General Motors CEO Mary Barra unveiled the Chevrolet Bolt electrical car throughout the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Production of the present Bolt is set to finish in December, however GM has mentioned a revamped model is on the approach.
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General Motors shocked buyers – and EV followers – when it mentioned in July that the little Chevrolet Bolt EV will be revamped, relatively than killed off totally at the finish of 2023 as originally planned.
During GM’s earnings name on Tuesday, CEO Mary Barra shared extra particulars round the considering behind the choice to maintain the Bolt round whereas giving some hints as to what Bolt followers can anticipate when the revamped EV goes on sale.
Barra mentioned that GM had initially deliberate to launch a collection of newly designed EVs in entry-level segments at a complete price of round $5 billion. But given the recognition of the present Bolt – 2023 is already the mannequin’s finest 12 months ever for gross sales – it made sense to revamp the current automobile as an alternative.
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“By leveraging the finest attributes of in the present day’s Bolt EV in addition to Ultium, our newest software program, and NACS, we’ll ship a good higher driving charging and possession expertise with a car we all know clients love,” Barra mentioned. “In the course of, we’re saving billions in capital and engineering expense, delivering a considerably price improved battery pack utilizing bought LFP cells.
Launched in late 2016 and initially aimed toward the ride-sharing market, the Bolt had by no means offered in addition to GM had initially hoped. But a collection of value cuts, the addition of a roomier crossover-like “EUV” variant in 2021 – and American customers’ steadily rising curiosity in EVs – mixed to offer the Bolt a gross sales surge in what was speculated to be its last years.
That gross sales surge is a giant a part of why GM determined to maintain the Bolt round. Sales have been up greater than 50% in 2022, to simply over 38,000. This 12 months’s gross sales have already topped that quantity, with almost 50,000 Bolts offered by the finish of September.
To be clear, the Bolt will probably be on hiatus for some time. GM nonetheless plans to finish manufacturing of the present Bolt at its Michigan manufacturing facility at the finish of this 12 months, and it hasn’t but mentioned when the revamped mannequin will go on sale – or the place it’ll be made. (The Bolt’s present manufacturing facility in Michigan will probably be retooled to make electrical variations of GM’s Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup vehicles.)
But with sturdy and comparatively cheap lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells, GM’s improved Ultium platform and newest software program, and NACS charging ports that can enable it to make use of Tesla‘s Supercharger community, the new Bolt appears to be like set to proceed to win new patrons
“We’re attending to market at the very least two years quicker, and our unit prices will probably be considerably decrease,” Barra mentioned.