Chevy BOLT: GM's Only EV Ruining the Brand

Let's talk about how the Chevy Bolt fires and other GM disasters may cause the beginning of the end for General Motors, and what can be done to right the ship

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[victorcenac]

I lease a Bolt. GM is in breach of contract, since the product I leased is very different now (with the range limitation) and it can't be used as advertised, since there are parking and charging restrictions. YES, I think GM should present a public apology to the owners.
And frankly, they because of the changes in usability, GM should have a big "Bolt buy back" button on their site and make it easy and fast for owners to get out of their vehicles.
Many people are forcing GM to buy back their Bolts, but it is a strenuous process and GM is fighting tooth and nail to get the best price for its benefit.

[Cakebattered]

When dude's Bolt caught fire, and GM told him the fire voided his warranty, I spit out my coffee in laughter. At that point, I knew Bolt owners (Myself included) were in trouble.

[eddiegardner]

The Bolt debacle, caused by LG which really did the design and manufacturing of the drivetrain, has been horribly handled by GM. They should have bent over backwards to “make it right” for their customers, even if they play hardball with LG behind the scenes to recover their losses. Offered them an immediate buyback at a FAIR price, or the option to compensate for their inconvenience while waiting for a completely new battery replacement. It’s not like a LOT of the 140, 000 Bolts caught on fire, just that like an airliner crash, if you happen to be the person it happens to, the results can be tragic. They should take the bought back cars to a repair facility, replace the batteries, then wholesale them to dealers at lot auctions to be sold as “Certified Reconditioned” cars with an extended factory backed warranty, to get the best price for them.

[davidvanderboegh]

Excellent video Alex! Agree on the Chevy Volt, we have a '13 (Gen 1) and love it, best car I've ever owned-even beats my '71 Impala. It was a mistake ending production of the Gen 2 in '19. So many makers coming out with PHEVs now. I've driven the Volt cross-country several times, and in conditions from -25 to about 120 degrees, it has always performed flawlessly. Based in part on the great experience with the Volt, we bought a new '20 Bolt last year. We chose it over a Tesla Model 3 but pricing had a lot to do with that. We saved $13k over the Model 3 with GM promotions. My petite wife preferred the driving position in the Bolt, you sit up higher and wrap-around visibility is great. Bright, airy cabin. Entry and exit is super easy, a factor as we age. We find the seats comfortable enough, although not as nice as the seats in the Volt. She also preferred the more traditional instrumentation in the Bolt. It's a terrific car, and we think it's kind of cute. We both enjoy driving it, my only complaint is that the ride can be choppy on bumpy roads due to the short wheelbase. (Volt has a smoother ride.) Our Bolt has the newer battery pack so we plan to follow the recall guidelines and see where GM goes. I had several Chevys beginning with that Impala, but left Chevy for Honda in the 80s after awful dealer experiences. The Volt brought me back. Our Chevy dealer has been great the rare times the Volt was in for service. I hope the Bolt doesn't chase me away again. Your video tells it like it is, GM Has to get this right. Thanks again for a balanced and accurate report.

[johnreese]

I gave up on GM a long time ago. (Personal experience) I could care less if they live or die! Another good true video E! Thanks

[douggolde]

GM's first electric vehicle was the EV1. They could've owned this category. Instead they crushed it and sold NiMH rights to Chevron.

[fjalics]

Too much hating on the Bolt. For the money, before the id.4 and Mach e came along, there was nothing else even close. Tesla is better, sure, but more money, and the Bolt had higher ride height, so easier for some to get in and out of. Wife has one. We're going to wait for the replacement pack. Going forward, they should upgrade the charge rate to 100kw.

[eclecticcyclist]

The Mk1 Volt was sold in the UK under the name Ampera but I only found out about it about three years after they stopped making it. Great marketing GM.

[radudragan]

Aren't you forgetting the Chevrolet Spark EV? That was their first mass market one. And I still see it on the road nowadays.

[phatmaus]

The fact that GM kept making the Volt, released an SUV version and some other pretty sweet EVs in China makes this even more WTF.

[richardrigling]

Gm needs to fire the MBA's and promote the engineers. This is a technical, not a business issue. Using MBA's to guide technical development is just wrong

[MylesV]

Problems happen, recalls happen, what matters is how a company handles it. GM seems to be getting it together finally but I'm afraid the damage has been done, I think the fire recall has done a lot more damage to EV adoption than any other automaker so far. I am hearing more and more ICE drivers talk about how dangerous EVs are because of this recall. The person I sold my old Volt to even told me that their apartment complex reached out and asked them to stop charging it in the parking lot because of the Bolt recall. Completely different car but they decided they won't be allowing EVs to charge in the parking lot because of the Bolt recall. I'm worried about the effects this will have longterm.

[okanaganteslaguy]

Probably a good thing it wasn’t popular otherwise GM would be out of business with the recall!💎🙌TESLA

[bostondan]

I don’t have a horse in this race but all this hate on GM is getting old, especially when influencers don’t state facts like how often does a Bolt catch fire, less than a dozen in over 100k cars. Much less often than ICE cars catching fire. Recently there was a Hyundai recall for their ICE vehicles spontaneously combusting. Also why not change the lingo to say LG batteries in Bolt are catching fire, for all we know it’s LGs fault. Otherwise love your videos, stay charged.

[azspotfree]

GM should mail fire extinguishers and fire resistant clothing to Bolt owners. So their warranties don't get voided

[yawningdoodle]

Let me start by saying I'm not a GM fan. I think it is awful what the media is doing to a great car. GM engineers did a great job designing the Bolt. GM could not have known that a major battery brand would sell them defective batteries. GM didn't go with some fly by night supplier. LG should be getting all the bad press, not GM. The Bolt has been the only EV, besides Tesla, with practical range for years. While other companies were proudly building EVs with 60-120 mile range, the Bolt was over 230 miles. I would love to own any year Bolt PERIOD.

[hamag]

"It scared it self in to calling it's own SOS service"🤣🤣🤣 I cant help feeling sorry for little Bolt. Think it looks really good. But the battery problems it has is not good at all. The only way to turn this around is for GM to change the battery pac I think.

[kevind]

Agree 100% with your suggestions. Would only add start making ordering the BEVs online, rather than through dealerships. Throw the dealerships a cookie by giving them a few $ to deliver, but begin transitioning to EV service centers.

[theflew]

Come on most people don't even know GM, Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC are part of the same company.

[KOFIV]

In all this GM who is not taking this seriously has recalled ALL vehicles and will replace the packs. They are not saying wait until we figure out if LG will pay for it. No they are trying to make the customer whole. Who pays for it is not relevant to the customer as long as it is not them. Some may want more -understandable but to say they are not taking is seriously is absurd. They are spending billions to change entire vehicle lines over... remember they new this was the path several years ago when they began reducing their Cadillac dealership base. I can agree the Bolt has not been well advertised however the Volt was advertised and many in area purchased both first and second gens. and loved it. Regard "Super Cruise" my only question is did you bring it to GM's attention? I have read many articles on their super cruise as implemented on Cadillac's and everyone has praised its ease of use, accuracy and safety. Car and Driver (I believer this was the publication) did a long distance drive and rated above Tesla's. If you did bring it to GM's attention I would be interested in knowing their answer. if you haven't suggest you do. Since many vehicles driven by journalist are preproduction and sometimes have none production software your experience could have a simple explanation besides..."it tried to kill me". You obviously have not met GM's lawyers and I can tell you know Engineering Team will release anything the lawyers will not signoff on - Trust me. Finally, I enjoy your videos however this one lacks your usual balance and thoroughness. The era of BEVs are here and just as in the early 1900s which provided many automotive companies to only result in only 3 remaining in NA from the original. The same will occur.. many new comers and some old ones will be swallowed or go bankrupt.... this has started ... look at China. Building cars is hard. very hard but all this talk of ICE OEMS are going bankrupt or Tesla is going bankrupt is silly and some cases ignorant of how the market works. Each OEM has its advantages and disadvantages.... GM and Ford have been through this upheaval many times in past and understand how to survive. Yes they maybe slow - like turning an aircraft carrier but they have the experience and know their customers. the new guys are small, hungry and nimble but lack some of the experience and currently do not have customer base of longevity but will Notice how the F150 does not look like the cyper truck? And notice many of Ford's and even GM customers are very interested and this does not include the fleets - so let's see. cheers