One of the cars we profiled on the radio side by talking to GM's design team. We hope you will consider hybrid/EV for your next car.
First Drive: Chevrolet Bolt Is A Shocker That Might Convince You To Buy An Electric Car
by Joann Muller
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)
Priced around $30,000 (after government rebates), the five-passenger Bolt has an electric range of around 200 miles, more than enough for families to use as their daily driver without fear of running out of juice. Most people would never need to recharge anywhere but home. But if you do, you can refill the battery to 80 percent of capacity in about 30 minutes.
I got an opportunity to drive an early production version Wednesday morning, before its official debut at CES, the huge consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, and it’s fair to say the Bolt exceeded my expectations. By a lot.It’s peppy and responsive as you’d expect an electric car to be, and handles corners like a little rally car. Braking feels, well, normal, which is somewhat unique for an electric car. In stop-and-go traffic, you don’t even need to use the brake. Shift into low and it’s capable of one-pedal driving. Lift your foot off the accelerator and it stops. Touch the pedal again and you’re off.
The Bolt is cute – it’s designed as a small crossover SUV – but there’s an incredible amount of space inside, thanks to the design of the flat battery pack mounted beneath the floor and thin, sculpted front seats that give rear passengers extra leg room. Even a six-foot-two journalist who climbed in the back had plenty of head- and legroom. Families would have no trouble buckling three car seats in the back.
In the front, a “floating” instrument panel with a huge 10.2-inch-diagonal touch screen provides more knee space for the driver and front passenger and makes the car feel wider. And there are many clever storage spaces, including a deep well under a sliding armrest for a tablet device.
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