The new Chevy Bolt will have more range than the cheapest Model 3 you can buy online

Chevrolet

The 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV.

• The 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric hatchback will have 259 miles of range, 21 more miles than the 2019 model, Chevrolet announced in a press release on August 22.
• That means the Bolt's range will exceed that of Tesla's most comparably-priced vehicle, the standard-plus trim of its Model 3 sedan, which has 240 miles of range.
• Tesla's luxury vehicles - the Model S sedan, Model X SUV, and the high-end trims of the Model 3 - have longer ranges than all other electric vehicles available for sale in the US, but a few other mass-market competitors also exceed the standard-plus Model 3.
• Chevrolet attributed the 2020 Bolt's range increase to changes in battery-cell chemistry that increased the energy of their cell electrodes, which are where electrical current leaves or enters a battery.
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The 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric hatchback will have 259 miles of range, 21 more miles than the 2019 model, Chevrolet announced in a press release on August 22.

That means the Bolt's range will exceed that of Tesla's most comparably-priced vehicle, the standard-plus trim of its Model 3 sedan (the 2020 Bolt will start at $37,495, while the standard-plus Model 3 starts at $38,990), which has 240 miles of range. The Model 3's more expensive trims, long-range and performance, will still exceed the Bolt's range with 310 miles each.

Read more: Tesla is running circles around rivals like Audi and Jaguar, and battery range is only one of the biggest reasons why

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The electric-car maker's luxury vehicles - the Model S sedan, Model X SUV, and the high-end trims of the Model 3 - have longer ranges than all other electric vehicles available for sale in the US, but a few other mass-market competitors, the Hyundai Kona Electric SUV and Kia Soul EV subcompact SUV, also exceed the standard-plus Model 3.

Chevrolet attributed the 2020 Bolt's range increase to changes in battery-cell chemistry that increased the energy of their cell electrodes, which are where electrical current leaves or enters a battery. There were no changes to the Bolt's battery pack, Chevrolet said.

While Bolt customers in the US have access to a more generous federal tax credit than Tesla customers due to a phase-out schedule that begins once an automaker sells 200,000 electric vehicles in the US, the Model 3 has outsold the Bolt by a significant margin since the beginning of last year.

The 2020 Bolt will go on sale later this year, Chevrolet said.

Are you a current or former Tesla employee? Do you have an opinion about what it's like to work there? Contact this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.

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