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The Chevrolet Bolt EV will friction match or exceed the Tesla Model three on key specs when it goes on sale late this year. Chevrolet just announced its EPA rating for range volition be 238 miles from its 60-kilowatt hour battery. Chevrolet confirmed this week that the list price should be less than $37,500, significant less than $xxx,000 afterward a $7,500 federal taxation credit.

This sets upward an interesting focus on mid-priced 200-mile EVs over the next year, with new or next-generation offerings expected from BMW, Nissan, Tesla, Volkswagen, and others. The entry point for competitiveness will likely be at least 200 miles range and $xxx,000 base of operations price after tax credit. EVs with ranges of 75-100 miles will have to sell for about $x,000 less to be competitive.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Bolt delivers Tesla Model 3 specs a year earlier

Tesla says it has 400,000 potential Model 3 customers on its waiting list. They've put down $1,000 to hold a place in line, just those at the terminate of the line might not get their cars until the terminate of the decade. For some who like the cachet of the Tesla name, they'll stick with the waiting list. But others who desire a serious compact runabout in 2017 without the range anxiety of today's 75- to 100-mile EVs will be open to at least looking at the Commodities. Tesla is currently quoting a range of 200 miles for the Model 3.

One Chevrolet Bolt early adopter may be Apple c0-founder Steve Wozniak, who said in a Facebook mail, "I await to be switching cars soon!" Woz was pictured with a white Bolt, giving a thumbs-upwardly. He has already owned a Toyota Prius and Tesla Model S.

Chevy Bolt Woz Facebook

Commodities press tests yielded 240 miles or more

Chevrolet recently ran a four-car test forth the California coastline from Monterey downwardly to Santa Barbara, a trip measuring 235 miles. The cars were piloted by journalists with Chevy engineers on board. The to the lowest degree economic driver got 240 miles of range (235 miles plus an indicated 5 miles remaining). The virtually economic commuter'southward Commodities showed 32 miles remaining, or an indicated range of 267 miles. With cool weather at the start of the trip, some set up the climate control to fan-merely in order to optimize mileage before switching to Ac in the later portions.

In other words, these drivers gave consideration to maximizing efficiency on a road that didn't permit as much adventure for battery regeneration every bit you'd get from stop-and-go urban driving. This suggests the Chevrolet Commodities/Tesla Model three form should get 200 miles on a complete charge. The best-selling mid-price EV, the Nissan Leafage, is rated at 84 miles with the 24-kWh battery and 107 miles with the 30-kWh battery. If drivers go along a cushion of, say, 15 miles under near circumstances — never let the miles-remaining indicator fall beneath that floor — it knocks a bigger chunk out of the range of the Foliage-form EV.

Chevrolet Bolt charger

Commodities uses 60-kWh battery

The Bolt will use a 60-kWh flat lithium ion bombardment pack with liquid thermal conditioning. In that location are 288 individual LiIon cells. It weighs 960 pounds and is located under the cockpit flooring, running the full width of the car and stretching from the firewall in forepart to the back of the rear seat. There's a congenital-in seven.2-kW charger. Chevrolet says it tin can add together 50 miles of range in less than two hours from a 240-volt Level two charger, or a full accuse in well-nigh ix hours. There will exist an optional DC Fast Charging organisation using an manufacture-standard SAE philharmonic connector charging port that will add about 90 miles of range in 30 minutes.

The Bolt's electric motor produces 200 hp (150 kW) of power with 266 pound-feet of torque, giving it 0-threescore mph acceleration of less than 7 seconds. The Bolt measures 164 inches long, which puts it in the subcompact grade. The Nissan Foliage, in comparison, is 175 inches long and the Honda Fit is 160 inches long.

Tesla $7,500 tax credit expires sooner than Chevrolet's

Start deliveries of the Bolt are slated "later this year," Chevrolet says. That gives Chevrolet a one-yr lead on Tesla's announced late-2017 first deliveries. Chevrolet will also accept the federal tax credit (upwardly to $7,500) bachelor longer than Tesla. The credit covers an automaker's first 200,000 sales.

Tesla'south revenue enhancement credit may be close to reaching the limit around the time the commencement Model 3s roll out. Tesla can tweak sales downwards to legally extend the credit to several thousand more buyers. It works this manner: The credit covers all cars sold in the quarter where the 200,000 cap is reached and information technology as well covers the following quarter. That is followed by two quarters where the credit is halved (to $3,750) and two quarters where it's halved once again ($1,875). Then it's gone. If Tesla is on runway to reach the 200,000 cap late in the quarter, it could delay the 200,000th delivery until the start of the next quarter.

All of that is momentary relief for Tesla. Chevrolet (actually, GM, since the credit jointly covers the automaker's brands) volition have an reward because its sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids (Chevrolet Bolt, Cadillac ELR) that are also covered are essentially less than Tesla's.