If I ever thought in million years, that an electric car would be the most important car of any given time period, this would be the time period I am talking about. The funniest part about this post is the fact that I’m not talking about a supercar like the all electric version of the SLS or a Tesla Model (insert letter here). Nor am I taking about a million dollar car, not even the Porshce Mission-E or the Tesla Model S or X. As a matter of fact, I’m not even anywhere near that price range. The most important car of 2016 is the $38k Chevrolet Bolt EV. Yes, a $38k all electric Chevrolet beats out many other cars that will see showrooms, worldwide, for most important car of 2016. No I did not divide by zero and yes I am completely sober.
The Chevy Bolt is the most important car of 2016, simply because it’s going to be the most affordable EV on the market today. At $38 grand, it definite is way cheaper than the offerings from Tesla, at least until the Model 3 is made. The Bolt offers a 200 mile range which is trumped by the Tesla Model S’s 240. Maybe I just think this way, but a $30k savings only loses me 40 miles and I’d still be able to get something to eat for the week. I’d say the only disadvantage a prospective Bolt owner will face is, a upsetting yet understandable lack of “ludicrous mode.” I mean for a car that is supposed to be for the masses, do you really want a bunch of silent, ludicrous mode enabled cars zipping about the streets of your city?
Let’s really think about this. The Bolt, should it over-deliver, will basically force other competitors to step their game up. Let’s face it, most EV’s offer incredible fuel economy, no doubt, but what is anybody going to do with a range of 83 miles or 107 miles? Probably not get too far. If the Bolt does what it needs to, a 200 mile range will become the requirement, and less than $30k will be a definite requirement. By the way, the $30k comes after $7500 in tax credits, which does make it a fairly cheap and competitive.
I’ll also add something else. Tesla is the Mercedes-Benz of electric car makes. This means that Elon Musk can price his cars wherever due to the fact that they a premium offerings. The Model 3 is probably the only competition to the Bolt and it isn’t even out yet. It is rumored to offer the same range and same price range. The Model 3 is supposed to to be smaller than the Model S and will definitely be prettier than any other offering (Elon Musk’s cars are very visually pleasing I must say).
I’m not saying the Chevy Bolt is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I am saying the Chevy Bolt is the most important EV of 2016. It is a EV that may shape the EV market for the years to come, similar to what the Prius did for gas/electric hybrids during it’s induction. Of course, once the Model 3 shows its face, the Bolt’s relevance could tank, but the comparisons between the Bolt and Model 3 would be interesting. The point is, out of all of the new releases hit showrooms in 2016, the Bolt is the most critical for the EV market and it is the most important car of the year.
