2020 Chevy Bolt EV gets 259-mile electric range from the EPA

For 2020, the Chevrolet Bolt EV will go 21 miles farther on a full charge and that figure bests some of the other big names in the electric car game.

Chevy said on Thursday in a release that the 2020 Bolt EV will go an EPA-estimated 259 miles on a single charge. That’s about 10% more range this time around without costing a single cent more. Chevy’s electric car will still start at $37,495 after a destination charge. That doesn’t count any remaining government tax credits or local rebates and credits states and cities may offer.

For those not keeping EV range scorecards, the 2019 Bolt EV went an EPA-estimated 238 miles. Although range is up, miles per gallon equivalent is down. For 2020, the EPA rates the Bolt EV at 127 mpge city, 108 highway and 118 combined. The EPA rates the 2019 model at 128/110/119 mpge. Impress your friends and tell them mpge is the distance a car can travel electrically on the amount of energy contained in 1 gallon of gasoline.

The extra range comes from engineering changes to the battery cell chemistry and not to the battery itself. Chevy said engineers tweaked the energy of the cell electrodes with zero physical changes to the battery pack and its integration. While 21 miles isn’t a massive addition, in an electric car every mile counts on a cold day with the heat running.

The added range gives Chevy some additional firepower in the ongoing range wars, too. With a 259-mile range, the Bolt EV goes farther than the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, the Hyundai Kona Electric and the Kia Soul EV. Aside from the extra range, the 2020 Bolt EV will look identical to the 2019 model, but it will be offered in two new colors: cayenne orange metallic and oasis blue. Look for the range-boosted Bolt EV at dealers later this year.

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