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Chevy admits there's confusion over Bolt and Volt names

Offering the possibility of 200 miles of driving range and the potential for a price of about $30,000, the Chevrolet Bolt is an incredibly enticing vehicle, and it has an opportunity to be a big player in the EV world. However, the hatchback has been plagued by one problem since the moment it debuted – the name. Bolt sounds very similar to Volt, Chevy's extended-range plug-in, and they can be easy to confuse in a conversation. That's not the best quality to have when trying to get a new vehicle's name out there among customers, and General Motors North America president Alan Batey told the Detroit Free Press that the company is aware of the problem. While the EV is definitely going into production, the model might be wearing a different moniker when it hits showrooms. "We're still in the decision phase. It could go either way," Batey said to the Free Press. He indicated the automaker still has about a year before a final decision is necessary. The Bolt will be built at GM's Orion Assembly plant in Michigan and will likely go on sale around 2017. That will put the Chevy on the market at roughly the same time as the 200-mile Tesla Model 3. Batey didn't seem too concerned, though. "Unlike Tesla, we can spread the cost over a whole lineup," he said to the Free Press. The future doesn't look quite so bright for the Spark EV, though. Batey suggested that it might not last once the longer-range Bolt fills that niche in the lineup. Related Video:

General Motors and EVs: No stranger to firsts, but where's the leadership?

2015 is already shaping up to be the year of "affordable, 200-mile EV" concepts. Nissan and Tesla have each been talking about them for some time, the latter promising to unveil its Model 3 at the North American International Auto Show in January before balking when the time came. Instead, Chevrolet beat them all by unveiling the Bolt concept at the same event, followed shortly thereafter with suggestions of a 2016 launch – potentially offering the first nationwide EV with anything close to that range. It was the ballsiest EV-related move General Motors has made in a quarter century. But will it remain so? Exactly 25 years before the Bolt rolled up onto the turntable, then-Chairman Roger Smith unveiled GM's last ground-up EV concept, the even-more-unfortunately-named Impact, at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 1990. A few months later, he surprised most of his colleagues by announcing its intended production in honor of Earth Day. It was the first modern foray into electric vehicles for the US by any automaker, one that was rewarded by the State of California with what is now known as the Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate. The program not only forced other automakers into competing with Roger's pet project, but inspired all of them to fight it like small children against bedtime. Some years later, the drivers themselves weighed in, with a biting documentary about that obstinance and the leadership it cost both GM and the country. Within months, GM was first back into the fray of plug-in vehicles. Many criticized the company for starting with a PHEV rather than jump straight back into EVs. The choice wasn't totally out of the blue – even EV1 was meant to be followed by a PHEV. And especially on the heels of Who Killed the Electric Car?, some skittishness was understandable: even a successful EV would invite a "we told you so" public reaction, underscoring their mistake in ending the EV1 program. If a new EV didn't do well, they'd be convicted in the public eye as serial killers. All while seeking a federal bailout. For all the flak, the resulting Chevy Volt was and is a better car than GM has ever gotten credit for. But the company seemed to grow weary of having to overcome its varied past, and while the current owners remain happy, much of the stakeholder and community engagement that so effectively built early goodwill and sales growth faded not long after launch. Marketing has been spotty in both consistency and effectiveness.

CNG Chevy Impala launch delay grows to a year

The 2015 Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel was announced in Washington D.C. in late 2013 by Dan Akerson and was supposed to be on sale by the summer of 2014. Capable of running on gasoline and compressed natural gas, the sedan was said to offer a novel solution at a time when gas prices were high. The vehicles still haven't arrived at dealers, though, and according to Automotive News, a quality issue has set back the launch even a few months more. Using a modified 3.6-liter V6 with hardened valves and valve seats, the Bi-Fuel Impala has separate tanks for gasoline and CNG that it can switch between on the fly. When running on the cheaper natural gas, the sedan was estimated to get 19 miles per gallon in the city and offer 150 miles of range, and the total driving distance was predicted at around 500 miles. The base price was set at $38,210, after the $825 destination charge. The only other major tradeoff was a smaller trunk to accommodate the extra fuel. However, the first shipments of the bi-fuel models now aren't expected until mid-July – about a year later than the scheduled launch. A memo to dealers obtained by Automotive News said the sedan "has been delayed by a second quality hold" to look at the CNG system. The exact details surrounding this problem haven't been released. "We have identified a solution to the delay and are working hard to implement it within the next few months," General Motors spokesperson Chad Lyons said to Automotive News. Around 200 Bi-Fuel Impalas have been made, but none are yet in the hands of customers. Dealers should be able to order 2016 model year examples starting in the third quarter of this year.