Chevrolet recently revealed that its upcoming Bolt EV will provide an EPA-rated 238 miles of combined driving range on a full charge. Now, Inside EVs reports that the EPA's internal ratings provide a more detailed breakdown of the zero-emission hatchback's performance.
The Bolt will provide even more impressive range results in the city, where its range is rated at 255.1 miles. That's on par with the Tesla Model S 75D. And at a starting MSRP of $37,495, the Bolt is less than half the price, too.
The drag on Bolt's combined rating, though, is its highway range. The EV has drag coefficient of .32, and the car's design team leader, Stuart Norris, admitted that it was a "disaster for aero." That less-than-ideal numbers means the Bolt gets "just" 217.4 miles of EPA-rated range on the highway. You can cram a lot of gear into the car for that electric road trip, though, as its decidedly un-slippery shape allowed Chevy to maximize passenger and cargo room inside the cabin. Even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was impressed with the Bolt's interior, noting its, "Well thought out back space for lots of luggage and clever dividers," so we're guessing other drivers won't mind the loss of highway miles for a bit more everyday practicality.
For more industrious pilots who want to engage with the car as much as possible, they may be able to eke out even more mileage from the Bolt. Using the various driving modes with stronger regenerative braking and a "Regen on Demand" paddle (which enables one-pedal driving), Chevy engineers estimate that drivers can achieve an extra five percent of range, at least in the city. If they're right, that could net you an extra 12 or so miles between charges, so long as you keep off the highway. When it comes time to plug in, the EPA says the Chevy Bolt's 60-kWh battery pack takes 9.3 hours to fully charge with a Level 2 charger on a 240-volt circuit.
Chevrolet's new EV is looking pretty good, at least until Tesla Model 3 deliveries begin late next year. With a base price of $35,000 (about $2,500 less than the Bolt), Tesla expects a driving range of 215 miles between charges. Despite the Bolt's higher starting price, it looks like Chevy will have a slight edge when it comes to miles per dollar, assuming Tesla doesn't improve range figures in the meantime.
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