GM delivers first electric car in Tesla’s backyard

california — General Motors on Tuesday said it delivered its first Chevrolet Bolt electric cars to three customers in Fremont, California, home to rival electric automaker Tesla Motors’ assembly plant.

This allows the Detroit automaker to claim first place in the race to deliver an electric car that can run for more than 320 kilometres on a charge and has a starting price below $40,000. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised its entry in this new segment, the Model 3, will go into production in July.

Some analysts expect the Model 3 will miss that target. The production plan calls for a substantial overhaul of Tesla’s Fremont assembly plant, which was once a General Motors factory.

Tesla has said the starting price would be $35,000, although it expects the average sales price to be about $42,000.

The Bolt, which GM developed with South Korean battery maker LG Chem, has a 383km driving range on a charge and a starting price of $37,495 before tax breaks.

Rival automakers, including Japan’s Nissan Motor and Germany’s Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG and BMW AG, have indicated they are developing similar electric vehicles with a driving range of about 320km.

GM has been ramping up Bolt production at its suburban Detroit factory. Suppliers and people familiar with the programme say the initial production pace indicates plans for 20,000 to 30,000 Bolts a year. — Reuters