Energy Efficiency, Industrial  -  July 9, 2018

GM boosts Bolt EV by 20%

General Motors announced a 20% increase in production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car due to higher-than-expected demand from customers. GM reported a 40% jump in global sales for the EV model in the first half of 2018 year-over-year, driven by sales in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea.

A report by CNET noted that sales have “outstripped production” at the company’s Lake Orion, Mich. plant, where Chevrolet builds the Bold EVs. In the U.S., the Bolt EV posted a 3.5% gain in sales from January through June 2018 versus the same period last year.

"The extra production coming on line should be enough to help us keep growing global Bolt EV sales, rebuild our U.S. dealer inventory and bring us another step closer to our vision of a world with zero emissions," Kurt McNeil, GM's U.S. vice president of sales operations, said in a statement.

Smart Energy Decisions reported in July 2016 that half the power for the Lake Orion plant comes from methane captured from decomposing trash in a nearby landfill. The facility is also home to a 350-kW solar array that sends energy back to the grid.

"Building the Bolt EV in a facility that is 54% powered by clean energy further adds to the car’s environmental credentials,” Alicia Boler-Davis, GM's vice president of global manufacturing said in a statement. "It’s an example of how we live our global sustainable manufacturing commitment while improving our bottom line."

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