I noticed the photo of the new Bolt in the introduction by Mary Bara at CES. The orange Bolt shown on stage has no grille but a orange panel in its place. Which photo represents the production Bolt?
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
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Why a grille on a new EV
Why did Chevy design a brand new EV with a very conventional grille? I could understand a much smaller opening to cool the motor and electrical equipment under the hood, but not the large typical grille I see on the photos of the Bolt.
Let me know your thoughts.
Let me know your thoughts.
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What they had on stage was probably a pre-production model. If you do more research you might find that they didn't let media do certain things with it, which could signal that it was indeed a pre-production Bolt. What ever you see on the Chevy website will be what's official, a much bigger confirmation.
All of the front fascias of the actual Bolt EV (not the concept) have been the same except color of the grill insert or whatever they call it. I recall reading that some of those fake grills will be silver, some black, depending in the body paint color.
One or a few of the Bolt EVs at the CES test drive event didn't have the Chevy bowtie emblem installed.
Other than these, I haven't noticed any other differences.
One or a few of the Bolt EVs at the CES test drive event didn't have the Chevy bowtie emblem installed.
Other than these, I haven't noticed any other differences.
The front fascias do have small opening for the heat exchanger air flow that is still required. I think the opening is on the bottom like it is on the Spark EV.
Why do they still have a fake grill? To match the Chevy design language so that it's identifiable as a Chevy, and most all their vehicles need large grills.
Why do they still have a fake grill? To match the Chevy design language so that it's identifiable as a Chevy, and most all their vehicles need large grills.
I'm pretty sure it's what @Zoomit said. To make it identifiable with Chevy's signature "look"
I hope the new "grille" is blanked off or has shutters to aid aerodynamics. Gotta believe it will.
I assume the bottom part is for cooling of some kind and I think people are used to seeing a grille and identify cars with a grille. Didn't people have a weird reaction when Tesla did away with the grille for their new model S? I think the same would apply if Chevy smoothed over the front and removed the grille.
I think the Ioniq has shutters doesn't it ?
Hmm.. maybe it was one of the other variations perhaps.. on the hybrid or something or the other
Agree.Not sure. I searched for it and the front is covered by a large piece of plastic. Personally not a fan of how they did it. Should have made the grille the same color as the body so it doesn't look like an afterthought.
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I think they should have gone with the typical grille design but behind it, where they're usually some sort of mesh, instead they include what were seeing here as a background.
In this case, it's likely all about aerodynamics. Mesh, even with a surface behind it will create drag and turbulence. Might not seem like much but:I think they should have gone with the typical grille design but behind it, where they're usually some sort of mesh, instead they include what were seeing here as a background.
Seems like there was no shortage of wind tunnel time.Its exterior panels are designed to flex to boost aerodynamics further....
Edit for the above.. "A grille, even with a surface behind it......Mesh, even with a surface behind it will create drag and turbulence.
If you want a "real world" look, this video on Rhys Millen and the e0 PP100 (sponsored by Hyundai) shows one at Pikes Peak.
The entire video is cool, but the IONIQ (in black) appears at 4:00 and again during the end credits ~6:40
https://youtu.be/qUYHUINTbmg
It will only matter to me to the extent that it impacts mileage by an amount that matters and I can't imagine it being by much. I'm a city driver by the way.
Someone going on longer trips will benefit much more. But even not factoring it in, long trips on highways are always favorable to range.
Someone going on longer trips will benefit much more. But even not factoring it in, long trips on highways are always favorable to range.
In my experience, the higher speeds on freeways result in a much lower range than around town driving. EV's get the benefit of regen in stop and go, lower speeds (aerodynamic drag is an inverse squared proposition) and no "idling" that uses fuel. The MPGe ratings on EV's are almost always higher on the city test cycle. The only exception to this rule (that I've found) is Tesla - likely due the city negative (weight of the car) and the highway positive (very low CD).It will only matter to me to the extent that it impacts mileage by an amount that matters and I can't imagine it being by much. I'm a city driver by the way.
Someone going on longer trips will benefit much more. But even not factoring it in, long trips on highways are always favorable to range.
The lighter weight of the Bolt (900+ lbs lighter than a Model S 60), and the higher CD (.31 vs .24) will most likely place it firmly in the "Better range in the City" group. Plus, the EPA highway test only gets the car up to 60 mph. CD penalties increase exponentially at higher speeds, so if you drive over that, you'll notice an even bigger difference.
The IONIQ has a Tesla matching .24 CD, and it takes huge attention to detail to achieve that number (hence the "no grill" design on the Electric version).
Side mirrors are the bane of the aero gurus. It is estimated the account for 2-7% of all drag on a vehicle, and the upper end of that range is on otherwise efficient cars like the Model S and IONIQ.
Is a grille really does make that much of a difference, then I wish the Ioniq would have come with a longer range in the 200+ area instead of the 110 mile range it has. Since the Bolt's grille isn't completely covered and there is a bit of grille left, it may create unnecessary drag.
When Tesla updated the front for their model S, the Model S 90D range jumps from 270 to 294 miles for a 9% gain. Is this all from the lack of a grille? Same thing happened to the performance-oriented Model S P90D which had an increase from 253 miles to 270 miles, so 7%.
I think it could be from the lack of grille. Something more streamline, thus decreasing the amount of drag and raising efficiency because it's less effort needed to push forward. But that's a lot more than I would have expected
They did more than remove/fill in the grille, the reshaped the nose to improve aerodynamics.
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