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Aiming To Beat Tesla's "3", Chevy Tests and Teases a Cheaper 200-Mile Electric Car

Posted by timothy on from the zipping-around dept.

PC Magazine is one of many to note Chevrolet's upcoming effort to beat Tesla's Model 3 to market with a car that is "affordable" (a lot more affordable than the Model S) but which tops the 200-mile range that right now only Tesla beats in a widely available pure electric car. The Model 3 is expected to feature many of the features of the currently Tesla S variants, but in a smaller package and with a much lower price tag. The linked article features GM-supplied video of Chevy's all-elecric bolt, about which it says The car maker doesn't reveal much beyond what we already know: 200-plus-mile range and a starting price tag of $30,000. The video shows various Chevy engineers putting the camouflage-wrapped Bolt EV through its paces—climbing hills, accelerating, and coming to a stop, as well as enduring extreme heat and charging.

10 of 249 comments (clear)

  1. diluting the market by electrosoccertux · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Like most low end Chevy vehicles it'll probably be a complete shame and do the meaning of the word 'electric', that Tesla has worked so hard to craft prestige into, a disservice. 200 miles isn't enough. People will walk away from electric like they walked away from Atari going 'huh, video games are dumb'.

    1. Re:diluting the market by FranTaylor · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It is frigging ugly in that paint job.

      You are SUPPOSED to think it is ugly, you are NOT SUPPOSED to appreciate what it looks like. This is standard procedure for an unreleased automobile. They don't want the public to get expectations about what it's going to look like. They don't want the auto press to splash pictures of it on their magazines and web sites. The exterior design is not yet complete, they paint it like that on purpose. The design may change and they don't want to disappoint people who were expecting what they saw.

    2. Re:diluting the market by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      The paint job is a specifically designed camo paint to destroy lines and hide the actual look of the car (among other things).

      http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/

    3. Re:diluting the market by Anomalyst · · Score: 4

      Dont forget the BigBrother onstar installation with no way to disconnect or disable it.

      --
      There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
    4. Re:diluting the market by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Huh. My 2000 GMC 3/4 ton pickup would like to run you over. Still runs fine, only mild rust despite spending 14 years in a 'precipitating marine environment. Yep, it's had various bits replaced but that's how a piece of equipment runs for 20 years.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    5. Re:diluting the market by rtb61 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Now of course your comment touches on the future of electric vehicles, keeping in mind the electronic companies hiding in the background behind Tesla Motors testing the waters based upon Tesla Motors Experience.

      Forget Chevy, Ford, GMH, the new motor builders or road appliance manufacturers will be the electronics companies. Some mergers, some acquisitions and of course Korea's unique vertical integration of manufacturers mean they are already there.

      So say Sony and Panasonic motors, with a largely electronic vehicle, running FOSS but with content management as an extension to the Big Screen Computer, the Tablet remote, the mobile phone and of course the ultimate mobile (also all the other home appliances), the car or more a utility vehicle with greater emphasis on function, the all electric compact SUV, in the city or out in the country on a picnic and still providing access to shared content and helping to create new content.

      That better battery is drawing a huge amount of focus, lighter with greater capacity and low manufacturing cost, the current technological holy grail in so many areas, cars, mobile devices, home energy generation and storage. With that level of focus the better battery is likely not that far off and it puts current automotive manufacturers under serious threat as well as of course the fossil fuelers.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    6. Re:diluting the market by riverat1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Probably 2 electric motors is enough, one for the front axle and one for the rear axle. You don't really want to put the motors out on the wheels because the weight of them interferes with the suspension's action and makes it less reactive to bumps in the road.

  2. Re:Bolt is a 20k car by FranTaylor · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There's no way it can compete with Tesla M3 on equal ground.

    Sure they can, they have about 100x the manufacturing capability of Tesla. They have dealers and showrooms and distribution already set up all over the planet. If the market takes off they are MUCH better positioned to get cars made and distributed and sold and supported than a company with basically no distribution network and no dealers.

  3. Bolt will be cheaper than the average car by FranTaylor · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/05/04/new-car-transaction-price-3-kbb-kelley-blue-book/26690191/

    "The estimated average transaction price of a new car or truck sold in the U.S. in April was $33,560"

    Stop bitching about "expensive" electric cars. These new models from Chevy and Tesla are pretty much the same price as the old fashioned gasoline burning, fume belching models.

  4. Re:Oblig. Musk stroking by BasilBrush · · Score: 3, Insightful

    People that believe in Apple's reality distortion field are the kind of people that fall for perpetual motion machines.

    If Apple didn't actually deliver devices that people love, they wouldn't be able to continue to be the most popular brand of smartphones whilst charging a significant premium.

    The so called RDF Is a simply a trustworthy brand. A brand is a promise of quality, and even though they aren't perfect, they do deliver better quality than any other manufacturer. They deliver on their promise. They beat all other companies in customer satisfaction surveys year in year out.