What is it?

The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt is GM’s first all-electric car since the EV1. It sits on its own new platform made specifically for an EV. Other EVs such as Chevy’s Spark EV are on what GM calls “legacy platforms,” existing gasoline-powered vehicles converted, for better or worse, to electric propulsion. With its own architecture, the Bolt is packaged far more efficiently and performs far better than the Spark EV. It has a roomy 94.4 cubic feet of passenger volume inside with another 16.9 cubic feet of cargo room behind the upright rear seats. The battery pack sits flat under the floor. Detailed specs are coming next week at Detroit, but with a claimed 200-mile range, we’d guess the battery size is more than 60 kWh … but that’s just a guess.

The Bolt is also packed with modern connectivity electronics. As we noted yesterday at the Bolt’s CES reveal, as you approach the car it senses and automatically connects to your smartphone, GM claims. OnStar 4G LTE turns the Bolt into its own WiFi hotspot. A 10.2-inch MyLink color touchscreen display sits on the instrument panel. The outside rear-view camera is piped into the inside rear-view mirror for a wider, better driver’s view behind (a little spray jet keeps it clear of road grime). A new MyChevrolet Mobile App allows for remote vehicle starting, cabin warmup and displays vehicle charge status. The NAV system can even pick out routes best for electric vehicles to maximize battery range. Bolt owners can also compete amongst themselves for best range via a coming “gamification” feature.

What’s it like to drive?

If you’re used to more practical and efficient EVs about this size, like, say, the Spark EV or the Mitsubishi iMiEV or even the Leaf, you will be pleasantly surprised by the Bolt’s responsiveness. Off the line it, ahem, bolts. We heard one GM staffer say 60 mph arrives in “under seven seconds.” That is competitive with moderately well-performing cars of a similar size. We launched it over and over in our four or five laps of an autocross-style course in a parking lot across the street from CES and were always happy to feel the surge of acceleration.

The regenerative brakes came on smoothly and seamlessly, too. There wasn’t a lot of feel through the brake pedal, so you’re not going to get the same autocross response you’d want there, but neither is the pedal made of wood, with no feedback at all. We couldn’t feel the difference when it switched from regen to hydraulic braking, assuming it went into hydraulic braking on our drive. It certainly should have, as we stomped on the brakes pretty hard.

Coming out of corners we were no less aggressive. The inside front tire would chirp, a little surprising since we figured they’d have worked that out through the electronic throttle. The throttle itself has a sport button, but it changes only the pedal response and not the amount of juice going to the motor.

Body roll was likewise well-controlled for such a tall car. Transitioning from one corner to the next, the Bolt stayed composed the whole way.

Granted, no one is going to autocross these things, but there we were on what was essentially an autocross course, so we just had to hammer it.

For more typical urban and suburban driving, we could say the ride was quiet, and the Bolt eases out of its parking space and gets underway with smooth decorum. You can sneak in and out of your parking garage late at night undetected. This would be a fine car for ninjas, though GM expects the average buyer to be a professional urban city dweller.

Do I want it?

The price is going to start at about $30,000, after government rebates, so it’s a little higher than a base Leaf, for instance. But with 94.4 cubic feet of passenger volume, it’s a little larger than the Leaf. And maybe a bit more fun to drive. Drive ’em all and make your decision, but as far as EVs go, the Bolt seems to be a very solid entry in the class.

GM says global demand is up more than 40 percent for the first 6 months

General Motors plans to ramp up product of the Chevrolet Bolt EV by 20 percent during the fourth quarter, citing growing global demand for its electric compact (so-called) crossover.

In its most recent earnings results, GM said demand has been strong for its battery-electric car in the U.S and globally, with global sales estimated to be up more than 35 percent for the second quarter and by more than 40 percent during the first six months of 2018. "The extra production coming on line should be enough to help us keep growing global Bolt EV sales, rebuild our U.S. dealer inventory and bring us another step closer to our vision of a world with zero emissions," Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of sales operations, said in a release.

Demand among American consumers appears to be much more modest. U.S. sales of the Bolt actually fell 22.6 percent in the second quarter to 3,483, but nudged up 3.5 percent for the first half of the year to 7,858. By contrast, sales of the Chevrolet Volt
plug-in hybrid continued to fall, declining 19.2 percent for the second quarter to 4,336 and dropping by 28.5 percent from January through June to 7,814 units. The Bolt began outselling its older electrified sibling last summer.

Last summer, GM extended a shutdown at its Orion Assembly Plant near Detroit, where the Bolt is built. It said it was due solely to softening sales of the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact car, which is also built there, although Bolt inventories at the time had risen to a more-than-robust 111 days supply.

GM launched the Bolt EV in late 2016 in California. It hasn't released updated specs for the 2019 model yet, but the 2018 Bolt offers a 238-mile driving range from its 60-kWh battery pack.

The Bolt will also serve as the basis for the fully autonomous, steering wheel-less Cruise AV that GM plans to start building next year.

To be unveiled on February 14th in collaboration with Walt Disney World, the all-new Bolt EUV is a bit of a missed opportunity for Chevrolet. You see, the SUV-like brother of the Bolt EV has the same ground clearance as the subcompact hatchback, which defeats the purpose of a utility vehicle.
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As expected from the biggest of the Big Three automakers in Detroit Motor City, the Golden Bowtie is trying to hype up the Bolt EUV and the mid-cycle refresh of the Bolt EV like there’s no tomorrow. Take, for instance, the title of the following video – “The Beginning of an Electric Journey.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Chevrolet already has a handful of electric vehicles to its name. The General Motors EV1 from the 1990s comes to mind, along with the S-10 EV pickup truck and Spark EV. I also fail to understand what beginning they’re on about because the platform that underpins the Bolt brothers will be phased out in favor of the BEV3 vehicle architecture.

Complemented by Ultium batteries, the third-generation EV platform is a highly-scalable design that can be adapted for passenger cars and crossovers with front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive. Oh, and don’t forget that General Motors also offers the BT1 spinoff that underpins the GMC Hummer EV.

Another problem with the Bolt EUV and Bolt EV for the 2022 model year will be the lithium-ion battery from South Korean supplier LG Chem. 66 kWh is all there is to it, which is exactly the same capacity as the 2021 model year Chevrolet Bolt EV. A facelift should be more than skin deep in this day and age, which goes to show that General Motors could do better.

To better differentiate the crossover from the hatchback, GM has also decided to integrate Super Cruise hands-free highway driving technology only on the newcomer. In other words, the Bolt EV won’t be offered at its full potential even though there’s a market for semi-autonomous driving aids.

Chevrolet always tried to market its Bolt electric car as a crossover, but the tall, skinny hatchback wasn't fooling anyone. Now, the brand is making more of a go at it with the reshaped and slightly embiggened 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV. Except it's not a replacement for the old car – it's an addition to an expanded lineup that still includes the old body style, albeit revised with many of the same elements as its more SUVish sibling.

The key difference between the pair, besides a letter U, is in the EUV's stretched wheelbase. Growing nearly 3 inches, it contributes to a commensurate increase in rear seat legroom – one of the areas of improvement indicated by current Bolt EV owners. They were apparently fine with the cargo capacity since it's virtually identical: 16.6 cubic-feet with the back seat up in the EV and actually a wee bit smaller at 16.3 in the EUV. The EUV's overall length is also 6.3 inches longer, but it's only 0.2 inch wider and taller, its track is stretched 0.4 inch and the curb weight is only 90 pounds more. So yeah, it's really not that much bigger.










Bolts EV and EUV share the same carryover electric powertrain: a single motor and gearset that sends 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels only. Chevrolet says that all-wheel drive isn't a requisite for a crossover. The battery is also the same as before (no Ultium for the Bolt), a 65 kWh pack that continues to provide 259 miles of range for the EV and a minor reduction to 250 for the bigger EUV. No complaints there.

Both come standard with DC fast charging capability that allows the Bolts to recharge up to 100 (EV) or 95 (EUV) miles worth of electricity in 30 minutes. A dual-level charge cord is also available (standard EUV, optional EV) meaning you don't need separate 120-volt and 240-volt cords, though this is now commonplace in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Chevrolet also announced that it is now offering to cover the installation cost of 240-volt charging capability for its customers, which is a great incentive worthy of more attention than Chevy gave it during a brief product presentation Friday. Note that this doesn't include a separate charger. Rather, it's covering the cost of installing a 240-volt outlet you can plug the dual-level charge cord into. Although installation costs can vary by job, Chevrolet says that there should be enough economies of scale to make the program work financially (though they did acknowledge that there might be some extreme examples that might disqualify someone from the offer).



The interior sees the biggest change for the Bolt EV with a new design shared with the EUV. It's more horizontally oriented with a center stack that's less pod-like. The standard 10.2-inch touchscreen returns, but it has an all-new UI, plus support from now-standard wireless charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Two more customer requests were addressed inside: more comfortable seats, please, and better interior materials. We can't comment on the seats yet, but the materials are quite obviously nicer. The old Bolt's unusual light gray plastics always came off vaguely like they were sourced from a hot tub. These seem more normal and there's even some pleather stitched on the dash per current fashion. The switchgear also gets an upgrade with rows of glossy black HVAC buttons more clearly separated from those for the infotainment system (it retains knobs for volume and redundant screen control plus a menu button).

Down on the redesigned center console is a new push-and-pull button shifter, not unlike Honda's, replacing the unloved electronically controlled lever that can still be found in various other GM vehicles. A fifth button (the green one) is added to engage one-pedal driving. Previously in electrified Chevys, going all the way back to the original Volt, you'd engage one-pedal driving by dropping the gear lever into L. That was obviously unintuitive; this is better. The new flat-bottom steering wheel also adopts GM's distinctive Regen on Demand paddles.


Top: 2022 Bolt EUV. Bottom left: 2022 Bolt EV. Bottom right: 2020 Bolt EV.

The exterior styling is far bolder, highlighted by Chevy's "high-eye" LED lighting elements, separate headlight units below. Will it be everyone's cup of tea? Perhaps not, but to our eyes, the look is far less dorky.

Though it's awfully hard to tell the new EUV and refreshed EV apart from a glance, they actually don't share any sheetmetal. Key tells including the black trim that connects the mirrors to both lighting elements on the EV and the differing lower bumper trim. The EV has a bit of colored trim bifurcating the airdam; the EUV has some SUVish chrome chin cladding. The EUV's rear is a big boxier, its taillights look like Y's on their sides and the black bumper trim extends further up. There are also differences in the upper rear quarter panel where the ubiquitous floating roof effect is created. In profile, you can note the differing body sculpting and window lines. In total, the EUV looks less like a tall, narrow hatchback, but its position as a crossover is still a bit tenuous.

Finally, pricing for the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV plunges by $5,000 despite the nicer interior and presence of now-standard driver assistance tech (the Bolts will also be the first Chevrolets and GM EVs to be available with Super Cruise). The base price, including destination, is $31,995. The Bolt EUV is only $2,000 more at $33,995, which makes you wonder a bit why Chevy even bothered keeping the original around at all. Especially considering their similar looks and sizes, plus the potential confusion of marketing two vehicles of the same name, plus or minus a U. That whole Bolt/Volt thing was bad enough.

Also, keep in mind that the Bolts are not eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit applicable to most other EVs. Like Tesla, since Chevrolet started down Electric Avenue so early with the Volt and Bolt, it exhausted the finite number of credits granted to each manufacturer. One can certainly debate the merit of that given the supposed point of the credits is to encourage the purchase of electric cars. Nevertheless, that's the situation, and it's possible that state and local tax credits may still apply. Speaking of states, the Bolts will be sold in all 50 of them, but only 1,300 of Chevy's 3,000 dealers will sell them. Not all meet the requirements for service and sales of electric cars, nor the DC fast charging at dealers. Many, presumably, also have no interest in one of these newfangled things when their customers just want Silverados and Tahoes.

Fair enough, but GM has announced quite clearly that its future is electric, and with another Bolt in its toolbox, that future is one step closer.

When we thought the GM recall for the Chevrolet Bolt EV would not give us anything else to write about, the company surprised us. It had finally decided to replace the defective battery modules without disclosing what caused the fires. In an unusual twist, GM agreed to say they happened due to a torn anode tab and a folded separator, which can affect not only the vehicles initially included in the recall, but all Bolt EV and Bolt EUV ever produced.
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It is not clear if the Opel Ampera-e is included in the recall, but it should be. As far as we know, the European version of the Bolt EV was also produced at the GM Orion plant, side by side with its American sibling and with the same battery packs.

According to GM, the expansion of the recall will cost $1 billion more. That means the company will spend $1.8 billion fixing all the battery packs that may present the defects. The automaker said they are now 141,685 units in total.

That number includes the 68,667 cars from model years 2017 up to 2019 initially recalled, 9,335 2019 Bolt EVs that were not on the first list, and 63,683 2020 up to 2022 Bolt EVs and Bolt EUVs. Among these vehicles, 1,212 2019 Bolt EVs and 9,019 2020 to 2022 Bolt EVs and Bolt EUVs are in Canada.

Redoing the calculation we presented with the previous recall, GM will spend around $12,700 on each EV by replacing the defective battery packs. The main difference here is that GM is not taking things lightly with LGES (LG Energy Solution). The automaker clearly said that it is “is pursuing commitments from LG for reimbursement of this field action.”

While some think this will damage GM’s reputation in making electric cars, LGES is the company that really has to fix things related to this episode. The Chevrolet Bolt EV is not the first vehicle to present manufacturing issues with batteries supplied by the South Korean company.

Hyundai also blamed LGES for the Kona Electric fires due to a folded anode tab from components made in its Nanjing factory in China. GM gets its batteries from LGES’s factory in Ochang, South Korea, but the automaker said it “discovered manufacturing defects in certain battery cells” made elsewhere.

A Kona Electric caught fire in Norway, and it was not included in Hyundai’s recall for it. We asked Hyundai about where it was produced, but the company did not get back to us. It may have been manufactured in Nošovice, Czechia, with LGES batteries made in Poland. Until that blaze, we thought that only the cars with South Korean batteries were subject to fires.

LGES is a relevant battery supplier to the automotive industry. Apart from GM and Hyundai, it also supplies its lithium-ion cells to Volkswagen. With so many different manufacturing defects happening in various plants, the South Korean supplier will have to work hard to make up for them.

If you are not among the Chevrolet Bolt EV owners that experienced a fire, the recall may bring you good news: you may get more range than your car originally had. For LGES (LG Energy Solution), all this issue brought was bad news. GM recently said that it would only fix or make new vehicles if the supplier proves it can make defect-free batteries.
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That is wise. LGES has also made defective batteries for Hyundai, resulting in one of the most extensive recalls ever to involve electric vehicles. The Korean company also supplies cells to Volkswagen for its electric cars in Europe. On August 14, an ID.3 caught fire in Groningen, and only the German carmaker seems to be investigating the cause.

In a recent tweet, Clement Bommier explained why the two defects GM found on LGES batteries are so severe. According to the Boeing engineer with a Ph.D. in Material Science, the torn anode tab can make the “floating piece of copper” connect the anode and the cathode, which could cause a sustained short circuit.

The folded separator is just as dangerous. The separator’s goal is to separate the cathode and the anode. Depending on how folded it is, it fails in that mission and puts the cathode and the anode in touch.

If it is just folded onto itself, it can make distances between the cathode and anode different. The longer the distance, the lower the current between these spots. That can cause lithium plating that may lead to “electrolyte degradation, and under the right conditions, lead to gas build-up, cell failure, and potential explosion.” Unlike what GM said, any of these defects alone could cause issues to the battery pack.

While the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV owners will have to wait, GM is planning to compensate them with more range. Green Car Reports published a message the company sent to some owners stating the new Bolt EV battery packs will have the latest chemistry available. That means they will get 8% more range and an 8-year or 100,000-mile warranty for the new components.

Although that may be enough to keep some of these customers willing to wait, it is also fair to say GM took quite a while to take action. Some customers affected by the fires would also like to have the company’s attention to compensate for all they have gone through.

There's good news for Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV owners and prospective buyers. General Motors announced that battery production is resuming for the little electric cars. Apparently GM and battery manufacturer LG have revised their manufacturing processes to avoid the issue that was causing the battery fires. The automaker said the fires could occur when a battery cell had both a "folded separator," which separates the cathode and anode, and a "torn" anode.

With the manufacturing procedures updated, GM is resuming battery production. The first batteries will be delivered in mid-October. Those batteries are going right to replacing existing battery packs. GM is aiming to get them to owners of Bolts that own a car built when most of the defects were appearing. All of these new batteries will also come with an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty, and Chevy will reach out to owners to let them know when their replacement pack is ready. The company has recalled more than 140,000 cars, which is the entire Bolt production run, and the total cost of the replacement program could be $1.8 billion. GM plans to have LG reimburse it for the costs. As for when production of new Bolts will start, the company hasn't said.

Furthermore, GM has an update for Chevy Bolts that adds battery diagnostic software. It keeps an eye on the battery's status and can spot if it's doing anything when charging or discharging that could be caused by a problematic cell. This will also be able to let GM know if and when a car should be prioritized for replacement. Owners can schedule a time to go to their respective dealers for the software update in about 60 days.

In the meantime, GM recommends owners continue following previous instructions for their Bolts. They should set the target charge level to no more than 90%, and avoid discharging the car to a range below 70 miles. Related to that, owners should charge more frequently rather than charging when the battery is really low. And owners should still park the car outside the garage and at a distance of at least 50 feet from other cars or nearby structures.

GM has an update for Chevy Bolts that adds battery diagnostic software. It keeps an eye on the battery's status and can spot if it's doing anything when charging or discharging that could be caused by a problematic cell. This will also be able to let GM know if and when a car should be prioritized for replacement. Owners can schedule a time to go to their respective dealers for the software update in about 60 days.