The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt is an electric vehicle (EV) from General Motors that gets a combined driving range of 238 miles (383 km) in road tests by the United States' Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The US automaker announced the news about the electric car with a 60-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and up to 200 horsepower on September 13, Tuesday. During the next few years the Chevy Bolt will be challenged by other green cars including the Tesla Model 3 and second-generation Nissan Leaf, as well as new EVs from Volkswagen and BMW.
Last year EVs made up only one percent of car sales. A key reason has been low range including the best-selling Nissan Leaf with a real-world range of around 80 miles (29 km).
The Bolt's EPA-tested range is higher than the original figure of 200 miles (322 km). It is also 10 percent higher than the current range of 215 miles (346 km) for Tesla's Model 3 unveiled in April 2016. So it will take longer until the Bolt needs to pull up to a charging station.
From far away the Bolt EV looks like it has a short length and tall height. However, the SUV-shaped auto is much larger than "minicars" including Chevy Spark, Ford Fiesta, and Mitsubishi i-MiEV.
The interior of the EV hatchback is also very capacious. Four tall adults or five smaller ones can easily fit inside the vehicle, and unlike GM's Volt the flat floor makes the rear center space a full seat.
Bolt's thin seats are also comfortable to sit in. They get their shape and support from springs instead of padding inside the car seats, according to Los Angeles Times.
The Bolt has a lot of glass that makes it easy to look outside. It also includes a backup camera from the GM brand Cadillac.
Meanwhile, the vehicle's displays provide basic yet helpful information such as the car's speed, remaining range, and total energy used.
In addition, the displays in the Bolt are big and clear with high-resolution and bright fonts that are easy to read, according to Green Car Reports. That includes the main touchscreen and the digital dashboard.
GM's eco-friendly car also includes "one-pedal driving." It was first offered on Tesla Roadster but is now only available for Tesla Model S and X, and BMW i3.
In related news, Tesla is preparing super-long-range batteries for its electric cars. Dutch officials have approved 100D and P100D versions that could get 380 miles (612 km) on a single charge for the Model S.
Here's an interior walkthrough of Chevy Bolt: