GM takes lead in distance-driving electric vehicles with Chevy Bolt
27 Jun 2015
General Motors' new Chevy electric prototype is under testing at the company's Milford Proving Ground with its data centre powered by its own vehicles' recycled batteries.
According to commentators, it showed that GM had taken the lead in rolling out its distance-driving electric vehicle.
The upcoming Chevy Bolt was set to go on sale during 2017, and was designed for driving 200 miles on a single charge.
Tesla and other competitors are set to launch their comparable models around the same time, though, Tesla had again delayed the release of its Model 3, which at $35,000 was intended for mainstream consumers.
The Bolt, which was under testing was ahead of the Model 3 and is expected to cost around $30,000.
Electric vehicle batteries are known to still retain a lot of their capacity when drivers choose to replace them so as to maintain their vehicle's range capabilities.
According to Pablo Valencia, senior manager, battery life cycle management, even after the battery had reached the end of its useful life in a Chevrolet Volt, up to 80 per cent of its storage capacity remained, The Register reported.
He added, the secondary use application extended its life while delivering waste reduction and economic benefits on an industrial scale.
General Motors had not revealed much about the car than what was already known - 200-plus-mile range with a starting price tag of $30,000. A video showed various Chevy engineers putting the camouflage-wrapped Bolt EV through its paces - climbing hills, accelerating, and coming to a stop, as also enduring extreme heat and charging.
The Wall Street Journal noted that Chevy was on track to bring the Bolt EV to market before Tesla released its affordable Model 3 EV.
"As of April, Tesla had not completed the so-called alpha engineering prototype," the Journal said.
A Tesla spokesperson recently confirmed that the company remains on track for the 2017 target even as reports said production had been pushed to 2018.
According to reports, Tesla's car was likely to be a sedan and a crossover vehicle. Tesla had not said much about its vehicles or their features.
Commentators say GM would likely emerge as the first automaker to release a mass-market, all-electric vehicle capable of hitting 200 (or more) miles on a single charge.
That rivalled Tesla's much more expensive luxury vehicle, the Model S, which hit anywhere from 208-265 miles on a single charge depending on the specific model and battery size.
General Motors' new Chevy electric prototype is under testing at the company's Milford Proving Ground with its data centre powered by its own vehicles' recycled batteries.
According to commentators, it showed that GM had taken the lead in rolling out its distance-driving electric vehicle.
The upcoming Chevy Bolt was set to go on sale during 2017, and was designed for driving 200 miles on a single charge.