The 2020 Chevrolet Bolt goes to supply 21 miles extra vary on a full cost than its predecessors, because of a tweak in battery chemistry, the automaker announced Thursday. The brand new model of the automaker’s flagship electrical automobile will subsequently get an EPA-estimated 259 miles of vary when it goes on sale later this yr, up from 238 miles.
“To attain this notable vary enhance, Chevrolet’s battery engineering workforce improved the power of the cell electrodes by making small however impactful modifications to the cell chemistry,” Chevrolet stated in an announcement. “This revolutionary considering allowed the workforce to implement the vary enhance with no need to vary the bodily battery pack and the way in which it’s built-in into the automobile construction.”
Except for some new colours (“oasis blue” and “cayenne orange metallic,” the latter of which prices additional) and an improve to a high-definition backup digicam, although, it seems the vary bump would be the solely important change to the now three-year-old EV. It’ll even begin at precisely the identical price ticket of $37,495, which is a disgrace, as a result of the Bolt is no longer eligible for the full federal EV tax credit.
The roughly 10 % bump in general vary is welcome, because it’s the same proportion bump to the one which Tesla lately gave the Mannequin S and Mannequin X when it outfitted these automobiles with newer drivetrain components earlier this yr. After all, the Mannequin S and Mannequin X already supplied extra vary than the Bolt, so their new vary limits are even greater now, at 370 and 325 miles, respectively.
The Bolt is extra comparable in price to Tesla’s Mannequin three, and now presents barely extra vary than the 240-mile Customary Vary model of Tesla’s most reasonably priced automotive. However Chevy solely sells a couple of thousand Bolts per quarter, so it’s been a far much less in style electrical automotive. If something, the vary bump might merely assist the Bolt hold tempo with different lower-cost entries to the EV market, just like the all-electric variations of the Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona.
