Skip to main content

First Chevy Bolt is delivered in Tesla’s backyard

First Chevy Bolt is delivered in Tesla’s backyard

Share this story

The first Chevy Bolt will be delivered to a customer today and, perhaps coincidentally, it’s going to a customer who lives in Tesla’s backyard. The Bolt is Chevy’s 238-mile electric car. It’s the first “affordable” EV that can travel more than 200 miles on a charge, and starts at $29,995 after $7,500 federal tax credit.

The only other 200-mile EVs are all from Tesla, including both the Model S and the Model X, all of which cost significantly more than $30,000. Of course, Tesla has its own affordable car, the Model 3, which is scheduled to ship late next year — but, for now, Chevy has the long-range EV market to itself.

Bill Mattos is a retired law enforcement officer and he lives in Fremont, California — the same city in the Bay Area where Tesla’s vehicle factory is. He’s receiving his Bolt today, after previously owning a Chevy Spark EV and a second-generation Chevy Volt. We asked Chevy if the delivery of the vehicle in Tesla’s neighborhood was a coincidence, but a Chevy rep studiously avoided answering the question. Still, it wouldn’t be the first time that Chevy has zinged Tesla.

Two other Bolts will also be delivered today as well, both in California. One goes to a customer who is replacing a BMW i3, and the other to one who is replacing a Toyota Prius.

Chevy says Bolts are currently in transit to California and Oregon, with “hundreds” planned for delivery before the end of the year. The Bolt will be available in more markets over the first half of 2017, with a nationwide rollout expected by the middle of next year.