GM reveals an updated Chevy Bolt with familiar styling, improved battery tech, and a budget-friendly $29,000 cost. GM has launched the updated Chevy Bolt, maintaining the familiar design but adding a better battery, and we’re at Universal Studios Hollywood for an exclusive event with owners to share everything you need to know. The Chevy Bolt first launched for the 2017 model year.
It marked GM’s first serious, modern attempt at building an EV designed to be fully electric, rather than just a compliance vehicle like the previous Chevy Spark EV. (GM had also created the EV1 from scratch, but it came before the lithium-ion era of EVs and was clearly produced to meet regulations.) It was also an excellent car.
Earn Electrek’s 2022 Vehicle of The Year Award
Unlike today’s giant “land yacht” vehicles, it offered a sensible size and an incredible price tag, particularly in its final years. It was impressive enough to earn Electrek’s 2022 Vehicle of the Year award. Despite achieving its highest sales ever, GM phased out the Bolt in late 2023 due to an extended recall and its use of the first-generation platform rather than the new Ultium battery tech. But that wasn’t the end of the model’s story.
Even after announcing the end of the Bolt, GM revealed (before shutting down production) that a new Ultium-powered version was coming back, our publisher, Seth Weintraub, jokingly refers to it as the “Boltium.” And now, the official unveiling has finally arrived, and we’re here at Universal Studios Hollywood for a “Bolt Block Party” to showcase the new vehicle.
The New Bolt Looks a Lot Like the Old One
When Chevy discontinued the Bolt and announced it would return later, we expected it to be similar, just not quite this similar. From the outside, the new Bolt and the previous Bolt EUV look almost identical. The front fascia has been slightly updated with a black strip between the headlights and the removal of the black border around the faux grille, while the rear features new taillights (positioned higher, which Bolt owners strongly requested) and a bit more painted area on the bumper. That’s pretty much all the changes. But we already knew this after spotting it charging in public last week.
Now we’re finally getting details on the interior and specs, the exciting updates we were really hoping to hear about. GM hasn’t released 0–60 mph figures yet, but the Bolt will use the same 210-horsepower motor found in the Equinox EV.
The New Bolt Attracts Attention by Charging In 26 Minutes
Specifically, the original Bolt’s biggest technical drawback was its slow DC fast-charging speed. It capped out at 50 kW, and often charged even slower than that. In a market where many vehicles now charge at over 200 kW, the new Bolt clearly needed an upgrade. Fortunately, it received that upgrade. The new Bolt now supports a 150 kW charging rate and can charge from 10–80% in just 26 minutes. According to GM, this is roughly three times faster than the previous generation. Plus, it also supports plug-and-charge.
The new Bolt uses a 65 kWh LFP battery with CATL cells—though GM plans to produce LFP cells in the U.S. in the future. The original Bolt used LG cells and was developed before GM created its Ultium platform, making it the only GM EV on a different battery technology. This mismatch is what ultimately led to the Bolt’s discontinuation and redesign.
The new Bolt not only charges faster but also adds bidirectional charging, allowing it to power a home through GM Energy’s V2H system and discharge up to 9.6 kW.
