After owning a Bolt and a Tesla, I can understand GM's motive for stopping production of the Bolt in favor of the Equinox EV. The ICE version of the Equinox is 20 inches wider and a few inches taller than the Bolt. Most people did not like the Bolt front seats as they were too narrow. A 20" wider Equinox will solve that problem and maybe make room for a wider console, etc.
The wider and taller Equinox could decrease range per kwh but we will have to see if GM can make it more streamlined. The LG batteries take a lot longer to recharge than those of the Model Y. I sold my Bolt to my lanky son who just **loves** the car and it is a very good fit for him and his business. In a way, I'm glad to see that the Bolt is not going the way of the EV1 with no replacement. I'm hoping the Equinox can be a good competitor to the Model Y and similar vehicles. Competition is good and we need to get away from ICE vehicles. On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 4:43 AM Steves via EV <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > > I was also a bit perplexed and disappointed about the Bolt news. We own one > and really like it. I read they will retool that plant to make SUVs or > pickups as I recall. Along with Ford they seem to be killing the sedan. We > just traded our Volt in and that model was axed last year. I really liked > that car. > > The reason they gave for killing the bolt is the batteries are older > chemistry and for some reason they can’t seem to figure out how to update > that. Sounds tenuous to me. I imagine the real reason is profit margins. It’s > so much easier to sell big cars with naturally high margins than figure out > how to make smaller cars efficiently. > > I also do not like the personality of Musk, but I do admire the trajectory of > Tesla. I guess need to separate the two entities in my mind. It may be the > only way forward for EVs or even the sedan. > > > -Steve > > > On Apr 30, 2023, at 11:13 PM, Tom Hudson via EV <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > > > > We started our EV journey with our Solectria Force in 1997, and after > > retiring our Force after 21 (!) years (due to rust; all the EV components > > work like new and are in storage) we drive a Tesla Model 3. After all those > > years of driving one of the few EVs in the state of Wisconsin, it's kind of > > surreal to be driving through our little city of 11,000 and seeing multiple > > Model Ys (and Model 3s) driving around or parked in driveways. Seeing the > > recent sales numbers on Model Ys, it does look like Musk's prediction will > > be spot-on. It's just awesome to see EVs becoming mainstream. > > > > Our Saturday morning ritual here is to watch the Electrek podcast on > > YouTube while having breakfast. This week they mentioned that GM is killing > > the Bolt, which is their most popular EV. We paused the video and talked a > > bit about how GM totally screwed the pooch when they killed the EV-1 (which > > we rented and drove in California back in 1999 or so) -- they could > > absolutely have OWNED the EV market if they had kept going. Now an upstart > > like Tesla is wiping up the floor with them because they didn't have any > > foresight or a vision of a future beyond ICE. And Toyota has been fighting > > the inevitable future, trying to kill EV incentives. And Ford is making an > > attempt to move forward, but getting NEGATIVE 40 percent margins on their > > EVs. All the big auto industry players should have seen the writing on the > > wall, but kept their blinders on and now they're scrambling to catch up -- > > they never set up the kind of vertical integration Tesla has, nor did they > > make any deals for raw battery materials. And one reason Tesla is kicking > > ass with never-before-seen auto industry margins on the Model Y is their > > relentless, continuous manufacturing improvements like the single front and > > rear castings. > > > > The legacy ICE manufacturers are true dinosaurs and will be a textbook > > example of how companies with no vision will be extinct. As for GM, makers > > of the abomination of the Hummer EV, who in the name of crushing the CARB > > mandates snatched all the EV-1s from the owners who were begging to be able > > to keep them, and crushed them, I say "good riddance". I'm no big Elon Musk > > fan, but it's just a dream to see that the Model Y is on its way to being > > the most popular car of any kind in the world. > > > > -Tom > > > >> On 4/22/2023 1:33 PM, paul dove via EV wrote: > >> Elon Musk May Have Been Right, His Tesla Model Y Guess Could Come True > >> > >> Tesla CEO Elon Musk often gets to prove to people that he was right all > >> along, and another such opportunity may come soon enough. > >> > >> Tesla CEO Elon Musk said some time ago that the Model Y would outsell all > >> of Tesla's other cars, and by a wide margin. This came as a surprise since > >> it's much more expensive than the popular Model 3. The CEO went on to > >> predict that the Model Y would eventually become the best-selling car in > >> the world. Many people thought he was crazy, but there's a much better > >> chance of it actually happening than you might think. > >> > >> When the Tesla Model Y first debuted, it was a bit of a disappointment to > >> many people. The entire unveiling ceremony revolved around the history of > >> Tesla, and the electric crossover was barely present. When it was finally > >> shown, it wasn't shown in great detail, and there was no look at the third > >> row. All you could really tell was that it wasn't much more than an > >> inflated Model 3. > >> > >> That said, the Model Y has been selling exceedingly well across the globe. > >> In fact, it already made some top sales lists in 2022, and Tesla's sales > >> stand to be much stronger in 2023. While many people love to pick on Elon > >> Musk for his wild ideas and terrible timelines, he often proves them > >> wrong. Sure, there are some promises Musk has made that have come true > >> very late or still not come to fruition, but many of his dreams people > >> doubted years ago are already a reality. > >> > >> If all continues to move forward as it has thus far this year, Musk could > >> have another "I told you so" moment. > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> According to Electrek, Musk said in 2016 that the Model Y would create > >> demand for 500,000 to 1,000,000 units per year and eventually become the > >> world's best-selling passenger car of any kind. Keep in mind, it didn't > >> even come to market until 2020. In 2022, Tesla noted that the Model Y > >> would soon keep pace with the top-selling Toyota Corolla, which sees some > >> ~1.2 million units sold per year. > >> > >> Tesla could inform us during its upcoming earnings meeting that the Model > >> Y is already on track to become the best-selling car in the world as early > >> as this year. It topped all rivals in China, the world's biggest > >> automotive market, for Q1 2023. Meanwhile, in the world's second-largest > >> car market, the US, early data points to the Model Y being the > >> best-selling passenger car for the quarter. > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> The Model Y is also breaking sales records in many European markets, and > >> Tesla has ramped up its production at Giga Berlin to 5,000 copies per > >> week. Tesla is also ramping up production at Giga Texas while constantly > >> making tweaks and upgrades in Fremont and Shanghai. > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> Tesla aims to produce some 1.8 million EVs globally in 2023, though Musk > >> has said the company could possibly achieve 2 million. If everything falls > >> into place as planned, the Model Y has a very good chance of being the > >> best-selling car in the world. > >> > >> What do you think? Leave us your words of wisdom in the comment section > >> below. > >> > >> > >> On Saturday, April 22, 2023, 4:56 AM, EV List Lackey via EV > >> <ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote: > >> > >> Chinese EV dominance hastens end of petrol engine era > >> > >> Issued on: 22/04/2023 - 09:14 > >> > >> https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230422-chinese-ev-dominance-hastens- > >> end-of-petrol-engine-era > >> > >> or https://v.gd/YYqNoM > >> > >> "This year's Shanghai Auto Show signalled the end of the petrol engine era > >> in China, as domestic electric vehicle brands drive change across the > >> sector > >> and leave foreign companies in the dust, analysts and industry insiders > >> said. > >> > >> "Government support for EVs and growing interest from a vast consumer base > >> has assured Chinese companies' dominance of their home market, the world's > >> largest -- and they are now beginning to set their sights overseas. > >> > >> *** > >> > >> "According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, electric > >> vehicles made up a quarter of car sales in the country in 2022, a year-on- > >> year increase of 94 percent. > >> > >> *** > >> > >> "China has dedicated huge resources to the industry. > >> > >> "They skipped developing petrol engines because they can't compete with the > >> rest of the world," said Richards. "So they thought: '(With EVs) we can > >> get > >> a head start in front of everyone else'." > >> > >> *** > >> > >> "The supporting infrastructure was built too -- the government says there > >> are now more than 5.8 million charging piles in China. Guangdong province > >> alone has around three times as many public chargers as the whole of the > >> United States, according to Bloomberg data. > >> > >> *** > >> > >> Some are smashing the cash barrier that put EVs beyond the means of the > >> average consumer. In Shanghai, China's Geely exhibited its boxy Panda > >> Mini - > >> - including a bright yellow one with the phrase "what the duck" emblazoned > >> on its side. The cheaper versions cost around $5,800. > >> > >> "In the future, homegrown technology could drive prices down even further. > >> Battery giant CATL has developed a cell that uses sodium instead of lithium > >> ions, the former both more abundant and cheaper than the latter. Just > >> before the show opened CATL announced those batteries would be incorporated > >> into domestic brand Chery's cars. > >> > >> *** > >> > >> "And Chinese EV companies have already begun to make inroads abroad. The > >> biggest of them, BYD, set up shop in Norway then expanded onwards, and > >> others are following." > >> > >> https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230422-chinese-ev-dominance-hastens- > >> end-of-petrol-engine-era > >> > >> or https://v.gd/YYqNoM > >> > >> David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey > >> > >> To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my > >> offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt > >> > >> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > >> > >> On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], > >> "Pray, Mr Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, > >> will the right answers come out?" I am not able rightly to > >> apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke > >> such a question. > >> > >> -- Charles Babbage > >> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org > >> No other addresses in TO and CC fields > >> HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> -------------- next part -------------- > >> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > >> URL: > >> <http://lists.evdl.org/private.cgi/ev-evdl.org/attachments/20230422/3b66ee01/attachment.htm> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org > >> No other addresses in TO and CC fields > >> HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > >> > > _______________________________________________ > > Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org > > No other addresses in TO and CC fields > > HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org > No other addresses in TO and CC fields > HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/ > _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
