General Motors is offering electric car buyers some other choices besides Tesla Model S and Model 3, Nissan Leaf, and Ford Focus Electric. The American automaker announced during the last week it has started manufacturing the Chevrolet Bolt at its Michigan assembly plant located between Detroit and Flint. The electric vehicle (EV) will have a starting price of about $37,500 and feature a 238-mile (383-km) range.
GM is building the Bolt in Orion Township. The carmaker plans to expand sales of its e-car to the rest of the U.S. in 2017.
Bolt owners will also qualify for a $7,500 federal income tax credit that would reduce the price tag to about $30,000, which is below the roughly $34,000 average price for new U.S. vehicles. State credits and rebates can drive the price down more.
Bolt can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.5 seconds. GM's green car is also certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to get 238 miles on a single charge.
The Bolt hatchback's range is twice the distance the Leaf and Focus Electric can travel before running out of juice. It is also almost six times higher than the average 40-mile (64-km) commute in the U.S.
The entry-level Bolt LT will include a 10.2-inch central display and run-flat tires. Bolt Premiere, meanwhile, will also get a rearview camera mirror, surround camera for low-speed driving, and heated seats, according to Hot Hardware.
It is unclear how high demand will be for the Chevy Bolt. It has a mid-range $37,000+ base price but looks like a subcompact model.
Tesla has received over 370,000 pre-orders for its Model 3, which will launch about one year from now. The $35,000 EV has a lower price tag and smoother design.
An X-factor that could stop car shoppers from switching from fossil fuel-powered cars to all-electric vehicles is low gas prices. They are now about $2 per gallon.
Around 235,000 electric vehicles are already on U.S. roads. London-based IHS Markit predicts Chevy will sell fewer than 30,000 Bolts during its first year.
Chevrolet has about 2,000 certified dealerships that can service its Volt plug-in hybrid. GM believes it will be a big ascendancy over Tesla that does not have service centers in every U.S. state.
In related news, Tesla has completed almost 15 percent of its Gigafactory in Nevada, according to Tech Crunch. Elon Musk's company plans to start battery cell production next year and finish constructing the world's largest building in 2020.
Here's a Chevy Bolt review: