Cutting through the hype: Chevrolet Bolt EV price balloons to 'under$40,000'

This shot from a spy photographer is said to be a pre-production version of the Chevrolet Bolt EV that is scheduled to go on sale at the end of 2017 as a 2018 model.

The Chevrolet Bolt concept shown in January at the Detroit Auto Show.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

You can forget about an all-electric Chevrolet Bolt with a 200-mile range and a starting price of $30,000.

Now, according to the Gas2 blog, the 2018 Bolt will go on sale at the end of 2017 for "under $40,000."

That means the automotive media have a full two years to again change their reporting on the Bolt EV, which was first shown as a concept at the January 2015 Detroit Auto Show.

The latest spy photos show a four-door hatchback with a cab-forward design.

None of the production date and price information appearing on the Gas2 blog or in other media can be found on Chevrolet's official Bolt site.

And Chevrolet has said nothing about a network of fast chargers for the Bolt that would allow the EV to stretch its legs on long trips.

The success of Tesla Motors' Model S is attributed to a nationwide network of free Superchargers.

Tesla Superchargers at Hamilton Marketplace, a shopping center near Trenton, N.J. 

Although the automotive media have talked about a Bolt-Tesla battle, the Chevy doesn't look anything like media images of a smaller all-electric luxury car from Tesla Motors that will be unveiled in March, and go on sale in late 2017 for $35,000. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in early September the Model 3 will start production in "about 2 years," as long as a battery factory under construction in Nevada is fully operational.

On vacation in the Model S: A 'faster' Tesla Supercharger shortens our return trip

On our return to New Jersey on Tuesday, we stopped at the Colonie Center, above, a mall outside Albany, N.Y., to charge our Tesla Model S 60 for the third and final leg of the trip. My Tesla app reported a charge rate of 221 miles per hour -- much faster than another Supercharger we used when we stopped at the same mall on the way to a Montreal vacation. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Not all Tesla Superchargers are created equal.

At the Colonie Center, a mall outside Albany, N.Y., we used two of the six free Superchargers on our vacation, and found one dramatically slower than the other.

On June 27, on the way to Montreal, the initial charge rate of the Supercharger I used was only 84 miles per hour, according to the Tesla app on my smart phone.

On Tuesday, on the way home to New Jersey, the Supercharger I used was blindingly fast at an initial charge rate of 221 miles per hour.

Both Superchargers slowed during the time I was plugged in.

But on Tuesday, we left the Colonie Center in under 45 minutes -- including 30 minutes for the charge and the rest to have soup, brown rice and coffee at the nearby Whole Foods Market, and use the bathroom.

That was about half of the time we spent at the same mall on the way to Montreal.

At Whole Foods Market in Colonie, N.Y., I combined two soups -- Vegan Mushroom Barley and Vegetarian Split Pea -- in the same 16-ounce cup for $5.99. A smaller cup of brown rice was $3.99 ($8.49 a pound).

My wife tried a free sample of spicy sausage in a bun at Whole Foods.

On Monday morning, as we headed for the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, Vt., we found ourselves behind a Cabot Cheese truck on two-lane roads, and passed dairy farms where cattle were grazing.

Roads less traveled

On our vacation, which ended Tuesday evening, we didn't avoid interstate highways completely, but managed to miss crowded service areas and their long and smelly bathroom and gas-pump lines.

After we left the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, Vt., where we stayed overnight and charged our Model S, we rolled through small towns and past one dairy farm after another on Route 22 south.

Then, we headed west on another two-lane road, Route 4 into New York State, and took that to the Thruway and the village of Colonie, N.Y., where we charged the car for the final leg of our 360-mile trip.

Details

Basin Harbor Club, 4800 Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes, Vt.; 1-800-622-4000. Two Tesla Connectors available 24/7.

Find Tesla's Destination Charging Network here:

Destination Charging at hotels, resorts and malls

The imposing library in Swanton, Vt.

The U.S.-Canadian border.

We had to call Tesla Motors in Paramus, N.J., to find out how to turn off Range Assurance, the navigation tool that doesn't allow Tesla owners to run out of range on long trips by routing them via Superchargers. When we tried to leave Montreal on Monday morning, above, the navigation system tried to send us to the Tesla dealer to charge the car, even though I knew we had enough range to reach our first stop in Vermont.

On Monday morning, our buffet breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Montreal, the headquarters hotel for the International Jazz Festival, included a made-to-order vegetable-and-cheese omelet with skin-on potatoes and French green and white beans.

Saveur, the restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Montreal where the buffet breakfast is served.

The second revolution from Tesla: Putting the adventure back into vacation car travel

With no Tesla Superchargers between Albany, N.Y., and Montreal, Quebec, we stopped at the Basin Harbor Club, a resort on Lake Champlain in Vergennes, Vt. Owners of the Model S will find at least two Tesla Connectors, which charge the all-electric hatchback at the rate of 31 miles per hour, below. 

We had more than three hours to kill before setting off on the final leg of our trip from Hackensack, N.J., to Montreal for the International Jazz Festival.

Grass and soil are hardly the ideal parking surface. While we waited for our Model S to charge, we had lunch and then sat in front of the fire in the resort bar, listening to a player piano. Before we left, we made a reservation to stay at the Basin Harbor Club on our way back to New Jersey after July Fourth.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Owners of the Model S can still tear up the highways on their vacations, speed into service areas and race to the bathroom, their bladders about to burst.

If they have Tesla Superchargers to rely on, that is.

But on our trip from Hackensack, N.J., to Montreal on Saturday, we found only one Supercharger on the most direct route, and it was slower than I expected.

That stop lasted about 90 minutes to add 110 miles of range and have a bowl of soup at the Whole Foods Market in the Colonie Center, a big mall outside Albany, N.Y., with six free Superchargers. 

The Tesla app on my smart phone reported the Supercharger was adding 84 miles an hour, but when I first plugged in the car, the rate of charge was a lot slower, though increasing by the minute.

I had to stop outside Albany, because my Model S 60 has a maximum range of 208 miles and the distance to Montreal from our home is about 360 miles.

Lunch break in Vermont

Our second stop was at the Basin Harbor Club on Lake Champlain in northwest Vermont, where we found a Tesla Connector that charged our car at pretty much the same rate as the 240-volt outlet I had installed in my garage -- 31 miles an hour.

We started our third and final leg to Montreal about three and a half hours later, and had about 30 miles of range left when we pulled into the garage of the Hyatt Regency.

I didn't know at the time, but the Connectors at Basin Harbor are part of a network Tesla calls Destination Charging, where the company partners with hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and resorts "to make charging when you arrive at your destination as simple as charging at home."

See: Tesla's Destination Charging Network

The alternative to stopping in Vermont was to drive a circuitous route of Superchargers, going west in New York State, north to Canada's Ontario Province and then east to Montreal -- a driving time of more than 10 hours, and that's without break time.

Our drive was an adventure

Instead, we got to cross a gorgeous cantilevered bridge and drive over some twisting two-lane blacktop in Vermont, where we discovered a beautiful resort that may figure into future vacation plans.

We drove through farmland stretching to the horizon in Vermont and Quebec, a soothing landscape so different from the sea of brake lights we see on our congested, antiquated streets in North Jersey.

In Vermont, we were driving on a two-lane road and saw a white-haired man, who just got off a tractor, ambling to his mailbox, more or less with his back to us.

Then, he turned, flashed a smile and waved. 

And on Route 89 in Vermont, as we headed toward Canada, a Harley-Davidson rider pulled up in the fast lane, turned his head and gave me a thumbs up.

Most annoying?

The most annoying part of the trip wasn't the sluggish Supercharger outside Albany or the detour to reach the Tesla Connectors in Vermont.

It is what Tesla calls Range Assurance, which tries to route you via Superchargers when you enter a destination in the car's navigation system.

When we set out the 135-miles trip to the Colonie Center Superchargers, the Google Maps navigation system kept on sending us to the new one in Newburgh, N.Y., even though we started the trip with a rated range of 210 miles.

After we charged the Model S in Vermont, we couldn't set the Hyatt Regency Montreal as our final destination without repeated warnings there were no Superchargers on our route.

I had to use the Waze app on my phone to navigate to Montreal. 

Rue University in Montreal, not far from our destination, about 13 hours after we set out on Saturday morning. More than four hours of that time was spent charging the Model S.

As we approached Montreal, the sky took on a golden glow.

My lunch at the casual Red Mill Restaurant, part of the Basin Harbor Club in Vermont, included a tasty Lemon Chickpea Soup ($4 for a cup).

My wife had Sriracha Chicken Wings ($10) and Sweet Potato Fries ($2), which proved irresistible.

Red Mill Restaurant at the Basin Harbor Club.

Lake Champlain Bridge connects New York State and Vermont. In Canada, we drove over another Champlain Bridge to the island of Montreal.

We streamed Bob Marley and other reggae stars as we drove north on Route 87 in New York, a stretch of road that has no service areas and no Tesla Superchargers.

I saw three other Model S owners use one of the six Tesla Superchargers in the Colonie Center outside Albany, N.Y., close to the New York State Thruway. You'll see the Superchargers as soon as you turn into the mall's main entrance.

An 8-ounce cup of Portuguese White Bean and Kale Soup was $3.79 at the Whole Foods Market in the Colonie Center.

The Colonie Center uses waterless urinals.

Cordless EV charging sounds sexy, but its slow pace is likely to put you fast alseep

No other manufacturer has come up with EV charging to compete with the speed of Tesla Motors' network of free Superchargers, which now allow you to drive across country or from New York to Florida.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I got an email about the Plugless charging system for electrical vehicles, and watched a video showing a Nissan Leaf being driven into a garage.

The Leaf drove over something on the floor of the garage -- just inside the door -- and there was another gizmo on the wall.

Gee, I thought, why don't I have that for my Tesla Model S?

Cause, the company, Evatran, doesn't make one yet for the Model S.

Plus, it's slow, taking 6 to 8 hours to fully charge a Leaf, which only has a range of 84 miles.

The system for the Leaf costs about $1,900.

Later in 2015, the company says, it plans to release a Leaf system rated at 6.6kW, double the current 3.3kW.

With a special 240-volt outlet in my garage, my Model S 60, with a range of 208 miles, is fully charged in about 7 hours (29 miles an hour).

And I can program the car to begin charging at midnight, allowing me to take advantage of lower electric rates.

Now for some real EV news: I've put down a $2,500 deposit on a Tesla Model S 60

On Monday, I test drove an all-electric Tesla Model S 60, the base model, from the company owned showroom and service center on Route 17 in Paramus, N.J., above and below.

Today, I logged onto the TeslaMotors.com site and placed a $2,500 deposit on the Model S 60 I had configured a few weeks ago. My luxurious four-door hatchback is scheduled to be delivered in late April.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

After I take delivery of my Tesla Model S in late April, the only reason I'll have to visit a gas station is to adjust tire pressures.

With several options, my 60 kWh Model S will cost $79,120, including a "destination and regulatory documentation fee" of $1,170.

I won't have to pay New Jersey's 7% sales tax (take that, Governor Christie, you're no friend of the environment).

And in a year or so, when my accountant prepares our 2015 tax return, I will able to claim part or all of a $7,500 federal tax credit.*

*The caveat is that I have to have a tax liability that meets or exceeds the $7,500, and I have to use the credit in the 2015 tax year or lose it.

The Model S is the most expensive car I have ever bought, and might very well be this retired senior citizen's last car.

We'll be keeping our 2007 and 2010 Toyota Prius hybrids, our stepping stones to the all-electric Model S.

On Monday, I visited Tesla's showroom and service center on Route 17 north in Paramus, and spoke to Andrew, a product specialist, about battery warranties and other concerns.

Then, I went for a test drive on Route 17 north and took an exit to experience the quiet Model S on some of Bergen County's winding two-lane roads.

Tesla Motors has eliminated most of the buttons and switches found in conventional cars with this 17-inch touch screen in the Model S.

One option I chose is Red Multi-Coat Paint ($1,500) as seen on this Model S on display at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan.

Red paint, other options

The Model S 60 has a base price of $69,900.

The options I chose are Red Multi-Coat Paint, $1,500; Tan Leather Seats, also $1,500; Carbon Fiber Decor, $800; and Tech Package with Autopilot, $4,250.

My Model S 60 has an EPA range of 208 miles on a full charge, a 380-horsepower electric motor and a 120 mph top speed, and will go 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds.

But I'm part of the cruise-control generation, and often use that aid in local driving and on highways, where I set my speed about 5 mph over the limit and watch lead-footed drivers pass me on both sides.

This year, I won't be able to drive my Model S 60 the 350 miles to Montreal for the International Jazz Festival, because there is only one Tesla Supercharger on the New York State Thruway.

In 2016, a second Supercharger will make that trip possible in one day.

The rest of the year, I drive locally and probably won't have to charge the car at home but once a week.

A new and a used Bugatti at Manhattan Motorcars on 11th Avenue.

Bugattis and black cars

California-based Tesla Motors is selling more and more all-electric cars at a time when conventional manufacturers still indulge in such excesses as a 1,200-horsepower Bugatti and increasingly larger SUVs that often are used as black cars and limousines.

At Manhattan Motorcars on Saturday, I stared in disbelief at the sticker on a new Bugatti.

MSRP is $2,790,000. Top speed is listed as 256 mph.

The two-seater gets 8 mpg (combined city/highway), and the federal gas-guzzler tax is $6,400 -- hardly a disincentive to anyone who can afford this technological relic.

Then you'll have to deal with a young saleswoman who wears tight jeans and too much make-up.

You might hear her talking loudly on the telephone to a customer, instructing him to wire her $10,000 as a deposit on a sports car, which, of course, is such a "great deal."

More gas guzzlers in the showroom of Manhattan Motorcars, above and below.

On the streets of Manhattan, new, bigger models of the Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade are being pressed into service as black cars and limousines.

All of them carry New York plates beginning with "T" and ending in "C."

Their drivers, along with those in smaller, black Toyota Camrys used by car services, can be seen parked and double-parked near expensive restaurants and party venues into the wee hours.

Scurrying through the city's darkened streets, they resemble hundreds of oversized cockroaches.