I kept saying Bolt, Bolt, Bolt. But people kept hearing “Volt” for some reason.

It might be a curious naming snafu or entirely intentional marketing concept. However, the 200-mile-range electric 2017 Chevy Bolt is a vastly different car from the Chevy Volt, which goes only about 35 miles in EV mode.

I drove the Bolt at an event in Las Vegas recently that was part of CES 2016, gliding around corners and doing jack-rabbit starts on a straightaway. It’s a fun car that reminds me of the BMW i3 electric I drove two years ago at CES, which is roughly the same size. Because an EV doesn’t need to squeeze out any gas into the engine, fire up any pistons, or even change gears as you drive, the electric motor is always “on” and ready to go, so you get a quick jump off the gate. (The Bolt uses traction control to make sure you don’t spin any tires.)

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