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It's the battle Chevrolet has been waiting for: Model 3 versus Bolt EV.
SEE ALSO:Tesla has brought in $180M (not $7.5B) on Model 3 pre-ordersNo more than a few minutes after Tesla CEO Elon Musk pulled the proverbial covers off the mass-market Model 3 on Thursday night did my electric-vehicle enthusiast father email me with an idea.
"You should compare Model 3 to the Bolt EV," he wrote.
Honestly, though I ignore most of my father's generally bad but always well-intentioned ideas, this one was a goodie.
That's because these cars represent the new-school versus the old-school way of tackling a challenge: building an affordable, reliable, long-range EV that people will not only want to buy but love owning.
So without further ado, let's see how these two round-y electrified runabouts compare.
Pricing
Musk had long promised the Model 3 would cost $35,000 and he reiterated that fact at the global debut. Chevrolet, on the other hand, will cost $37,500 before the $7,500 federal tax credit.
This is where you might think that the Tesla easily takes the cake. But you'd be wrong.
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That's because most Model 3s sold are going to have a much higher transaction price than the base $35,000 price tag. Even by Elon Musk's own admission in a tweet Friday afternoon, he anticipates an average selling price of $42,000 for the Model 3.
Moreover, the Bolt EV will have a lot more standard technology features (we'll get into further down) than the Model 3 and, by my estimation, a more usable interior.
Just because the Model 3 is cheaper doesn't mean it wins the pricing battle.
Winner: Bolt EV
Range
Both Chevy and Tesla are being a bit cagey about official range.
Chevy pegged the Bolt at "more than 200 miles" per charge. Tesla put a 215-mile figure on the Model 3 -- but insisted that was just the starting point.
That said, I've heard that Chevy has done more testing and will officially revise the Bolt EV's official range to around 240 miles.
Until it's official, however, I have to give this one to Tesla simply because it's given a higher preliminary number. Though, I expect the Bolt to win this category in the long run.
Winner: Model 3
Acceleration
This will be a quick category -- no pun intended.
The Chevy Bolt EV is estimated to do 0 to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds. The Model 3, however, is said to do it in under 6 seconds. Plus, Musk has said there will be faster Model 3 versions coming.
This one is pretty cut and dry: Model 3 walks away from the Bolt here.
Winner: Model 3
Credit: Justin Pritchard/ApTechnology
Since people seem to be treating the pre-order process for the Model 3 more like an Apple gadget than a $35,000 car, this category is all the more important. Fair warning: the result might surprise you.
What do we know of the Model 3's technology so far? It has a 15-inch floating display in the center dash and ... that's it. Oh, yeah, and the hardware for Tesla's semi-autonomous driving system, Autopilot, will be installed as standard. But you'll have to pay to activate it.
The Chevy Bolt, however, comes virtually loaded with high-end tech. Sure, it's 10.2-inch infotainment screen is smaller than the Model 3's, but 10.2 is still nothing to shake a stick at.
Chevy Bolt rear camera mirrorCredit: QUINCY LEDBETTER/MASHABLEPlus, it offers a rear camera mirror that plays double duty as both an 80-degree digital view of the area behind the car and -- with the flip of the switch -- a normal mirror. Thanks to additional exterior cameras, drivers also get a virtual birds-eye view of the area around them projected onto the screen.
What's more, Chevy included something called low-energy Bluetooth in the Bolt. That means, as soon as the driver's phone gets within 100 feet of the car, the Bolt's Bluetooth system automatically pairs with the phone. This causes the lights to come on, making finding the car in a dark parking lot not only easier but more inviting.
Plus, it makes transferring a call from the phone to the car much more seamless, as you don't need to wait for the car to start up before initializing Bluetooth. Looking to the future, this low-energy Bluetooth could allow Chevy to replace your key fob with your phone, like Volvo is doing.
Plus, the Bolt has built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi.
Although I'd like to go on about the Bolt's new MyChevrolet Mobile App that allows owners to remotely set their Bolt's climate control, and other great tech features, I feel like I've made my point.
There's been some controversy surrounding this section since its original publish date -- specifically involving the Bolt EV's standard tech offerings. So we asked GM to weigh in.
"We haven't announced packaging yet but almost all technology will be standard," a GM representative told Mashable.
Just because the Model 3 is being treatedlike a tech gadget doesn't mean it's the most techie of the two -- not by a long shot.
Winner: Bolt EV
Design
Now, here's one where I get to let my own personal design taste, rather than hard facts and figures, rule out. That said, it's not such an easy decision.
From the exterior, I'll give the trophy to Tesla. Sure, the exterior is a bit repetitive and I feel like we've already seen the Model 3 before -- it's not that much different than the Model S or Model X. That said, it's a bit sportier, more premium and cooler looking than the Bolt.
Tesla has taken interior spareness to a whole new, shocking level
However, if we turn our attention to the interior, the Bolt easily wins out. I wish I could show you a side-by-side image of both cabins to show you what I mean.
However, Tesla hasn't released any pics of the Model 3's interior. Suffice it to say, it's less than inspiring. Truly, there's nothing going on in there. Tesla has taken interior spareness to a whole new, shocking level. It's a straight dash with a wheel and a screen -- that's it.
The Bolt, on the other hand, is spare but modern and sturdy. Plus it has two screens and not just one. Tesla has had trouble with build quality in the Model S and it wouldn't surprise me if that translates into its first mass-produced car, the Model 3.
So, when it's all said and done, for my money, the Bolt is the better design.
Winner: Bolt EV
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EVCredit: Taking delivery
Believe it or not, this might be the most important factor of them all: When you can actually get one.
Chevy has shown that it has already sent the Bolt into pre-production, where as the Model 3 won't go into production until late 2017 -- base-case scenario. That means you'll be able to drive away in your Bolt in the fall of 2016 while even the first Model 3 owners have a full calendar year of waiting left to go.
Think I am being pedantic? Musk himself tweeted today that wait time is growing rapidly.
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And that's not the end. He then tweeted that he might need to "rethink" production planning.
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You know which company has been successfully producing cars for more than 100 years and has this whole production planning thing locked down? Chevrolet.
Truly, I estimate that people who aren't California residents or current Tesla owners (the first people to get Model 3s) might have to wait 24 or more months before they see their Model 3. Heck, based upon the slowness of Model X production, it could be longer.
Let's also not forget the dismal reliability of the Model S either.
So Tesla might have broken many boundaries last night with the Model 3, in terms of attracting Apple-like attention to a car, it has still got a long way to go before anyone of those 190,000 pre-orders are filled and paid for.
I don't know about you, but the Model 3 simply isn't 24 months of waiting and $4,500 cooler than the Bolt EV.
Winner: Bolt EV
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Updated 1/3/2016 @ 9:43PM ET: We gave the pricing section back to Bolt EV after GM confirmed the amount of standard tech features in the Bolt EV.
Updated 1/2/2016 @ 8:03PM ET: We reversed our decision and gave the pricing section to Tesla Model 3 simply because it will indeed have the lowest entry-level price.
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