General Motors Co. said its Chevrolet Bolt electric car will be able to go 238 miles on a fully charged battery, which is farther than the least-expensive versions of Tesla Motors Inc.’s Model S sedan and could beat the much-anticipated Model 3 when it comes out.
The Bolt’s range is an estimate from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, GM (IW 500/3) said in a statement. The car, scheduled to begin sales later this year, is expected to be priced at $37,500 before a federal tax credit of as much as $7,500, the automaker said.
The GM model’s distance on a charge compares with 219 miles for Tesla’s lowest-priced Model S 60, which has a base price of $66,000. Tesla (IW 500/227) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has said the Model 3, which is slated to go on sale late next year at a starting price of $35,000, will be able to go at least 215 miles per charge.
The two companies have been making a case that their new electric cars will be the better option. GM has said the Bolt hatchback will have more cargo room than a Model 3 and can be repaired at any of 3,200 Chevy dealers, compared with Tesla’s 208 stores. Tesla has bragged that its styling and technological prowess have lured more than 300,000 people to put down deposits of $1,000 for the Model 3.
“The Bolt EV is a game changer for the electric-car segment,” GM North America President Alan Batey said in the statement.
Automakers have been extending how far electric vehicles can go on a charge. Tesla recently increased the boosted the range of the most expensive Model S, called the P100D Ludicrous version, to 315 miles. The company also said that version is the world’s fastest-accelerating car sold at retail.
Older electric cars go far less on a charge; Nissan Motor Co.’s Leaf can go 107 miles and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.’s i-MiEV has a range of 62 miles.
By David Welch
