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Comment by miheermunjal | Hacker News Reader

Can't believe I'm saying this... but what an acquisition for GM. Masterful potential future pivot

GM is killing it right now. Bolt is the first truly great EV ever built at an "affordable" price. Model 3 is getting all the hype now, but when it's all said and done GM will have beaten them to market by a year with an equally comparable or better product at the same price point.

>"Bolt is the first truly great EV ever built at an "affordable" price."

I would curious to hear your opinion on what things specifically makes the Bolt a great EV - features, comparative specs etc.

>I would curious to hear your opinion on what things specifically makes the Bolt a great EV - features, comparative specs etc.

It's the first mass produced, purpose designed, non-luxury EV available in the US with:

- Greater than 200 miles range

- Active thermal management for the battery (essential for battery longevity and extended use with quick charging).

- Full seating for 5

- Top IIHS safety rating

- Standard level 2 autonomy

- Cargo capacity comparable to a regular hatchback

At a price that just barely starts to make sense for the average driver when you factor in fuel savings and tax subsidies.

Thanks, that certainly is impressive. I didn't understand your last comment:

>"At a price that just barely starts to make sense for the average driver when you factor in fuel savings and tax subsidies."

At $36K and just using $5K as an arbitrary tax subsidy number isn't it the same price as most US mini SUV style cars?

Hatchbacks are not mini-SUVs, and many people can't afford to own a mini-SUV. $36,000 with no trims is pricy for a new car.

I've been adamant that owning an EV would be a non-starter for me, but having seen the Bolt, if I were shopping for a new car, I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

I didn't say that hatchbacks were SUVs, it was simply a comp as the sedan market is giving way to the compact SUV in the US.

$36K is pretty close to average car price in the US now:

https://www.edmunds.com/about/press/average-vehicle-transact...

I think you are right that there are many people who can't afford a $35K car which is why leasing is seeing such an uptick:

https://www.edmunds.com/about/press/automotive-lease-volume-...

A compact SUV is one of the best selling card this year in the US and at ~20K its not actually that pricey compared the average car price in the USA of $34K.

And the compact SUV is looking like it it will dislodge the sedan's long dominance. See:

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4064632-new-u-s-car-sales-k...

and

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/05/01/why-nis...

>$36K is pretty close to average car price in the US now:

You have to keep in mind that $36k 'average' number is highly inflated by luxury purchases. Most people end up spending closer to $20k. I think when they hit below that magical $19,995 number we will see massive adoption.

Yeah, that's a mean not a median, and is therefore the wrong average to use for this purpose, which calls for median (or even mode in preference to mean.)

I wonder if it's a good idea to accelerate the progress towards a future that they may not be successful in. If all this is as disruptive as many people think then they may well be bringing forward their own demise.

Automakers are likely in a precarious position that they are just beginning to realize: If car-sharing really takes off (due to automation making it cheaper to hail on demand rather than owning a vehicle), they could see sales drop off by orders of magnitude. Glad to see that some of them realize this; though as a resident of western Michigan (home to many automotive suppliers), I am concerned about the potential impact up the supply chain.

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