Chevrolet Bolt EV, EUV Future in the Air With the Arrival of the Electric Silverado Pickup

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

With an announcement of a $7 billion investment into four Michigan manufacturing sites, General Motors may have just signed the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV's death certificate. The American automaker announced that the investment will see the construction of a new Ultium battery cell plant in Lansing and see the assembly plant in Orion Township be converted to assemble the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado EV and all-electric GMC Sierra pickup. Currently, the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV are built at General Motors' Orion Township factory.

More Plans For Pickups

The Orion Assembly plant will receive a large chunk of the investment, amounting to a total of $4 billion. The factory will be converted to produce General Motors' upcoming electric pickup trucks that utilize the automaker's Utlium Platform. Production of the electric pickup trucks are expected to begin in 2024. The conversion will begin immediately and during the changes, Chevrolet will continue to build the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV. After the plant officially switches over to the pickup trucks, what happens to the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV is up in the air.

Beyond converting the plant to assemble the pickup trucks, one other major thing that leads us to believe that the time has come for the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV to pass on is because of its outdated tech. General Motors is moving toward its new Ultium Cells and Ultium Platform, while the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV utilize the automaker's old BEV2 platform. All new upcoming electric vehicles from General Motors have the new Ultium Platform.

What Will Happen To The Bolt?

Additionally, the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV have become a sword in General Motors' side. In 2021, the two electric vehicles were involved in a massive recall involving all models ever made. General Motors tried a few fixes, but none of them worked and now, it's planning to replace every single car's battery pack. All of this is being done to stop the vehicles from catching on fire. General Motors can fix the vehicle as much as it likes, but the public's perception of the vehicle, and the brand, have taken a massive hit.

It's no secret that American consumers love pickup trucks and the arrival of the Silverado EV and electric Sierra 1500 will act as better offerings for General Motors. The automaker also announced that it will be building a Chevrolet Equinox EV, which should be far more popular than the Bolt twins. With GM entering the all-electric scene with two feet, the automaker might have to discontinue the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV to do that.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods