GONE ELECTRIC.

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. Yes, I have gone electric. I picked up a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt last Friday (not supplied by the manufacturer, just to be clear – WG), in what some would consider a radical departure for The Autoextremist. And believe me, it is. This is not a drill. The Bolt will serve as my daily driver for the foreseeable future.

How did I arrive at the decision? It wasn’t easy, but I have been contemplating this move for quite some time now. And no, I never for a second entertained the thought of getting a Tesla; the Bolt is at a price point that I can comfortably deal with and besides, it was built about 25 miles up the road from here at GM’s Lake Orion Assembly facility. We like to look after our own around here when we can.

A few things need to be said at this juncture. I have never underestimated the quality of the engineering represented in the Bolt, because in a lot of respects it is truly outstanding. GM’s True Believers worked on this machine, and you can tell that from the moment you get in and drive it down the road. Yes, the usual electric driving characteristics that you’ve all read about for years are present and accounted for: It is seamless, it is quiet, it is remarkably responsive, it is quick, and above all, it is actually fun-to-drive. That last part is absolutely paramount to me, and in my brief time with it the Bolt delivers.

As for the decision not being easy, as longtime readers know I am an American V8 connoisseur, and I will never get tired of the sound and fury at the touch of your right foot in a proper RWD V8 machine. To me, it is the essence of high-performance, even more so than V10s or V12s, although don’t get me wrong, I love those engines just as much, especially in yesterday’s (better) F1 cars. So, before selecting the Bolt I took a long hard look at two V8-powered machines in particular: a 2021 Chevy Camaro LT1 Coupe and a 2021 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Widebody (in Black, of course). 

No, I don’t need no stinkin’ superchargers, I am a normally-aspirated guy all the way, and both of these cars fit the bill perfectly. The 455HP Camaro LT1 is more affordable, and they’ve cleaned up the looks of it considerably, especially in the front end. And it is a full 600 lbs. lighter than the huskier Dodge. That is a lot. But the 485HP Challenger Widebody is bad-assery personified. It just looks the part, even if it weighs a porky 4200 lbs.

I was initially leaning toward the Camaro because of its lighter weight and clear affordability advantage, but in the end it was a toss-up, because if I was going out on a high automotive note, I was going out with a big bang. But then I remembered that famous line by The Boss in Born to Run:

“The highway’s jammed with broken heroes on a last-chance power drive…”

Ain’t that the High-Octane Truth? Yes, I could stand on the gas in either one of these machines in a blast up to 140 mph in an exuberant “merge” on the freeway, or rip through my favorite exit and entrance ramps, or just hammer up Woodward Avenue for the sheer hell of it. But is that all there is? Were those fleeting moments of V8 bliss worth everything else that comes with it? Like thirsty gas bills and pay-through-the-nose insurance?

“… Beyond the Palace, hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard

Girls comb their hair in rear-view mirrors, and the boys try to look so hard… “

I love every bit of Bruce’s incredible imagery in his signature song (one of them anyway -WG), because I have lived it. All of it. I have lived more automotive lives than most people could only dream of. I grew-up in Detroit’s Golden Era, and I was fortunate enough to experience an incredible array of mind-boggling machines in real time and in-period that were only available to read about in car magazines or coffee table books for a lot of other enthusiasts. I got to live through America’s greatest road racing era – from SCCA and FIA sports car racing and on to Can-Am and Trans-Am in the 60s and early 70s.

And my aim and my memories are true. I savor every last moment of my experiences and they are as vivid as if they happened just yesterday. And that is no exaggeration. People often comment on my ability to remember my experiences down to the very last detail. It is a gift that I never get tired of and I will never take for granted. It is a distinct privilege to have that treasure chest of memories at my disposal any time I want to tap into them.

But - and there’s always a “but” - the more I thought about it, the more I began to think that it was time to turn the page. As a society, we’re collectively about to embark on a New Age of transportation. Will the ICE cars of previous glorious eras survive? Yes. And there will be parts (and gasoline) for them too. But the Battery Electric Vehicle revolution has begun and there’s no turning back. Yes, there is a raft of associated problems that will come with this transformation as many have pointed out, but remember, at the dawn of the ICE Age there was much hand-wringing about the problems of having gasoline “bombs” (automobiles) roaming our streets and byways. 

So, I am not going back, although I can go back in time – in my mind – anytime I care to. I am going forward. I am going to experience this “electric thing” for myself and for real. Will there be disappointments? I would imagine so. Will I miss those V8s. Very much so, but I will be able to experience those machines whenever I want to, hopefully.

For now, however, I am dialed in to my new Bolt EV. And in my brief time with it all I can say is that I am very impressed. And as I said before, the fun-to-drive aspect of it is its most surprising feature, along with its regenerative braking feature, which means it slows itself down while putting juice back in the battery – without using the brakes – or not much of them anyway. That took some getting use to, but now, I engage this feature all of the time. 

But the most remarkable thing about the Chevrolet Bolt? It’s the fact that GM was criminally negligent in not promoting and marketing this vehicle from the very beginning. This engineering tour de force – and it certainly is at its price point – was treated like an afterthought, an unwanted stepchild that never got the attention or proper nurturing. This machine laid the groundwork for the BEV transformation that is powering GM right now and into the future, and it deserved so much better. 

In the meantime, I plan on enjoying everything the Bolt EV has to offer, and I will keep you posted.

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.