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.

Everyone now: What would an 'affordable' all-electric car look like and cost?

Despite the strides made by hybrids and all-electric cars or EVs in the past 14 years, the American road is still dominated by SUVs, which waste gasoline and pollute the air. How many times have you seen only a driver in one of these monstrosities?

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Call it the "game changer" or the "sweet spot."

An affordable all-electric car could finally pose a challenge to the dominance of the infernal combustion engine, one of the chief causes of climate change.

But two things would have to happen:

The car would have to start at $40,000 and offer a minimum range of 200 miles.

I'm flexible, though, after looking at the BMW i3, which the German automaker says has a real-world range of 80-100 miles or 160-180 miles with a "Range Extender," a 2-cylinder gasoline engine that recharges the battery.

The base model of the BMW i3, called Mega World, has an MSRP of $42,500.

Even without the Range Extender, the BMWi3 equals or exceeds the range of two cheaper all-electric cars, the Nissan Leaf (84 miles) and Ford Focus Electric (76 miles).

The B Class Electric Drive from Mercedes-Benz has a range of up to 85 miles and an MSRP of $33,950, according to the company's Web site.

The B Class was developed in partnership with California-based Tesla Motors, which makes the car's electric drive system.

Tesla also helped develop Toyota's RAV4 EV, which has a range of 100 miles, but that vehicle is available only in California.

Park Avenue BMW in Maywood has offered me an extended test drive of the i3.

A smaller Tesla

A friend who visited the Tesla showroom in Paramus says she was told a smaller model of the revolutionary all-electric car will be coming out in a year or two.

Would a smaller car have a smaller battery and less range than the Model S with a 60 kWh battery, an advertised range of 208 miles and an MSRP of $69,900?

Tesla is building its own battery factory in Nevada, and that is expected to lower retail costs.

Could Tesla actually produce a smaller all-electric vehicle starting at $40,000?

The Tesla badge on a Model S.