GM’s New Menlo Electric Car: 250-Mile Range

GM has officially launched a new electric car with 250 miles of range, and a confirmed starting price of roughly $23,000. But it’s only for sale in China.

The Chevrolet Menlo incorporates GM’s class-leading battery technology and a new-generation highly efficient purely electric drive system that ensures a smooth, quiet and natural driving experience. It generates 110 kW of maximum power and 350 Nm of maximum torque, with electricity consumption of 13.1 kWh/100 km.

The vehicle has a constant-speed range of up to 410 km under New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) conditions on a single charge. Its battery can be fully charged to 80% of capacity within 40 minutes using a direct current (DC) fast charger.

The Chevrolet Menlo has three driving modes and three energy recovery modes. The economical, normal and sporty driving modes support base acceleration, standard acceleration, and enhanced acceleration depending on users’ preferences. The energy recovery modes of light free recovery, medium efficient recovery and strong energy recovery likewise support personal preferences for a balance between driving performance and energy consumption.

In addition, the Chevrolet Menlo received certification for meeting Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) D — the highest integrity requirement for vehicles.

The new EV from the American automaker will definitely leave that outside of China’s market jealous. The automaker also promised to launch two new electric cars based on the model for the Bolt EV within the next 18 months:

Since this statement, however, 18 months have passed without a single one of those electric vehicles. However, the Baojun E200 and the Buick Velite 6 EV are produced by the joint venture in China.

However, neither of those vehicles is even remotely similar to the Chevy Bolt EV, and both are only sold in China. Months later, GM revealed its Chevrolet Menlo EV electric car.

The Chevrolet Menlo features the new-generation MyLink+ infotainment system with OnStar. It not only supports over-the-air (OTA) updates, Apple CarPlay and Baidu CarLife but also offers functions such as virtual car keys, remote control, and intelligent voice recognition.

Safety is a priority in the Chevrolet Menlo. Its advanced technologies include Bosch’s 9.3 Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Forward Collision Alert (FCA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA), Automatic Parking Assist (APA), Following Distance Indicator (FDI) and the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

Customers are entitled to 100G of free OnStar 4G LTE data service every year and a quality assurance warranty of eight years or 160,000 km for the battery, motor, and electric control systems. The warranty remains effective if the vehicle’s ownership changes, ensuring high residual value.

That EV seemed like a more likely to succeed the Bolt EV, but the automaker said it would only make it available in China, but confirmed a range of more than 200 miles in November 2019.

The new Chevrolet Menlo in China will be “available in four variants priced from RMB 159,900 to RMB 179,900 after national subsidies for new energy vehicles,” according to GM.