Range anxiety is about to become a quaint memory from the early days of electric cars.
When EV technology was getting started, just a few short years ago, we were lucky to get 40 miles of range on batteries alone.
The original Chevy Volt couldn’t manage much more than a short daily commute and needed a gas-powered motor in addition to the electric one to give buyers some extra peace of mind.
The first all-electric Nissan Leaf fared much better with an 84-mile range but still left motorists stranded after pushing the limits too far. Today’s Leaf can top 107 miles of electric range while the much more expensive Tesla Model S can go more than 250 miles.
Chevrolet is about to change the game and combine Tesla-like range with Nissan-like affordability.
Ready?
Chevy dropped the bombshell this week when it announced the cruising range for the all-new 2017 Bolt.
Leftlane News said,
Drivers should expect to cruise for 238 miles on a single charge, nearly 20 percent longer than the initial estimate of 200 miles.
The figure is slightly higher than Tesla’s preliminary range estimate of 215 miles for the Model 3, though Tesla is presumably keeping a bit of margin between its public statement and actual internal target for an EPA figure.
Chevrolet wants to establish itself as the leader in electric cars and the Bolt could help achieve that goal. Still, it has generated nowhere near the buzz that Tesla has managed to grab for the Model 3, a vehicle for which Tesla has taken more than 400,000 pre-orders at $1,000 a pop.
Both vehicles should end up priced right around the $30,000 mark (after the $7,500 federal tax credit) and both will come with similar ranges.
The Bolt’s biggest advantage is that it will arrive in showrooms later this year, while the Model 3 is still a good three years away from production.
The new Chevy Bolt, followed by a redesigned 200-mile Leaf, and ultimately the Model 3, should effectively put the days of range anxiety safely behind us.
Would you feel comfortable owning one of the new breed of electric cars?
-tgriffith
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from The CarGurus Blog http://ift.tt/2cluSeN
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