The new 2017 Chevrolet Bolt, which is expected for release later this year, is slowly winning the hearts of electric car owners. Tesla, manufacturing electric cars for more than a decade now, may need to rethink their strategy for their new cars.
Bolt Versus Model S 60
Both cars come close to 210 miles of range and are both seen as family cars. However, the bolt may be a clear winner when it comes to affordability. The starting price for the Bolt is $37, 495 dollars while the Model S 60 comes at an expensive $70, 000 dollars. Despite a price that's almost double, both cars have very similar specs.
Battery
The Tesla Model S 60 is equipped with a 60-kw-hr battery with a 210-mile EPA-rated range. The Bolt's battery, however, with the same rating of 60 kW per hour, gets an impressive 238 miles of EPA-rated range.
Range
In the world of electric vehicles, how far one can go with a single charge is a major factor and has been a challenge for most manufacturers. Tesla, undeniably, gives their EVs the capability to reach up to or more than 200 miles on a single charge, but they also do not come cheap.
The Chevy Bolt, may be the first electric vehicle that is not Tesla, that can achieve a 200-mile rating with a cheaper price tag. Much, much cheaper than a Tesla.
Performance
The Model S 60 comes with a motor that produces 315 hp and 325 lb feet of torque and is driven by the rear wheels; all wheel drive dual motor versions are also available for the Model S. The Bolt is driven by the front wheels and produces 200 hp with 266 lb-ft of torque.
The Model S can accelerate from zero to 60 in just five seconds while the Bolt gets 6.3 seconds. Acceleration may not be that big of a deal for now, but some car owners and enthusiasts may want to bring the electric car to the drag strip and try out its limits.
The zero to 60 differences in the two cars shows that the Tesla is the clear winner, but only for more than a second. But then again, who really times how fast they accelerate outside the drag strips? Real-world tests show that the two cars are still very similar.
Charging Time
Using the 240-volt home charger, the Bolt takes up to nine hours to fully charge from empty, or just under three hours using their 50 kW per hour Level 3 DC Fast charger. The Tesla Model S 60 can be fully charged in 10 hours using their 240-volt home charger or three hours and 45 minutes with their optional $1,500 dollar fast charger. The differences may be minimal, but each minute that pass can be precious for a lot of electric vehicles.
The real world application of the vehicles are still what's important, whether you choose the Chevy Bolt over the Tesla Model S 60 is completely up to your needs. However, it does not hurt to conduct some research on your own before deciding on what to buy and use as your daily driver.
