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Chevy will reveal the Bolt EV tomorrow at CES

The moment that electric vehicle consumers and green propulsion enthusiasts have been waiting for is almost upon us, as Chevy confirmed that it will unveil the production version of the 2017 Bolt EV Wednesday at CES in Las Vegas. Chevrolet previewed the Bolt in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show almost a year ago, proposing a compelling rival to the likes of the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3. We've expected the CES debut for awhile, and Chevy projects that the finished product will boast a range of more than 200 miles on a single charge. That's nearly double the Leaf's range, and significantly farther than the i3 will travel even with the Range Extender kicking in. All of that for under $30,000 after federal tax credits. Of course, Chevy's own Spark EV costs much less, but will only go 82 miles before it needs to plug in again. If you won't be in Vegas for the unveiling tomorrow, you can catch it on Facebook. It will be the first vehicle to debut on the new Facebook Live, featuring both a live video stream and a 360-degree interactive interior video. Once out on the market, the Bolt EV will join the Spark EV, Volt PHEV, and Malibu hybrid in a growing array of electrified vehicles from the American automaker, rivaling the likes of Toyota and Nissan for the most electrified vehicles in its lineup. Chevrolet Bolt EV Will Debut at CES 2016-01-05 DETROIT – Chevrolet will unveil the 2017 Bolt EV at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 6, and be the first auto brand to work with Facebook to debut a vehicle using Facebook Live. With the addition of the Bolt EV to a lineup that includes the all-new 2016 Volt, 2016 Malibu Hybrid and Spark EV, Chevrolet will offer consumers more affordable, electrified vehicle options than any other major automotive brand – solidifying its position as the leader in electrification. "The Bolt EV truly embodies the ingenuity that is at the core of everything we do at Chevrolet," said Alan Batey, president of General Motors North America and head of Global Chevrolet. "The technologies and the engineering expertise behind the Bolt EV are tremendous examples of the kind of innovation we intend to offer our customers, across an array of products at a tremendous value – something only Chevrolet can deliver." Building on the electrification expertise established by the Volt, the Bolt EV is a game-changing, long-range electric vehicle.

We really want to use an eCrate to restomod an old GM car. Here's what we'd build

You hopefully saw the news today of GM's introduction of its Connect and Cruise eCrate motor and battery package, which effectively makes the Bolt's electric motor, battery pack and myriad other elements available to, ah, bolt into a different vehicle. It's the same concept as installing a gasoline-powered crate motor into a classic car, but with electricity and stuff.  This, of course, got us thinking about what we'd stuff the eCrate into. Before we got too ahead of ourselves, however, we discovered that the eCrate battery pack is literally the Bolt EV pack in not only capacity but size and shape. In other words, you need to have enough space in the vehicle to place and/or stuff roughly 60% of a Chevy Bolt's length. It's not a big car, but that's still an awful lot of real estate. There's a reason GM chose to simply plop the pack into the bed and cargo area of old full-size SUVs. Well that, and having a rear suspension beefy enough to handle about 1,000 pounds of batteries.  So after that buzz kill, we still wanted to peruse the GM back catalog for classics we'd love to see transformed into an electric restomod that might be able to swallow all that battery ... maybe ... possibly ... whatever, saws and blow torches exist for a reason.  1971 Buick Riviera Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: If you’re going to build an electric conversion, why not do it with style? ThatÂ’s why IÂ’m choosing a 1971-1973 Buick Riviera. You know, the one with the big glass boat-tail rear end that ends in a pointy V. Being a rather large vehicle with a big sloping fastback shape, IÂ’m hoping thereÂ’s enough room in the trunk and back seat to pack in the requisite battery pack. That would likely require cutting away some of the metal bulkhead that supports the rear seatback, but not so much that a wee bit of structural bracing couldnÂ’t shore things up. The big 455-cubic-inch Buick V8 up front will obviously have to go. Remember, this was the 1970s, so despite all that displacement, the Riviera only had around 250 horsepower (depending on the year and the trim level). So the electric motorÂ’s 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque ought to work as an acceptable replacement.   1982 Chevrolet S10 Associate Editor Byron Hurd: OK, so the name "E-10" is already taken by a completely different truck, but let's not let labels get in the way of a fun idea.

GM diesel pickups first to undergo extra EPA, CARB testing

The effects of Volkswagen's long-running diesel emissions evasion are starting to spill over to other automakers, but General Motors is taking things in stride. The 2.8-liter, four-cylinder Duramax in the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon is the first engine to get extra scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, Automotive News reports. Rather than just the usual in-lab test, it's also being checked on the road. However, the extra evaluation shouldn't have any impact on when the trucks with his mill hit dealers later this fall. "We're in our final stages of the EPA certification, and our launch is on track," Chevy spokesperson Otie McKinley tells Autoblog. The four-cylinder diesel in the trucks makes 181 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and the automaker is touting low NOx production. In the announcement for the Colorado's specs, the company calls it "the cleanest diesel truck engine ever produced by General Motors." The tech includes exhaust gas recirculation to lower combustion temperatures and improve emissions. There's also a urea tank like on the bigger diesels for full-size trucks, and it gets refilled in time with oil changes. An indication on the instrument panel lets drivers know when that's needed, too. Even with the more demanding testing, the company doesn't seem too worried about the four-cylinder passing. "Part of our development process is on-road and off-road [laboratory] testing," Scott Yackley, Chevy Trucks assistant chief engineer, said to Automotive News. In the wake of the VW scandal, the EPA has pledged more rigorous testing. Before, on-road emissions evaluations were largely limited to heavy-duty vehicles, but the agency has decided to apply the checks more often to other models. There's also now greater cooperation with Canadian authorities.