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BUSINESS GM Readies Electric Rival to Tesla

20K views 72 replies 49 participants last post by  Burnout2016 
#1 ·
General Motors Co. plans to launch a $30,000 electric vehicle called the Chevrolet Bolt that would be capable of driving 200 miles on a charge by 2017, according to people familiar with the strategy, a move to gain ground on Tesla Motors Inc.

GM plans to show off a concept version of the Bolt on Monday at the Detroit auto show, eight years after the auto giant disclosed it would re-enter the electric car market with the Chevrolet Volt. The a Volt, on sale since late 2010 and redesigned for 2015, is being upgraded to get for better capability and sharper design and has a backup gasoline motor on board in case juice runs out.

The Chevy Bolt, carrying a more capable battery manufactured by South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd. , will be aimed squarely at Tesla’s forthcoming Model 3, a $35,000 electric car also slated to debut in 2017. The concept version of the electric car will be designed to look more like a so-called crossover vehicle, according to people familiar with the design. The Bolt is capable of driving four times further than a Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid on a single charge.

GM has thus far struck out in its attempt to match its Silicon Valley rival. Recently, GM launched a $75,000 Cadillac ELR plug-in car that failed to dent Tesla’s dominance among luxury electric-vehicle buyers who have clamored for the Model S sedan.

By placing the Bolt in the high-volume Chevrolet line and giving it a name similar to the Volt, executives hope to polish Chevy’s image as a full-line vehicle manufacturer prepared to meet demand regardless of prices at the pump, according to people familiar with the strategy. GM expects the Bolt to compete globally, including in markets such as China. It is unclear if a car similar to the Bolt would be inserted in the Opel, Cadillac or Buick brands down the road.
Read on: http://www.wsj.com/articles/gm-readies-electric-rival-to-tesla-1420859986?autologin=y
 
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#2 ·
The Bolt represents the biggest risk taken by Chief Executive Mary Barra since taking GM’s helm a year ago. Its development was approved when she was product chief under former CEO Dan Akerson . But U.S. gasoline prices have fallen below $2 a gallon this year, hurting demand for electric cars.

While Tesla has sold relatively few Model S sedans since putting the car on sale in 2012, the Palo Alto, Calif., auto maker’s shares have soared on investor hopes for the company’s future.

Over Ms. Barra’s first year at GM’s helm, company shares fell 14% while Telsa shares soared 48%. Ms. Barra aims to have up to 500,000 electrified vehicles—including vehicles with partial-electric capabilities—on the road by 2017. In contrast, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he envisions up to 500,000 annual Tesla sales of pure electrics by 2020.

One factor motivating Ms. Barra is meeting regulations in U.S., Europe and Asia that penalize full-line manufacturers when they sell too high a concentration of trucks and sport-utility vehicles, which are GM’s sweet spots. Ms. Barra, however, has insisted the company won’t build electric vehicles just “to check a regulatory box.”

AutoNation Inc. CEO Mike Jackson , who runs the largest U.S. auto retailer, said a vehicle like the Bolt shows a new attitude atop GM. The auto maker is now making big profits in the U.S. on its new trucks and SUVs in an era of low gas prices making the investment into more capable electric vehicles look more like a moonshot than a sound business decision.

“The old GM would have milked the cash cow until it was dry,” Mr. Jackson said in an interview. The new GM, he said, is showing signs that it is willing to take the long view. He estimates electric cars will compose 2% of the U.S. market, at most, in five years. “The industry will lose money on it,” he said.

GM’s track record with electrics remains spotty. The company shut down EV1 production in 1999, pulling the plug on a $1 billion electric-vehicle program that had impressed regulators but failed to reach commercial viability.
 
#12 ·
Yeah. Despite what the techies want you to believe, copyright law actually does matter. You really only needed to copy a couple of key paragraphs and give a link. Anyone who wants more will go to the link.
 
#4 ·
Volt and Bolt? I'm surprised this isn't an Onion article!
Bolt is a dumb name.



It's quite a daring move by Barra because there's absolutely no way GM can actually make any money off Bolt.
Not at the $30,000 price point. Unless LG Chem has a super low cost battery that will challenge the energy density of the batteries from Panasonic/Tesla that will be built at Gigafactory.

I guess Bolt will be subsidized by all the trucks out there.
 
#6 ·
Challenging Tesla. With a Chevrolet. Did I read that right? Of all the places to stick a Tesla-killer at GM, Chevrolet was what the brains at GM came up with?

*Sigh*

A new Volt is coming soon... what better way to confuse consumers and dilute its impact than by adding another new technology drivetrain with almost the same name in about the same price bracket! Why not add another Voltec model at GM (Orlando-type vehicle or an Equinox variant) to build and expand the reputation of Voltec?

And for the Tesla killer, if only GM had a luxury brand that can command higher prices... oh wait, they have one. Actually two. What does Buick have today to stand it apart from the other GM brands? NOTHING! Why not use Voltec at Chevrolet, this new electric concept at Buick (first in this crossover-type vehicle, then in a Regal and / or Verano), and devise another plan at Cadillac for their next-generation propulsion system (I'd argue that leaving it for now as the all-out V-model brand is the best plan, personally, but q significantly upgraded Voltec system could work too)??

Not only could GM not handle the 8 brands they used to have, but they seem pretty darn useless with the 4 left in the US.
 
#23 ·
Challenging Tesla. With a Chevrolet. Did I read that right? Of all the places to stick a Tesla-killer at GM, Chevrolet was what the brains at GM came up with?

*Sigh*

A new Volt is coming soon... what better way to confuse consumers and dilute its impact than by adding another new technology drivetrain with almost the same name in about the same price bracket! Why not add another Voltec model at GM (Orlando-type vehicle or an Equinox variant) to build and expand the reputation of Voltec?
I think I disagree with your analysis. Chevy has a group of current volt owners who are loving their cars. I think Chevy building on that success now is more important than every division having one at this time.
 
#7 ·
Telsa Model 3 is going to take a big bite on the entry-level luxury market, especially out here in Northern California. (Traditionally a German stronghold.)

Basic human psychology: Boss is driving a Model S, so buy the lower model to fit into the wolfpack.

GM, of course, comes at it completely backwardassward with a "Chevy Bolt". Chevy has no brand reputation or clout unless you are talking about pickups or suburbans. If they are serious about competing with Tesla, they need a full-line of electrics at Cadillac. If they were serious, they would have a CT6 car which could be in direct comparison test with the Model S and actually win.

(However, we all know they aren't really serious.)
 
#9 ·
The only people saying this is a Tesla killer is the wall street journal. You think this forum would realize by now that any kind of electric car according to the mainstream media is a Tesla fighter/killer truthfully or not. GM has not said anything about this car, in fact according to them it probably doesn't even officially exist yet.
 
#11 ·
Exactly. The media are the ones setting up this "Tesla fighter" bull****. The Model 3 is meant to be an entry level luxury car. This is not. No one except the idiots in the press thinks otherwise.
 
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#13 ·
Battery Only Lithium Transportation/Technology
 
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#15 ·
GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt
By Josh Lowensohn on January 10, 2015 02:23 am
The Verge

General Motors will take the wraps off its answer to Tesla's forthcoming electric car at Detroit's North American International Auto Show next week, according to several reports. Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal says GM will announce a fully electric model called the Bolt, which will have a 200 mile range and a price tag of $30,000 when it debuts in 2017. The Journal says the concept car will be a hatchback akin to a crossover vehicle, and continue to exist alongside the Volt — Chevy's hybrid gasoline-electric — which itself is due for a sprucing up this year. Chevy already teased a next-generation version of the Volt back in August with nothing more than a sumptuous shot of a trunk lid.

More at link http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/10/7523873/gm-bolt-new-electric-car
 
#16 · (Edited)
Like others have stated this is just the press going nuts about a concept that just so happens to have an EV range that is similar.
That's like comparing a Sonic to a 3 series because the gas tanks just happen to be sized right to yield a similar total range.

I do like where GM is going with this. I agree it may dampen some Volt sales but I would hope that GM would expect that. Personally even a 200 mile EV does not work for me and the Voltec system does work for me. I would however one to sit next to my Volt as a secondary vehicle (and maybe this is what GM is thinking).

I also agree that Bolt is a bad name. Hopefully it will be called something else when/if it goes to production.

As for cost I do think $30K is possible. This new vehicle is rumored to be on a new replacement platform of Gamma II (Sonic, Trax, Spark etc..). The battery to make this happen will need to be around ~50KWh's. GM today (in partnership with LG chem) is rumored to have battery production costs down to below $200/KWh. That would put the battery cost at below $10K. If GM can build a Sonic for less than $15K then a $30K price point is doable without it being a big money loss. A lot of the development work/cost is already sunk in the Volt and Spark EV programs. And battery costs are likely only going to go lower.
 
#18 ·
Re: GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

I just heard them talking about it on the radio, Chevrolet Bolt (which sounds like Volt when spoken).

"Chevrolet will have a new concept car at the NAIAS, to be released in about 2 years called the Chevrolet V(B)olt"

I'm thinking to myself concept, 2-years; WTF are they talking about!? :blink:
 
#31 ·
Re: GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

I just heard them talking about it on the radio, Chevrolet Bolt (which sounds like Volt when spoken).

"Chevrolet will have a new concept car at the NAIAS, to be released in about 2 years called the Chevrolet V(B)olt"

I'm thinking to myself concept, 2-years; WTF are they talking about!? :blink:
JOLT would've worked better. And not sound like Volt. Bolt. Dolt. :cool:
 
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#20 ·
Re: GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

Yeah, I knew GM was up to something with a longer range (200 mile range) Vehicle. 30K sounds like a good price point too.
 
#24 ·
Re: GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

We already knew or could guess what Bolt was.

Yeah, I knew GM was up to something with a longer range (200 mile range) Vehicle. 30K sounds like a good price point too.
$30,000 for a Sonic-based Chevy (which was the rumor, I believe) is not a good price point to fight the Model III.
 
#30 ·
Second place is a high range electric pickup. Voltec would work, too. Something with a lot of torque down low and serious range.

GMC is perfect for experimentation... staying safe with it is an underutilization of an invaluable resource.

I think I disagree with your analysis. Chevy has a group of current volt owners who are loving their cars. I think Chevy building on that success now is more important than every division having one at this time.
I think I get what you're saying. Instead of spreading Voltec like the clap, use it to leverage Chevrolet (and Cadillac) to a higher position?
 
#28 ·
Re: GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

$30,000 is still not cheap but is a huge improvement over current EV cars in range and affordability.

Still out of my price range, but if when it comes out, the $7,500 tax credit still applies, either the Bolt or Model III could be my next car.
 
#38 ·
Re: GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

............and they just gave away the range on the 2016 volt. They said the bolt will have a range 4 times longer than the volt. So that means 50 miles.
Under perfect conditions the current Volt can make it 50 miles on electric. I believe it will be a bit higher increase.
 
#42 ·
Re: GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

I look forward to the bolt....for 30 grand.....I hope it looks dam good....I'll buy one for the family...

99 percent of my wife's driving is literally less than 40 miles a day but she like cuv s....

If gm can deliver a cuv vehicle that looks the part and looks sharp...offers 200 mile range...all for 30 grand...I'm in..(if it looks like a stationwagon I'm out)

I hope there is a gmc version as well. Professional grade is always an easy sale..
 
#44 ·
Re: GM is making a $30,000 electric car called the Chevrolet Bolt

I look forward to the bolt....for 30 grand.....I hope it looks dam good....I'll buy one for the family...

99 percent of my wife's driving is literally less than 40 miles a day but she like cuv s....

If gm can deliver a cuv vehicle that looks the part and looks sharp...offers 200 mile range...all for 30 grand...I'm in..(if it looks like a stationwagon I'm out)

I hope there is a gmc version as well. Professional grade is always an easy sale..
IF it is a SUV like car and is 30K BEFORE the government steps in then it will "upset" the market but if it is a small Hatch for 30K AFTER rebates with 200 MILE range I believe it will fail miserably as I believe a small sedan /Hatch will ONLY succeed if it is around 22K BEFORE rebates (LEAF needs to get there IMHO) OR is way more luxurious in fit out + NAME (Tesla )

as you pointed out a 100 TRUE mile range car would be more then you/MOST EV considerers would need
and if you GOT a 200 Mile car DEAD a 220V 40A charger will take approx 12 Hrs to charge it and 40 Hrs from a 110V plug
 
#46 ·
Is this the new Chevrolet Bolt?

General Motors to release All-Electric Chevrolet Bolt in 2017
Empire State Tribune
Journalism Comes First




General Motors Co. intends to come up with an all-new electric auto which it dubs as the Chevrolet Bolt. The sleek and environment-friendly car will be equipped with sweeping features and capable of covering 200 miles on a single charge when it will be release in the market in 2017.

Initially priced at $30,000 the car is groomed as the company’s next big thing after rolling out the Volt plug-in hybrid which is currently getting an upgrade. The enhanced Volt is expected to cover longer distance while using electricity before the gasoline engine triggers and begins replenishing the battery.

Full Article at the link.
 
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