Would you consider cancelling your Tesla Model 3 reservation and buying a Chevy Bolt EV?

9 Comments

  • yuu - 7 years ago

    Don't ever support GM. The Bolt is a scam.

  • Josh Leatherwood - 7 years ago

    First off: No, the Model 3 and Bolt are not competitors, and they were never meant to be. Bolt is a 'utilitarian' electric built for the masses by a mainstream volume brand. The Model 3 is, supposedly, a luxury/status car. Secondly, I think you valuation of the Bolt as a $20K car before electrification is unfounded, just as much as your assumption that Tesla vaporware (we haven't even seen a few production Model 3) will live up to the hype. Third, it's pretty much a CERTAINTY that Chevrolet will conquest Tesla deposits. Not every person in that supposed 400K queue is a Tesla fanboy (quite the opposite, probably). And the tide of bad PR and constant delays will be enough to dissuade some folks. Fourth, I love how the significant price and mileage differences between the two cars are chalked up to "a few thousand dollars and a few dozen miles". Spoken like a true Tesla fanboy, lol. Fifth: GM's politics with Tesla don't really matter in any regard other than dissuading folks from supporting GM (which just dissuades folks from supporting the world's first long-range, mass-appeal electric vehicle. Isn't that against father Elon, and the electric community's supposed mantra?) GM, and the other OEMs simply want a fair playing field. There is ABSOLUTELY no reason Tesla, trendy and cool as they are, should be allowed to break the law to sell cars. If you're going to allow Tesla direct sales, you need to allow everyone to direct-sell. Sixth, yes Marry Barra talked some game about Tesla. That's called competition. How can fans of a company that has, among other things, single-handed lay tried to ruin journalists -- publicly -- complain about competitive banter? Oh wait, these are the same folks who follow a CEO that believes the world is always trying to sabotage him, despite his status as a billion dollar tech God. Seventh, the EV1 was a revolutionary vehicle that, had it been any company but GM, would've been lauded as way ahead of its time. GM cancelled the program because California politicians, naturally, failed to pass legislation to support the program (as they promised). The cars, already produced at a loss, then became a liability for a corporation that was already circling the drain in many ways. And the ignition switch scandal is no different than accelerating Toyotas, rolling Audis and flipping Fords. Accidents happen. By that same logic, are any of your readers going to even consider a VW electric: since that company WILLFULLY mislead the entire world on environmental and health concerns? In conclusion: maybe the author needs less kool-aid and a nice ride with n a Bolt (or the future Cadillac EV that will undoubtedly be pitted directly against Tesla).

  • Mike Dandy - 7 years ago

    Same view as Charles... The bolt still looks like every other EV out there (Except Tesla). It's a square, ugly box that I wouldn't have my Grandma seen driving in. It has no Supercharger network. It has no Auto-pilot/autonomous driving capabilities which is a major plus when you start to look at the whole car sharing business model if you want your car for even less by this form of subsidy. It doesn't have 4 wheel drive! I'm in the market for an Audi A4/BMW 3 series car and the Model 3 has that beat with performance and looks never mind the extremely low cost of ownership and never having to deal with another oil leak, oil change, muffler, breaks, gas, etc... ever again!
    As for Vaporware Fred, they both have working prototypes that you can see, test drive, etc... which there are many video's of online so hardly Vaporware!

  • Fred - 7 years ago

    Too funny to compare a product that is months away to one that is at least a year away. It's like comparing a real product to vaporware. Please get past your Tesla bias and let the market decide.

  • Charles-Etienne Roy - 7 years ago

    I have a reservation for the model 3 and here is my take on the bolt.

    1. It looks like a cheap car that competes against entry level Honda or Hyndai. I am in the market of a BMW 3 series or Mercedes C class which the model 3 is very competitive against. I will NEVER consider the bolt over the Tesla model 3

    2. If the bolt was a real competitor to a BMW 3 series, I might consider it and then remember that I can go nowhere with it because it does not have supercharger access. The fact that supercharger is not free for model 3 owners doesn't matter. At least I can go on trip with my model 3, never with a bolt.

    3. Did you take a good look at the bolt... Yeah no thanks.

  • Bob - 7 years ago

    To Jay Lucas,
    By the time model 3 is available ($27500 after tax incentives), you think you can get $20k for your used Bolt?

  • Jay Lucas - 7 years ago

    Since I'm approximately the 115,001 th person in line to get my Tesla 3, my plan is to enjoy the fun of a Bolt as soon as I can get my hands on one; then when my number comes up get my Tesla and sell the Bolt. Meanwhile I will have installed the charger at my house, my brother's house 150 miles away and my wife's house (610 miles away). [Yeah, I know. We're newly married and working on that.] I figure my Bolt will still be worth about $20K when the Tesla comes in; which will cover about 60% of the Tesla's real cost. I really want the experience of an affordable practical electric car to commence asap.

  • David - 7 years ago

    GM has said the Bolt will receive Over The Air updates, I'm not sure they'll be as frequent or as significant as Tesla's track record shows, but they confirmed this feature.

    I don't need Supercharger access, especially pay per use as for the M3. Even though, they are surprisingly placed very convenient to my two major destinations north and south. The car's range will get me to those locations and back home without supercharging. For longer trips, I fly.

    I could really use a form factor suited for hauling, however, and who knows when the Model Y will be available.

    And frankly, I don't think the Bolt looks bad at all. Though I haven't seen either car in person yet.

  • Bill Pemberton - 7 years ago

    Yes the Bolt is available while we still wait for our Model 3's. But when you look at the big picture, when our Model 3 and Bolt batteries need replacing, the Tesla will have had years of software updates keeping it current and the Bolt will be the same technology as it's model year.

    With the Gigafactory I'm really hoping that Elon will be able to drastically reduce the cost of battery packs so that when I do need to replace mine, I'll have the equivalent of a new Model 3 for much less than buying new.

    There's also the issue of infrastructure. Tesla's Superchargers are expanding weekly. Whereas GM isn't creating a network of chargers that I'm aware of. Yes there are tons of charging locations for EV"s and RV's in North America but no-one's offering the high current charge of a Supercharger.

    The 4 to 8% of people who may switch to the Bolt will undoubtedly resent their change of mind when the Model 3 is on the road. They'll be stuck with their funny looking Bolt while we're driving the sexy affordable Tesla.

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