Chevrolet’s new electric vehicle will be able to travel 238 miles on a single charge, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates released by the automaker on Tuesday — exceeding earlier expectations that it would have a range of around 200 miles.
{mosads}The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, which will go on sale at the end of this year and cost around $30,000 after tax credits are factored in, will be the first mass-priced electric car to have a range of over 200 miles.
The development could be a game changer for the electric vehicle movement, as affordable, longer-range vehicles have been seen as the key to widespread adoption.
Tesla’s Model S is the only other electric vehicle on the market to have a range over 200 miles, but it costs close to $70,000 before tax credits.
The automaker’s more affordable Model 3, which the company hopes to have on the market by 2017, will start at $35,000 and is also expected to have a range of more than 200 miles.
In addition to price, one of the major hurdles to achieving the large-scale commercialization of electric vehicles has been “range anxiety,” or the fear over how far an electric car can travel before it needs to be charged again.
More than a third of consumers surveyed by Navigant Research said the primary drawback to owning a plug-in electric car is charging-related hassles.
But industry experts emphasize that the average miles traveled per day are significantly lower than the car’s range and say the vehicles spend a majority of their time parked at home, where they can be easily charged.
And with the latest batch of electric vehicles on the horizon having a range of over 200 miles, those concerns could quickly erode.
“The Bolt EV is a game changer for the electric car segment and it will start to become available at Chevrolet dealerships later this year,” General Motors North America President Alan Batey said in a press release.