Chevy Bolt Continues
Chevrolet had told the world that their future was all Ultium and that spelled the end to the Bolt and Bolt EUV at the end of the current model run.
Today, Chevy reversed themselves and said a 3rd generation Bolt is on the way. This seems to be reflecting that upcoming Ultium models (Blazer and Equinox) with brand new Ultium platforms and powertrains were going to come in priced higher than existing Bolt buyers are used to.
So, what will a new Bolt be like?
GM is claiming that the new Bolt will be updated with Ultium technology. This likely means battery and motors at least inspired by the work on the new Ultium platform. This may also mean an update to GM’s new Ultifi software platform that will allow over the air updates, will bring more features to the Bolt’s existing SuperCruise autonomous system, and could show significant improvement to the Bolt’s current slow recharging performance.
What will keep the Bolt cost down, versus other upcoming Chevrolet EVs, is reuse of the current Bolt platform. The new Blazer and Equinox EV both are brand new and that means development costs that have to be amortized over the first few years…keeping costs higher than a new Bolt that will have quite a bit of its costs already paid off.
What is unclear is if we will see the current Bolt continue into the 2024 model year while we wait. Will we have a hiatus for the model while the updates are executed and the new Ultium=ified Bolt drops.
Either way, we could see a new Bolt by this time next year…but, if the current car stays in production and gives Chevy some breathing room with a cheap electric in the lineup…we wouldn’t expect a new Bolt until 2025 as a 2026 model year.