An interesting Chevy-branded concept debuted this week: A sporty, 230-mile-range, 2-door ELR-inspired EV coupe, said to be available by “late 2018.” Quick and attractive, it has much of what the Chevy Bolt will be missing once it is up against the Tesla Model 3. Like the Tesla, it will accelerate to 60 mph in less than six seconds, five to be exact. Like the Tesla, it will have automated crash avoidance safety features and fast charging.
But unlike the Tesla, it’s not real. The website, chevyjoltev.com, looks like an actual Chevrolet landing page, but has been confirmed by GM to Electrek as fake.
That is unfortunate.
The Chevy Bolt will be a great vehicle in many respects. It will have the range that has been long missing from any EV not designed in California, and it has gathered accolades from many of those who have driven pre-production models. But after the debut of the Model 3 in late March, the Bolt suddenly became a stale reminder that incumbent manufacturers are often unwilling to take risks with their EV offerings.
The theoretical Jolt would have been no “Tesla-killer,” but it would at least have been a more equal, attractive alternative. Here’s to hoping GM will eventually come up with something similar.
Obviously, a lot of effort went into creating this “fake’ concept. Maybe something could come out of it after all…
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