The Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV are leaving production--two actually affordable electric cars--and that's a damn shame. As CNBC reports, GM CEO Mary Barra told investors on a call Tuesday morning that the EV hatchback will die at the end of the year so the Orion, Michigan plant can be retooled for EV pickup production. When the Bolt dies, America will lose one of its best EV offerings.
Chevrolet beat the Tesla Model 3 to market with the Bolt in 2016, but it never caught on with the American buying public. It's easy to see why, especially in contrast with the Tesla. The Model 3 is a stylish sedan; the Bolt screams "eco car" and not in the cool way. A tall, homely hatchback is anathema to the American car buyer, so although the Bolt ended up becoming the best-selling EV in America behind the Tesla Model 3 and Y, it was behind by a big margin.
Here's the thing, though: The Bolt was, and is, a fabulous car. It's practical, well-made, fairly efficient, and great to drive. A facelift for 2021 and the introduction of the slightly larger and better-looking Bolt EUV served to sweeten the deal. Of course, GM had big issues with battery fires. GM took the Bolt off the market for a long time, and expensively replaced batteries in customer cars. When it came back, though, Chevy offered the Bolt EV and EUV at a bargain price. A base Bolt EV carries a $27,495 sticker; a loaded (minus dealer-installed accessories) Bolt EUV costs $38,485 and that includes GM's excellent hands-off Super Cruise drive assist feature.
The Biden Administration's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) made the Bolt eligible for the $7500 federal EV tax credit at the beginning of the year, and that's still the case now after the requirements for qualification changed, making it the rare EV to get the full credit. So, you could get a Bolt for basically under $20,000 or just over $31,000 for that fully loaded EUV model. And that's before any state incentives.
It's a screaming deal. The Bolt is low cost, however, because it's an old design, marching on the same last-generation tech it has used since it went into production in 2016. The Bolt's older architecture means that it's 50-kW max DC fast-charging input is a ways behind a lot of newer EV models, but its around-250-mile range is still competitive. Plus, the Bolt has excellent driving dynamics. If you came out of a GTI and into a Bolt, you wouldn't be disappointed.
The Bolt is the platonic ideal for an everyday runabout. It's all the car so many Americans need, yet it's just not the car Americans want. GM not realizing this back when the Bolt was in development was bad for its bottom line, but it was great for the savvy consumer. Today, GM gets it, and after the Bolt leaves production, the company's new entry-level is the Equinox EV.
Chevy says the Equinox EV will start at $30,000 and offer up to 300 miles of range, though one imagines those two things are mutually exclusive. The Equinox should benefit from huge advancements in battery chemistry and motor construction, but being a larger, taller, and presumably heavier car, it's not chasing maximum efficiency.
The problem is that, as far as we can tell, the Bolt doesn't have a successor. GM is moving towards building the EVs Americans actually want, and you can't blame the company, as it's in the business of making money, not selling cars. It's just that Americans want the wrong things. We want more, we want bigger, which runs counter to the EV goal of environmental harm reduction. We shouldn't just be embracing alternative propulsion methods, we should also be embracing smaller, more sensible cars. The Bolt is that car—Americans just aren't buying it.
If you're smart, however, and you're looking for a daily runabout, get a Bolt before it's too late. I'm damn tempted myself.
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins is Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist. He joined the staff in 2016 and no one has figured out a way to fire him since. He street-parks a Porsche Boxster in Brooklyn, New York, much to the horror of everyone who sees the car, not least the author himself. He also insists he's not a convertible person, despite owning three.
