Chevrolet discontinues popular Bolt EV to build more trucks

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We may not know who killed the electric car – well, before it came roaring back to life over the past decade – but we do know who killed the cute and useful Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV. And it’s Chevrolet itself—or more specifically, Chevy trucks.

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The automaker is ceasing production of the popular Bolt EV twins, launched in 2017, and going all in on its 2024 Silverado EV pickup truck instead. General Motors CEO Mary Barra told Wall Street analysts on Tuesday, April 25 that the Orion Assembly plant in Orion Township will, where the Bolts are currently made, will pivot to focus exclusively on the upcoming battery-powered pickup. 

Why kill off a popular, affordable, good-range EV? Barra said once the plants reach full-tilt, making this switch will enable GM to churn out 600,000 electric trucks annually. The Silverado EV will also be produced at GM’s new Factory Zero in Detroit, and in Hamtramck, the same places that create the gargantuan GMC Hummer EV truck and SUV.

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Nixing the Bolts also means good-bye to Chevrolet’s BEV2 platform, since the automaker’s new crop of EVs, the 2024 Silverado EV included, sit instead on General Motors’ Ultium battery propulsion system.

“When the Chevrolet Bolt EV launched, it was a huge technical achievement and the first affordable EV, which set in motion GM’s all-electric future. Bolt is the foundation of the future of Chevrolet EVs and has attracted and retained a whole new customer base for Chevrolet,” said General Motors Canada spokesperson Michelle Burnham.

“Since the Bolt’s market launch in 2017, over 23,000 Bolt EV and EUVs have been sold in Canada. As the company continues to grow its EV portfolio with the Ultium platform, Chevrolet confirmed Bolt EV and EUV production will end late this year. Chevrolet will launch several new EVs later this year based on the Ultium platform in key segments, including the Silverado EV, Blazer EV, and affordable Equinox EV.”

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The announcement feels very Ford-esque to us, since that company a few years ago moved away from offering any cars in North America and decided to try running full-power on its SUV-, crossover-, and CUV-body-style models. In Chevrolet’s case, the parallel is underscored by it also soon shifting attention to its Equinox EV sport-utility, due out some time this year.

Financially, GM said it’d invest US$4 billion to retool Orion Assembly to build the Silverado EV on the Ultium platform, and that the move would create or retain an estimated 2,000 jobs.

Personally, I don’t know what the truck GM’s thinking with this move. The Bolt is – well, soon to be “was” – a solid utilitarian EV that had over 400 km of battery range, and was affordable and much more useful than a massive (by today’s standards) pickup. Then again, what the truck do I know? What are your thoughts: did Chevrolet make the right move by discontinuing the Bolt EV? Let us know in the comments.