Can Chevy Bolt zap Tesla?
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt is the first affordable electric car that can go the distance, but is that enough to keep up with Tesla?
The Chevrolet Bolt is getting a boost.
According to the EPA, the 2020 version of Chevrolet’s electric car will have a range of 259 miles per charge, 21 more than the 2019 edition.
Chevrolet hasn’t officially announced the update or responded to a request from Fox News Autos for more information, but Car and Driver speculates that it may be using new technology to wring more range out of its 60 kilowatt-hour battery pack.
CHEVROLET'S NEW ELECTRIC CAR IS NAMED AFTER THOMAS EDISON ... SORT OF
Its efficiency actually dropped from 119 mpge (miles per gallon equivalent) to 118 mpg, according to the EPA, so either the battery pack had to increase in size or Chevy found a way to use more of it. Automakers often keep some capacity in reserve so the range doesn’t change as the battery pack’s ability to hold a charge is reduced over time.
The Bolt features a floor-mounted 60 kilowatt-hour battery pack (Chevrolet)
The Bolt now has the longest range of any mainstream electric car, just squeaking by the Hyundai Kona Electric’s 258 miles. The Tesla Model 3 Standard Range is rated at 220 miles, and the Long Range version is rated at 310 miles.
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Prices for the 2020 Bolt haven’t been released, but the current car starts at $37,495 and is eligible for a $3,750 through the end of September, then $1,875 through March 2020. Chevrolet has also been offering incentives up to $6,997 in recent months due to low sales.
Update: Chevrolet has confirmed the Bolt’s new range and said the “battery engineering team improved the energy of the cell electrodes by making small but impactful changes to the cell chemistry,” and that the physical size of the battery pack remains the same, as will the base price of the vehicle.