The lowest-priced EV in the US is somehow also one of the best. Now in its sixth year, the Bolt EV is also seasoned, having worked through a battery fiasco/recall and significant lapses by GM’s decision-makers while receiving modest but significant updates.
With a clean bill of health, the Bolt is now an huge outlier in bang-for-buck. But the 2023 Bolt is also quick, fun to drive, useful, and often more so than cars twice its price. In fact, I think we should be looking to the diminutive Bolt as the future of transportation.
2022 EV landscape
2022 was an interesting year for EVs. The leader in the space, Tesla, still commands over 60% of the market share in the US and many developed countries. But as traditional automakers ramp up their EV output, that dominance will recede. The Austin-based company hasn’t really done too much in the way of upgrading its cars this year, however. Instead it focused on production, opening new plants in Austin and Berlin and ramping up its Shanghai plant while achieving record breaking quarters, one after another.
There were a ton of new vehicles we loved, however, including E-GMP platform vehicles from the greater Hyundai including the quick charging and beautifully equipped IONIQ 5, Kia EV6 and the Genesis GV60. The IONIQ 6 is coming along as are future vehicles (Ev9, etc) on this platform. If this award was for platforms, the E-GMP would probably take it.
There’s also the hot-selling Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150, the beautiful Cadillac Lyriq, VW’s improved ID.4 that is now made in Chattanooga with Plug and Charge and V2G coming. But there’s one thing that sticks out about all of these EV CUVs: The sticker price starts at around $50,000.
On the more mundane side, Hyundai/Kia offer the Kona/Niro for around $40,000 and the aging 40kW CHAdeMO-equipped Nissan LEAF comes in at $29,000, but to get over 200 miles of range, you have to add close to $10,000.
The chip shortage, supply chain issues and just overall supply and demand issues for EVs let almost every EV maker jack up their prices in 2022. Some as much as $20,000 or more.
Then there’s the mighty Chevy Bolt EV which actually saw a $6000 decrease in price this year to an outlier price starting at $25,600. That price is changing the game and allowing more people get a full, non-compliance EV. The longer EUV is only $1600 more and offers some of the best Autonomy options on the road. But low price is only part of the equation. (We’re not the only ones seeing this)
Recent Electrek Vehicles of the Year winners:
My history with the Bolt and background
I leased a 2017 Chevy Bolt EV from 2017 to 2020. During the pandemic, I decided not to buy out my lease partially because I wasn’t driving but also GMC raw dogged me on buyout price, offering more than a new Bolt. Turns out the joke’s on them because soon after I surrendered my beloved Bolt, the vehicles started catching on fire.
I’ve also reviewed just about every other EV out there, including everything from Minis to Mercedes and everything in-between. I’ve also owned every Tesla outside of the Roadster (and Semi, I guess) and currently own a Model Y and 3.
I often compare all of these cars to my previous and future Bolts in my head and often they come up short.
After the Bolt price drop and my mom’s Prius started faltering, I decided to buy my mom a Bolt EV. I liked that car so much, I again bought myself one. It was delivered yesterday, and it is now my daily driver. I expect to sell my 2018 Tesla Model 3 RWD long range for more than the $28,000 I paid for my Bolt EV. My family will still use the Model Y for long trips, and we’ll reassess if and when our Rivian R1S ever arrives (likely the Bolt will eventually go to the teenager).
Bolt EV vs. Bolt EUV
The EV and EUV are incredibly similar, starting with the exact same battery pack, charging system, motor, and electronics. But, the EUV is 6.3 inches longer, translating to three more inches of rear legroom and a few inches each in the rear compartment and front. The rear legroom in the EV vs. EUV goes from “passable” to “oddly more than enough.” The EUV, having been introduced last year, also has some additional options including the sunroof and SuperCruise, which works incredibly well. As a 6-footer, I have no problem sitting in the back of either vehicle unless there is a fifth person in the middle of the rear seat. Then, you are counting down the seconds until the trip ends.
The biggest difference in the two models is the profile appearance with the EUV representing the extremely popular CUV trend and the Bolt looking more like a tall “hot hatch,” or as Chevy used to call it a, “Micro-Crossover.”
Strangely, however, the shorter Bolt EV has more cargo space than the EUV. Is there some sort of wormhole in there? I’m told the shape of the rear end of the EV more than makes up for those extra length inches in the EUV. I don’t see it, but I’ll trust Chevy. My take is the EV is remarkably roomy inside for its footprint.
Bolt EUV cargo volume
16.3 cubic feet behind the second row
56.9 cubic feet with the second row folded down
Bolt EV cargo volume
16.6 cubic feet behind the second row
57.0 cubic feet with the second row folded down
The EV, because of its smaller size and weight, gets slightly more range (247 to 259 miles), and therefore adds slightly more efficiency and charge miles/minute. 60-0 braking is also slightly shorter for the Bolt EV. Maybe most importantly the EV hits 0-60 in 6.4 seconds which feels a lot faster than the .3 seconds slower EUV. Something to consider with EVs vs. ICE cars: You can absolutely gun it at every green light and not be ostracized like you would in a down/gear shifting, loud, jerky internal combustion engine vehicle.
So the EV is faster, smaller, more efficient, better at braking, and yet has more cargo space than the EUV?
We’re awarding both cars our car of the year, but if I had to drill it down to the EV vs. the EUV, I’d go with the smaller EV.
Chevy also offers a free charging cable with the Bolt EV and EUV, though upgrading the EV to level 2 is a $295 option. With Volkswagen and Tesla removing the free charging cables from their cars, Chevy’s offer here is fantastic and gets drivers off on the right foot.
Time to think holistically – not just about EV vs. ICE
After driving a HummerEV and Ford F-150 Lightning, I started to wonder if we’re better off electrifying these behemoths of the road or just getting rid of them altogether. In a time where battery supply is the bottleneck to electrification, the HummerEV is carrying 4 EVs or 10 PHEVs worth of batteries on its 9000lb. body. It also takes three efficient cars worth of electricity to go the same mile in a huge truck. That’s not to even bring up the dangers of being way up in the air and driving these huge heavy trucks at highway speeds. Not only is bicycle and pedestrian visibility limited, but they absolutely destroy anything they crash into including school busses. Sure, some small percentage of pickup drivers actually do work in them, but we somehow got by with Ford Maverick-sized trucks 20 years ago, and we should probably strive to go back to that.
Comparatively, the Bolt is refreshingly small, meaning parking is easy and there’s a ton of extra space in your garage. Yet, with its height and low floor entry points, it is super easy to get into not just for aged and accessibility folks. The low side windows and sloping hood make it easy to see kids and bikers in front of and around the car. The Bolt got a 5-star-safety-rating from NHTSA, and though it might not fare well against a Hummer, it will keep occupants as safe as possible.
It also has tons of room and even more when you fold the seats down (see above).
Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto is a gamechanger
As a Tesla driver, I’m always pleasantly surprised when I get into a CarPlay or Android Auto-based vehicle. I just don’t see anyone beating Apple and Google in the UX space, and it has become quite standard in the car space. Responding to texts is way easier, and the voice recognition is an order of magnitude better. Apps that I want are there and updated in a timely manner.
I was taken aback recently when I reviewed the Genesis GV60. This luxury car with all of the bells and whistles still required you to plug in your phone to use CarPlay. This review might have pushed me over the edge. CarPlay is great, but wouldn’t it be cool if my phone could just be in my pocket?
And that’s the experience with the Bolt. You get in the car turn it on and go. It connects to the phone in your pocket (or you can put it on the wireless charging pad or even plug into the USBA/USBC plugs like a caveman). You’ve got your favorite apps, music and are ready to go. It Just Works™.
Downsides to the Bolt
Every vehicles has some downsides, but I’d argue that the Bolt has relatively few. Let me try to explain these away…
54kW DC fast charging limit. This one is particularly painful because it was called out six years ago. GM decided, again and again, not to upgrade it citing cost and complexity concerns. Even just getting it over 100kW would have been a big psychological boost, and the thing can re-gen at 70kW, so it is pretty obviously capable of updating.
That said, most folks don’t go over 260 miles on all but a few days of the year, and if so, there are a ton of CCS charging options now. Even better, with Plug and Charge/Autocharge+ from EVGO it is super easy – you just plug in to charge (after a quick setup). One thing to consider is that with the Bolt’s efficiency, it charges much faster on a miles-per-minute basis. For instance, it will get just as many miles as a Ford F-150 Lightning charging at over 100kW.
I’ve easily road tripped in a Bolt before and realistically, that means I have to stay an extra 15-30 minutes per charging session and heck, people have driven their Bolts from Ohio to Alaska. At peak charging rate of 54kW, you’ll get 100 miles of range in a half hour of charging. Relax!
The overriding point is that if you don’t do a lot of road tripping and have a home charger where you’ll wake up every morning with 260 miles of range, the DC charging speed limit isn’t a dealbreaker.
FWDvs. AWD Putting front wheel drive into an EV isn’t as straight forward a decision as an ICE vehicle with the weight of the motor over the front wheels. EVs have equal weight between the tires and will see diminishing returns.
With the Bolt’s instant torque and low resistance wheels, I chirp out a lot more than I mean to, especially on rainy or icy roads and on gravel. This can be mitigated somewhat by changing out for worse range, grippier tires. I was told once by a Bolt engineer that they were fixing that but they never did.
The flip side is that the front wheel drive allows for a lot more regeneration of power than a RWD would. The Bolt offers some of the best and most complete one wheel driving available, especially with the always-on regen button and steering wheel paddle to add up to 70kW of braking.
I still would have loved to see an AWD option on the Bolt even if it was just putting a light sub-100hp motor on the back wheels for snow and a little more pickup. Chevy is offering this kind of small motor option to get the Equinox to AWD.
Chevy is perhaps seeing the light here offering the upcoming Ultium Blazer SS in not only FWD and AWD options but, in a first, offering RWD version as well. It can do this because adding motors to EVs is an order of magnitude easier than ICE vehicles. Just not easy enough to add to the Bolt apparently.
Size and shape. I happen to love the look of the Bolt EV but I think I’m in the minority, certainly of Electrek writers. Most people see the EUV as the better looking variant, but I just see it as another CUV in a sea of CUVs on American roads. I, for one, appreciate the uniqueness of the Bolt EV’s form factor. It’s a HOT HATCH! I wonder if GM could have made something look more like the Mini or GTi.
The interior quality is what I would call middle of the road. Seats are comfy and an upgrade from earlier Bolts, but nothing about this car says luxury; it is designed well, but not over the top. Chevy inexplicably changed the shifter in the Bolt to push/pull buttons which I’m still getting used to.
Both Bolts are quite narrow, and the driver ends up being pretty close to the passenger – sharing that small armrest can sometimes feel like a movie theater or a flight. And that back row middle seat? Small people only.
Bolt Fires. A problem was identified with LG’s manufacturing process in Bolt Batteries in 2020 that very rarely caused fires in previous years battery packs. A sting of Bolt fires and GMs refusal to comment got a ton of negative publicity. The cause of the fires was discovered and fixed. Then GM, mostly funded by LG laboriously replaced all previous battery packs. The packs manufactured now are fixed and should function properly. GM did the right thing here.
Dealers. I’ve had to deal with two Chevy dealers in the last two months getting Bolts for myself and my mom. The experience with hers was typical of my past experience, which means, not great. They tried to trick her into a maintenance package after we’d already paid for the car and didn’t handle the Qmerit mess very well either.
Mine here in New York wasn’t bad (Mt. Kisco Chevy). Mike D. was pretty realistic once I told him my expectations and that I knew exactly what I wanted. Bravo to him. He was well prepared and paperwork took about 15 minutes. As a former Bolt owner himself, he just let me go with a handshake. The one downside was I got a hard sale from a lying OnStar salesman on the phone who then abruptly hung up after I didn’t bite. Sheesh.
Vehicle to grid/load/etc.
It is 2023, and all EVs should build in a simple pure Sine Wave inverter that would allow the car to provide AC power to a campsite, worksite, or to the home during an electrical outage. The Ford F-150 highlighted this untapped demand with 10kW of output, and the E-GMP platform cars recently added a smaller 2kW capability.
Unfortunately, the Chevy Bolt has nothing of the sort (we saw some plugs in the upcoming Chevy Equinox and Silverado), but thankfully it is really easy to access the 12V subsystem that is fed by a 1.6kW DC-DC converter from the main 400V battery. That means it is easy to plug in an inverter and take over a kilowatt of power out of the Bolt…. for days.
DIY Solution. I’ve simply alligator-clipped a 1kW continuous/2kW peak inverter onto my Bolt’s 12V lead acid battery to run a refrigerator and internet connectivity in the past. However, I recommend formalizing this setup with something like the purpose-built and fused $180EV Extend, which actually makes it a lot easier to hook up your inverter and get power out of your Bolt. Assuming a small house/cottage idles below 1kW and doesn’t go over 2kW, the Bolt can keep your house/cottage/campsite powered for over two days. If nothing else, it will keep your fridge and some lights and internet going for upwards of a week.
In the future, all EVs will have a 240V generator port connected to the main battery by a big 10kW inverter. For now, only the Ford F-150 Lightning has this. Tesla is strangely behind here considering they have Powerwalls, solar- and home-switching expertise. Let’s get there!
As we look into 2023
I think big themes of 2023 are going to be Tesla vs. the rest of the market. The Model Y is approaching a 1M cars-per-year run rate which would make it a favorite for 2023 vehicle of the year. That’s an order of magnitude more than the Bolt will sell next year and possibly all of GM, who seem fixated on beating Tesla’s numbers.
But also GM is launching 3 new EVs: Silverado in Spring, Blazer EV in Summer, and Equinox in Fall, so that lineup will be interesting.
There’s a ton more stuff coming as well. I’ve got my eyes on the Kia EV9 3rd row SUV, wondering if they’ll deliver before Rivian’s R1S gets off the ground.
But for now, let’s give the Chevy Bolt its glory. The economy is in some sort of recession/economic downturn and at $25,600, the Chevy Bolt is allowing a much broader swath of the population to get into an EV – and easily get into a great one at that.
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MAN Trucks are always good for a headline, but despite the company’s pro-battery bluster they’ve barely managed to get 200 battery electric semi trucks on the road … until now that is: the company announced that series production of its heavy-duty eTruck prime mover is officially underway!
Since then, we’ve talked a bit about MAN’s early BEV customers — but with just 200 trucks on the road, they’ve been few and far between. That’s all set to change now that MAN Executive Board Member for Production Michael Kobriger, together with Manfred Weber, Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the EPP, gave the go-ahead to start the eTruck production line at the company’s Munich plant.
From now on, both electric and diesel trucks will be produced in a fully integrated mixed production process on the same line, with enough capacity to produce up to 100 eTrucks per day. (!)
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“The start of series production of our electric trucks is historic. It marks a turning point in our history,” explains Vlaskamp, enthusiastically. “The future of MAN begins now, at this very moment. The entire MAN team is proud to be actively shaping the transformation from diesel to electric drive. Our highly efficient electric trucks will make locally emission-free freight transport a reality. This is an enormously important step towards achieving our goal of becoming CO2-neutral by 2050. The fact that we can manufacture the electric trucks on the same production line as our state-of-the-art diesel trucks also gives us enormous flexibility and increases production efficiency.”
MAN says the plant’s maximum capacity is 100 trucks per day, citing about 8 hours to produce one of its heavy-duty semis. The interesting thing, though, is that it doesn’t seem to matter whether those 100 trucks are diesel- or battery-powered.
Flexible assembly
“The production of electric or diesel trucks on a single line can be flexibly adapted to market developments, and the vehicles can be built exactly in the order in which they are ordered by customers. This innovative concept is accompanied by extensive changes along the assembly line as well as in the supply chain and logistics,” says Kobriger, citing that while ICE trucks are initially fitted with axles, tanks and exhaust systems, the electric models are instead fitted with two batteries under the cab together with a “power pack” of electrical components.
All 5,000+ Munich-plant MAN employees have been trained in high-voltage technology in preparation for this “transformation” of the facility. The company says it has 700 of its 740 km (about 450 mile) battery electric trucks already sold, with more sales sure to come as availability ramps up to meet demand.
Electrek’s Take
Historic: eTruck production begins; via MAN.
Betting against Tesla has been bad business for well over a decade now, but with MAN now capable of putting out about as many electric semi trucks in a single day as Tesla has in the last ::checks notes:: eight years since the official launch of the Tesla Semi concept, it’s hard to imagine them catching up — and harder still to see them catching up with Volvo or Renault, each of who have logged tens of millions of electric semi miles in recent years.
That said, Tesla has beaten legacy brands with massive, seemingly insurmountable leads before – but the good news is that, when it comes to EVs, whoever wins, we kind of all win, you know? Even Elon! That’s my take, anyway. Head down to the comments and let me know yours.
BLUETTI portable power stations offer enough capacity to run power tools, appliances, or even serve as a full-home backup during outages. For extended outages, BLUETTI offers modular systems can keep your fridge, lights, or Wi-Fi going for days. And, if you’re traveling light, the new Handsfree line of backpack power stations offer plug-and-play energy on the go — perfect for remote work, camping, or emergencies.
New York City is creating a new department aimed at cracking down on e-bike delivery workers, and critics say it’s the latest move in a growing pattern of targeting micromobility riders instead of the real threats on the road.
Buried inside NYC’s new $116 billion city budget is a plan to hire 45 new unarmed peace officers tasked with enforcing laws against delivery cyclists, particularly those riding e-bikes and mopeds. The new officers will work under the just-announced Department of Sustainable Delivery, a division of the Department of Transportation set to deploy in 2028.
Mayor Eric Adams says the department will help improve street safety and hold delivery app companies accountable for the pressure they put on gig workers. “The newly created Department of Sustainable Delivery is yet another step that we’re taking to support delivery workers, keep pedestrians safe, and hold delivery app companies accountable for placing unrealistic expectations on their workers that put New Yorkers in harm’s way,” Adams explained in a published statement.
But the move is already raising red flags among advocates for delivery workers and cycling safety, who warn that these efforts could lead to increased surveillance and policing of low-income, often immigrant workers, many of whom already operate under grueling conditions just to make ends meet.
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The officers will be trained to issue moving violations and enforce commercial cycling laws, though city officials haven’t clarified exactly how they’ll distinguish between a reckless rider and one simply hustling to meet the often unrealistic delivery windows imposed by apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub.
While Adams frames the effort as a safety initiative, critics argue it’s another example of micromobility scapegoating. Just last month, he imposed a 15 mph speed limit on e-bikes across the city, in a move that advocates say ignores the realities of urban riding and fails to address the vastly greater danger posed by cars and trucks. The administration also moved to undo a redesign of Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, rolling back a protected bike lane project that city data showed had improved safety.
Delivery riders in NYC, many of whom are immigrants working long shifts in all weather conditions, overwhelmingly use e-bikes to cover more ground, more quickly. These workers have been essential to the city’s economy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet they continue to face increasing scrutiny from law enforcement, often for minor infractions, even as drivers of multi-ton vehicles are rarely held to the same standard.
City Council spokesperson Mara Davis acknowledged the concerns, stating, “There are always concerns about any new policy that could give way to discriminatory policing of delivery workers and immigrants. We remain in discussions with advocates and constructive members of the mayoral administration to advance solutions on e-bike safety, sustainable delivery, and street safety.”
Despite the rhetoric about safety, the data paints a different picture. City statistics show that e-bikes account for less than 4% of traffic-related injuries, and Gothamist pointed out that only six pedestrian fatalities involving e-bike riders were reported between 2021 and 2024. Meanwhile, cars and trucks continue to kill hundreds of New Yorkers every year. But rather than increasing enforcement on reckless drivers or investing more in safe bike infrastructure, the city is spending taxpayer money to police bicycles.
Electrek’s Take
In a city desperately trying to transition to more sustainable forms of transportation, I just don’t think that increasing pressure on the people doing the most riding is the answer. Delivery workers are part of the solution to car dependence, not the problem.
If NYC wants cleaner, safer streets, the focus should be on supporting these riders with safe infrastructure, affordable bikes, and better labor protections – not treating them like traffic scofflaws. Yes, enforcement is important. And yes, dangerous riders should be penalized to the full extent of the law, especially when they pose a real threat to pedestrians. But let’s not pretend like that’s what this about. If we cared about pedestrian safety, we’d be increasing enforcement to prevent the hundreds killed every year by cars in NYC – not the two pedestrians killed by e-bikes.
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China’s EV leader, BYD, just reached another major breakthrough: its smart parking feature now offers L4 autonomy. To sweeten the deal, BYD says it will fully cover any losses associated with the new feature.
BYD becomes the first to achieve L4 smart parking
BYD said it was coming soon. Earlier this week, BYD posted on Weibo that it’s about to launch “the largest-scale smart driving OTA in history.”
On Wednesday, BYD confirmed that its smart parking system now offers L4 autonomy, becoming the first to achieve the feat. In a statement, the company said, “BYD is the first to achieve L4-level smart parking, and the official promise is to provide a safety guarantee.”
The company is also pledging to cover any losses tied to the feature. Instead of going through their insurance company, drivers can contact BYD’s after-sales team to handle the incident.
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All BYD vehicles equipped with its God’s Eye smart driving system can get the upgrade. Earlier this year, the EV maker upgraded 21 of its best-selling vehicles with its God’s Eye system, at no additional cost.
The breakthrough comes after BYD announced earlier this week that there are now over 1 million vehicles on the road with its God’s Eye smart driving system. With L4 smart parking, the vehicle can operate without human interaction under certain conditions.
And that’s not all. BYD also said it’s pushing new OTA updates for its God’s Eye B and C systems. God’s Eye B will gain new functions, including multiple U-turns, detours, and a three-speed parking feature. Meanwhile, God’s Eye C is set to receive front parking and lane change reminders.
BYD’s smart driving system has three levels: A, B, and C. The A system is primarily reserved for the ultra-luxury Yangwang brand, while B is used for Denza and some premium BYD brand models. The God’s Eye C system is used for lower-cost BYD vehicles, such as the Seagull EV, its top seller in China.
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