Used 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV LT for sale 

As naive as the EV technology is to the world, these vehicles have the versatility to lure their customers. Meanwhile, Chevrolet offers its Bolt EV in the LT and Premier trim. You can buy the LT trim for $36,620 and the Premier trim for $40,905 before the 7 grand of a federal tax credit. When you for the Premier trim, you get the features like a heated leather steering wheel, a rear camera mirror, and many more convenient features.

Knowing the costs electric powertrains incur, the Bolt seems quite generously equipped. With the starting LT trim, features like pre-conditioning, cruise control, and a digital instrument cluster are the prime takeaways, while the latter adds a few more contemporary amenities like a rear camera, heated steering wheel, and remote audio system control. There is more to it than just this, but the most engraving part is that the difference in price is a good $4,000. 

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At the end of the day, electric vehicles are new to this world with the latter sharing only a few years of existence. So, we feel it is better to play safe and stick to the basics unless and until we get well acquainted with them. Hence, the LT trim on the Bolt would be a wiser choice since it offers enough voguish anomalies at a lower price.

The Bolt EV is a pure electric vehicle, and hence we step out of our comfort zones here and update you with something other than pistons and cylinders. Precisely, it is the electric powertrain and battery it packs, which are the main highlights here. To avoid further delay, the Chevrolet Bolt EV’s battery pack capacitates 60 kilowatt-hours (kWh), which will last for almost 238 miles on a full charge as rated by the EPA. The front-wheel-drive configuration in the Bolt explains the placement of a synchronous motor along the front axle. In our language, this motor produces an output of 200 hp, a figure that is astonishing for a car Bolt’s size.

As compared to the rivals, the Bolt EV seems moderately powerful. It is only the Tesla Model 3 that manages to run past this EV in terms of power and torque output. Even the glorified BMW i3 can produce only 170 HP and 184 lb.-ft. of torque. The Nissan Leaf follows its German counterpart quite closely with a similar powertrain. 

Acceleration

The Chevrolet Bolt EV is quick, like real quick. This small hatchback does the 0-60 mph in under 6.5 seconds and further reaches the quarter-mile mark in 14.9 seconds. There is no denying that electric cars are actually faster than their gasoline-powered counterpart, without sucking in a lot of air. And because these are electric cars, they do not produce CO2 emissions, true eco-friendly.

Not only is the Tesla more powerful on paper, but off the charts too, it manages to set itself apart with a rocketing acceleration experience. The 4.6 seconds of record time for a 60 MPH run is more than just good, given the total bulk that the vehicle carries. Speaking of the other competitors, the tiny Nissan Leaf builds up the lead with 6.3 seconds run to 60 MPH, but eventually falls behind as it reaches the quarter-mile last. 

Ride and Handling

The 200 horsepower electric motor provides a healthy dose of thrust. The batteries are placed under the floor to make sure to keep the center of gravity of the car as low as possible. This helps the car keep sticking to the ground. The accelerator, handling, and braking, all coordinate with each other in real-time to provide a comfortable riding experience. Bolt responds smoothly to every steering input given by the driver. With a lot of sensors, this car can manage to roll straight on a freeway without needing a lot of attention from the driver.

The Bolt feels nimble, coordinated, and sure-footed when the road gets curvy. It does not roll out of control because of those batteries providing a great center of gravity. We do not think that the Bolt EV could drive any better. The electric motor is utterly smooth with that single-speed direct-drive transmission that never shifts. Neither car makes any noise. While driving this car, all you can hear is the wind bashing against your car or the tires squeaking, if you ever in the mood of going naughty around the curves.

Braking

Like any conventional vehicle, even the Bolt EV is equipped with a set of friction brakes. However, while in Drive mode, the EV uses a regenerative braking system that manages to break the motion without the actuation of physical brakes. This means that you don't have to press that break paddle, and all you need to do is accelerate or heave. This is why the braking in this car feels so consistent and easy to modulate. Bolt EV covers 116 feet of distance before reaching 0 mph, straight up from 60 mph. Although we do not have the information about the size of the brakes used in this car, we can expect some serious metal to be installed to halt this heavy machine.

Finally, the Bolt manages to defeat the Tesla here, stopping itself 3 feet before the latter. This, mind you, is despite the excess weight that the Bolt EV has to carry. But the praise does not stop there. Not only does it beat Tesla, but also all the other EVs at their disposal, and again, which are quite lighter on their feet than the Bolt.

No mpg rating for this car. This EV runs on electric power, and a full charge will run for at max 263 miles, on a perfect day. It comes with a standard 120V charger that will charge at a rate of 3.5 to 5 miles of range every hour. The level 2, 240V charger will juice up your car at a rate of up to 25 miles of range every hour. You can pay $750 extra for the optional DC fast charging, which will charge your card at the rate of 70-90 miles of range in 30 minutes. That's green power folks.

Chevrolet’s Bolt EV falls behind in this section, as all of the other adversaries offer a better range than the Bolt. Starting with a 264 miles EDT of the Tesla Model 3, the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf manage to get rated upto 259 miles on a full charge.

Chevrolet Bolt EV has a seating capacity of 5, although the seats are not as comfortable as you might think. Your knee might hurt when you take a seat in the rear if you are not among those short people.

Adding the thin material covering the hard plastic seats of the car does make you uncomfortable to sit for long. Headspace is something to brag about in this car. A 6 feet long person won't hit the roof of the car, for sure.

The Bolt is not the most generous in terms of space too. In fact, all three dimensions are laid out differently in different vehicles. While Tesla has the best shoulder and legroom, its sloping roof allows for a limited headroom. On the other hand, the Nissan Leaf has a better head room than the others.The Chevrolet Bolt EV comes equipped with a lot of stuff inside the cabin. Ranging from as basic as air conditioning to advanced features like wireless charging. Few key features include-

• Air conditioning: Single-zone automatic climate control
• Cabin air filter
• Leather-wrapped 3-spoke heated steering wheel
• Front and rear power windows
• Wireless charging for supported devices
• Rear Camera Mirror with full camera display
• Front bucket seats with 6-way manual seat adjusters
• Rear 60/40 split-folding seat with articulating head restraints
• Heated front seats

Infotainment

The infotainment system comes with a 10.2 inch LCD touch screen with features like Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, 4G LTE. and for the premium option, you get the Bose Premium 7-speaker system. The touchscreen is quite smooth and easy to read and use, even in an adverse light. The position of the screen on the dashboard could be a little far from the driver, but normally works fine. Some interesting features on the Bolt EV’s infotainment are as follows:

• Chevrolet MyLink Radio
• 10.2 inch diagonal LCD color touch-screen
• AM/FM stereo with seek-scan
• Bluetooth audio streaming
• Voice-activated technology for radio and phone
• Apple CarPlay / Android Auto
• 6-Speaker audio system
• Bose premium 7-speaker audio system including subwoofer
• 2 USB ports with auxiliary input jack in front console
• 2 USB ports (charge only) on the rear center console
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio
• OnStar 4G LTE and built-in Wi-Fi hotspot for up to seven devices

Cargo

You get a cargo space of almost 17 cubic feet, in this car. That is sufficient enough to fit a cradle. For this small car, you get the cargo space on the rear. In the front, it packs the electric motor to showcase the wires and motors.

The Bolt EV has the largest boot as compared to the rivals. Tesla has a 15 cu.ft. available to carry luggage, while the BMW i3 can carry a bit more. Unfortunately, the data for Nissan Leaf could not be gathered and hence cannot be compared.

Chevrolet Bolt EV is a small hatchback. Just look at the stats below, the Bolt EV is just 164 inches long and 69.5 inches wide. It stands short at 62.8 inches with a ride height of 6.0 inches.

Well, Both the Bolt EV and BMW i3 are small electric cars. One comes with a lower price tag, targeting the economic market, while the BMW i3 comes into the class of small but luxury electric cars. The wheelbase is shorter at 102 inches, and you can feel that lack of space inside the cabin, on both front and rear seats.

In comparison, Chevrolet comes out to be the heaviest of the lot, weighing 3,563 lbs, followed by Tesla’s 3,549 lbs. In terms of ground clearance, Nissan offers the most at 6.3 inches. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV comes equipped with a large battery with all the necessary features. The list of features is given below.

• Antenna: Roof-mounted shark fin
• Daytime running lamps with LED signature
• Headlamps: High-intensity discharge, low and high beam projector, automatic on and off
• IntelliBeam automatic high beam assist
• LED center high-mounted stop lamp and tail lamps
• Luggage rack: side rails, roof-mounted
• Power adjusted and heated mirrors
• 200hp (150kW) of motoring power
• 60 kWh lithium-ion Rechargeable Energy Storage System
• Battery: 12-volt with rundown protection

The Bolt EV has not been rated for safety by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), yet. But, this is no reason to worry since the Bolt EV is substantially packed with a plethora of modern safety features. These features not only mitigate the impacts of a crash but some of them also aid in avoiding these unfortunate incidents. Some of these have been mentioned in the list below:

• Low-Speed Forward Automatic Braking 
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning 
• Front Pedestrian Braking with pedestrian detection 
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert 
• Safety restraints with 3-point belts 
• Programmable Security System
• Side Blind Zone Alert with Lane Change Alert
• StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System
• Teen Driver with customizable vehicle features
• Theft-deterrent system electronic immobilizer
• Electronic Traction control

Chevrolet Bolt EV vs. Tesla Model 3 Sedan

With the 200+ mile range of this car, it is definitely aiming to go up against the Tesla territory. The Bolt EV comes with a lower price to get into that affordable price range, stealing the customers of Tesla with that Fast DC charging and super long mile range. Seems like this freshman from Chevrolet does give a run for a scare to the senior Tesla.

Chevrolet Bolt EV vs. BMW i3

BMW i3 does come with a higher price range than the Chevrolet Bolt EV. With the interior futuristic enough to realize that you're driving an electric car from the future, against the cheap-looking, hard plastic interior of the Bolt EV. One thing that the bolt beats the i3 at is the mile range. It has almost double the range of the i3, without the range extender option.

Chevrolet Bolt EV vs. Nissan Leaf

Competing with last year's model of the first generation of the Nissan Leaf, Bolt EV stands at a little costlier price. But because the Leaf is still on that old tech before it will adapt the all-new design and tech for the 2018 model, Bolt EV should be a clear choice to buy.

Bolt EV from Chevrolet is a small yet powerful car, giving you all that crazy power when needed. It sure is a daily car and can be used to go long-range, occasionally. Make sure your destination has the electric car charging station available for you to get back home. One thing where this EV lacks behind is the cheap and uncomfortable interior. We hope that Chevrolet will fix it in their next year's model of Bolt EV. Till then, I am sure that the extra power and extra mile range will surely get you to buy it.