![\"Bolt-Drive-05\"](\"http:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/7bb6fa21e42e9300b6b4b753b65b383c7d974c65\/c=294-0-3706-2559&r=x404&c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2016\/09\/12\/DetroitNews\/B99437628Z.1_20160912231303_000_G9M14O2JN.1-0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>The much-anticipated battery-powered 2017 Chevrolet Bolt isn\u2019t just a green machine: This all-electric compact crossover can lay some serious black rubber, too.<\/p>\n
Chevy claims a zero-60 time of 6.9 seconds. That\u2019s comparable to Ford\u2019s rabid Fiesta ST, but it feels quicker. Tesla calls its Model S P90D\u2019s acceleration \u201cLudicrous\u201d mode. Let\u2019s just call the Bolt \u201cBananas\u201d \u2014 and you might lose a few from the grocery bag by throwing around the nimble crossover on the way home.<\/p>\n
Test-driving a Bolt outside its birthplace in GM\u2019s Orion Assembly, I stomped the accelerator out of a stoplight and it, well … bolted. With 266 pound-feet of instant torque coursing through its front wheels, the Chevy\u2019s Michelin tires left yards of scorched asphalt in my wake.<\/p>\n
The five-door Bolt will have an EPA-estimated range of 238 miles on a full charge and beat the Tesla Model 3 to market as the first car under $40,000 to eclipse the 200-mile mark. The mileage figure is a significant 20 percent jump over the car\u2019s anticipated 200-mile figure \u2014 and it beats the $66,000 base Tesla Model S luxury sedan by 20 miles.<\/p>\n
From the Fiat 500e to the Nissan Leaf, there are more than a half-dozen \u201caffordable\u201d EVs in production. But none approach the potential of the Bolt and Model 3.<\/p>\n
Promising similar range (the Model 3 is estimated at 215 miles on a full charge) and acceleration as the Bolt, the Silicon Valley-bred Tesla electrified the auto community with its plans to bring Model S-like range and performance to the masses. Pricing is even similar \u2014 the Bolt will start at around $37,500, minus a $7,500 federal tax rebate; the Model 3 should start at $35,000.<\/p>\n
But the Bolt will hit showrooms by the end of the year<\/a>, while the Tesla won\u2019t be available for a year after that. And with such a huge jump in the marketplace, Bolt might steal some of Tesla\u2019s thunder. Heck, tech god Steve Wozniak<\/a> says he\u2019s ready to trade in his Model S for the Chevy.<\/p>\n Riding shotgun with me with me on public roads north of The Palace of Auburn Hills was Bolt chief engineer Josh Tavel, a testament to the fact that Chevy\u2019s Bolt ambitions go way beyond high mileage numbers.<\/p>\n An amateur race-driver who worked on GM\u2019s Alpha platform \u2014 the athletic bones on which the Cadillac ATS and Camaro sit \u2014 the 37-year old knows a thing or two about performance. And he has brought it to the Bolt.<\/p>\n \u201cThis car is a noodle without the battery in the floor,\u201d says Tavel, motioning to the car\u2019s floor where a 60 kWh lithium-ion battery is fully integrated into the car\u2019s steel chassis. For perspective, that\u2019s the same size battery as in the much more expensive, base Tesla Model S luxury sedan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Like Tesla, Tavel and his team want the high-tech Bolt to redefine the car experience. This isn\u2019t a green vehicle. This is a high-tech vehicle that happens to be green. Tavel says 40 miles of the Bolt\u2019s range is achieved through brake regeneration. It\u2019s a concept is familiar to legions of Model S addicts.<\/p>\n