ONE LUCKY SHOWGOER WILL DRIVE AWAY IN A CHEVY BOLT
Lucky contestant can take home a $43,195 Chevy Bolt EV this year
‘Game changer’ is high praise, but the Chevrolet Bolt lives up to it with enough full charge range at more than 380 kilometres to satisfy distant commuters.
And with its $43,195 base sticker price — eligible for a government rebate of $5,000 — it’s sitting in the family car price range.
Driving range and cost have been a significant deterrent to the purchase of electric vehicles but improved battery performance with each successive generation of EV — from all manufacturers — is dramatically broadening their appeal.
Faster charging and the availability of a public network of charging facilities are the next challenges facing a much wider acceptance. Progress on the former is fast : in the case of the Bolt a full charge can be achieved overnight in a little more than nine hours at a 240-volt home station. A fast charger will provide up to 145 km of range in just 30 minutes, which is a good way of looking at it.
That’s the kind of charge speed that public networks will need to achieve. And again, it seems progress is being made in expanding that network across Canada and down the west coast into California.
Dealerships out here can sell every Bolt they can get their hands on and private chats with their proprietors indicates buyers are no longer just keen greens but more mainstream buyers.
A recent drive around Greater Vancouver by this writer also showed the car, which is loaded with the latest tech and safety equipment, to be a fun ride. Great acceleration offered by the instant torque, a characteristic of all electric power units. In fact, the zero to 100 km/h time is just a shade more than 6.5 seconds.
Of course, if you press the metal too aggressively, that range will drop considerably.
However, EV drivers soon become smart drivers, learning how to make the most of regenerative braking and its ability to top up that battery pack while driving!
Essentially, the Bolt is a compact crossover by another name. It’s ideal for small families or perhaps older couples, whose travels are mainly limited to hometown journeys. Car rental is always an economical option for vacation road trips!
One lucky B.C. resident will pay nothing for a 2018 version of the Bolt because it’s this year’s prize car at the Vancouver International Auto Show.
Showgoers can try out the Bolt and other green machines at the auto show’s Electric Vehicle Experience (EVE) Test Drive.
Bolt contest entry details are on the show website.