LG Chem believes General Motors will have a production run of 30,000 Bolt EVs next year. And there is a reason to believe those figures considering that the LG subsidiary will be producing the all-important batteries that would power the new 2016 Chevrolet Bolt EVs.
However, that makes for a modest figure considering that rival Tesla has sold that many of its Model S sedans alone last year, Auto Blog reported. However, a direct comparison between the two EVs would be grossly unfair considering that the Model S is a luxurious sedan costing almost twice as much as that of the Bolt. In comparison, the Bolt with its $37,500 price tag is a hatchback of sorts and is aimed at the mass market.
Further, the Tesla Model 3 which can be considered a direct competitor of the Bolt has had a far greater appeal so far, with around 400,000 having opted for the new sedan. Tesla though hasn't confirmed if the figure still stands at that in view of an earlier report of Tesla having successfully converted a third of the bookings to actual Model S sales.
Coming back to the 2016 Chevy Bolt, the EV is EPA certified to have a range of 238 miles. While that alone betters the 215 miles that Tesla had claimed the Model 3 will be good for, unofficial tests have established the Bolt can do even 290 miles on a single charge, according to Reuters.
What is even more impressive is that the Bolt comes with a 60 kWh battery pack, the same as that of the Model 3. If the Model 3 indeed remains stuck in the vicinity of 215 miles as its range, the Bolt clearly has an edge here. This would also establish a relative superiority of the LG Chem supplied batteries as well even though both are lithium-ion based.
Batteries apart, LG Chem will also be supplying several other components such as powertrain segments, the HVAC system, the instrument/infotainment cluster, and such that would go into the making of the 2016 Chevrolet Bolt, Electrek reported.
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