I was in Melbourne recently and was fortunate enough to catch up with Richard Ferlazzo the Design Director for GM Holden. Richard and his very talented design team are based in Port Melbourne and are the people responsible for the beautifully crafted GM Electric Bolt. The Bolt caused quite a stir at the Detroit motor show earlier in the year not only for its good looks but also because it will offer 300+km range and cost around $37,000 before US incentives (up to $10,000). It will most likely hit the market before the Tesla Model 3 and is due out towards the end of 2016.
On the way through to Richard’s office, escorted by Kate Lonsdale, Senior Manager – External Communications, I had a glimpse of some concept vehicles that looked quite stunning. Sorry folks but pictures weren’t allowed.
Our discussion opened with the topic of autonomous technology and I asked whether any would be built in to the Bolt. As this is a new vehicle and not yet in production, detail on any aspect of the Bolt technology could not be discussed – damn! No doubt there will be changes to the concept vehicle Richard and the design team built and the actual production model. I would imagine some AV tech will be part of the package as it is being incorporated by all major manufacturers these days. One of the major hurdles for mass AV adoption Richard suggested would be integrating AV equipped vehicles with human drivers. Considering that the Google AVs have had 11 accidents (none serious) and all caused by human drivers (rear enders, side swipes and one guy running a red light), this will probably be the case.
With a background in industrial design and a passion for automobiles, Richard found his niche in automotive design in Australia. I asked if the team had been asked to design the Bolt as a measure of security but the reason the Aussies were given the job was that the local design team is highly regarded by GM HQ for the quality of the work they have produced over the decades. 
The other vehicle by the way that was also produced by the Port Melbourne rock stars for the Detroit show was the Buick Avenir (opposite) – a beautiful looking car that somehow reminded me of a muscled up E type Jag. Please GM, consider a full electric version of this one.
With a new vehicle the brief would be to design a vehicle that is a certain target size, within a certain price bracket and appeals to a particular type of buyer. Rather than taking something completely from scratch it makes sense to see if an existing model or components from an existing model will fit in with the design requirements. It was very interesting listening to Richard describe all the various aspects of car design that have to be taken into account. 
The Bolt is a commuter vehicle that fits a number of criteria – it’s what is known in the trade as a B segment type vehicle (see vehicle types). With it comes a new propulsion system so that brings in some new design aspects not typical of ICE vehicles – where do you put the battery pack, motor etc.
The Bolt will hopefully be on sale towards the end of 2016 or beginning 2017. Battery manufacturer LG Chem, GM’s suppliers, recently announced a 120kWh battery pack capable of at least 300mile (500kms) range on a single charge. It would be nice to see the Bolt with a battery option that size.
Manufacture will take place at the Orion assembly plant 30 miles north of Detroit. Interestingly this plant is powered by gas from two nearby landfills saving over 6,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere annually. It is additionally powered by a 350 kilowatt solar array.
“Interestingly this plant is powered by gas from two nearby landfills saving over 6,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere annually” are you sure about that. Perhaps you meant CH4 (a rather potent greenhouse gas) rather than CO2. When CH4 is burnt it releases CO2 but that CO2 is less of a problem than the CH4 would have been so a positive outcome on balance.
Hi – you are of course referring to methane (CH4) which you rightly point out is a potent greenhouse gas. You may be right in that the description should have been CO2e (CO2 equivalent). The information I posted was straight from the GM website (http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2015/feb/chicago/0212-bolt-ev.html) where it states: “Located approximately 30 miles north of Detroit, Orion Assembly is powered by gas from two nearby landfills, which saves more than 6,300 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere annually. It is also home to a 350-kilowatt solar array that produces the energy equivalent to power 165 homes and sends enough energy back to the grid to power about 45 homes.”
It would be nice to see the bokt sold in Australua with some “assistance “,but I doubt with that will happen anytime soon.
So have I got this Right, Australia Designed The Bolt in Melbourne, Sold the Right’s to America, And if we want one, We have to buy it back, That’s Clever. Harry.
Hi Harry – thanks for your comments. The design team at Holden Australia (GM) was tasked with the job of producing the Bolt prototype. It was designed and built in Port Melbourne at the Holden headquarters but we didn’t sell the rights to America. GM gave the job to their highly respected and talented design team in Melbourne. We will not be buying it here as there are no current plans for a right hand drive model of the vehicle. What it does illustrate that if we had the vision in Australia to develop a domestic electric vehicle for our own market we certainly have the talent to create a world class EV like the Bolt.
Hi EV Tech, Thanks for your Reply, And I Agree, We Have the Talent To create so why Don’t we. It would Create Jobs which our Pollies Keep on about, And guy’s that got laid off would love the Opportunity to work. The Range on the Bolt is as good as you will get out there, 238mls = approx. 380kms, It’s a Lot Better than 160kms which Most are Putting out. I know they are slowly getting better but in time . And why is Australia so slow on the uptake, Is it all Pollitics and Big Oil. I wonder. Nearly Every Country in the World seems to be Moving Forward, Except us. Shame.