So, we drove the Chevrolet Bolt. And if I’m not mistaken, we were the first ones to review it in the Middle East. Important, not really, but lucky, most definitely. The story behind how we managed to drive the Bolt is an interesting one (especially since it isn’t on the press fleet yet) but it was made possible by attending the second-edition of the Global EVRT in the region.
A couple of days back as you might recollect, we joined the Global EVRT (Electric Vehicle Road Trip) in Fujairah for a day in order to support the acceleration of electric vehicles in the region. If you want to know more about the event and what we got up to, please follow the link to the story here.
To be honest, we can’t say much on the Bolt since we drove it for no more than half an hour. However, since we have been driving and paying a lot of attention to EVs recently, our toolbox is full of insights and information to give you a better understanding.
Exterior wise, it looks crossover-ish and has a nice “I don’t want to be electrically obvious with my design”. Being an electric car, it lacks a grille (a prominent part of conventional automobiles) and offers a good stance on the road. While we’ve driven the Renault Zoe to the EVRT and are on our way to drive the Leaf in Tenerife, the Bolt has the height-advantage that its hatchback rivals lack.
Interior wise is where I started to develop some sort of a happy face towards this car. Quality feels enhanced, and the distribution of the elements makes a lot of sense. In addition, you can find a beautiful horizontal multimedia screen that is packed with features.
Then comes the most important bit and the part you’ve all been waiting to read, the drive. Even though it was for no more than half an hour, I did enjoy every single minute of it. The Bolt goes, you press the accelerator and the car launches. Of course, it is an electric car and the quietness is good, so not much to address here.
Thinking out of the box, the Bolt also comes with one pedal drive (what the all-new Nissan Leaf calls the e-pedal) that regenerates energy by using engine braking to deliver extra range. This is beautiful to test, to be honest, and another game changer, for electric cars. You can drive the car without using the brake (takes a bit to get used to though, but not more than 2 minutes) and then if you are able to bundle it the right way you will start driving cars using only your right leg. Range wise, the Bolt as per their statement can give you 520 kilometers per charge.
When will it be available on sale in the Middle East? Well again, it’s not clear as yet. It looks like they love boiling the water without drinking the tea, ah? How much, is also not clear at this point in time, but it will be around the USD 30,000 mark. At least that’s how much it costs in America.
In all cases, as you can see on the roads of the UAE, Chevrolet Middle East is pushing a lot of advertisements (Sheikh Zayed Road billboard) in order to keep the electric momentum created by the government. Although there isn’t much clarity at this point in time, a quick call to the showroom reveals that it is likely to come within the next two years.
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