Welcome to the new generation of personal transportation. The best way to "sample" electric driving is to rent an EV. I know that Enterprise does rent the Chevy Volt in some cities, and others may rent the Nissan Leaf and maybe the Ford Focus Electric. The next best way is to rent a plug-in hybrid such as the Ford C-Max Energi or the Fusion Energi, which gives up to 20 miles of EV driving.
The greatest advantages of pure electric vehicles are the
quick and quiet acceleration (electric motors get all their torque at zero RPM),
regenerative braking (up to 95% of the vehicle's energy is recovered and recharged back into the battery),
less wear on brakes and cooling (no high heat affecting coolant),
and low operating and maintenance cost. Hybrids still have a gas engine, but the better the hybrid (more EV range), the less you use the engine. The Chevy Volt covers that extreme, such that many owners never use gasoline but the system needs to run a "maintenance mode" called ERDTM (Engine Running Due To Maintenence) twice a year when the gas engine powers on to heat and cycle the oil and coolants, and burn stale gasoline. The Bolt EV never needs to do this.0
The Chevy Bolt EV is GM's third battery powered vehicle, after the 1996 GM EV1, and the 2014 Chevy Spark EV. The only present domestic competition at the cost range is the Ford Focus Electric, which has been recommended by several automotive magazines against the other small EVs (mostly imports). Tesla Motors sells the Model S and the Model X, which are good EVs but are in the luxury class, making them too expensive to consider unless you are a fan and/or have the money. So TM will offer the Model 3 as a low end version of the Model S, but it is still in development. I was laughing for days after reading all the simple fools who would put $1,000 down on a "reservation" for an EV that has no final design or specifications, and will not enter production for at least two more years.:laugh:
GM will begin full production in October of the Bolt EV, but will announce ordering details when the first vehicles are off the production line. I am like the mayority of car buyers, needing to see and feel the vehicle before ordering or buying (I have seen the Model S close up in Florida), so I strongly suggest waiting until the first Bolt EVs arrive at a dealer that you can visit. Take a test drive, too, if possible before laying your money down. Then be content and well pleased as you travel emissions free in your modern battery-electric vehicle for many years to come.
