Where Will Chevy’s New EV Find Charging Stations?
Chevy will launch a new version of its Bolt, which will be priced below $30,000. It is an answer to two things. The first is the drop in the price of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. The other is the end of the $7,500 tax credit. That credit made EVs, which are usually more expensive than gas powered cars, more affordable.
“The Chevrolet Bolt was the industry’s first affordable mass-market, long-range EV, and it commanded one of GM’s most loyal customer bases,” Scott Bell, vice president, Global Chevrolet. While that may not be true, the Bolt will be at the low end of EV prices.
Chevy has to deal with the problems all EVs face. This includes the number of charging stations, whether the charging stations will be adequate in terms of location, and the number of people waiting. And the problem of vandals.
Number Of Stations
Most people charge their EVs at home. That is not helpful on longer trips. There are 65,000 changing stations in the US. That is about half the number of gas stations. And, charging takes much longer than filling a tank with gas.
Most of the stations are owned and operated by Tesla. It has set deals with other car companies to change them using adaptors.
Wait times at charging stations can be long. At gas stations, this never happens. A gas-powered car engine sometimes does not need to be filled for 500 miles. For most EVs, the number is closer to 250.
With EV sales slow, the market needs products like the Bolt. But the Bolt needs the support of an eclectic infrastructure.
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