GM says two new versions of the Chevy Bolt will be launched in February 2021. The company has introduced a new preview that highlights a new feature in electric vehicles: GM’s renowned advanced driver assistance system, Super Cruise.
GM plans to release a refreshed Chevy Bolt, first released in 2017, as well as a Bolt Electric Utility Vehicle, or EUV. The preview would coincide with Mary GM CEO Mary Barra’s speech at the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show – which is being held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The refreshed Bolt has a sportier look, new seats, adjustable cruise control and a few minor changes. GM has increased the range in last year’s version of the Bolt, from 238 miles to 259 miles, but no further increase in refreshment is expected.
The Bolt EUV (not an acronym we expect to catch up with, but go down, I think) will have a longer wheelbase than the regular Bolt and should appeal to customers looking for a more crossover SUV appearance as hatchback. The EUV looks longer than the regular Bolt, but so much higher.
A major change is the inclusion of Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free ‘advanced driver assistance system. When Super Cruise first launched in 2017, it immediately showed comparisons to Tesla’s Autopilot system. It uses cameras, radar and LIDAR mapping data, combined with a robust driver monitoring system, to extract a lot of voltage from the highway. When involved, drivers can take their feet off the pedals and hands off the steering wheel, and the car usually drives on divided highways.
The two new bolts are the latest GM vehicles that got Super Cruise, and the first from Chevrolet. Super Cruise is also available in the 2018 Cadillac CT6, the 2021 Cadillac CT5 and CT4, the 2021 Cadillac Escalade and the GMC Hummer EV.
Both the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV will be built on GM’s BEV2 platform, which is distinguished from the new ‘Ultium’ battery pack announced in early 2020. The newly unveiled Cadillac Lyriq and the GMC Hummer EV will be the first vehicles to be built. this new electrical architecture. As such, the Bolt EV and EUV are expected to be in production by the end of 2020, but have been postponed until this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The new bolts may not come fast enough, given the controversy surrounding the current versions of the EV. GM recently filed a lawsuit alleging that the Chevy Bolt’s battery ‘tends to burst into flames’. The lawsuit comes on the heels of GM and announced that it has recalled 68,000 bolts due to a faulty battery.