The Chevrolet Bolt was once the EV everybody cherished to hate. Sellers supplied steep reductions simply to maneuver them off the heaps whereas everybody cooed and gushed over flashier choices just like the Tesla Mannequin 3. Then there was that complete catching-on-fire factor.
However now that vendor costs on just about each new car have gone cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, the unique Bolt EV appears like a fairly sensible deal. That’s, if you could find a dealership that isn’t charging outrageous markups.
Overview
The Chevy Bolt debuted for the 2017 mannequin yr with nice fanfare. After a number of years of bulletins, ideas and sneak peeks, Chevrolet lastly had its manufacturing EV. Sure, there was the Chevy Spark EV earlier than it, but it surely was a low-volume compliance automotive. When you haven’t already forgotten about that one, it’s best to.
With 238 miles of vary, as estimated by the EPA, the Bolt was method forward of older fashions just like the Spark EV, Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus EV. Chevy gathered a shelf filled with awards together with the MotorTrend Automotive of the 12 months, North American Automotive of the 12 months, Vehicle Journal All-Star, and a spot on Time journal’s listing of Finest Innovations of 2016.
As a automotive, the Bolt is a subcompact four-door hatchback, which put it in direct competitors with the Leaf, Focus EV, BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf. Chevrolet outpaced all of them, promoting greater than 23,000 Bolts in its first yr.
The Bolt has remained largely unchanged in six years available on the market. As an alternative of a serious redesign, Chevrolet opted to upsize a brand new mannequin and name it the Bolt EUV, so now it’s a household of Bolts. Consequently, the Bolt stays one of the reasonably priced EV available on the market, a minimum of when measured by MSRP.
Exterior
Like just about all first-gen clean-sheet EV designs besides Tesla, the Bolt is sort of frumpy. Someplace alongside the road, focus teams advised Chevrolet, Nissan, and BMW that an EV ought to seem like one thing your Birkenstock-wearing center faculty English trainer would drive. The Bolt was designed within the outdated Daewoo studio in Korea which had beforehand produced the Spark, so it’s an evolution of the Spark look.
Nonetheless, the design of the Bolt has worn nicely. It appears slightly bit futuristic with its largely flat pane from the windshield right down to the headlight belt line over the bumper.
Like most autos designed to create inside quantity in a subcompact construction, the wheels are pushed out to the corners of the car giving more room for bigger doorways. The underside line is, nobody’s shopping for a Bolt to look tremendous cool. These individuals purchase Teslas or now, Rivians and Lucids.
Inside
The futuristic look of the Bolt’s exterior extends to the cabin. Inside the bounds of economic system vehicles, the Bolt’s inside is completely good. The seats are comfy, and the infotainment touchscreen is beneficiant at 10.2 inches in all trims.
The entrance seats and steering wheel are additionally upholstered in perforated leather-based and heated whenever you purchase the 2LT, which is very nice in most of North America. As a nod to the Bolt’s electrical driveline, you get push-button gear choice on the middle console.
Rear seat house can also be good, courtesy of the egg-on-wheels exterior design. You may match two adults again there in respectable consolation, or flip the rear seats down and get 57 cubic ft of cargo capability. Most individuals pack lower than that to go away to varsity.
Powertrain
The Bolt is a front-wheel drive design, and there has by no means been any provision for AWD. Actually, AWD is an affectation more often than not, and it will detract from vary and effectivity. The electrical motor gives 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque, giving the Bolt a vigorous and fast demeanor.
There isn’t a transmission as such, only a differential and ultimate drive. With this, the Bolt will hit 30 mph from a standing cease in below 3 seconds, and 6.5 seconds to 60 mph. For a good comparability, that’s about the identical as a mid-80s Ferrari 308.
The official vary estimate for a 2022 Bolt is 259 miles, however I’ve by no means didn’t beat that quantity once I had one as a loaner. Getting nice vary shouldn’t be one thing you need to do by crawling alongside the shoulder at 45 mph, both. Simply keep away from doing too a lot of these 0-60 sprints and use the one-pedal driving functionality for regeneration.
The EPA charges the Bolt at 120 MPGe in mixed driving, however that’s actually a meaningless statistic. What issues is, you possibly can cost the Bolt (slowly) on 120V wall present, and if in case you have a 240V Degree 2 charger at dwelling, you’ll get up to a full cost each morning. The Bolt additionally helps DC quick charging, and you’ll juice up for 100 miles in half-hour.
Security and Expertise
Chevrolet outfits the Bolt with the most recent in security and driver comfort options. The bottom trim comes with a fundamental rear-view digicam and automated headlights, in addition to a full suite of superior collision mitigation programs. Within the upgraded 2LT trim, Chevy provides lane help with blind-spot monitoring, plus rear parking help and a 360-degree digicam system.
As talked about, in each the 1LT and 2LT trims, you’ll take pleasure in a ten.2-inch touchscreen with voice management. Wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come commonplace. Like just about all EVs, the Bolt will present you all types of data on the way you’re doing with power effectivity, and what your cost occasions might be.
It’s arduous to speak about security and never point out the very fact the Bolt EV had an issue with the batteries catching on hearth. That solely occurred when two comparatively uncommon manufacturing defects had been current in the identical battery. To handle that, Chevrolet is changing the faulty batteries and has a software program repair that forestalls even faulty batteries from catching hearth earlier than they are often changed.
Driving Impressions
Driving the Bolt is when this automotive actually sells itself. In another context, we’d name this automotive a sizzling hatch. For instance, this yr’s four-door Mini Cooper S comes with 189 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque, positively in the identical efficiency envelope because the Bolt.
The Bolt performs as much as its specs, with nimble dealing with and loads of scoot at any velocity. Once you attain your vacation spot, it’s acquired nice visibility and it’s straightforward to park. As we talked about, there’s loads of house below the hatch to haul no matter you’re shopping for, inside cause.
The opposite factor concerning the Bolt driving expertise has to do with EV vary. Clearly, when complete vary is at 100 miles or much less, you’re consistently trying on the vary meter and planning your subsequent charging cease. However at 259 miles (or extra) you’ve acquired respiratory room to make that sudden facet journey.
Talking personally, I usually want to enter town, and that entails a 75-mile journey every method, over a small mountain vary. With a Bolt, I can get into town, run my errands, and get dwelling once more with a cushty margin. That peace of thoughts is important whenever you’re speaking about driving enjoyment.
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV Specs
Wrap Up
Proper now, Chevrolet is promoting the Bolt 1LT at $31,500, plus $995 in vacation spot charges, however with $5,900 in money allowances on the hood. That’s rather than the Federal tax credit score that not applies to GM autos. Your state authorities might also supply EV tax credit, and your native vendor will find out about these.
Theoretically, your bottom-line value on a base trim Bolt must be proper round $26,595, or $29,795 should you purchase the improve 2LT trim. By the way in which, with simply $3,200 separating the 2 trims, it’s best to positively go for the 2LT.
Nevertheless, discovering a vendor promoting any new automotive at MSRP is a problem proper now. Many vendor web sites simply say, “MARKET PRICE — CONTACT US.” That’s by no means signal for locating a cut price. So whereas the 2022 Chevy Bolt could be the most reasonably priced EV available on the market by MSRP, truly getting that deal could also be near unimaginable.
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV — Steadily Requested Questions
Is the Chevrolet Bolt being discontinued?
Not right now. The 2023 Bolt has been introduced with pricing and have upgrades.
Will a brand new Chevrolet Bolt catch hearth?
It’s most unlikely. There’s a software program replace that forestalls the fireplace that might happen if the battery defects are current. Out of 108,443 Bolts offered in the US by June of 2022, simply 19 have caught hearth.
Is the 2023 Bolt a greater automotive than the 2022 mannequin?
The 2023 Bolt is sort of an identical to the 2022 mannequin. A brand new shade might be obtainable, together with some new equipment like ground mats and an illuminated charging port.