The Chevrolet Bolt made it’s debut at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in 2015, Chevy plans to ship the Bolt by the end of 2016 as a 2017 model.
The 2017 Bolt EV was rated by the EPA as having a 238 mile range. In Europe, the NEDC range is 520 kms.
Availability will be in all 50 States and Canada, it will also be sold in left-hand drive countries in Europe under the Opel Brand as the Ampera-e.
Buying a Chevrolet Bolt EV
Chevy Bolt LT vs Premier Comparison of the different Bolt models – LT and Premier – and the options that are / aren’t available with each.
Chevy Bolt Lease Options Everything you need to know (and where to find it) before you decide to lease Chevy Bolt
Technical Stuff (information, how-tos, problems/issues)
Interior
Chevy Bolt seat and seat frame discomfort Early owners of the Bolt, and some people who just did test drives, noticed the side bolsters can be felt through the seat padding. Some claim the seats are so uncomfortable they are ‘deal killers’ while others note no discomfort. Members of the My Chevy Bolt owners group started recording their vital statistics to track if there was any patterns in who was uncomfortable in the seats.
Chevy Bolt Infotainment System
Accessories
Chevy Bolt Trailer Hitch Receiver – for towing or bike racks The Bolt doesn’t come with a hitch, and in the owner’s manual, it states it is not meant for towing. However, some owners are interested in towing small boats or using a hitch for mounting bike or cargo racks.
Chevy Bolt Roof Rack Roof Rack companies are starting to come out with options for the Bolt EV
Chevy Bolt Floor Mats From stock floor mats to aftermarket options, here’s pictures and details on Chevy Bolt all weather floor mats currently available.
Modifications
Chevy Bolt Spare Tire Options Similar to the Chevy Volt, the Bolt EV does not come with a spare tire. OEM tires have a self sealing membrane to resist punctures. Owners who often travel outside of major urban centers may want to carry a spare tire or a can of tire sealant.
Chevy Bolt Wheels and Tires The Chevrolet Bolt EV uses a fairly unique wheel bolt pattern of 5x105mm. It’s the same pattern as the Chevy Cruze. The Wheels and Tires page discusses tire changes, aftermarket wheels, and Bolt performance gains from different wheel and tire combinations.
Chevy Bolt History(newest to oldest)
In March 2019, GM announced it would invest $300 million in its Orion, Michigan plant where the Chevrolet Bolt EV is built. The investment would create 400 new jobs and provide resources to produce a second electric vehicle (in addition to the Bolt, not instead of) at the plant.
GM started deliveries of the 2017 Bolt EV in the San Francisco area in December 2016. In January of 2017, people started getting their Bolt electric vehicles in Oregon as well, and a few Bolt EVs started showing up in Canada.
October 2016 a tweet was posted stating Chevrolet had started production of the Bolt at the Windsor plant and was producing 9 per hour over 1 shift (72 per day) with a goal of increasing that to 30 per hour (240 per day).
In September 2016, GM announced that the Chevy Bolt has an EPA-estimated range of 238 miles. That’s more than the original 200 miles it was targeting, and also more than the Tesla Model 3’s estimated 215 mile range. Chevrolet says that up to 40 miles of that range are gained by regenerative braking during the tests, but a road test of 4 production Chevrolet Bolts had them all drive a 238 mile course without issue – one of them actually even showed 30 additional miles of range at the end of the drive.
In June 2015, GM announced they have 55 pre-production test mules built, and the cars are exceeding the 200-mile range target. Pam Fletcher, executive chief engineer of EVs at Chevy, “They’re running fast, the fact that we can show you fifty-something cars running is busy.”
On February 12, 2015, Alan Batey, head of GM North America, confirmed the production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV at a special breakfast kicking off the media days at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. No new pricing or availability details were given, but Mr. Batey also re-affirmed the Bolt EV will have “more than a GM estimated 200 miles of range” and will be priced at $30,000 USD after incentives.
In January 2015, inside sources leaked news that the Bolt would enter production in October 2016, but that claim was denied by GM’s Manager of Electrification Technology Kevin Kelly. Inside Source: Chevy Bolt Production starts in October 2016
In August 2014, General Motors filed for a trademark on the name Chevrolet Bolt under the goods and services category of “motor land vehicles, namely automobiles.”
After months of speculation if this could be the name of the Sonic platform based second generation EV, Chevrolet announced the Bolt as a $30,000, 200+ mile EV at the North American International Auto Show in January 2015.
Chevy Bolt Production Version
In November 2015, it was announced that Mary Barra would be the keynote speaker at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and at that show, she would unveil the production version of the 2016 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle.
Only days later, a spy photographer captured photos of the production Chevrolet Bolt without any disguising camouflage.
Chevy Bolt Resources
Official Chevy Bolt Page on Chevy site
Unofficial Chevrolet Bolt EV Forum
Chevrolet Bolt Availability and Delivery Schedule