Chevy hustles its Bolt electric into production to feed the need for green

By Ronan Glon February 12, 2015

Chevrolet has confirmed the well-received Bolt concept (pictured) that was presented to the public last month at the Detroit Motor Show has been given the green light for production.

The Bowtie brand explains that its engineers are working overtime to get the Bolt on the market as quickly as possible. Official details are few and far between but Chevy promises that its next EV will feature several driver-selectable driving modes designed to boost range. The Bolt will be able to drive for over 200 miles on a single charge, a figure that Chevrolet hopes will all but eliminate range anxiety.

Visually, the production version of the Bolt is expected to retain the concept’s overall silhouette but the futuristic styling will be toned down. The same applies to the interior, where the Bolt will get a more conventional-looking dashboard inspired by the one found in the new 2016 Volt.

2016-Chevrolet-Bolt-EV-concept-interior-006 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

General Motors is investing a total of $200 million into its Orion Assembly and Pontiac Metal Center facilities to build the Bolt. Both located on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, Orion will benefit from new tooling and equipment while Pontiac will receive new dies.

The production version of the Chevrolet Bolt will be introduced at a major auto show either late this year or early next year. The Bolt will carry a base price of about $30,000 and, unlike the Spark EV, it will be sold in all 50 states.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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