Chevy had 3 cars in final 10 for top car award

Chevrolet has used the North American International Auto Show to release performance specifications for the 2017 Bolt EV.

While the earliest electric vehicles more closely resembled high-school science projects and came with a maximum range of around 50 miles before they needed recharging, the most famous electric auto of today, Tesla’s Model S, routinely features on lists of the coolest cars on the planet. The 2015 Spark EV, for instance, featured a range of just 82 miles.

GM’s chief executive, Ms Mary Barra, said the Bolt was a big step forward in the electrification of vehicles because of its price and ability to travel 322km on a fully charged battery. He said the Volt has done more to reposition the Chevy brand in California over the past five years than any other vehicle. Although the Model 3 is due out in 2017, the Bolt will be available from the tail end of this year.

It’s not GM’s first stab at an electric vehicle, of course. It was General Motors who, in 1912, invented the first electric starter for petrol-powered cars, negating the use of hand cranks and causing the popularity of electric cars to nosedive swiftly thereafter.

Yes, the Bolt’s electric motor will churn out 200 hp and 266 torques through a 7:1 drive ratio.

One caveat is that Chevrolet hasn’t finalized everything just yet, though the automaker has been promising these two magic numbers ($30,000 and 200-mile-range) for months now.

Beyond the basics, there’s all sorts of bells and whistles, including a 10.2-inch touchscreen in the centre console with 4G LTE connectivity, while the “EV Navigation Mapping” feature will direct drivers towards charging stations. The battery also comes standard with an 8-year/ 100,000 limited warranty. That product positioning also suggests that the Model 3 will offer more value, since it is expected to be a luxury vehicle and buyers may arguably get more for their money. But even with its extended range and mass-market price, the Bolt may still face a hard battle to lure consumers who are taking advantage of US$2-a-gallon petrol to buy larger vehicles.

Spun from a dedicated platform, the new Bolt EV offers room for five along with almost 17 cu ft of cargo space behind its rear seat – accommodations made possible by incorporating the car’s battery pack into the chassis beneath its passenger compartment to yield a totally flat floor.

The CES event saw Chevrolet spilling the bean on the next-gen Bolt.

Don’t worry if you’re particularly attached to your brake pedal, because the Bolt can also be operated in “low” regen mode, which means the left pedal isn’t left feeling all lonely.