The Next Gen Bolt: Dear Mary Barra

One more thing; modular updatable L F P BATTERIES so you can charge to a hundred percent

What is great about a 300 mile initial range is that it allows for the battery to decline with age and still be useful.

Dear Mary: stop sharing my driving data with insurance companies.

California is requiring battery percentage display on future EVs.

I love my Bolt EV. I've owned a '96 Trans Am and an' 89 Vette and I'm pretty shocked at how much I enjoy the Bolt about the same amount as I enjoyed my beloved V8s. My only 2 gripes with the car is the 92 mph top speed, I think it's absolutely ridiculous, and I wish the seats had more cushioning. I charge at home and I really don't do road trips so the slow DC charging is not an issue for me. With all the upgrades the new Bolt is rumored to have, I fear a base $25,000 Bolt will have a smaller battery than the current model. I'm guessing the range would be between 150 and 200 miles. I hope I'm wrong. Gr8 vid. 🛻🇺🇸🔌⚡

Keeping the price as low as possible is key. To do that they need to make as few upgrades as possible. The big changes should be the addition of a heat pump, 150kWh charging speeds, and a NACS charge connector. Everything else can remain the same. Advertise it as the perfect secondary or commuter car. No one should buy a Bolt specifically roadtrip, but if you have to, its possible.

I have an early '23 Bolt euv Lt, and I like the dimensions/footprint as is. The changes I'd like are: faster charging (a real 150 would be fine with me), brake lights where they should be, a heat pump, rear hvac, and independent rear suspension. I don't need better summer range, but I do need better winter range. That's it.

Just like mine. Brings a tear to my eye. such a great little car with the black seats. not blue. black with red stitching. it will have LFP so 280 miles of range is 320 miles of range in an NMC

Nice run down of reasonable requests. I'd say 150kW peak would be fine as long as the curve is good. I think also because this car is definitely going to be a mainstream EV selling to people who aren't EV nerds, stick with 400V. I don't think there's any chance GM is gonna make it an 800V vehicle, but I think keeping it 400V is for the best. The reason being, this car should also come with NACS. Owners won't understand if they don't get the same charging speed at Tesla superchargers as they do at EA or EVgo, so if they could stick with a fairly flat 150kW peak charging curve, that'd be perfect. I'd also recommend the car's software do something to encourage people not to DCFC above 80% as well. Like maybe if you're plugged into a DCFC and you hit 80%, if there's not currently a navigation route that needs >80% to get to the next charger, show a message saying "Stop charging and unplug as soon as you're ready to go. DC Fast Charging above 80% is not recommended." or something. The main thing is keep in mind this is a car for the average person who doesn't know much about EVs and design and build it appropriately. I think GM did a great job of this in 2016 when the OG Bolt came out, and they should be able to do it again with 8 more years of experience and knowledge.

My 2023 EV is almost perfect. It needs better DCFC charging speed, heat pump instead of electric resistance heating, and an LFP battery chemistry. I think V2L is going to become important in the future and it should at least be an optional add on. I am definitely interested in airless tires being stock.

Really like your videos, short and to the point and highly informative. Commenting on the wish list for this car, the Bolt, I own a premier myself and am delighted with it. I think it'll be unlikely for GM not to raise the price of the vehicle a bit since more to include invariably means more cost to manufacture. As it is and they claim they're losing money on these babies so not sure how they make the more-for-less approach work.

I think GM should develop essentially a shrunken Ultium platform for the next Bolt. That way, you can get 400 V (256 kW) charging with a vehicle that can go about 280 to 300 miles per charge, using next-generation batteries that have most of the benefits of solid-state batteries (I believe both CATL and LG Energy have shown such designs).

Make use of stuff used in Ultium cars. Use the same 210 hp FWD system augmented by the Ultium optional ($3K) 90 hp induction motor in the rear which requires no cooling to come up with a practical AWD Bolt or a 300 hp hot hatch Bolt. Ultium uses a heat pump, it makes sense to use the same system in the Bolt. The most expensive component is the battery. Why not make the new Bolt be able to accommodate multiple size batteries? A small one with 150-200 mile range for the person who wants a cheap (under 25K before incentives) daily commuter, and a larger 200-280 mile range for those folks who need to go further. You can’t put in a larger battery without overlapping the Equinox EV in size and cost. I would simplify by either eliminate costly options like the sun roof or Super Cruise but make all safety features including 360 degree cameras standard. I would offer only black cloth seats, but power adjustable (no memory) and seat ventilation as this feature enhances efficiency as well as seat heaters. Finally, dump the useless LED light shows in favor of great LED headlights with intelligent beam forming to reduce dazzle and throw more light where it’s needed (like the Hella matrix lights used in Teslas.

My Chevy Sonic has a range of 435 miles. The new Bolt will have to have at least 300 miles and better charging speeds for me to consider it!

Very good review. I never considered a Bolt until watching this episode

Nice video and concept! Do Tesla M2 next. For Bolt only 2 things are needed: 1. 150KW charging 2. NACS

Keep apple carplay unlike the blazer ev. Also having the NACS port and more ground clearance would be nice

Range is big with me so yes on that one. Fully painted rear bumper! So ugly on such a beautiful car. Tuck the rear wiper under the rear visor like the Hyundai Tucson. One pet peeve I have is that I like to use the sunroof to vent out the heat while it sits. I can do this but I have to fully open the sunscreen to do it which allows a lot more sun inside and making the interior much hotter. I have a '23 Premiere with S&S and SC.

Hard to reach $25K and all the wishes you mentioned.

I don't want to ever drive at more than 90. The top speed property is useless where I live in Maine. 70 is the highest speed limit anywhere in the state