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2017 Chevy Bolt Prototype Quick Spin [w/video]

To say that there's a lot riding on the upcoming Chevy Bolt doesn't quite get at how important this all-electric vehicle could be for GM. To say that there's a lot riding on the upcoming Chevy Bolt doesn't quite get at how important this all-electric vehicle could be for GM. We are entering a new phase for EVs in the US, and it's one where there will be more than one 200+ mile range electric model that will cost around $30,000-$35,000. The two obvious first entries are the Tesla Model 3 and the Bolt, but you can bet your Level 2 charger that Nissan will be joining the party as well, along with all sorts of as-yet-unannounced entries from other automakers. The main change that all of these longer-range EVs will bring is – potentially – to make plugging in your car a mainstream thing. And if the mainstream is in play, then there's money to be made, and you're going to need one heck of an EV to get people to pick your car instead of someone else's. So, yeah, the Chevy Bolt could be a big deal. And today we not only got a bit more information about the car but we also got to go on a really short test drive in a prototype version outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center as part of CES 2016. The "drive" took place in a closed-off parking lot and my two laps through the cone course took less than three minutes, but I can still say that it looks like GM will be bringing a solid option to the marketplace soon. Chevy Bolt Prototype front 3/4 View 16 Photos If you shift into L, the regen becomes wonderfully strong. One of the pleasant surprises in the Bolt prototype is the ability to drive with just one pedal. When in D, the Bolt coasts a bit, which is nice for highway driving, but if you shift into L, the regen becomes wonderfully strong. Strong enough that you don't need to engage the brakes at all if you're in standard city traffic, with lots of gentle stops and starts. If you want even more stopping power without getting the brakes involved, the Bolt also has the regen-on-demand feature that was introduced in the Cadillac ELR and works great in the second-gen Chevy Volt. When you pull the paddle on the left back side of the steering wheel, the electric motor instantly becomes a generator and the Bolt turns forward momentum into energy for the battery pack. It will even bring the car to a complete stop and then hold it when you release the paddle.

Chevy Bolt officially keeping name, says marketing boss

There might be just a little confusion at first, but the Bolt name is sticking around. After conducting two consumer studies into the name, Chevrolet isn't worried about the similarity of the monikers for the upcoming EV and existing Volt plug-in hybrid. In fact, the brand thinks the resemblance might be for the best. "The decision is made. The name won't be changed." Chevy head of marketing Tim Mahoney said to The Detroit Free Press. The research shows that the compatibility between the two names actually works quite well. With the Volt well established, people apparently already connect the Bolt to the Bowtie, which is just what a brand wants. Both studies indicated the ""same result, it did well," according to Mahoney. Just a few months ago, the future of the Bolt's name wasn't so clear. GM North America President Alan Batey said the company knew there might be confusion, and it was still mulling its options. The Bolt could be a breakthrough in the EV market with a 200-mile range and a possible price of around $30,000 after incentives. Production is set for the Orion Assembly plant in Michigan following a $200 million upgrade there, and the model could be in dealers as soon as 2017. That's just in time to take on the Tesla Model 3 with its claimed $35,000 price and similar driving distance as the Chevy. Related Video:

Meet the mother-daughter team that's worked on almost every Chevy Volt

It's Mother's Day, and we're soft enough we love our mothers enough to share a new video from General Motors with you. In it, we meet Monique Watson (left) and Evetta Osbourne, a mother-daughter team that works at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly where GM makes the Chevy Volt (along with all of GM's other plug-in hybrids: the Opel Ampera, Holden Volt and Cadillac ELR). The two work side-by-side and have installed the lithium-ion battery pack on almost all of those vehicles - nearly 80,000 of them - since GM started making the pre-production Volts in 2009. In a prepared statement, Watson said that she likes working next to her mom, day in and day out, and they the two are totally in sync when it comes to putting the 400-pound, 16.5-kWh packs into the vehicle undersides. They two can also share stories throughout the day, and Watson said, "The arrangement has absolutely improved our relationship." Osborne started working at Detroit-Hamtramck in 1999, Watson since 2006. If you're driving a Volt today, you probably have them to thank for doing a bit of the work putting your car together. See a short video of them in action below. It's Always Mother's Day for Detroit-Hamtramck Duo Mother, daughter install lithium-ion battery pack in nearly all GM electric vehicles 2014-05-08 DETROIT – For Detroit resident Evetta Osborne, every day is Mother's Day. That's because she literally works side by side with her daughter, Monique Watson, at General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. They have installed the lithium-ion battery pack on nearly every Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera, Holden Volt, and Cadillac ELR since production began. In fact, apart from vacation days and an occasional sick day, the mother-daughter duo has installed almost every battery pack since the Volt was in pre-production in 2009. The ELR launched earlier this year. All told – including Ampera – that's more than 80,000 electric vehicles. "We're a good team and our relationship is secondary when it comes to performing our jobs – but it's great to work alongside my daughter, said Osborne, a mother of five. Because the battery packs weigh more than 400 pounds each, automatic guided vehicles – robotic carts that use sensors to follow a path through the plant – deliver them just as the vehicle body structures glide into position overhead. The carts then lift the T-shaped packs, and Osborne and Watson guide them into the chassis and secure each one with 24 fasteners.