The Chevrolet Bolt Is Back! But For How Long?
The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt has been revealed, two years after the model went on hiatus. Chevrolet initially planned to discontinue in altogether 2023, but then promised to update it and put it back into production due to popular demand.
Assembly has been moved from Michigan to a plant Kansas, quite literally. The 2027 Bolt uses the same body as the previous Bolt EUV and some of the old tooling for it was shipped across country for the new line. The smaller Bolt EV has not been resurrected.
The exterior styling is refreshed, but it doesn’t look all that different from the previous edition’s. What’s under the skin very much is.
Chevrolet has reengineered the powertrain with a new electric motor and battery pack. The latter switches from a traditional lithium-ion pack to a lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry (LFP), which is cheaper to build, more durable and requires fewer rare earth elements in its construction, but has a lower energy density.
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The front-wheel-drive motor is rated at 210 hp and 169 lb-ft, compared to the 2023 Bolt EUV’s 200 hp and 266 lb-ft. Chevrolet expects it to be rated for 255 miles per charge, which is up from 247 miles the last time around.
Most important, perhaps, is that its maximum charging rate has been increased from 50 kW to 150 kW, which allows it to charge its 65 kWh battery pack from 10% to 80% in 26 minutes, or about a third of the time it took to fill the old Bolt’s pack. It also comes from the factory with a Tesla-style NACS charging input and is compatible with the newest Tesla Supercharger stations through the Tesla app.
The Bolt’s interior has been given a makeover with new digital displays and Chevy’s latest infotainment system that relies on Google built-in and doesn’t have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. A full package of electronic driver aids is included and the hands-free Super Cruise system will be offered as an option.
The first Bolts scheduled to hit showrooms early next year will have a starting price of $29,990. A $28,995 trim will be added later along with a sporty-looking Bolt RS for a reported $32,995. Just don’t expect them to stick around for too long.
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Chevrolet said the Bolt is a “limited run model” without clarifying how long that run will be. The end of the $7,500 federal tax credit for EV purchases surely played into that decision. The Kansas plant is scheduled to start building internal combustion engine Chevrolet Equinox SUVs in 2027, as well, but Chevrolet hasn’t said if the two models will be built simultaneously for any period of time, or if the Bolt’s production will end when the Equinox’s begins. For now, the Bolt is the lowest-priced vehicle of any type that’s made in USA by a domestic brand.