Chevy Beats Tesla for October's Highest-Selling Electric Car

DooKey

DooKey

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The Bolt dominated electric vehicle sales in October, selling over twice as many cars as the Tesla Model S, according to Inside EVs. It makes sense that the Bolt might outpace the Tesla Model S in sales. The Model S starts at $94,000, whereas the Bolt starts at around $30,000 after tax incentives. What this means to me is that even an ugly car like the Bolt can sell well to electric car customers if the price is right. Tesla better work out their Model 3 issues and get some out on the market before Chevy really turns up the heat with its higher production capacity and dealer network.

Overall, electric vehicle sales in the U.S. are booming. According to Inside EVs, October marks the 25th straight month of gains in U.S. EV sales, and over 157,000 electric vehicles have been sold this year — a notable 30 percent increase from 2016.
 
Chevy can't make the Bolts any faster though. If the rebate goes away, they should make every effort though, there will be a rush of people trying to buy one before it ends.
 
Looking forward to buying a 5 yo. bolt for $9-$10k if history repeats itself (looking at you Nissan Leaf)
 
At $30,000 they are losing money on every one they sell. At least they are making up for it in volume.
 
/dev/null said:
Looking forward to buying a 5 yo. bolt for $9-$10k if history repeats itself (looking at you Nissan Leaf)
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But you be buying a Chevy tho. What's worse is a boring POS electric call with the battery half dead.
 
Montu said:
Tesla better work out their Model 3 issues and get some out on the market before Chevy really turns up the heat with its higher production capacity and dealer network.
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Or design and sell an electric car that isn't so ugly! They can do it, if they wanted to.
 
Just bought a Model S last week, paid under $94k for it, someone didn't check their facts. Just using the config tool on their site the Model S starts at just under $75k, which is still a ton more than the Bolt :)
 
TroubleMagnet said:
Just bought a Model S last week, paid under $94k for it, someone didn't check their facts. Just using the config tool on their site the Model S starts at just under $75k, which is still a ton more than the Bolt :)
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Not a fan of either car company but the model S is far superior vehicle then the lolbolt. Fuck them both. You will have to pry my v8 from my cold dead hands.
 
vegeta535 said:
Not a fan of either car company but the model S is far superior vehicle then the lolbolt. Fuck them both. You will have to pry my v8 from my cold dead hands.
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Uh.. I'd be careful about implying a double reduction to the carbon footprint in front of "eco-friendlies" (they're a lot like Gizmo if you get the reference... don't feed after midnight).
 
tunatime said:
But then you need to spend 10g on a new battery
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phred15 said:
You will be buying probably less than half the life of the $10K battery.
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vegeta535 said:
But you be buying a Chevy tho. What's worse is a boring POS electric call with the battery half dead.
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People said this with the Prius as well, but their batteries are champs, last a really long time, and when they finally need replacement, third parties do so for cheap.

These batteries are extremely expensive today, making up most of the cost of the cars they are in, but 5 years from now battery tech will have moved on, and the current line of lithium batteries will be old cheap tech, and cost much less to replace, just like with the Prius,
 
2781 Bolts sold in Oct. 53,157 Silverado PU sold in US alone for same month. Far more likely that GM can ramp up production if needed before Tesla figures out how a high speed production line works. One big advantage both GM and Ford have is a century's worth of experience in building lots of cars.
 
jardows said:
Or design and sell an electric car that isn't so ugly! They can do it, if they wanted to.
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I know.

I find it Amazing that anyone is willing to buy the Bolt. That thing is HIDEOUS. It looks like a Toyota Yaris, with a tall seating position. Except, the cost after incentives is $30k... Couldn't do it.

gxp500 said:
Call me when the Cadillac elr out sells the model s.
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Agree. This is a much more apt comparison (and much closer in price)
 
Dead Parrot said:
2781 Bolts sold in Oct. 53,157 Silverado PU sold in US alone for same month. Far more likely that GM can ramp up production if needed before Tesla figures out how a high speed production line works. One big advantage both GM and Ford have is a century's worth of experience in building lots of cars.
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I have no doubt GM can build cars faster than Tesla can, but I think that battery availability will hold them back. Large scale Lithium Ion production capacity in th eworld is limited, and Tesla owns most of the planned capacity with their Gigafactory.

So GM and others will be held back by Lithium Ion capacity, and Tesla will be held up by learning how to manufacture cars in large scale. I think the latter problem is probably slightly easier to solve.
 
Correction, the Model S starts at $74,500 before any tax incentives. The P100D starts at $94K before incentives. I bought a Volt for my second house, since I travel back and forth constantly I was having to constantly pull my other car's battery and put it on a tender. So far, the only gas I've burned with the Volt is "maintenance" gas, basically it runs the motor to move shit around. I pre-ordered a Model3 because I wanted something a little more premium and I like supporting American companies that try new things. I'm not an Elon fanboy, but I admire someone who actually tries to do something rather than sits arounds and complains about the big companies never innovating.
 
I don't think it looks too bad. Iittle generic, but not bad. I'm sure there is some design necessities for maximizing co-efficient of drag and interior volume.

jgolson_160909_1219_0073.0.0.jpg
 
westrock2000 said:
I don't think it looks too bad. Iittle generic, but not bad. I'm sure there is some design necessities for maximizing co-efficient of drag and interior volume.

jgolson_160909_1219_0073.0.0.jpg
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It looks like a tiny mini-van.

Nope. Could not do it.

Granted, the new Leaf is equally hideous.


leaf_02.jpg


...though it is an improvement over the last gen leaf...
 
westrock2000 said:
I don't think it looks too bad. Iittle generic, but not bad. I'm sure there is some design necessities for maximizing co-efficient of drag and interior volume.
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The problem for me with the Bolt is the seats are uncomfortable. I am by no means wide - 6 foot 4 inch, 200 pound man - yet the metal beam in the seat was digging right into my outer legs when seated. I was going to buy one over the Model 3 since i could get it so many months sooner but the seats quickly killed it for me. I couldn't sit in the car for more than 10 minutes.
 
travisty said:
The problem for me with the Bolt is the seats are uncomfortable. I am by no means wide - 6 foot 4 inch, 200 pound man - yet the metal beam in the seat was digging right into my outer legs when seated. I was going to buy one over the Model 3 since i could get it so many months sooner but the seats quickly killed it for me. I couldn't sit in the car for more than 10 minutes.
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Same issue, the seats. We ended up looking at the Chevy Malibu while there and went with that. Tons more room, 60 more HP, and still gets 40 MPG on the highway. Built-in Internet has been great.
 
the-one1 said:
Yeah...like Tesla 3 looks any better.
model-3-mountain-pearl-1.jpg


I think looks are all subjective.
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not thrilled about the Model 3 looks either, but at least it's a low slung, wide, sporty sedan-ish design.

The Model S is most of the way to good looks for me, but still looks a little bit odd from some angles. I just hate that most auto manufacturers what to make their expensive electric vehicles like little efficiency grocery getters. I don't want that.

I don't want a car that LOOKS like it is a green and eco-friendly efficiency mobile. I want a car that both looks and drives like a sporty - well - "sports sedan" (as much as I hate that term). They keep making these cocoon shaped efficiency mobiles with high seating positions, and I will never buy that at any price.

Low wide and sleek, or no sale.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I find it Amazing that anyone is willing to buy the Bolt. That thing is HIDEOUS. It looks like a Toyota Yaris, with a tall seating position. Except, the cost after incentives is $30k...
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A tall seating position is a positive for me; but I just got a used C-MAX, so clearly I have no taste. OTOH, my list of criteria was literally: California HOV sticker, doesn't look like a robot, and can see other vehicles through the windows and mirrors (also, i needed plugin hybrid, not full electric, because i'm not gonna play single file driveway games with my wife to charge at home); sadly I wasn't able to find any roadworthy CNG Crown Vics :(
 
toast0 said:
A tall seating position is a positive for me; but I just got a used C-MAX, so clearly I have no taste. OTOH, my list of criteria was literally: California HOV sticker, doesn't look like a robot, and can see other vehicles through the windows and mirrors (also, i needed plugin hybrid, not full electric, because i'm not gonna play single file driveway games with my wife to charge at home); sadly I wasn't able to find any roadworthy CNG Crown Vics :(
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Ah.


My philosophy when it comes to vehicles is "the lower to the ground the better".

I absolutely hate anything with high ground clearance or a tall seating positions. Just doesn't feel stable enough to be safe to me.

I always buy regular cars, never SUV's trucks or crossovers, and the seat is always adjusted all the way down as low as it goes.

I even feel uncomfortably high in my fiance's Prius. The seats in that car don't adjust up and down.

I've had SUV's and crossovers as rentals, and I've hated every second of it, feeling like I'm going to flip over in every turn.
 
jardows said:
Or design and sell an electric car that isn't so ugly! They can do it, if they wanted to.
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But driving something that looks like an 80s baby reebok shoe is so cool...
 
Youn said:
But driving something that looks like an 80s baby reebok shoe is so cool...
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I know what they are going for with the Bolt design, and what Nissan is going for with the Leaf, and that utterly ridiculous looking BMW i3.

It's the same thing that made Toyota's Prius so popular. It's not really the fact that it is a "green car". It's the fact that it is a "green car" that looks quirky and different so that everyone around you KNOWS that you drive a "green car" and you can feel superior about it and run their noses in it.

The carmakers won't admit it, and most buyers won't admit that's why they bought them, but this is what is behind these design philosophies. They are not selling reliable environmentally friendly transportation. They are selling a lifestyle image to their customers so they can feel better about themselves and better than the people around them.

Personally I hate this. I'd love an all electric car, but I want to to look and feel like a traditionally powered European "sport sedan" in every way, other than the drivetrain. I want it to be fast and sleek and not reminiscent of a quirky "green car" in the slightest. Until carmakers (other than Tesla) start making these, I won't be buying.
 
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phred15 said:
You will be buying probably less than half the life of the $10K battery.
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and half the battery life is > 100% of the battery life of a new leaf. My commute is 60 miles roundtrip, and my monthly garage fee pays for charging...win win...
 
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/dev/null said:
and half the battery life is > 100% of the battery life of a new leaf. My commute is 60 miles roundtrip, and I my monthly garage fee pays for charging...win win...
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I can't speak to the Bolt, but with Tesla's Model S the average loss of range is 23 miles for every 100,000 miles driven.

Since most people get rid of cars at just north of 100k miles, this doesn't seem like much of a problem.

(Well, I can't speak for everyone I guess, but I've been driving for about 20 years now. I usually buy off lease models with between 30k and 50k miles on them. My current car is the first I've ever driven beyond 120k miles, and that's only because I don't have a clue what to replace it with)
 
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phred15 said:
You will be buying probably less than half the life of the $10K battery.
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I know the company that is making the pack. With the numbers I heard well over 200k shouldn't be a problem with the new pack designs. But I can't promise you that.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I can't speak to the Bolt, but with Tesla's Model S the average loss of range is 23 miles for every 100,000 miles driven.

Since most people get rid of cars at just north of 100k miles, this doesn't seem like much of a problem.

(Well, I can't speak for everyone I guess, but I've been driving for about 20 years now. I usually buy off lease models with between 30k and 50k miles on them. My current car is the first I've ever driven beyond 120k miles, and that's only because I don't have a clue what to replace it with)
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Wow, we drive em till the wheels drop off. All our cars were well north of 200 on the clock.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
Wow, we drive em till the wheels drop off. All our cars were well north of 200 on the clock.
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I'm curious. Are you from the Midwest? (Or otherwise the middle of the country?)

I've heard that people in the Midwest drive their cars with much higher milage than we do on the coasts because traffic isn't as bad, so with less stop and go traffic (and fewer potholes) the wear and tear isn't as bad.

Could be an urban legend though.

I usually retire my cars at about 120k miles as after that the average maintenance costs start getting close to what a monthly car payment would be for something newer, so it doesn't make financial sense to keep them.

Granted, I've always bought European cars which are more expensive to maintain here.
 
DigitalGriffin said:
Wow, we drive em till the wheels drop off. All our cars were well north of 200 on the clock.
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cant do that here in the rust belt. We got a guy at work with a focus with less that 100k. We wonder how its still even running, every week something breaks...
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
...so that everyone around you KNOWS that you drive a "green car"...
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Complete with an <operating system> bumper sticker. ;)

Zarathustra[H] said:
...I've heard that people in the Midwest drive their cars with much higher milage than we do on the coasts because traffic isn't as bad, so with less stop and go traffic (and fewer potholes) the wear and tear isn't as bad...
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There's truth in that. Covering more distance per day at consistent speeds yields a less impactful 'mileage' as a metric for wear and tear. When buying a used car where I grew up (Eastern Canada) people will sometimes use the term "city miles" when haggling the price. ;)
 
Hellcat-HPE1000-Grey-Challenger-24.jpg

when I can get this @ 300HP and 100 mile range, I'll think about electric. Realistically, electric cars are not yet good for the environment, or the economy.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I'm curious. Are you from the Midwest? (Or otherwise the middle of the country?)

I've heard that people in the Midwest drive their cars with much higher milage than we do on the coasts because traffic isn't as bad, so with less stop and go traffic (and fewer potholes) the wear and tear isn't as bad.

Could be an urban legend though.

I usually retire my cars at about 120k miles as after that the average maintenance costs start getting close to what a monthly car payment would be for something newer, so it doesn't make financial sense to keep them.

Granted, I've always bought European cars which are more expensive to maintain here.
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East coast in pot hole riddled Pennsylvania. We have the most miles of road / capita of any of the states. So the maintenance is awful.

Cars that made it north of 200K include: 3 Fords, 1 Chrysler, 1 Toyota. Although the Chrysler needed $3000 in transmission work at 200K.

You are likely right with European cars. They have a tendency to get expensive in maintenance. (Especially BMW's)
 
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