The Chevy Bolt is now a compact SUV with a 250-mile range and hands-free steering

The Chevy Bolt is experiencing a growth spurt. General Motors unveiled two new versions of the Bolt on Sunday: an updated Bolt EV hatchback with greater range and new high-tech features, and the new Bolt EUV – essentially a compact SUV – with more legroom and less range than the Bolt EV.

Expected to come out this summer, the upgraded Bolt EV will sell for $ 31,995 – or about $ 5,000 less than the current Bolt EV model. The Bolt EUV (which means “electric utility vehicle”) will also be cheaper, costing $ 33,995. A limited edition “launch” version, with exclusive wheels, a special badge and an illuminated cargo door, will be available for $ 43,495. Bolt EV and EUV were due to go into production in late 2020, but have been delayed until this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

First introduced in 2016, the Chevy Bolt was intended to be General Motors’ first attempt at the mass market, a battery-only electric vehicle with more than 200 miles of range and an affordable price. But sales have been anemic since the launch of the Tesla Model 3 in 2018, which has come to dominate the EV market in the U.S. and abroad. The compact size of the Bolt’s trunk is not what most American car buyers are looking for today. And a recent recall of 2017-2019 model screws related to a defective battery certainly didn’t help GM’s imaging problems with the EV.

The automaker hopes to increase Bolt’s fortunes with these two new versions, but that can be difficult, as the technology that powers Bolt is quickly becoming obsolete. Both the Bolt EV and the Bolt EUV will be built on GM’s BEV2 platform, which is distinct from the new “Ultium” battery announced in early 2020. The recently unveiled Cadillac Lyriq and GMC Hummer EV will be the first vehicles to be built on this new architecture. GM said the Ultium’s advanced battery chemistry will allow its future electric vehicles to travel further on a single charge and recharge more quickly. But the automaker has no plans to move the Bolt to the Ultium platform, according to Chevy’s chief engineer.

As a consolation for its approaching irrelevance, the two versions of the Bolt will come with the Super Cruise, the advanced speakerphone driver assistance system that was previously only available on Cadillac vehicles. The Bolt EV and EUV are the first non-Cadillac vehicles and the first electric vehicles to have a Super Cruise.

The price helps to make up for Bolt’s shortcomings. When it was first introduced five years ago, the automaker was still eligible for the federal government’s $ 7,500 tax credit, which effectively transformed the Bolt into a $ 30,000 vehicle. But in 2019, GM sold its 200,000th EV in the United States, triggering an elimination of the tax credit. No longer entitled to this incentive, GM decided to keep the price reduced for these newer versions, which is encouraging.

GM says the Bolt EV’s 65 kWh battery will allow for 259 miles of range on a single charge, while the slightly heavier Bolt EUV will have 250 miles of range – basically the same as the current year’s model. The original Bolt 2018 had 238 miles of range, but was typically less due to cold weather or other external factors. The range of none of the vehicles has yet been certified by US or European regulators.

Chevy is also including an active thermal management system that uses refrigerant to maintain battery temperature. At the end of last year, General Motors was forced to collect more than 68,000 Chevy Bolts manufactured between 2017-2019 after several battery fires were reported. Federal regulators are investigating and a class action lawsuit has been filed alleging that Bolt’s battery is “subject to bursting into flames”.

According to Chevy chief engineer Jesse Ortega, the new Bolts use different battery chemistry that will help prevent future incidents, the same chemistry that allowed the automaker to increase its range from 238 miles to 250 miles.

Both versions of the Bolt come with a single engine unit that can deliver 200 horsepower thanks to 150 kW of power and 266 pound-feet (360 Newton meters) of torque. Like previous models, the new Bolts will have regenerative braking and a pedal pedaling mode that is quite common among EVs today.

The Bolt EUV and the redesigned Bolt EV share an architecture, but their designs are unique. No external sheet metal parts are shared between the two vehicles, after some owners have complained about lackluster sheet metal in previous versions. The EUV is approximately 6 inches longer and will have about 3 inches of extra rear leg space than the Bolt EV.

The grid has been adjusted, replacing the two-tone look of the previous Bolt with a more monochromatic front panel. Chevy is maintaining a small vent panel instead of hugging the completely flat front end of other EVs like the Tesla Model 3.

Bolt’s interior has always been more practical than inspiring, with hard plastic in abundance. Now the Bolt EV and the interior of the EUV have been redesigned to include more screens and sensors, primarily to help boost the Super Cruise’s promise of a “hands-free” direction. Chevy even took off Bolt’s frequently criticized seats and replaced them with seats that feature a triangular geometric pattern and contrasting color seams, which the automaker claims is a “premium design that offers a consistent and sophisticated atmosphere”. These are not the words you normally see used to describe a $ 30,000 vehicle.

The main 10.2-inch infotainment screen is still built into the panel, but is more seamlessly integrated into the center console than the original Bolt design. The physical buttons are softer and less thick. And Chevy exchanged the gearbox for a series of electronic buttons to free up more interior space. There is also a new one-button push button that keeps the system active between trigger cycles.

Other new features include the light bar at the top of the steering wheel and the infrared sensor on the steering column. These are components of GM’s Super Cruise assisted steering system, which uses cameras, radar and mapping data to allow users to drive hands-free on split roads. The Super Cruise is not an autonomous steering system, as it still requires drivers to keep their eyes on the road and be engaged enough to take control at any time. Notably, the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV will only come with the standard version of Super Cruise, not the enhanced version that includes automatic lane change.

Charging EV in the U.S. is a little tricky, and while Chevy can’t solve some of the more intractable problems, it is doing what it can to make charging a little less complicated. A dual-level charging cable is included with the Bolt, which, according to Chevy, will eliminate the need for many people to purchase a separate charger for their homes. The replaceable plug allows customers to connect to a standard 120-volt three-pin outlet for Level 1 charging and a 240-volt outlet for Level 2 charging of up to 7.2 kilowatts. Both vehicles are also capable of charging 11 kW of Level 2, but separate charging equipment is required.

As an added advantage, anyone who buys or leases a Bolt EUV or Bolt EV will have the installation of a Level 2 charger free of charge in their home through GM’s partnership with Qmerit, a home charger installer. To charge on the move, GM is partnering with public charging station operator EVgo to include more than 80,000 public chargers in the My Chevrolet app.

But charging times will still be subject to the energy levels of each individual charger. When connected to a standard 120-volt system (that is, most household sockets), the Bolt EV and EUV reach only 6.5 km range for each hour of charging. Connected to a 240-volt outlet, the Bolt is fully charged in seven hours. And a fast DC charger will add up to 100 miles in 30 minutes for both vehicles.

Affordability has always been Bolt’s strongest selling point, offering a decent size battery and adequate range for less than $ 35,000. Chevy wanted to ensure that the Bolt remained accessible even when adding new features, such as the Super Cruise, or leveling up to crossover status, said Steve Majoros, Chevy’s vice president of marketing. Keeping the price low will help spur EV adoption from its current status from just 2 percent of sales in the United States to more than 15-20 percent of the overall automotive market, he said.

“ICE [internal combustion engine] the vehicles will exist for a long time, ”said Majoros. “But the EV movement is real.”