Chevrolet Bolt Wins 2017 Green Car Of The Year Award

After an eco-battle that saw several green vehicles put to the test, the Chevrolet Bolt was named GreenCarJournal's 2017 Green Car Of The Year at the Automobility LA.

The publication's editors say it was selected for its "stylish design, pleasing driving dynamics, and welcome suite of advanced and connected technologies". More importantly, the hatch boasts an electric driving range of 238 miles (383 km) and can be had from as low as $29,995 in the US, when the federal tax credit is applied.

"From the time modern electric vehicles emerged in the 1990s, limited driving range has presented a core challenge to the commercialization of electric cars affordable to everyday drivers. Bolt overcomes this with its 238-mile battery electric driving range and approachable price, the first production electric car to achieve this milestone", said editor and publisher of GreenCarJournal, Ron Cogan.

The task of choosing the Chevrolet Bolt over the other finalists, namely the BMW 330e iPerformance, Chrysler Pacifica, Kia Optima, and Toyota Prius Prime, fell in the hands of a jury that included among others, Jay Leno, along with leaders of environmental and efficiency organizations.

The President of the Alliance to Save Energy, Kateri Callahan, CERES President Mindy Lubber, International Council on Clean Transportation's President Emeritus, Alan Lloyd, Board Member of Global Green USA, Matt Petersen, and President of Ocean Futures Society, Jean-Michel Cousteau, were also on the panel.

This is the second time in a row that Chevrolet walks home with the award, after last year's big winner, the second-generation Volt. Moreover, the Bolt was also named MotorTrend's 2017 Car of the Year.