Chevy Bolt "Broke the Mold"

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I wish people would consider every person has different wants and needs when it comes to having a vehicle.

I am referring to the Tesla/Bolt debate about which car is better. The question is better for what.

My sister won't drive anything but a hatchback because to her, easy access to large amounts of trunk space is high on her priority list.

She will, by choice, go on, maybe, one or two road trips, less than 100 miles one way, each year.

In effect, she would be trading, and willingly trading, that hatchback design she loves and would use weekly, for an aerobic design that would benefit her twice a year.

I, too, don't take road trips that often. A hatchback would work just as well for me.

It doesn't mean I would refuse a Tesla if one were to offer me one as a gift.
I love the way Tesla cares for its owners, with its over-the-air updates, its Super Charger network, and yes, the way Tesla is pushing other manufacturers to make electric cars.

I don't have the upfront money to get a Tesla. I am on a fixed income. Getting a loan is out of the question.

My goal is to save money toward a used, 200+ mile range, electric car.
Sadly, I won't be looking at a used Tesla; used Tesla's seem to retain their used car resale value..
I'm hoping lots of Bolt's will come off lease in the 2020 time-frame, at wonderfully cheap prices.
I wouldn't care if the Bolt's value continued to plummet after I got it because I expect it will outlast me and I plan to drive it into the ground.

I actually started looking at used Nissan Leaf's, which are coming off lease, because the used car prices are getting very cheap.
Unfortunately, my fixed income means i can't/won't want to own two cars and the used Leaf's don't have a 200+ mile range.

People focus on new cars and new car prices. There is a large segment of the population that focuses on used cars and used car prices.

The Bolt is the first EV, with a 200+ mile range, with a new car price tag aimed at the masses.
What's more important, the Bolt will be the first affordable, by me, 200+ mile range EV in the used car market.
I expect the first time purchasers to see a huge drop in resale value.
I expect those leasing will trade up in 2020 putting lots of used Bolt's on the used car market.
This is the time when I hope to make a purchase.
 
rsewill said:
I wish people would consider every person has different wants and needs when it comes to having a vehicle.

FWIW, when I express my own wants and needs, it is not a denial that others' differ. Your sister sounds like a great customer for the Bolt. I am considering one, but there are certain aspects of it that leave me disappointed.
 
Going too much slower than the pace of traffic on the freeway can also create a safety issue.

I agree with a heat pump being more important than aero for winter climates. That makes a difference at all speeds, unlike aero that matters mostly at freeway speeds.
 
Aerodynamic drag on typical vehicles matters a lot at all speeds above 30MPH. The lower the Cd, the higher the speed when aero goes above 50% of the load on the drivetrain. Cold air has higher density and so aero drag goes up in the winter.
 
I think selected quotes from this article were shared in the chevy bolt forum. Posting the full article here.

Designing the Chevrolet Bolt proved to be challenging, says lead designer Stuart Norris.

Norris was on hand in South Korea to field interview questions recently and he revealed that the Bolt was quite possibly the most challenging car he’s ever had to design.

According to Norris, the Bolt’s incredibly tight launch timeline forced the design team to find new solutions and to work at a break neck pace.

Quoting Norris:

“It reminds you of what GM can do when we’re given a deadline and set to it.”

“We broke the mold on the Bolt EV.”

“We need to sell more of these electric vehicles, so we need something that has more broad mass appeal. The Bolt was a very significant program for us.”

Bolt Interior
Bolt Interior
Automotive News states:

“Typically, GM vehicle design is handled by two teams, one responsible for the exterior, the other for the interior. But the Bolt was such a high-stakes project, the company created a special team in Korea that would integrate all aspects of styling.”

But designing the Bolt wasn’t easy, in part due to its size and shape. Quoting Norris:

“It’s a bit of a segment buster. We call it a C-segment interior on a B-segment platform.”

“There’s big-picture stuff, and then there’s just detail, detail, detail.”

But perhaps the biggest revelation from Norris comes on the aerodynamic front:

“It’s a disaster for aero.”

The Bolt has a drag coefficient of 0.32, according to Norris. That’s an awful figure for an electric car, but in an attempt to improve air flow, several design elements and “tricks” were employed.

Bolt Interior
Bolt Interior
Those are described by Automotive News as follows:

” Norris’ design team incorporated a spoiler and sharply creased winglike canards along the tail edge of the car. Other tricks were underbody paneling, air dams and active grille shutters that close at certain speeds to streamline airflow. Designers even adjusted the radius of the A-pillar, modified the mirrors and fine-tuned tire coverage.

“No fewer than six full-sized iterations of the Bolt underwent wind-tunnel testing.”

Norris went out to state that the car’s interior is perhaps its biggest breakthrough in regards to spaciousness, cargo volume and so on. He concluded with this statement:

“Small-car design has always been a challenging area because you’re trying to deliver more for less. This is a pretty unique execution.”

The Bolt is indeed unique and the fact that it will go from concept to production in such a short time frame is proof that General Motors knows just how important a mass market, affordable electric car really is in the grand scheme.
 
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