The dream of a small,AFFORDABLE EV was killed off by GM thanks to the Chevy Bolt

The Bolt EV, EUV, and Volkswagen: The Challenges of the Next-Generation Bolt/Ultraviolet

But the Bolt EV and EUV were always at a disadvantage, built on GM’s older and soon-to-be-obsolete BEV2 platform. The automaker has since shifted to its Ultium battery architecture for its next-generation EVs, including the Cadillac Lyriq, Hummer EV, and GMC Sierra EV. Chevy plans to launch a trio of EVs built by Ultium, including the Accord EV, Silverado EV, and Equinox EV.

The Bolt was (and is, so long as you can still find it) the best value in EVs you can buy today. The Bolt EV starting at $27,495 and the slightly larger EUV model starting at $28,797. A modern EV has an impressive 200 miles of usable range, enough space to seat five and modern creature comforts. You would expect with a car in today’s standards that it has all of this. On top of that, the Bolts are among the few EVs you can buy today that qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit from the federal government, which among other requirements, has a price cap.

Chevrolet’s track record with the Bolt line over the past few years has been bumpy — it had to recall 150,000 vehicles in 2021 to replace faulty batteries that were responsible for over a dozen fires. It was never able to match the buzzier, more attractive, and fun to drive of the Model 3 despite beating it to market by two model years and undercutting it on price.

Volkswagen’s forthcoming ID. 2all is expected to be priced in the mid-$20s and come with nearly 300 miles of range in a Golf-like hatchback design, but it’s far from being here yet. It is possible thatTesla will continue to slash the prices of the Model 3 to bring it down to the $35,000 price that was promised so many years ago, however I don’t think that will happen.

Even at its bargain price, the Bolt EUV didn’t feel like a stripped-down bargain basement car. I drove a car that had a 9.2-inch center screen, eight-inch gauge cluster, remote start with the phone or keyfob, and ambient lighting. The black leather trim on my test unit was offensive, and there are plenty of physical buttons and controls on the screen for things like climate, which is always a good thing. The center console is shiny and greasy after just a few minutes in the car, so possibly the only real complaint I had was with it.

The Bolt is just as quiet and planted on the road as any other electric car, though it never provided an especially sporty experience. It’s just a car that takes you from point A to point B with a minimum of fuss. There is a Sport mode you can toggle on, but that basically just made the throttle pedal a little more aggressive — there was no apparent change to the steering or suspension when I hit the Sport button. GM’s EVs to follow it will certainly have more aggressive acceleration numbers and performance that looks great in commercials but isn’t really practical for daily use.

The Bolt EUV has room for five, but — and this was perhaps a big reason for its downfall — it’s certainly one of the smaller cars on the road today. (The difference between it and the Bolt EV is about six more inches in length, almost all of which goes toward more rear seat passenger room.) I fitted my family with a toddler car seat that was fine for short excursions or out of town trips. The toddler could get into and out of her car seat because there was a lot of room in the back seat. There was plenty of cargo space because of the hatchback-like shape.

But Americans don’t like to buy compact hatchbacks (RIP, BMW i3, another small EV that’s no longer available). Other parts of the world already or soon will have their choice of many compact and affordable EVs, including ones made by GM itself. Instead, we’ll get cars and trucks with obscene amounts of horsepower and oversize battery packs that cost more to produce and charge and aren’t practical for the kind of driving most Americans actually do.

Another thing I’ll miss from the Bolt? My phone can be used with the system. GM recently made the boneheaded announcement that it plans to eliminate CarPlay and Android Auto in its future EVs, but both were available in the Bolt.

The EPA rating for the Bolt EUV is less than you will get on a Model 3 or any other more expensive EV, but still, is plenty of range to stave off anxiety. In my week of driving, the in-car range estimate was over 200 miles when I was in the mid-40s most of the time.

I was used to thinking that a 240v charging option was necessary for an EV, but I now believe that a lot of people are able to get by with slower charging. Many EV owners I have spoken to already do this, and there is a good breakdown of EV charging on the EV Buyers Guide channel.