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Examining the guts of the all-new Chevrolet Bolt (pictures)

Chevrolet's all-new Bolt is the brand's first nationwide all-electric vehicle, so there's a lot riding on it, especially as Tesla prepares a competitor. But one look at the Bolt's innards is all you need to realize that Chevrolet threw everything it could at this car.

Andrew Krok
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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This is the Chevrolet Bolt's all-new, 60 kWh battery.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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From left to right, you can see two different Volt batteries, the Spark EV's battery, and the Bolt's. It's pretty obvious how different each one is from the next.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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Here's a cutaway of the power unit, which includes both the electric motor and the transmission.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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In this shot, the motor is on the left, whereas the transmission is on the right. Power reaches the axle by way of a shaft going through the center of the motor.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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Greg Smith, engineering group manager for electrification, points out various components in the battery assembly.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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The orange pack here contains the disconnects that kick in when the car's been in an accident.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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This pack interprets sensor data, and in the event of a collision, disconnects the power to make it easier for first responders.

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Some of the various cabling winding about the battery tray.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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A total of 288 flat cells go into each battery, which are bundled into threes connected in parallel. These 96 "groups" are then connected in series to form the battery pack.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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The whole battery pack weighs 436 kg.

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GM's engineering team standing by their latest work.

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The lithium-ion battery's high nickel content allows for a higher heat tolerance. It runs warmer than the Spark's battery, yet its overall waste heat is low.

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Stephen Poulous, global chief engineer for electrification, proudly displaying a cutaway of the Bolt's electric motor.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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Greg Smith sure does love his battery.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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As he should -- it's a hell of an achievement over the Spark EV's unit.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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In case you were thinking that there had to be room in that battery pack for more cells...you're wrong.

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Flex-testing of the battery pack shows its impressive rigidity. Only the rear shelf portion of the pack experienced significant flexing.

Chevrolet Bolt Powertrain Deep Dive
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If you want a closer look at what's going on inside the Bolt's motor, this one's for you.

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