In a span of only 12 months, General Motors successfully brought the Chevy Bolt EV from the concept stage to production-ready phase.
The new Chevrolet Bolt EV is the company's latest electric car and its answer to all critics who have negatively deemed the car manufacturer as slow and outmoded. General Motors claims that the car will be ready for full production early next year.
"This isn't some science project or concept that's years away," said CEO Mary Barra of General Motors.
Compared to rival electric vehicles, the Chevy Bolt EV has a mile-range of up to 200 on a single charge. The pricing is even more impressive, as the vehicle is said to cost less than $30,000. This means that the Bolt EV will be cheaper than a Tesla and will offer more mileage from a single charge than the Leaf from Nissan.
Barra added that the company values the dealer model and reiterated how Bolt EV customers can take advantage of neighborhood dealerships. She said that these customers will always get the expected service and support even when they drive from one state to another.
The Bolt EV can easily charge from empty to full in 36 hours using a standard charging outlet of 120 volts. However, 2-hour charging is also possible provided that a 240-volt outlet is used. If a DC fast charging is used, the car can become charged in 1.5 hours.
The car's battery pack has been designed to be incorporated with the chassis and has been mounted under the passenger cabin. This allows the car to have a flat interior floor.
Another interesting feature of the car's interior is its roomy design. For instance, the car seats have been customized to provide an extra inch of legroom for those who are seated on the back passenger seats. Apparently, the seats are filled with a mere 0.39-inch of padding and have a special plastic membrane that comes with a suspension system. This allows the seats to absorb bumps and bounces along the way.
Other notable highlights include a 10.2-inch touchscreen with inductive charging for wireless smartphone charging, OnStar 4G LTE that turns the Bolt EV into a Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, low-energy Bluetooth system and a new app called MyChevrolet Mobile.
"[It's] more than a car, it's a platform," said Barra.
