All Access

Climate Deals

Standard

Climate Deals Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Climate Deals Alerts

Alert

mustard

BFD Expert Voices - Climate Deals

BFD Expert Voices

Chevrolet introduced its Bolt in December 2016, and it's been a perennial top-seller. Then the 2021 introduction of the EUV — a muscled-up version of the O.G. that hit the gym and hired a stylist — won over swaths of the country.

Why it matters: The debut of the EUV, plus a redesign, price cut, and fresh federal incentives for the Bolt, propelled this line of snub-nosed compacts to the top of U.S. sales charts.

Catch up fast: The Bolt is popular and has been one of the only cheap EVs available. 

It was also a caricature: paper-thin seats, oceans of plastic, and an aesthetic that all but screamed function-over-form. (Wheatgrass shot, anyone?)

What happened: The "Electric Utility Vehicle" was targeted to more SUV-minded Americans.

"It was a way to appeal to a mainstream audience with features they would expect in a crossover SUV as opposed to a compact hatch," chief engineer Jeremy Short tells me.

Zoom in: GM anointed the EUV as the first Chevy with Super Cruise, the hands-free driving system previously available only in a Cadillac. 

The big picture: Bolt and Bolt EUV sales soared to a record in 2022, leaping more than 50% — and by some measures 72% — from 2021.

Yes, but: Chevy's 2021 was anything but smooth.

The company was forced to make successive recalls because of battery fires and — more alarming — surprisingly combustible carpets.

The intrigue: Chevy seems to have navigated past the scandal. 

Last summer, the automaker briefly slashed prices on the Bolt and Bolt EUV.

A new, four-door EV with 200-plus miles of range could suddenly be had for as little as $25,600 and $27,200. 

The automaker has since raised those prices slightly, but new federal incentives have kept the Bolt and EUV as two of the cheapest EVs around.

Bottom line: Chevy in 2022 became the No. 3 seller of EVs in 2022, behind Tesla and Ford. 

1 big thing: 💪 A small electric gets swole

A close-up of the label on a gray Chevy Bolt EUV.

The Chevy Bolt EUV is an upsized version of the Bolt compact. Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Chevy arranged for a fully charged EUV to be dropped off at my home outside Boston.

Over the next six days, I rambled around, visiting Star Market and Dunkin' (possibly more than once), and I did some highway driving to the science museum. 

As you'd expect, there were plenty of EV chargers at the museum. 

Price as tested: $38,950 for the peak Premier Redline trim.

Range: 247 miles. Slightly less than the Bolt’s 259 miles.

Charge time: An hour-plus from zero to the recommended 80%. But it'll get 95 miles in 30 minutes — quick enough to make sure you're not stranded at the mall.

Remarkably smooth drive. The bumps in Boston are no joke. They're easy to ignore in the Bolt EUV.

Super Cruise hands-free driving is a joy.

Good range for the price. (Looking at you, Mazda MX-30.)

"Blair Witch"-quality backup camera. Even high-quality cameras can be had for cheap. No reason Chevy had to borrow its model from an uncle who's had the same camera since 1995.

No powered passenger seat, even at the top-line trim. Once you get past $30k, a power passenger seat should be a given. 

Slow charging times. High stakes if you forget to plug in, and difficult to take on longer road trips. 

No heat pump means a significant drop in cold-weather range. Less of a concern for strictly local driving.

Both the Bolt and the Bolt EUV sacrifice cargo space for a roomier backseat. Our stroller fit only on its side.

If you've got older kids or adults you'll be hauling, that larger backseat makes sense. Ditto the EUV over the Bolt.

If you're carting a little one who travels with more stuff than two full-grown parents, it might feel tight.

Bottom line: This is a charming daily driver for commutes, grocery runs, sports practice, and the occasional two-hour road trip. 

This might not work as your only car. It arguably resembles a squirrel overstuffed with acorns. But as a No. 2 in the driveway, it's hard to beat.

2. The BFD: Driving the bigger Bolt

A photo of a white Chevy Bolt EUV on display at the New York Auto Show in 2022.

The EUV resembles a Bolt on the keto diet. Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Chevy has increased Bolt production by more than 50% to meet demand. But the vehicle's days are numbered. 

Why it matters: GM has invested heavily to develop a shared skateboard-shaped platform for its EVs. The Bolt and EUV aren't among them.

Catch up fast: GM has committed $35 billion through 2025 for its EVs and self-driving vehicles. That spend includes the Ultium skateboard platform.

The idea: Competitors like Ford might bring flagship EVs to market more quickly. (And they have.) But GM's upfront investment in a shared, flexible platform will save time and money in the long run.

Meanwhile, the Bolt and Bolt EUV were built on an earlier platform called BEV2. Chevy appears to be phasing it out.

Zoom in: GM is spending at least $4 billion to convert its Bolt factory in Orion Township, Michigan, to build the forthcoming Silverado and Sierra electric pickups.

The company will continue churning out Bolts as construction happens. But it's declined to comment on any plans past 2024, when the conversion is expected to be complete. 

"We're not allowed to talk about future product," Short tells me.

Be smart: The Bolt's demise would signal a broader shift to SUVs, and it may not entirely leave budget-minded buyers behind. 

Chevy's forthcoming Equinox EV will start at $30,000. It'll have the faster charge time and longer range options that drivers expect.

But even if it's reasonable to phase out the cars, hopefully they'll be far from the last EVs priced in the $20s. 

3. The Bolt's hazy future

A photo of the interior of the Chevy Bolt EUV.

The EUV's interior is comfortable and surprisingly spacious. Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images

 Data: Automotive News Research & Data Center; Chart: Axios Visuals 

Chevy sold just under 40,000 Bolt models in 2022. Tesla remains dominant.

4. How the sales stack up

Welcome back to Climate Wheels! This week, I'm reporting on the Chevy Bolt EUV. 

As my colleague Joann Muller wrote on Slack this week, the car is "HOT HOT HOT." And that's not because of its history of battery and carpet fires.

Let's review this small but mighty bestseller, which has a complicated history but deserves abundant credit for what it does well. 

That's it! Tune in next time when we check out the Bolt's muscled-up big brother, the GMC Hummer EV. 

February 04, 2023

1 big thing: 💪 A small electric gets swole