply cant afford that kind of money for a car. No worries with the Bolt in this department. The Bolt EV costs $37,500 which isn’t terribly expensive. When you account for the available federal tax credit of up to $7,500, the Bolt EV becomes essentially a $30,000 car.
We don’t know how it drives, but on paper the Bolt EV certainly seems like a viable option for someone looking to get into the EV market, not spend a fortune, and still have enough usable range to accomplish the tasks that life throws at them.
Until the Bolt EV hits dealerships in late 2016, why not take a look Chevy’s current EV offering in the 2016 Chevy Volt MPG Real World Review:
