General Motors Company Chevy Bolt EV Prototype Electric Car Being Tested On Roads

General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) Chief Executive Mary Barra revealed the Chevrolet Bolt Concept in the hope that the groundbreaking idea will change everything that we know about the world of electric cars. Miss Barra claimed the model, aimed at the mass market, and to be marketed and sold across all 50 states, will be priced at a point of $37,500, and has a battery range of 200 miles.

Some spy shots have showed up, revealing what appears to be a heavily camouflaged Bolt going through road testing. Shot by Chris Doane, a prominent Detroit area spy photographer, the spy shots of Bolt published on Autoblog's website exhibit a small five-door hatchback, sporting a downward body crease being tested out on an asphalt road. After excluding the white swirl patterned car paint job on the vehicle, it could easily be a real life adaptation of the bronze colored exhibited at the Detroit Auto Show by the company earlier this year.

The spy shots show the car as heavily camouflaged, causing many to doubt if it is even the same vehicle we are talking about. However, the hatchback and crossover design and style cues clearly make it obvious that it is. The car in the spy shots also has slight creases at its sides, a tall greenhouse and a sloping roofline at its back, much like General Motors' prototype.

Even though Chevrolet's decision to dub the new electric vehicle the "Bolt" has caused considerable confusion and controversy, it looks like regardless, Bolt is very much on its way to becoming a reality for General Motors.

Beyond the price of the vehicle and its battery range, there is relatively little about the specifications that we know of Bolt or its production. However, the automaker announced earlier this year that the model could be expected to be out of the production at the assembly plant in Lake Orion by the end of next year. The production facility is also being utilized to currently build the Chevy Sonic subcompact sedan and hatchback. Certain elements for the next generation Sonic will be utilized for the electric car Bolt as well. The electric vehicle will also augment the Volt, Chevy's upcoming plug-in hybrid car.

The electric vehicle will be one of at least three electric vehicles powered by batteries that are priced under $40,000 and are expected to provide battery ranges of 120 to 200 miles. Nissan Leaf for instance, has been a leading electric vehicle so far. Even though the specifics of the next generation Leaf have been underneath wraps, Andy Palmer, Nissan's former product chief reportedly said that a range of battery packs will be provided with the next generation, with the highest expected to be between the range of 120 and 150 miles. This was revealed before GM announced its plans for the Bolt and that it will offer battery power of 200 miles.

Nissan may, therefore, feel impelled to match the battery power of Bolt with the next generation of Leaf. This is especially important for Nissan since its Leaf has thus far been the best selling electric vehicle powered by batteries in history. Approximately 200,000 units of Nissan Leaf have already been delivered to customers.

The third electric vehicle to enter the space is Tesla Motors Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model 3, which the Chief Executive Elon Musk has claimed to also sport a 200-mile battery power range, priced at $35,000. Tesla has timed its production to begin during 2017. However, the company has not revealed any prototypes of the model yet. The same is the case with the second generation Leaf as well.

Source: General Motors Company Chevy Bolt EV Prototype Electric Car Being Tested On Roads