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How Far Can a Chevy EV Really Take You?
Electric vehicles are taking the world by storm, and as far as car manufacturers go, anybody who's anybody has at least one, if not several, hybrid and electric vehicles available. Even as popular as hybrid vehicles have become over the last decade, pretty soon, they won't compare to their all-electric counterparts. So how do the newest Chevy EV developments compare to all the rest?
The Chevy Bolt EV is Chevy's current fully electric vehicle, but it is slated to be fully redesigned in 2021 and joined by a larger Chevy Bolt EUV. No longer do you need to take even periodic trips to the fuel pump because these cars can be exclusively charged at home if you so desire. In a time where concern about the environment, not to mention our pocketbooks, is becoming more and more prevalent, Chevy is responding with more EV options to help consumers.
Electric vehicles, or EVs, are vehicles that don't require any gasoline, diesel, or other fuel to operate. These designs run on nothing but electricity and, in the case of the Chevy Bolt, can be recharged from the comfort of your own home. This is particularly significant because as government policies continue to restrict the oil industries, and as more and more people are becoming passionate about decreasing their carbon footprints, it's only a matter of time before EVs go from new and fancy to a regular thing. Even now, local areas are passing laws that will completely prohibit the purchasing of a new gasoline-powered vehicle within just a few short years. If you weren't already on the electric vehicle bandwagon, it's about time you hopped on board.
Not only are EVs good for our environment, but they are also going to be a huge influence on the health problems of people all over the world. It's a well-known fact that big cities are completely overrun with pollution, and a large amount of that pollution comes from traditional vehicles. All this pollution causes health issues such as allergies, asthma, bronchitis, fatigue, weakened immune systems, and so much more. Poor air quality is a problem that companies such as Chevy are working hard to solve. The fact of the matter is whether you like it or not, electric vehicles are coming, and they're going to make a difference in the world.
Thanks to the unpredictable year that was 2020, the redesigned Chevy Bolt EV has been temporarily delayed. Instead of coming out at the end of 2020 like new year models tend to do, the new Bolt EV will be a 2022 model year and enter production during late summer 2021. However, even though we have a little bit of a wait ahead of us, we still have a lot to look forward to.
The good news is that since the 2022 Bolt is taking a bit longer than planned to reach production, the odds are good (barring another unexpected roadblock, of course) that the Bolt EUV (electric utility vehicle) crossover will be released around the same time. This means that people shopping for Chevy EVs in 2021 will have not one but two different size options.
In the meantime, you can still buy the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV without having to wait. The 2020 Bolt EV is a wonderful example of a very well-done electric vehicle, and Bolt EV fans are thrilled about never having to spend a single penny on gasoline. The differences between the 2020 and the 2022 models are expected to be relatively small, so there is no reason why you can't buy your new electric vehicle right now!
The Chevy Bolt EV gets more power than you might think, considering it runs on electricity rather than gasoline. In fact, the 2020 Bolt EV gets up to 200 horsepower, which is plenty for a city-dwelling commuter vehicle. And while you don't need to live in the city to own a Bolt, since it tends to get around 259 miles per charge, most Bolt owners do live either in or near a city of some sort.
This Chevy EV is unique because it allows you to charge your car with a traditional 120-volt outlet in addition to the more common 240-volt outlet option. Other EVs require you to purchase a specialty charging station or go to a public one nearby, but the Chevy Bolt was the first EV to allow the option of charging at home with a regular old outlet. Now the catch to that is the 120-volt outlet only gets you about 4 miles of charge per hour, meaning you would need to charge your EV for a full 12 hours in order to get roughly 48 miles of drive time. However, this is a great option if you don't drive far or need a bit more range when there isn't a charging station nearby.
The 240-volt charging stations give your Bolt around 25 miles of range per hour, making them considerably more efficient. Again, if you don't plan on driving hundreds of miles a day, this is another good option. And however you choose to charge your Chevy Bolt, you can feel good knowing you're making a positive impact on the environment.
When you're ready to reduce your carbon footprint, save some money at the fuel pump, and make a real difference in the world, head on down to Rick Hendrick Chevrolet for your new Chevy EV. We have the current Bolt EV available for you to look at and take for a test drive if you want. And, of course, we can walk you through all the incentives that the state of Georgia offers EV buyers - and there are a lot of incentives that you definitely don't want to miss out on.
Our friendly staff is standing by, and they'll be excited to see you. We tend to geek out about these amazing vehicles, so prepare to be blown away by all the useful tips and tricks regarding the specialty options that each of the Bolt's trims has available. We're certain that by the end of the day, you'll be as impressed by these little guys as we are.
GM has made it a goal to only sell all zero-emission vehicles by 2035, with a total of 30 new models introduced by 2025. Most of these new GMs will use their Ultium battery drive platform, which is still in development. These batteries are more easily stacked in different configurations to accommodate everything from compact city rides to GM’s planned electric Hummer and pickup truck. Both the 2022 Bolt EV and the all-new Bolt EUV will use the current GM battery, and they’re anything but sluggish and inefficient.
Since its debut in 2017, over 100,000 Bolts have been sold, and they have racked up some of the best reviews in the industry from their owners. The 2022 model year is bringing a redesigned Bolt EV. Its motor has the equivalent of 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. For reference, 200 horsepower is more than most sedans have, let alone compact hatchbacks. If you’re interested in pickup while merging onto the highway or changing lanes, this engine will be a pleasant surprise.
The GM-estimated driving range for the 2022 Bolt EV on a full charge is 259 miles. For the 2022 season, Chevy is making home charging even easier with an optional dual-level charging cord. This cord has a changeable plug adaptable for either a standard 120-volt three-prong outlet - Level One charging - or a 240-volt outlet for Level Two charging.
120-volts equals your standard outlet; you can, theoretically, charge your Bolt EV or Bolt EUV from anywhere, and you’ll get approximately four miles of range for every one hour you’re plugged in. A 240-volt outlet combines two 120-volt cables and a neutral, or ground, wire. They’re used often for larger but still everyday appliances, like your water heater or clothes dryer. That is: they’re not uncommon, easily added to charge your car, and equal about 7.2 kilowatts of charging speed. This means a full charge in about seven hours.
To make the Bolt even more appealing, Chevrolet will cover adding level two charging to your home, as long as certain eligibility requirements are met. The EV can charge up to 11 kilowatts - much more than just a household outlet - but that requires additional charging equipment. If you need some juice while out and about, GM and EVgo, the largest public fast-charging network in the country, are working together to triple the number of available chargers nationwide by the end of 2025. Even today, if you have a Bolt EV, you have access to over 40,000 public chargers. You can just use the Energy feature in your myChevrolet app to find the closest spot along your route and pay conveniently right from your phone. Using a DC fast charge means you can get up to 100 miles of power in 30 minutes.
Energy Assist in the myChevrolet app also lets you choose the most efficient route for your travels between highway/city driving and knowing where the available power stations are. Part of the Bolt electric motor is regen on-demand. This means that you can use a paddle mounted on the steering wheel to decelerate and redirect energy back into the engine. One-pedal driving will do similar, meaning that if you let off on the acceleration pedal, the motor doesn’t just stop accelerating; it actively decelerates and uses that energy to rebuild the engine stores. The 2022 Bolt EV also has a new, space-saving, electronic gear shift.
Standard for the 2022 model year is an HD rear vision camera, along with Chevy’s Safety Assist System. This package includes Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator, Front Pedestrian Braking, and IntelliBeam Auto High Beam Assist. You can also add additional driver assistance technologies, including Rear Cross Traffic Alert, HD Surround Vision, and Adaptive Cruise Control to ensure you maintain not just speed but distance from the vehicle in front of you on the highway.
The 2022 Bolt EV is over $5,000 less than the 2021 version, but there is no shortage of features. Upgrades to the 2022 Bolt EV, despite its lower cost, include a Power Flow Screen, streamlined climate controls, LED headlights with a combination daytime running lamp, and a sequential turn indicator. The 2022 Bolt EV has a whopping 10.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, an upgrade from the earlier models. This touchscreen allows for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. In-vehicle apps also allow you to access your favorite Spotify playlists, find in-depth local forecasts via the Weather Channel, or control your home lighting with Alexa. You can also program your display preferences on an 8-inch gauge cluster in full color. Wireless phone charging is available on the EV, as is a 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot to keep you that much more connected.
The 2022 Bolt interior is more luxurious than in the past, including LED lighting. You can add heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear outboard seats. The 2LT model of the EV comes with leather-appointed seats, the driver’s version of which comes with 8-way adjustments. The 2022 Bolt EV may be compact, but it has 40.1 inches of headroom and 44.3 inches of legroom in the front seats. With the rear seat fully folded, you’ll find 57 cubic feet of cargo space. Even with the seats up, there are over 16-and-a-half cubic feet, which will easily hold five medium-sized suitcases, with room to spare.
Brand new for the 2022 model year is the Bolt EUV, an electric utility vehicle. The Bolt EUV’s compact SUV body is six inches longer than the EV hatchback. This translates to an extra three inches of legroom for the rear seat passengers and two more cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seat. The Bolt EUV uses the same engine and battery as the EV and can go up to 250 miles on a full charge. When using a DC fast charging station, you’ll get about 95 miles in about half an hour; slightly less than the smaller car, but still speedy. The new dual-level charging cord comes standard with the EUV, allowing you to charge from any standard Level One or Level Two outlet with ease. The interior of the Bolt EUV is very similar to that of the redesigned EV, right down to the available heated and ventilated seat options and available leather-appointed seats. Perks to the EUV include standard wireless phone charging and the ability to add a panoramic sunroof.
The Bolt EUV has another big benefit over the Bolt EV: it is the first Chevrolet to feature Super Cruise. New to Chevy - but seen previously on luxury GM vehicles - Super Cruise uses a variey of technologies to offer truly hands-free driving on compatible roads. And there are over 200,000 miles of these roads already in the U.S. and Canada! The active Super Cruise technologies include real-time positioning with cameras, sensors, and communication with LiDAR maps to adapt to hills and curves to keep your speed steady in the middle of the road. A driver attention system helps to ensure your eyes stay on the road ahead of you with both visual and audible alerts. The Bolt EUV also has Chevy’s Safety Assist package, and you have the option of adding a rear camera mirror so you can more easily see behind you when back up and into your blind spot while changing lanes.
If you are interested in a Chevy EV, but you are not looking for a hatchback or an SUV, then there is another fantastic solution on the horizon: an all-new, fully electric version of the legendary Chevy Silverado. This will be the first commercially available Chevy EV pickup, and a lot of people are already very excited about it, even though we do not yet have a ton of details about everything it will have to offer. Since we have so few specs, and it is still quite a ways off, you might wonder why people are thrilled about its announcement and already planning on jumping into the EV market with the Silverado.
The answer to that is pretty simple: the legacy of performance, power, and style that comes with the “Silverado” name. Although the Silverado only goes back a little over two decades, in that time, it has truly proven its worth and built upon the tradition of excellence established by the preceding 40 years of Chevy trucks. Let us take a look at the history of the Chevy Silverado to see where it has come from, how it has impressed so many truck owners, and where it is going.
Before we look at the Silverado itself over the years, we should take a moment to talk about what came before it: the Chevy C/K. The C/K pickup series first launched in 1960 and was GM’s answer to a need for full-size trucks on the market. This series was available as both Chevy and GMC trucks (the current Silverado is similarly related to the GMC Sierra) and proved highly popular over the decades. Throughout its run, the C/K series competed with the Ford F-Series and Dodge D series of trucks, proving itself equal or superior over and over again.
The “C” designation was used for trucks with two-wheel drive, while “K” trucks were those models that featured four-wheel drive. Although the series was certainly popular, you can see that the name certainly lacked the kind of flair or recognition that car companies now look for in their modern lineups. While names like “Camaro” and “Corvette” evoke images of iconic vehicles that have set the bar for decades, there really is not that same kind of recognition among non-truck-owners with something like “C/K.”
The first Chevy Silverado launched late in the summer of 1998 as a 1999 model, though it had been in development for about five years. It was then, and continues to be, a light-duty full-size truck designed to be a great solution for people looking for a daily-use pickup. The Silverado has always been a popular choice among workers in trades looking for a truck that can work hard and offer excellent towing and payload capacities.
It launched with several different engine options available, including a standard V6 and a more powerful V8 engine. When it was first released, the Silverado was available with a two-door regular cab or a three-door extended cab. In 2000, a driver’s side door was made an available option for the extended cab to make it a four-door model. A larger crew cab, with four doors, became available as a configuration option starting in 2004, alongside more powerful engines.
Heavy-duty models were also available starting in 2000, badged as the 1500HD, 2500HD, and 3500HD for increasingly powerful options. In 2004, a hybrid version of the Chevy Silverado first became available, featuring an electric motor as part of the transmission. This was the first hybrid passenger vehicle available from GM and marked the beginning of Silverado’s legacy in utilizing alternative power sources.
The second generation of the Chevy Silverado kicked off in late 2006 as a 2007 model, with a fully redesigned interior and exterior, along with upgrades and redesigns to the suspension, frame, and engine options. Many of its exterior details can be tied to the popularity of the Chevy Colorado and its design, and it was generally sleeker than the previous generation with improved aerodynamics. It was immediately popular and available with a regular cab, extended cab, or crew cab from the very beginning – alongside heavy-duty 2500HD and 3500HD models.
When it first launched, the second generation for the Silverado lacked a hybrid engine, though it returned as part of the 2009 model year. Despite the fact that it was one of the earliest hybrid trucks available and one of only a few such options on the market, the hybrid Silverado did not prove as successful as GM had hoped. As such, 2013 was the last model year that a Silverado Hybrid was available for some time.
A redesigned and updated third generation for the Chevy Silverado launched with the release of the 2014 model year. This generation featured three different engines for the Silverado, including a standard V6 and two different V8 options to choose from. Although the exterior was certainly refreshed, a ton of attention was paid to the interior and improving the kinds of luxury features and tech options that were available. The frame of the third-generation Silverado was built using roll-formed high-strength steel that ensured impressive payload while also keeping weight down.
When it was first released, the Silverado did not have a hybrid option during its third generation. In 2016, a mild-hybrid version of the available 5.3L V8 engine was offered for one trim of the Silverado, but only in California. This proved fairly successful, so in 2017 it was offered in California again, along with Hawaii, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Nationwide release of this mild-hybrid engine for the Silverado finally happened in 2018, and it was offered on two different trims for greater availability.
Although the third-generation model remained in production for 2019 as the Silverado LD, an all-new fourth-generation Chevy Silverado became available that same model year. Once again, the Silverado had been redesigned for the latest generation, with a gorgeous and stylish exterior that demonstrates its strength and sophistication. Eight different trim levels and five engines were initially offered to kick off the fourth generation, providing Silverado fans with a massive array of options to choose from when getting a truck.
Despite all of these options, however, there is no longer a hybrid engine available for the current Silverado. There are some excellent choices with great fuel economy, but none of them utilize any kind of hybrid system. While that has left hybrid fans without a great option or a Chevy truck in this generation, it has also opened the door for an improved option: a fully electric Silverado that is slated for the 2023 model year.
Although details on the upcoming Silverado EV are still scarce, there are a few things we know and can expect regarding it. For starters, it will use the Ultium EV platform that GM has developed, building on what they have learned while making the all-new GMC Hummer EV. Chevy has said they expect the Silverado EV to have more than 400 miles of range on a full charge, and we expect it to have multiple configurations available with up to three motors that deliver 1,000 hp or more. It is certainly enough to whet our appetite, and we cannot wait to learn more and share it with you.
The team at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet of Buford is well-versed in all things Chevy, including the newest Chevy EVs, and we've got answers to all your questions. Want to learn more about the Chevy Bolt EV, or any other Chevy vehicle, for that matter? Our experts can make certain you know exactly what's going on every step of the way. Come see for yourself why Rick Hendrick is the best dealership in Georgia.
We have multiple financing options for every budget, so don't let the cost scare you away from owning a piece of the future. After all, don't you owe it to yourself and those around you to do what you can to improve your city's air quality? Once you've found the offer that's right for you and drive away in your new Chevy, you can relax knowing that when it's time for your regularly-scheduled maintenance, our expert service center is prepared to give your Bolt the attention it needs to get you up and running again in no time. Because at Rick Hendrick Chevrolet of Buford, we don't stop serving you just because you've found the car you are looking for.
At Rick Hendrick Chevrolet of Buford, we're ready to find you the car you've always wanted. You've worked hard, you've saved up, and now it's time to buy the EV of your dreams. Are you ready to make those dreams come true? Come and visit Rick Hendrick Chevrolet and find your new Chevy Bolt today!