Chevrolet Bolt EV
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: the Chevrolet Bolt is a completely different vehicle to the Chevrolet Volt. Despite the similar names they fall into two different categories, but we’d argue the Bolt is even greater than its bigger sibling.
The Bolt comes in two variants: a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and a full electric vehicle (EV). Since we’re on the topic of electric vehicles, we’re going to ignore the hybrid and discuss the fully-electric model. It is, after all, the car of the future and the one most people are excited about. The big question then: is it any good?
Exterior
The Bolt isn’t what you’d call striking, but it is a good looking car. The design is very similar to the Volt and other Chevrolet models, but it’s instantly recognizable. It’s short and tall, and rather narrow. It looks like a mini MPV if you will. You can tell it’s been designed as a city car from the start. It looks practical and efficient. It won’t excite you or win you over with looks, but you won’t be ashamed to park it in your driveway.
Interior
The cabin is unmistakably Chevrolet. Simple and elegant is the theme here. The dashboard is molded around the massive center console which houses the infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s a ton of room in both rows of seats, and the seats themselves are really comfortable it has to be said. The driving position is great too. You sit nice and high, with unobstructed vision all around. You get in it and it just feels right.
Chevrolet hasn’t spared any expenses on technology either. The Premier package comes with rear parking sonar, rear cross-traffic and blind-spot monitoring as standard. You can also get it with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking and even lane keeping assist. It may be one of their smallest cars on sale, but it’s high on technology and features.
Engine and Performance
Being an EV, the Bolt doesn’t come with a conventional engine. It instead gets an electric motor with 200 horsepower. That’s right. This is a small electric city car with as much power as a Toyota GT-86. Don’t worry about range anxiety either. Chevrolet has fitted it with a massive 60-kWh battery so it’s good for around 380+ km on a completely full charge. That’s mighty impressive for something which is mostly designed to be a daily driver.
Surprisingly, it’s really quick. The sprint to 100km takes just 6.8 seconds thanks to instantaneous electric power. It’s not bad in the corners either. Because the battery is hidden in the floor, the center of gravity is really low. This means that despite its tall nature, the Bolt EV doesn’t exhibit a lot of body roll. The steering wheel is responsive with good feedback too. It’s not a sports car, but for city driving, it feels like a go-kart.
Conclusion
If you want an EV right now, get the Bolt. There’s no reason to wait for the Tesla Model 3 or any other EV for that matter. The Bolt is relatively affordable, practical, decently quick, and really fun to drive around. It can do over 380 km on a charge. What more do you need?
Build your own Chevrolet Bolt here: https://goo.gl/hDpChW