Next-gen Chevy Bolt EV might be made at Kansas plant

The next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV could be built at a Kansas assembly plant starting in 2025, Automotive News reports.

General Motors is considering whether to build a “lower-cost version” of the Bolt EV at its Fairfax Assembly plant, the report said, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter. The plant, which currently builds the Chevy Malibu and Cadillac XT4, is due to get a $391 million investment from GM, part of $2 billion the automaker committed to future EV production in its tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union.

The same source indicated GM is considering building premium EVs for Cadillac and Chevy—including a Corvette-badged EV—at its Lansing Grand River Assembly plant beginning in 2027.

2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Fairfax Assembly doesn’t, as of yet, have a lithium-ion battery factory announced or planned for nearby. Under its Ultium Cells LLC joint venture with LG, GM has been planning battery factories near assembly plants slated to build EVs.

However, Automotive News notes that GM executives said earlier this year that the automaker sees some plants building EVs alongside internal-combustion vehicles while some go EV-only. A factory splitting output between EVs and combustion-engine vehicles would have less need for a dedicated battery plant.

General Motors Ultium batteries

GM has already suggested that the next-generation Bolt EV will use different battery cells versus other GM EVs—lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells similar to what several other automakers use in lower-priced models—including Ford and Tesla. The Bolt EV might no longer qualify for the full U.S. EV tax credit using LFP cells, as it may not be possible to meet new battery-sourcing rules, but with U.S. assembly it might be OK for some of it.

GM will discontinue the Bolt EV (and Bolt EUV) at the end of this year. It’s confirmed that a Bolt EV replacement is coming, but without specifying the timeline. The Bolt EV will use the Ultium platform, which refers to much more than batteries—including motors, propulsion systems, and the battery management system.