The Chevrolet Bolt EV came out in 2017 to good reviews for its range and driving dynamics, and those and other features have been improved in the updated 2020 model.
One might not expect a compact family sedan to be a great performer, but the Bolt, like most of its electric counterparts, takes advantage of the abundant torque of the electric motor to deliver a very sporty driving experience. Said torque is 266 lb-ft the instant you touch the go-pedal, and that plus 200 horsepower are sufficient to get you to 100 km/h in no more than 7 seconds, and allow effortless highway cruising at any speed traffic is flowing. Handling, while not at a Corvette level due in part to the slender eco-friendly tires, is nonetheless competent and with good communication to the driver in the corners through the steering and chassis.
The big concern with EVs has always been range anxiety, through a combination of low driving range and scarce charging stations. Both aspects have been actively dealt with over the past few years, and the Bolt, when it first came out, had some 383 km of range, which I believe was the most in the compact EV segment at the time. For 2020, that range has been increased by 10 percent, with some 34 km added, to bust through the 400 km level with 417. So now, the game has changed for urban driving, at least, as most people won’t come close to 400 km in a day’s commuting or shopping. But, as before, long trips out of town are a whole other issue.
So what’s the Bolt like to drive? To do that, one must first drop oneself into the driver’s seat, and the impression at that point is a mixed bag. The seats themselves, upholstered in the same dark grey-and-white shades that actually look pretty good, might have been sourced from a 2005 Cavalier, so soft are they. There is some support where you’d want it most (lumbar and under-thigh, neither adjustable), and a manual height adjustment, so the actual driving position is not so bad. It’s just a feeling of lack of substance under your butt. At least the seats are heated. Another factor affecting comfort is that the shoulder belt retractor on the pillar behind your shoulder is not height-adjustable, so the tall or short driver might wish it was.
In front of you are two graphic displays, the one visible through the steering wheel that tells you the usual operational info like speed, while a bigger 10.2-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash is where you get access to all the technical info about the functioning of the EV system, including efficiency history, charging strategies and the effect on range of various driving styles. There is a Sport mode one can choose, but we found that it didn’t seem to make for much of a change in the sportiness of the Bolt, which, as we noted, was fairly sporty already. There is no need for an Eco mode, as an EV is about as “eco” as a vehicle can be.
What there is, though, is something that is part of the basic technology of all EVs, and allows the involved driver to take greater part in it. And that is the regenerative braking, which converts the kinetic energy generated in braking into electricity for the batteries. The thing is, it is variable, and the driver can tell the car how much to regenerate. At full regen, the driver need not use the brake pedal in most cases. Most EVs allow the driver to choose from among a few levels of it, but the Bolt takes a different approach, as the left paddle behind the steering wheel is pulled to activate the Regen on Demand, and upon release, it reverts back to “normal” with minimal deceleration force. This has pros and cons, as the driver must consciously pull the paddle each time, versus just setting the regen once to the level desired.
What about cost, you ask. Well, the base “LT” model costs $44,998, and the Premier model we tested starts at $50,298. Let that number roll around your mind for a second. The extra $5,300 gets you brighter trim, roof rails, upgraded audio, USB ports, camera rearview mirror, wireless phone charging, and more. Standard tech includes Apple Car Play, Android Auto, and 4G LTE WiFi Hotspot.
These prices and equipment are not appreciably different from the Bolt’s rivals in the market – the entry-level, compact-size EVs all range from low $40s to low $50s. When one realizes that one can purchase a compact gasoline sedan for around half those amounts depending on trim, one has to really understand and accept the whole EV ownership equation to shell out the kind of money that will also get you a mid-size European prestige-branded gasoline car, just as an example.
So, the Bolt is right in the ballpark on cost and performance, but the cost of the Premier model we drove didn’t end at $50,298. Nope, Chevrolet charges an additional $795 for the Driver Confidence II Package, which includes all the high-end electronic safety gear that one might have thought would be included on a $50K car. Added to the Premier’s standard Blind Spot Monitor with Lane Change and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, plus HD Surround Vision, are Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert, Following Distance Indicator, Front Pedestrian Braking, and IntelliBeam. All important gear, and really, you’ve got to have this stuff on your new car.
In the province in which we drove the Bolt – British Columbia – the EV buyer can receive at least $8,000 in government rebates, getting the price of a Premier down to around the $40K level, and in Canada as a whole, business owners can write-off the entire cost of the car in the first year. Those are powerful incentives, big factors in the sale of EVs anywhere they are offered, and B.C. led the country last year in percentage of all sales being plug-in vehicles, at 10 percent. Even so, EVs are a tough sale these days, with the price of gas having been so low the last few months.
The Bolt is a strong contender in the compact EV field, perhaps falling back a bit due to its interior, which we understand will be upgraded for the 2022 model a year from now. Until then, you get all the benefits of an EV in a useful little hatchback, with the added attraction of rather sporty performance. As a small car to squirt around in city traffic, the Bolt, with its big and instant torque, is fun to drive. Maybe that is enough, in addition to the low cost of operation, for some people to justify the price premium.
Specifications
- Price as tested (MSRP): $51,093
- Type: 5-door, 5-passenger compact hatchback
- Layout: Front motor / FWD
- Engine: 150-kw electric drive
- Power: 200 hp
- Torque: 266 lb-ft @ 1 rpm
- Transmission: Single-speed auto
- Weight: 1,616 kg
- Powertrain Warranty: 5 Yrs / 100,000 km
- Battery Warranty: 8 Yrs / 160,000 km
