The Chevrolet Bolt EV Gets Put On Hiatus But We Don’t Know When It Will Return

The Chevrolet Bolt EV lives to see another year again. The question is simple: what year will that be?

Unbeknownst to me, Chevrolet was about to kill-off the Bolt EV. This was partially due to supply and demand with the supplier not being able to meet the demands for the Bolt EV. CNBC reported that “GM produced 50,000 EVs through the first half of this year for North America, in line with internal targets but far slower than many expected.

A majority of that production was its outgoing Chevrolet Bolt models, rather than new EVs that utilize the automaker’s ‘Ultium’ batteries and technologies.” As of Q3, sales for the Bolt EV reached nearly 50,000 units sold, clearly demonstrating that there’s a demand for the EV and therefore saved it from being axed.

Why was the Chevrolet Bolt EV being axed? Sales last year did look as promising. At the end of the year, only around 40,000 Chevrolet Bolt EVs were sold. Q3 saw almost a 25% increase in sales. That is magnificent. But here is the kicker, the Chevrolet Bolt EV is going on a hiatus. When will it go on sale again? No one knows. But thankfully this isn’t the end of the beloved EV.

Sadly, we have to wait patiently for the Chevrolet Bolt EVs return. The Bolt EV will be equipped with GM’s new and inexpensive lithium-iron phosphate battery cells. Right now, you can get the Bolt EV at a starting price of $26,500. I am happy that the Bolt EV isn’t getting the boot. It is the only EV I actually care about due to the experience it gave me so long ago. I couldn’t imagine having to drive anything else that is available on the market.

I can’t imagine myself walking in a Tesla dealership contemplating on buying one piece of horrid machinery to another. Then, there is the hiatus I now have to worry about. Yes, I can sit there like someone that is in the “friendzone,” waiting for my opportunity to make my move, but it is all in the timing. Will it come out at a perfect time or will it pass when there is either something better on the market that will sweep me off of my feet? Or even worse, if I am forced to conform to an EV and I have to resort to buying something less than great?

Either way, it should be known that the supplier of the Bolt EV should be stepping into a higher gear, unless it only has one, since EVs generally have 1 speed. Maybe Chevrolet is speculating what the public wants or even looking elsewhere to have their supplies made that will be both beneficial for them and the consumer. Whatever the case may be, I hope the Bolt EV keeps its character.

I want there to be a future, and soon, that there are EVs competing for second place while the Bolt EV sits at the top looking down on them all as the best EV Chevrolet has to offer. Even as I write this, thinking of getting an EV isn’t even on my mind while I enjoy combustion engines of all sorts, I know that if I have to, The Bolt EV is at the top of my list.

And I know that also I’ll be getting up to a $7,500 federal tax credit on getting an EV because it is a “clean vehicle.” But we all know the environmental impacts of what it takes to make an EV. People want EVs but ignore the environmental effects they create to become manufactured. The equipment to extract the cores of the batteries, transportation, and finally, what it takes to charge an EV. That’s one of the big reasons as to why I’ll never buy an EV unless it becomes as green as people blissfully ignore them to be. But that will never happen. Batteries aren’t recyclable and never will be. At least the batteries of today. Again. Maybe one day.

But for now, I look at the cars I have now with combustion engines with excitement knowing I am probably doing a much better job at helping the environment than some tree-hugging hippie crying about global warming and how I am ruining the environment while ignoring everything else.

Back to the Bolt EV for one last time. If you didn’t know already, but I have talked about it in a previous article about it and it’s impression on me at that time after reviewing one after a week’s test drive. I fell in love with everything about it; from its range to its character. I just hope that in the future, if I am ever given the chance, that I won’t end up hating it.

It does happen and proof of great cars going from great to horrendous is the Dodge Charger. A mighty sports car that was killed off in the 1970s only to be brought back as a 4-door sedan with nothing to help those who fell in love with the name recognize it. Well, maybe except for the horsepower it produces. But who really wants a super-sedan these days made by Dodge?

Who thinks Chevrolet should axe the Bolt EV and get it over with? And who thinks Chevrolet shouldn't put the Bolt EV on hiatus?

Charles North VI is an automotive journalist who started out writing driven reviews and news on DriveTribe. He eventually found new work on HotCars after the DriveTribe site closed down. Not too long after he became a driven review writer for TopSpeed. Charles is also an automotive enthusiast at heart and has a thorough understanding of how cars function. Charles can be reached at X at @charlesnorthvi, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Image source: Chevrolet Pressroom.