(Detroit, MI) – Chevrolet took advantage of having the opening slot during Press Days at the 2015 North American International Autoshow in Detroit to launch its 2nd-generation Volt extended-range electric vehicle. Additionally, Chevrolet provided a glimpse as to what likely lies ahead in terms of fully electric vehicles in their product line up.
The 2016 Chevrolet Volt provides a more attractive and less polarizing exterior design than its predecessor. In fact if one were to look quickly, they could easily confuse the new design with other popular compact sedans such as the extremely popular Honda Civic or the Dodge Dart. The new Volt comes with approximately 30 percent more EV range, with G.M. claiming it will now achieve 50 miles (or 80 kilometres) of EV driving. Chervolet engineers achieved this not by increasing the size of the battery, but rather by improving the efficiency of the current one.
2016 Chevrolet Volt
A new 1.5L engine has also been added to the new Volt for extended-range driving. The new engine is stated to improve on fuel efficiency as well as acceleration. Thankfully the new engine only requires regular gasoline instead of premium which both puzzled and annoyed first-generation owners.
There is even now a 5th seat in the new Volt, although with the battery not changing in size, whoever gets the middle seat in the 2nd row will need to straddle across the battery channel which also serves as a place for cup holders. I’m not convinced that this was a good idea although G.M. seems to be promoting it as a ‘nice to have’ and not necessarily a ‘need to use’ feature.
Pricing has not been announced, but the 2016 Volt is expected to arrive in dealerships across North America by September.
The press conference also saw the surprise reveal of The Chevrolet Bolt Concept – a 200 mile fully electric vehicle. The 5 seat BEV resembles a crossover more than a sedan and bears some exterior shape similarities to the 7 seat Orlando which is available in Canada. The Bolt concept was designed to have a price point of around $30,000.
2015 Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept
While G.M. says they are committed to building a new BEV with 200 mile (320 km) range and a $30,000 price tag, they were clear to state often that the Bolt is currently only a concept. That said, it’s pretty hard not to draw comparisons to the planned Tesla Model 3 and it’s claims of achieving 200 mile range with a price around $30,000. G.M. officials were careful in stating that they welcome competition in this realm from companies like Tesla and others, but they don’t feel any added pressure from Tesla to launch a new BEV in order to compete.
The fact that Chevrolet had the opening slot during NAIAS Press Days, and that they chose to launch a new Plug-in Volt plus a Battery Electric Bolt concept had even more resonance once other press conferences followed. That same morning, Nissan launched a new version of it’s full-sized pick-up truck with a V8 engine. Toyota then launched a new pick-up with it’s new mid-sized Tacoma and rival Ford chose to use its platform to debut a new F-150 Raptor.
The irony found in the fact that the perceived ‘greener’ Toyota, Nissan and Ford launched big trucks while Chevrolet went with new alternative propulsion vehicles was noted and observed by most of the journalists in attendance. In this instance, I’m willing to concede that we should strike one green ‘volt’ for G.M.
I’m looking forward to the $30,000 EV once it comes out! It’s one fine vehicle.
Thanks Fariha – we need to keep in mind that this was just a concept and the real version may look quite different – but the fact that they publicly stated their commitment to building a 320 KM, $30K EV was positive enough for me…for now.
Thanks Eric – great info and bravo to Chevy. Can’t wait for a $30,000 battery-electric car!
My pleasure Carl! It’s tough to say exactly when we’ll see it, but for now we’ll have to take them at their word and wait.