General Motors is bringing back the Chevrolet Bolt for 2027 with a new battery chemistry, a borrowed motor, and a 0-to-60 time of 6.8 seconds — marginally quicker than the car it cancelled, then un-cancelled, under pressure from its own customers.
The revived Bolt uses a lithium iron phosphate battery pack, replacing the lithium-ion chemistry that triggered a $1.8 billion recall requiring battery replacements in more than 142,000 vehicles. The drive motor comes from the Equinox EV, and the infotainment system runs on Android Automotive OS. According to the announcement, the car achieves 262 miles (422 km) of range and supports DC fast charging at up to 150 kW through a NACS socket, replacing the previous CCS1 connector.
The electric motor produces 210 hp (157 kW), a 4 percent increase over the previous generation. Torque, however, drops sharply — from 266 lb-ft (360 Nm) to 169 lb-ft (230 Nm), a reduction of nearly 40 percent. That figure raised concerns ahead of the drive. It shouldn’t have.
Torque Numbers Don’t Tell the Full Story
An 11:59:1 final drive ratio compensates for what the torque spec suggests. The result is a car that feels slightly quicker than its predecessor, hitting 60 mph in 6.8 seconds compared to the old model’s 7.0. The motor spins faster than before, meaning highway passing power doesn’t drop off the way the numbers might imply.
The 2027 model only comes in the body style previously sold as the Bolt EUV — the slightly larger of the two prior variants. Two trims are available: the standard LT and a sportier RS, which wears black 17-inch wheels. Pricing was announced last October, with the range sitting between $30,000 and $40,000.
A Comeback Built on a Reversal
The Bolt’s return followed a public backlash against GM CEO Mary Barra‘s 2022 cancellation announcement. The original decision came down to factory priorities — the Orion Township plant was to be retooled for full-size electric pickups, including the Silverado EV, a bet that has not paid off as the company anticipated. By CES 2023, Barra reversed course.
Despite the revival, production will only run through next year, giving the reborn Bolt a short manufacturing window. The car was GM‘s bestselling electric vehicle by a wide margin before its original cancellation, outselling newer models built on the platform formerly known as Ultium.
For buyers, the competitive context has shifted since 2017, when a 200-plus-mile range EV under half the price of a Tesla Model S was genuinely unusual. The $30,000–$40,000 segment now holds considerably more options. The Bolt’s case rests on familiar virtues — efficiency, price, and range — delivered through mostly new hardware in a body that looks much like what came before.
Photo by Pixabay
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