When will the new Bolt EV arrive at a Chevy dealership near you? And what’s with the delay? Thankfully, I have both of those answers, courtesy of a recent article released by Green Car Reports. Now, we have concrete Bolt arrival dates listed by state. Eventually, of course, the Bolt EV will be released in all states. But, it’s important to note that the “concrete” dates aren’t actually concrete. After all, anything could happen between now and a release date. Therefore, your best bet is to think of these more like approximations.
Before we dive into the dates, let’s talk about why the Bolt wasn’t released in all of the states at the same time.
Why It Wasn’t Released Everywhere Immediately
If Chevrolet could have made the new Bolt EV available to everyone immediately, it would have. However, some states have green laws that need to be met, which requires manufacturers to sell a certain percentage of their total stock to states as zero-emissions (green) vehicles. These green laws are called Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandates, and take priority over other states when it comes to green vehicles. I’m looking at you, California and Oregon. Dealerships in these two states got to order the Bolt EV back in October, making the rest of the nation jealous.
In other words, Chevrolet doesn’t really have a choice. Since the brand has to make its first wave of deliveries to Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandated states, it only makes sense to get them there immediately and start getting consumers buzzing about the Bolt.
On the plus side, at least California and Oregon get to play guinea pigs for the rest of us with the first storm of Bolt EVs. Speaking of the rest of us, when are we going to see the Bolt EV in our respective states?
As you can see, there is a very clear pattern with the release date of the Bolt EV. Obviously, the greener states are getting the Bolt EV first, whereas Chevrolet is saving the less-green states for last. Come July, dealerships across the nation will be able to order the Bolt EV, and can expect it on their lots come September.
Dealers that have already ordered the Bolt EV are CA, OR, MA, MD and VA, each of which can expect the vehicle to arrive on their lots by February. Whereas dealerships in states like NY and NJ are now just able to order their Bolt EV, and can expect them to arrive by March. But the good news is that come September, the Bolt EV will have arrived at dealerships across the nation!
