Possible Future Chevrolet Bolt family illustrations.

We first heard of a “Bolt Family” last year, back when GM was mentioning reviving the Chevrolet Bolt after canceling it in 2023.

The canceling move was weird, especially at a moment when the Bolt was getting more popular than ever. It took GM about 2 years to bring the Chevrolet Bolt back. And it’s a refreshed version of the previous model, with new batteries and a charging system. A much improved EV, but hardly a new one.

Now we are hearing again about a whole “family” of new affordable EVs coming soon. Notice GM is not mentioning a “Bolt family” anymore. Which could be due to a last-minute change of names for the new models. 

GM’s president, Mark Reuss, is now saying, “What comes after this, whether it’s called a Bolt or not, will be a family of things that is low-priced. They will be in the same vein of size and price.  

That clearly means a few new EV models starting at under $30,000, just like the Bolt. And they will not be called “Bolt”. It seems GM is clearly on a similar path than Ford with its new “low-cost” EV platform. The 1st new model from Ford will be some sort of a pickup. Or a re-invention of a modern electric pickup. It is logical to guess that GM will offer something similar.

Another small affordable electric pickup starting at under $30,000 could eventually kill the Slate pickup that was “introduced” a few months ago. The Amazon-backed start-up was counting on its “sub-$30,000 base price to offer something no one else offers yet.” However, soon, both Ford and Chevrolet will offer something at this price. Something a bit larger, much better equipped (the Slate comes with basically nothing). And something from a “real” car manufacturer, not a brand-new start-up that could very well end up like Fisker within a few months.

I think this is all good news. A series of sub-$30,000 new cars is really what we need more of.