Car aficionados may get to have a firsthand experience on the anticipated Chevy Bolt EV in the most unexpected manner ever before it hits the shelves later this year- and that is through a Lyft booking.
Emily Castor, Lyft's director for transportation, recently confirmed during the World Mobility Leadership Forum in Detroit that the first batch of Chevy Bolt EVs will be serviced to Lyft. It was reported earlier this month that the two have sealed the deal to use the app-based mobile service as a platform for testing the new EV and it seems like it's coming all along pretty well.
This partnership also includes conducting dry runs on the Bolt's autonomous driving technology. According to Autoweek, Lyft expects that at least half of their cars will be operating under self-driving configurations. With interest in self-driving technology continually increasing by the day, the companies see this as an opportunity to fine tune this prospect feature in their upcoming services.
Despite the collaboration between the two, it seems like Lyft is not setting its sights on actually owning Bolt units, Digital Trends reports. Instead, integration of the Chevy EVs in their platform will fall under their Express Drive feature. The said program allows customers to book short-term rides with different car brands that Lyft currently has under their roster.
To date, Express Drive is already operational in eight key U.S. cities including Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago, and Boston. Other prospect cities such Los Angeles and San Francisco are also targeted to be implemented with Express Drive and the Chevy Bolt may be offered in the said locations.
The Bolt is one of Chevrolet's upcoming mass-produced electronic vehicles. It is estimated to travel for at least 238 miles in a single charge, similar to the popular Tesla Model S cars. The projected launch of the car is slated on the last quarter this year with a retail price of $37,495 which half the price of the Tesla EVs.
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