- The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV can charge at three times the power compared to its predecessor.
- Going from 10% to 80% state of charge takes less than 30 minutes and adds nearly 200 miles of range.
- That’s more than decent for a city EV that starts from less than $30,000.
The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV is finally here, and while it may look similar to the old Bolt EUV, it delivers significant improvements in all areas. However, this being an electric car, the charging speed and driving range are probably at the top of the priority list, and General Motors knows it.
The American automaker likely heard all of the complaints coming from owners of the previous-generation Bolt and decided to give the 2027 model a healthy bump in charging speed, going from a measly 55 kW to a more-than-decent 150 kW. And now that the first press drive is over, we know how the new Bolt EV handles DC fast charging in the real world.
Dave from Out of Spec Testing preconditioned the battery before plugging in a NACS cable at a Tesla Supercharger with a reported 10% state of charge and an estimated 22 miles of range remaining. The ambient temperature was 75°F, so all of the pieces were in place for a perfect charging session. And that’s exactly what happened.
In less than a minute, the car already reached its peak charging power, going up to 151 kW. At 18% state of charge, two minutes after plugging in, it hit 156 kW and sustained over 150 kW until reaching 40%.
At 45%, power went down to 140 kW and continued to taper as the session continued, reaching 115 kW at 50%, 110 kW at 55%, and 100 kW at 60%.
When the battery level hit 80%, it was still pulling around 80 kW, which is respectable for what is essentially a city car. In total, the 10-to-80% charging session took 26 minutes–exactly as GM advertises–and added an estimated 191 miles of range.
The old Bolt EV, which had a 65 kWh nickel-rich lithium battery, was capped at 55 kW, so it needed an hour of DC fast charging to gain 150 miles of range. By comparison, the new LFP-powered Bolt EV is much better.
The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt EV’s spec sheet has been out for quite some time, and we’ve known that its 65-kilowatt-hour LFP battery could be charged at up to 150 kilowatts for a few good months. Its 262-mile EPA-estimated range is also public knowledge, but now that the first car journalists have had a chance to put the 2027 Bolt EV through its paces, it’s clear that General Motors put quite a bit of effort into making its entry-level EV a compelling car. With a starting price of just $28,995 (including destination), the new Bolt is the cheapest new EV on the market right now, undercutting the entry-level Nissan Leaf S+ by $2,490.
With a single, front-mounted electric motor making 210 horsepower and a subcompact footprint, it’s not exactly a road tripping monster, but it might just be the perfect commuter car.
That said, for all the effort put in by GM, the heavily revised Bolt EV already has an expiration date. The automaker confirmed for Bloomberg earlier this year that the entry-level electric hatchback will be made for about 18 months at its Kansas factory before being kicked out by the gas-powered Buick Envision crossover.
