US auto giant General Motors has unveiled a refreshed, and less expensive, Bolt EV as well as its new electric offering, the EUV.
The Detroit-based automaker revealed the new Bolt electric car, which it first brought to market in 2017 and was once available in Australia under the now-defunct Holden badge, alongside the larger, “electric utility vehicle” on Sunday night (US time).
Both vehicles are equipped with GM’s new semi-autonomous “Super Cruise” system which can recognise if a driver is paying attention to the road using facial recognition technology, doing away with need for hands to be on the steering wheel.
The new 2022 Bolt is priced from $SU31,995 ($A41,131 converted) and the EUV is priced from $US33,995 ($A43,702 converted), with the latter being about 15cm longer than the smaller vehicle.
“We want to put everyone in an EV and the new Bolt EUV and redesigned Bolt EV are crucial to doing so,” said GM president Mark Reuss in a statement. “Together, they enable mainstream customers to be part of our vison of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.”
Specifications for the refreshed Bolt include a 416km driving range, and 402km for the larger Bolt EUV, but neither are fitted with GM’s upcoming Ultium battery that will accompany its Hummer EV to be launched in the second-half of 2021.
As CNBC reports, the Bolt price has been reduced by some $US5,000 thanks to dropping battery prices.
It is unknown if GM intends to introduce its range of electric vehicles in Australia. In early 2020, it announced it was shutting down the iconic Australian Holden brand due to a lack of profitability.
GM recently hired actor Will Ferrell to star in a campaign to get US drivers on board the electric vehicle transition by “picking a fight” with Norway, the global leader in EVs by market share.
The Bolt EV and EUV form part of GM’s a $US27 billion ($A35 billion) plan to launch 30 new EVs globally from 2020 through to 2025.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.