NAIAS 2016: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt - Seven Seconds to Sixty

by Chris Tonn

Published: January 11th, 2016

naias 2016 2017 chevrolet bolt seven seconds to sixty

After last week’s unveiling at CES, we were left with plenty of questions about the new 2017 Chevrolet Bolt. Answers came today, at least about its drivetrain.

Notably, GM mentions a low-speed driving mode that allows for single-pedal operation. This “Low” mode allows the driver to control regenerative braking with a paddle behind the steering wheel. This could be a game changer in stop-and-go traffic.

The standard drive mode allows for 0-60 mph times of seven seconds flat.

The 60-kWh battery pack, warranted for eight years or a hundred thousand miles, is mounted flat below the passenger floor, with 288 cells measuring less than four inches tall each. GM claims overnight charging will result in 200 miles of range, with 50 miles available after two hours on a 240V charger.

While the Bolt will manufactured at GM’s Orion Township plant near Detroit, the battery, motor, and drive system will be built in Incheon, South Korea, using technology from LG.

LG’s product placement team must have been sleeping on this release, however, as a Samsung phone is pictured behind the drive selection lever.

#2016NorthAmericanInternationalAutoShow #2017ChevroletBolt #Bolt #Chevrolet #ChevroletBolt #Chevy #EV

Chris Tonn

Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.

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9 of 38 comments

Master Baiter on Jan 11, 2016

In related news, "A brutal new year selloff in oil markets deepened on Monday, with prices plunging more than 6 percent to new 12-year lows as further ructions in the Chinese stock market threatened to knock crude into the $20s." . .

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- Silverw126 on Jan 11, 2016
  
  Yes, the price of oil continues to drop, but after owning an EREV (Gen 1 and Gen 2 Volt), it's not just the price of oil anymore. For me, it's the drive experience. Smooth and quiet. Can't beat the maintenance (oil change is every 2 years or 40K miles from our driving). Only other real fluids to change is coolant and brake fluid at 150K. $45 of electricity gets us 1400 miles at TOU rates (PG&E EV-A rate). Haven't bought gas in 3 months; many public chargers are also free. A pure EV like a Bolt will be even better--no oil changes at all. Tire rotations, filters, and brake/coolant fluids at likely over 100K. Probably no need to replace brake pads/rotors, as the car "regens" to brake. It will take time for people to get used to this idea. And yes, there are still a lot of haters out there (for both GM and EVs). But just 2 years ago I never thought I'd ever own a GM product either. Now I have both Gen 1 and Gen 2 Volt.
  
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- HotPotato on Jan 12, 2016
  
  @silverw126 Amen to that. I'm a lifelong motorhead, but the wife and I replaced our luxobarge wagon with a Ford C-Max hybrid and our sports coupe with a full-electric Fiat 500e. The Fiat has made raving fans of us: cannonballing into any traffic opening with instant torque, dumping zero tailpipe pollution into our neighborhood, handling better than its ICE cousin, and never requiring us to touch a grimy-ass gas pump. It's a gleeful, tire-spinning little hooligan and we look for any excuse to drive it. Frankly we don't give a damn what the price of oil is: we'd like our next vehicles to be electric regardless.
  
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- Vulpine on Jan 12, 2016
  
  @HotPotato "The Fiat has made raving fans of us: cannonballing into any traffic opening with instant torque, dumping zero tailpipe pollution into our neighborhood, handling better than its ICE cousin,..." The lower CofG probably does it, but I've had no squawks about the handling of my ICE version. Now if the 500e only had more range... I think Fiat is ignoring an opportunity if they don't at least consider Tesla as a partner in their future electrification. As it is, FCA is refusing to even consider anything non-hybrid except for compliance purposes and I think that's a big mistake now that so many more states have adopted California's CARB rules.
  
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- HotPotato on Jan 13, 2016
  
  @Vulpine Yep: lower center of gravity, plus nearly even front-rear weight distribution, longer-travel springs, and frankly more weight, which greatly reduces bobbing on the highway. To ensure it still understeers a bit for safety, the 500e has staggered wheel sizes -- wider in the rear. To stay competitive in the next couple of years, the 500e needs DC Fast Charging capability, and triple-digit range *without* an acceleration penalty. The 87 mile EPA rating is quite conservative, but a 100-120 mile EPA rating plus DCFC would greatly expand the uses of the car, especially now that DCFC stations are popping up. I correspond occasionally with a key engineer from the 500e project, and he says the 500e was originally designed with DCFC capability, but it was dropped in part because the SAE connector wouldn't fit in the stock gas filler neck opening!
  
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- Vulpine on Jan 13, 2016
  
  @HotPotato Guess you could always use an adaptor, but I understand what you mean. Of course, that's one reason why I'm interested in what the Tesla Model 3 is going to look like. Then again, by the time they're ubiquitous, I'll probably not be driving any more. (I dread that time because I still enjoy driving.)
  
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RideHeight on Jan 11, 2016

A foot-wide engineered blind spot at each rear corner? At least do the Cube's wrap-around window opposite the driver's side.

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- Bumpy ii on Jan 11, 2016
  
  You're supposed to order the tech package with the bird's eye rear camera view. Actual glass is weaker than high strength steel, and gauche.
  
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- RideHeight on Jan 12, 2016
  
  @bumpy ii #foistedtechmatters
  
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