Carlos Ghosns face shows NIssan reaction to 2017 Chevy Bolt

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Carlos Ghosn has never really been known as a man with frequent warm and ready smiles for all comers.

Under most circumstances, the man who runs not only global automaker Nissan but the Franco-Japanese Renault-Nissan Alliance displays a serious, thoughtful countenance.

But as he inspected the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV during last week's Detroit Auto Show, more than one observer suggests that he did not look particularly happy.

As photos posted on Facebook by Gary Lieber of the San Francisco Bay Area Nissan Leaf Owners indicates, Ghosn displayed a visible frown while chatting with Larry Nitz, GM's executive director of global electrification.

 

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I almost feel bad for Nissan since they were EV pioneers with the LEAF 5 years ago, but I think they've been lazy and riding the coattails of their early success. I mean how long did they think it would take for someone else to come up with an entry level EV with better range and more features!?

Just more proof that the Bolt EV could do very well! Excited to be part of the GM Bolt forum as the on-sale date gets closer

 

[lukestuke]

Competition is always better, especially since the EV part of auto sales is so small. If EV knowledge and sales increase, then it's better off for all EV manufacturers in the near-term at least.

I can see that Ghosn would be upset because he wanted to get out ahead of the competition (he said so in Revenge of the Electric Car). Just as Nissan was preparing to compete against the Tesla Model 3, coming in 2017, GM announces their quick-to-market Chevy Bolt EV and BAM surprise, the hybrid-car sleeping dog wakes up with a 100% EV

 

[Anonymous]

The LEAF will need a redesign in order to fit a 60 kWh battery pack. They have a long range test vehicle, but the whole back seat is batteries. Plus they need to figure out thermal management so that they don't have more heat/degradation issues with a bigger battery pack.

GM should be very proud of the Bolt EV - for the first time in my life, they are leading the Japanese in engineering.

 

[DucRider]

GM should be very proud of the Bolt EV - for the first time in my life, they are leading the Japanese in engineering.

Yes ... and no:

Ripping the shell off the car, we can see that the list of contributions from LG is essentially a list of core powertrain components (from the official Chevy Press Release):

• Battery Cells and Pack
  Electric Drive Motor (built from GM design)
  Power Inverter Module (converts DC power to AC for the drive unit)
  Onboard Charger
  Electric Climate Control System Compressor
  High Power Distribution Module (manages the flow of high voltage to various components)
  Battery Heater
  Accessory Power Module (maintains low-voltage power delivery to accessories)
  Power Line Communication Module (manages communication between vehicle and a DC charging station)
  Instrument Cluster
  Infotainment System

Wait, what? LG contributed the battery system, drive motor, charger, inverter… and most of the other critical components stemming off of the base powertrain? That leaves Chevy with, what… the shell of the car to build?