Say Goodbye to the Chevy Bolt
The Chevrolet Bolt has been an important player in GM’s move to electrify itself, but as one of the automaker’s early EVs, its time has almost run its course. The affordable car is going away at the end of the year to make way for the production of GM’s new electric trucks, including the Chevy Silverado EV and the GMC Sierra EV.
General Motors is moving to overhaul its facility in Orion Township, MI, where it’s planning a $4 billion renovation. The change will triple employment at the plant and enable the production of the Ultium-based trucks.
Silverado EV production is expected to begin at GM’s Factory Zero this year. The facility also handles the Hummer EV, and expanding to Orion will expand the automaker’s electric truck capacity to 600,000 units per year.
As an older EV, the Bolt is missing some of the benefits brought by GM’s newer Ultium platform. The tech enables longer range estimates and is flexible, allowing GM to create different sizes and types of vehicles on the same foundation. The car has also struggled after a massive 2021 recall related to battery fires.
Though GM’s decision makes sense, it’s hard not to be disappointed that one of the most affordable electric vehicles is being discontinued. Even with promises of affordable EVs from Chevy and others, having the bolt at an entry-level price made GM’s electric lineup seem more approachable. The Nissan Leaf is the next best thing, but its range barely crests 200 miles per charge.
[Image: Chevrolet]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Jackassary noted and reported
There's not anything else out there that does what our Bolt does, and that's even before you consider the stupid low net prices now available with tax credit. (After tax credit we paid about $32k for our 2019 Premier, which was a good deal at the time but much too much today.)
We use it for in-city family transport, where it is a dream come true. We don't push the range at all (honestly 150 miles would enough) and love the convenience of electric driving. Full tank every morning, no need for gas stops, almost no maintenance downtime, incredibly responsive and fun to drive, use remote start for heating and cooling without the stinky cloud of cold-start exhaust.
It fits in our tiny 182" long city garage spot with enough space to open the hatch if you park it just right, and will parallel park in gaps on the street that most cars have to pass up.
We'll keep this one for a good while and then get the next one from whoever makes something equally fit for purpose, which apparently won't be GM.
GM is killing the Bolt due to its negative connotation (ie: Burn Baby Burn). GM needs affordable EV vehicles like it did during the ICE age (ie: Vega, Cavalier, Cobalt). As usual, GM is blowing smoke till it figures out its next move.🚗🚗🚗
Are any of us TRULY surprised that GM did something intelligent (reduced price of Bolt to make actually affordable) and THEN discontinued it a year later? Making something great and then sabotaging it until it's dead has been their mantra for decades...