General Motors has announced the company’s answer to rival Tesla, the Chevrolet Bolt electric car, will be built at an assembly plant in Michigan, very close to Detroit.
GM is investing $200 million in the Bolt’s development, a vehicle that gets approximately 200 miles per charge and will reportedly cost about $30,000.
Currently, Tesla’s Model S, which starts at $71,070, is the only other electric vehicle on the market that features a comparable 200-mile range to the Bolt.
However, Tesla’s Model 3, set to to come out in 2017, will be much more affordable than the Model S and be in direct competition with the new electric vehicle from Chevy because of its price.
The Nissan Leaf will also be priced similarly to the Bolt but only gets 100 miles per charge compared to the Bolt’s 200.
GM North America President Alan Batey said in a statement at the Chicago auto show, “The message from consumers about the Bolt EV concept was clear and unequivocal: Build it.”
Batey added, “We are moving quickly because of its potential to completely shake up the status quo for electric vehicles.”
Bolt production is expected to commence sometime in October of 2016, with sales beginning in 2017.
