[davioh2001]

My wish list for for GM's BEV 2 platform for the 2020 Bolt;
#1 . Option for a larger battery that is 800v (higher range and faster charging). The highest capacity they can fit into the space of the platform. What they can do who knows if its 72 Kwh or something more?
#2 . Completely redesigned front seats.
#3 . Heat pump for more efficient HVAC in most situations.
#4 . OTA software updates and improvements.
#5 . Option for 5G cel radio module in addition to the 4G module.
#6 . Option for some sort of self driving capability.

Despite my wish list I am concerned that GM won't do any of the above because they have yet to offer any significant improvement or option yet. The car has been basically unchanged for the last 3 years! They don't strive to improve the product in any way and they wonder why it's not selling well (granted there are other factors like low gas prices). Also we still don't have any news about the 2 additional GM EV's that are supposed to be based off of the Bolt BEV 2 platform. Do You all think GM will Improve what is offered on the BEV 2 platform or just let it become outdated in favor of the BEV 3 Cadillac Platform?

 

[NewsCoulomb]

My wish list for for GM's BEV 2 platform for the 2020 Bolt;
#1 [/URL] . Option for a larger battery that is 800v (higher range and faster charging). The highest capacity they can fit into the space of the platform. What they can do who knows if its 72 Kwh or something more?
#2 [/URL] . Completely redesigned front seats.
#3 [/URL] . Heat pump for more efficient HVAC in most situations.
#4 [/URL] . OTA software updates and improvements.
#5 [/URL] . Option for 5G cel radio module in addition to the 4G module.
#6 [/URL] . Option for some sort of self driving capability.

Despite my wish list I am concerned that GM won't do any of the above because they have yet to offer any significant improvement or option yet. The car has been basically unchanged for the last 3 years! They don't strive to improve the product in any way and they wonder why it's not selling well (granted there are other factors like low gas prices). Also we still don't have any news about the 2 additional GM EV's that are supposed to be based off of the Bolt BEV 2 platform. Do You all think GM will Improve what is offered on the BEV 2 platform or just let it become outdated in favor of the BEV 3 Cadillac Platform?

While I agree that I would like to see a lot of the changes you've listed implemented, I first must ask: How much are you willing to pay? In other words, how much of an MSRP increase would you be okay with? And how many other trade offs would you be willing to make? And do you think a two or three year complete refresh is something that should be expected of automakers?

I agree with #1 . They should offer an improved battery, but I say that with the understanding that it will likely cost a lot more money. Possibly a $5,000 increase in price? Even still, I'm not convinced that GM could do both a power density increase and an energy density increase at the same time. Perhaps they could if they were sitting on some sort of battery tech we don't officially know about yet, and that could be the case, but I'm not convinced.

For #2 , sure. I agree only because it will get people who have never sat in a Bolt EV to shut up.

For #3 , meh. Perhaps if they could come up with a more efficient, capable heat pump than what is currently being used in EVs, maybe. In stead, I would be much more interested in using heat exchangers and phase-change materials.

We already have #4 , so your request is that they use it more often (and perhaps) announce it more vocally (as some other companies do).

I agree with #5 , though I'm still not sure when we can expect to see a large-scale roll out of 5G support.

For #6 , I'd say ACC and LKA. That's it. Put them as add-on options, and keep the price down. Some of us don't want those features at all, and on a car that's already as expensive as the Bolt EV, I'm not sure it's right to force us to pay for them. Things like Super Cruise should probably be reserved for Buick and Cadillac products.


For me, personally, I would like to see a few things changed about the Bolt EV:
1. A user controlled battery temperature management system
2. CCS2 with upcoming automatic plug-in-and-charge capabilities
3. Improved battery chemistry (at the very least NMC 8:1:1) with
a. The ability to maintain an average 1.5 to 2 C charge rate up to 80%
b. A 20% to 30% energy density increase ~75 kWh pack
4. Option for an AWD performance package Bolt EV SS (it would require the higher power density batteries)
5. Heat exchanger loop that transfers heat from where you don't want it to where you do

 

[GJETSON]

My wish list for for GM's BEV 2 platform for the 2020 Bolt;

You could pretty much have had this car already in a Model 3. What makes you think it would be any cheaper as a GM product?

 

[cyaopec]

You could pretty much have had this car already in a Model 3. What makes you think it would be any cheaper as a GM product?

There may be minor updates. But I doubt you'll see a major refresh on the Bolt's platform, because it's not GM's future. It's pretty obvious from GM's comments that to drive costs down they need one platform that can be used by all their brands and most body types. Mark Reuss has said that bringing down electronic part costs that are unique to EVs is one of the keys to bringing the cost of the vehicles down--it's not all about battery prices. The Volt demonstrated that not just the battery but many other parts unique to an EV can't come from the common parts bin, and that's what initially made the Volt come out with a 44k price back in 2011/12.

 

[Packard V8]

4. Option for an AWD performance package Bolt EV SS (it would require the higher power density batteries)

This is the one wish which requires no new technology, could be accomplished easily, soon and inexpensively. I mean, if Subaru could do it forty-seven years ago and still be at a competitive price point, you'd think by now it would have occurred to GM that it's a good selling feature.

AWD would also quiet those who whine and snivel about the FWD Bolt occasionally spinning a tire on hard acceleration.

jack vines

 

[davioh2001]

My wish list for for GM's BEV 2 platform for the 2020 Bolt;

You could pretty much have had this car already in a Model 3. What makes you think it would be any cheaper as a GM product?

Maybe it wouldn't be any cheaper I don't know. I am generally happy with it being a GM and the form factor (hatchback). I definitely think the battery and charging capabilities could be improved after using it for a year including several highway trips.

 

[Packard V8]

You could pretty much have had this car already in a Model 3. What makes you think it would be any cheaper as a GM product?

I definitely think the battery and charging capabilities could be improved after using it for a year including several highway trips.

As has been mentioned previously, easy to say, difficult to do. That there are no currently available BEVs at your price point with the "improved battery and charging capabilities" QED.

jack vines

 

[GregBrew]

This is the one wish which requires no new technology, could be accomplished easily, soon and inexpensively. I mean, if Subaru could do it forty-seven years ago and still be at a competitive price point, you'd think by now it would have occurred to GM that it's a good selling feature.

AWD would also quiet those who whine and snivel about the FWD Bolt occasionally spinning a tire on hard acceleration.

jack vines

I don't know...I use the spinning tires to show my displeasure at the frequent idiots doing stupid things in front of me. Gets the message across without disturbing the whole block.

 

[GJETSON]

As has been mentioned previously, easy to say, difficult to do. That there are no currently available BEVs at your price point with the "improved battery and charging capabilities" QED.

jack vines

Yup. Tesla offers a 300 mile range, AWD, and a great charging infrastructure, for $52,200 delivered, as long as you take black. Any other color will add $1500-$2500.

A Bolt Premier, with every single option and accessory GM offers is $45,310. Dealers are offering $5K off that before haggling.

So we would pay, at least $12K more for what davioh2001 wants. There is absolutely no way GM, VW, or Nissan is going to do it for less, and make money. And it will take them years to do it, if ever.

If anybody wants an EV like that, it will cost them. We already spent 50% more than we should have for the Bolt, just to say we had a usable EV before we died.

 

[NewsCoulomb]

We already spent 50% more than we should have for the Bolt, just to say we had a usable EV before we died.

Maybe for you. I spent $28,000 on my Bolt EV (many people are only spending $23,000 to $25,000 final price). There's no way the Bolt EV is an $18,000 to $20,000 car, even for those who hate EVs and are trying to stifle their adoption.

 

[GJETSON]

Maybe for you. I spent $28,000 on my Bolt EV (many people are only spending $23,000 to $25,000 final price). There's no way the Bolt EV is an $18,000 to $20,000 car, even for those who hate EVs and are trying to stifle their adoption.

We paid $36,509 plus taxes, and registration. That was the best deal we could find in central Virginia 18 months ago. We ended up paying $30K after our federal tax credit. I am not saying the Bolt is a $20K car. I am saying that is what we would have spent on a Prius C, if we had needed a new car. As it was, we wouldn't have needed a new car for the ten years we may yet be driving.

As much as I love EVs, and wanted to make a statement about EVs being practical right now, there is no way in h3ll we would have spent the money for the only other practical EV at the time.

 

[cyaopec]

We paid $36,509 plus taxes, and registration. That was the best deal we could find in central Virginia 18 months ago. We ended up paying $30K after our federal tax credit. I am not saying the Bolt is a $20K car. I am saying that is what we would have spent on a Prius C, if we had needed a new car. As it was, we wouldn't have needed a new car for the ten years we may yet be driving.

As much as I love EVs, and wanted to make a statement about EVs being practical right now, there is no way in h3ll we would have spent the money for the only other practical EV at the time.

I think the large urban markets are much more competitive than the rest of the country. My dealer in Southern California had at one point 152 Bolts in inventory--just an insane amount. They sold them all. But by the end of 2017 what was left over had large incentives of about 4-5k. But discount on cars don't make up for our inflated housing prices. So take comfort in that.

 

[GJETSON]

There is absolutely no way GM, VW, or Nissan is going to do it for less, and make money.

https://qz.com/1528921/vws-chairman-says-even-small-electric-cars-arent-going-to-be-cheap/

 

[Dimitrij]

You could pretty much have had this car already in a Model 3. What makes you think it would be any cheaper as a GM product?

I would probably not choose anything that is shaped like the TM3 even at $35K - too inconvenient for me. And while a TM3 would be less worse for long-range, thankfully, for none-urban/suburban mobility we have a Prius and a CX3 with AWD.

What surprises me is that Musk, who seems to know 5 years ahead what the masses will want to buy, somehow didn't make the TM3 more of a CUV shape.

 

[GJETSON]

I would probably not choose anything that is shaped like the TM3 even at $35K - too inconvenient for me. And while a TM3 would be less worse for long-range, thankfully, for none-urban/suburban mobility we have a Prius and a CX3 with AWD.

What surprises me is that Musk, who seems to know 5 years ahead what the masses will want to buy, somehow didn't make the TM3 more of a CUV shape.

Yeah. I think the Bolt is the perfect package. Sedans don't make sense, except for highway hauling butt.

He understood perfectly. He knew he had to go for fat-cat bling-mobiles to get the company on its feet. We still don't know how big the market will actually be for a stripped down Model 3. The Y, as a CUV, would not have had the range, performance, or sex appeal to attract 400,000 pre-orders. And at current Model 3 prices, we still don't know how many normal people will spend the extra money for an EV CUV. Musk really created the market for EVs, by selling outrageously expensive, fast, sexy, unobtainable EVs. Before Tesla, nobody but total nerds wanted anything to do with them.

 

[ai4px]

My wish list for for GM's BEV 2 platform for the 2020 Bolt;
#1 . Option for a larger battery that is 800v (higher range and faster charging). The highest capacity they can fit into the space of the platform. What they can do who knows if its 72 Kwh or something more?

I don't know about needing 800v battery, we've got plenty of power. What I am interested in is faster DCFC rates and (minor) a larger battery. I'd take one or the other... the present 60kwh battery suits me pretty well.... I just wish it charged faster on my occasional road trip.

I'd love to see adaptive cruise control. Sure lane keeping would be nice, but meh.... I bought a honda civic with lane keeping and it drives like a drunken sailor. Our tesla with AP1 is wonderful, but I don't expect that out of Chevy, so I'd settle for adaptive cruise.

You know what else would be nice? software updates! It seems 2017 models are stuck in time. We're never going to get another update for the separate heat / AC buttons or even delaying the timeout on bluetooth connections so the doggone thing will resume playing bluetooth when I crank it up.

 

[Fivedoor]

I think the large urban markets are much more competitive than the rest of the country. My dealer in Southern California had at one point 152 Bolts in inventory--just an insane amount. They sold them all. But by the end of 2017 what was left over had large incentives of about 4-5k. But discount on cars don't make up for our inflated housing prices. So take comfort in that.

After tax, I paid $37,500 for my Bolt EV Premier with every option, so after tax rebate 30K even... This is in BFE fly over country.

Keith

 

[GJETSON]

Weird. Your post has me as posting something I literally never said.

 

[GJETSON]

After tax, I paid $37,500 for my Bolt EV Premier with every option, so after tax rebate 30K even... This is in BFE fly over country.

Keith

Right now, in Virginia, you can get a 238 mile range Bolt for the same price as 151 mile range, no TMS, Leaf.

 

[KurtSimon]

My wife wants electric sea adjustments with memory. I would have paid another 2K for that and heat pump.