‘Chevrolet Bolts are about to start rolling off the production line’:
Decent sounding EV, and i hope it does well for them (us!). :)
The Bolt has an interesting shape. It looks like a minivan got squished in a vise or something. Granted, it may look different in person, but it looks… I don’t know… bulky? The Tesla Model 3 hasn’t been unveiled so this is not a fair comparison, but the silhouette I’ve seen of the Tesla makes it look much sportier. It almost feels like the Bolt is going after the tree-hugging Birkenstock crowd who currently drives a Prius, while the Tesla is going after people who want a sexy vehicle - granted, I think there is enough room in the EV market that they both can succeed, but it definitely feels like they’re approaching different segments of that market.
For anyone interested in two wheels, over at www.rideapart.com they are running blogs (zero below zero) on riding the Zero FX in winter.
The FX is all electric, ~100 km range, 33kW, 95Nm of torque - all in a weight package of 132kg. For myself, a range of 100km would be perfect for the daily commute. The thing that I like about pure electric is the low maintenance. All you need to worry about are tires, shocks, and battery.
It doesn’t help that the photo in the linked article shows the Bolt being squished in a vise or something.
Well, I am now a proud Tesla depositee! I went to the Tyson’s Corner store and plunked down my deposit on the Model 3. I got there just before noon, and the line was about 70 people. It took just under 40 minutes to get in the building, and about 2 minutes to give my info. Everything moved smoothly and we even were given free Perrier while waiting. As I was leaving I noticed that the line was only about 15 people, so I guess everyone wanted to get it done in the morning.
You don’t get any physical evidence that you have a reservation (they are going to email something but who knows when that will arrive). I did check my credit card and the deposit was charged, so that’s evidence as much as anything else I guess.
I know it’s sort of silly to purchase a car in its first year, especially one where you don’t exactly know the price, but hey, I’m a bleeding edge kind of guy. Plus the deposit is refundable.
Would love to hear your impressions when you get it (which is when btw?). After my test drive of the Zoe, i just love the EV feel, and obviously saving the planet for my children is a big incentive.
I have no idea if I’ll even know my place in line when they email a confirmation. I would not be shocked if it wasn’t until the end of 2017/early 2018.
The stories I’ve seen indicate at least a year away for the Model 3. The car sure as hell seems nifty, in a future-is-now sort of way. Great projected performance stats, and there’s even an all-wheel-drive dual motor version (more expensive of course than the normal version). If this sort of electric vehicle design philosophy–that is, cars that don’t bore you to death–catches on I’d be willing to look at one down the road. Hell, even Toyota is finally realizing people want something that isn’t a snooze fest, and is trying to spiff up the Prius line.
Now if they’d only figure out a way to simulate a clutch pedal and a shifter in a true EV…;)
The website says that deliveries begin late 2017.
I just wish the Tesla charging stations were universal instead of proprietary. It’s a shame they are building a network of charging stations that other EVs cannot use.
The Bolt has an interesting shape. It looks like a minivan got squished in a vise or something.
Isn’t that a fairly standard crossover shape? I’m not a fan, but they’re extremely common in recent years. I guess the bonnet looks a bit squished, but nothing major.
I didn’t realize that. That’s kind of shitty, to put it mildly. Imagine if you couldn’t only buy gas at certain gas station chains.
Yes, it certainly doesn’t help promote EVs when the charging stations are proprietary. The chargers the rest of the EVs use are universal. A Volt, Leaf, and Prius can all use the same charging station, and there are several different manufacturers who make them.
I’ve decided to install a level 2 charger in my carport. I need to put in an outlet to trickle-charge so we decided to go ahead and pay more and get a level 2 charger put in. We may go with a second EV or a hybrid in the next few years. We have a Kia coming up to the end of the lease in the next 18 months and we may just turn it in and get something else. We both really enjoy driving the Leaf.
I didn’t know the EV tax break expires after 200,000 cars are sold per manufacturer. I went from ‘I would never preorder a car’ to ‘Huh, maybe I should preorder one of these’ to ‘oh, too late’ in the space of 10 seconds.
Is that the final interior? Because that looked extremely bare bones on the pictures Ars took.
Remember, there’s no particular need to have a bonnet at all on an all-electric car. It exists as a crumple zone and to fit a frunk for some extra storage.
Well, they need somewhere to put the battery too.
And some links on info about the Model 3:
‘Tesla Model 3 pre-orders stack up as Elon Musk unveils lower-priced car’:
‘Tesla Model 3 unveiled: 215-mile range, 0-60 in under 6 seconds, delivered in 2017’:
Watching the video; first time really watching Elon Musk. Brilliant dude, but he seems a little flustered up there. Imagine if he had Jobs’ showmanship.