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Chevy starts manufacturing the Bolt
A new wave of affordable yet practical electric cars is finally reaching production lines. GM has started manufacturing the Chevy Bolt at a plant in Orion Township, Michigan, putting it on track to sell the $30,000 (after tax credits) EV in California and Oregon by the end of the year. It's not certain just who'll get first crack at the Bolt besides Lyft drivers (there are no reservations, as the AP notes), but it's safe to say that Chevy is beating Tesla to the punch -- the Model 3 doesn't enter production until mid-2017.
Chevy truck brings hydrogen fuel cells to the military
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles aren't just for eco-conscious civilian drivers. Chevy has unveiled the Colorado ZH2, an experimental truck designed to test the feasibility of fuel cells in the military. Its powerplant is much quieter and cooler-running than a conventional gas motor, making it ideal for special ops where conventional trucks would blow your cover. However, its real specialty doesn't involve driving at all -- you can use the modular cell to power devices outside the truck with up to 25kW of continuous electricity. A squad could run equipment while camped out in mid-mission, for example.
The first Chevy Bolt EV you see might be your Lyft ride
Shortly before General Motors scooped up the pieces of failed Uber competitor Sidecar back in January, they invested $500 million in Lyft for a partnership to create a self-driving vehicle network. In August, news broke that the car giant made an offer to buy the ride-sharing company, but was rebuffed. Their intertwined saga continues today, as they announced that Lyft drivers would be among the first to get Chevy's Bolt electric vehicles.
The all-electric Chevy Bolt costs $30,000
Chevy has hemmed and hawed over the ins and outs of its Bolt electric vehicle's pricing, but now we have some specifics. Driving one off the lot with the "well equipped" LT trim package comes with a rear camera, 10.2-inch touch screen and a Regen-on-Demand paddle will set you back $37,495 according to the automaker.
Uber's self-driving cars, and more in the week that was
It's official: Self-driving cars are here. This week Uber's autonomous taxi fleet picked up its first passengers in Pittsburgh, while Ford announced that its self-driving car will have no steering wheel, gas pedal, or brakes. Ford is also working on cars that can harvest drinking water from thin air -- and then dispense it from a dashboard tap. In other auto news, the Chevy Bolt scored an EPA-certified driving range of 238 miles -- further than the base Tesla Model S. Tesla sued an oil exec for allegedly impersonating Elon Musk to steal trade secrets. And design studio Duffy London debuted the solar-powered super yacht of the future.
Chevrolet cuts in-car LTE data pricing in half
The ongoing cost of owning a new car just got a little cheaper for Chevy drivers who opted to trick out their new vehicles with 4G LTE data plans. As CNET's Roadshow reports today, the automaker has cut the rates for its in-car cellular service in half.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Toyota's new Prius, and more!
Tesla is set to unveil its most affordable electric car ever next weekend, but Chevrolet stole a bit of its thunder by rolling out the first pre-production Bolt EV. Meanwhile, Toyota debuted the Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid with a record-breaking 120 MPGe rating. Hybrid Air Vehicles launched the world's largest airship, which can fly for three weeks straight without a crew. And frequent fliers will be relieved to learn that Airbus has developed a new plane designed to eliminate jet lag.
Chevy's new Malibu keeps teens safe from themselves
The Chevy Malibu used to conjure up images of teen rebellion. The late '60's/early '70s SS muscle car was the go-to backroads drag racer for more than a few adolescents. And while the latest incarnation is more "grocery getter" than rumbling rocket, it still has four wheels, which means kids will figure out a way to put their lives in danger while behind the wheel. GM wants to curb that.
Watch an electric Corvette shatter a speed record
Numerous car makers and gearheads have built extremely quick electric vehicles, but who holds the speed record? Not necessarily who'd you'd expect. The International Mile Racing Association has declared that Genovation's GXE, a heavily modified Chevy Corvette, is the world's fastest street-legal electric car. As you'll see in the video below, the sports EV hit a brisk 186.8MPH while hardly breaking a sweat. The GXE team accomplished the feat in its first day of testing, in fact, so it's entirely possible that you'll see higher speeds in the near future.
The 7 best green cars from the 2016 Detroit Auto Show
By Marc Carter This week the world's biggest automakers gathered in snowy Detroit to kick off the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. Over 40 new models debuted at this year's event -- including some groundbreaking green vehicles. From the world's first electric minivan to next-gen hybrids and futuristic hydrogen cars, read on to learn about seven of this year's standouts.
Inhabitat Week in Green: All the EVs at CES, and more!
Want to see the future of transportation? Look to CES 2016, where innovators debuted the state of the art in high-tech mobility. Chevrolet kicked things off by launching the first electric car for the masses, the 2017 Bolt EV. It gets 200 miles per charge and will cost around $30,000. (Check out our interview with GM engineering chief Pam Fletcher here.) Meanwhile, the mysterious startup Faraday Future showcased an insane 1,000-horsepower electric vehicle that looks like a rocket ship and Ehang showcased an autonomous helicopter that can carry you up to 11,000 feet without a pilot. And a Chinese "hoverboard" company made the news when federal marshals raided their booth over copyright concerns.
What you missed on day three at CES
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-728192{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-728192, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-728192{width:100%;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-728192").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Day three of CES wasn't quite as crazy as day two, but it was still a massive gadget overload. Never fear, though, because we've once again wrapped up the highlights here with a nice neat bow. Topping the list was Chevy's new all-electric Bolt, an EV that lets you travel more than 200 miles on a charge, then top back up to 80 percent within an hour. More insane but far less likely is Ehang's 184 personal drone that can ferry you up to 10 miles, well above the traffic jams. We also saw the stunning, rollable OLED displays from LG. We don't know why we want one, we just know that we do. To catch up, we've got more details in our gallery and the video above.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The new Prius and a two-legged puppy
2016 is shaping up to be a tremendous year for green transportation. This week Honda announced plans to launch its Clarity Fuel Cell car next year in the US, while Gogoro is getting ready to roll out its battery-swapping Smartscooters in Europe. Chevrolet scored a grand slam as the 2016 Volt won the Green Car of the Year award, and we jumped behind the wheel of the completely redesigned 2016 Toyota Prius to give you the scoop. We also showcased two wild pedal-powered vehicles: a folding bike that weighs less than a watermelon and the world's longest bicycle, which stretches an absurd 117 feet.
Apple CarPlay review: A useful companion, even in its early stages
It's been two years since Apple announced its plot to put your iPhone's core features inside the dash of your car, but only now is its CarPlay software becoming available in lots of new models. In brief, CarPlay allows you to connect your trusty iOS device to a vehicle's infotainment system to make things like texts, maps and music accessible from the console. Sure, the goal is to provide an easier way to use your phone on the road, but it also nixes the distraction of swiping through screens on the phone itself. To put CarPlay through its paces, I hit the highway for a 7.5-hour road trip in a 2016 Camaro SS, a model that'll arrive soon at your local dealer. From Philadelphia to Raleigh, North Carolina, I used it to navigate, find food and stream in-car entertainment along the way. This first version of Apple's software for the car is certainly useful, but as I found, there's room for improvement.
Domino's built a pizza delivery car with its own oven
You have to sympathize with pizza delivery drivers. They're rarely driving more than an everyday car (often their own), which won't do much to help them get a pizza to your door on time. Clearly, Domino's Pizza feels their pain. The food giant has unveiled the DXP (Delivery ExPert), a heavily modified Chevy Spark that's focused on pie transport. The star attraction is an outward-facing oven in the back -- drivers can grab your piping-hot pizza without skipping a beat. There's also storage space for a whopping 80 pizzas (office party, anyone?), an out-for-delivery light and a puddle light to prevent any rude surprises when stepping outside.
Chevy's Android Auto update will reach cars in March
Buying a brand new Chevy with the hopes of using Android Auto during your daily commute? You'll have to sit tight for a while before that dream becomes reality. The car maker has announced that an Android Auto software update will only reach its 2016 model year vehicles this March, starting with those which have 8-inch MyLink touchscreen systems. That's going to be a long half-year wait if you're eager to get Google Maps directions through the center stack. The good news? Chevy is promising that all vehicles with 7- and 8-inch MyLink displays (ranging from the Spark to the Corvette) will eventually have Android Auto, so you won't have to drive one of the brand's swankier machines to get a smartphone-powered infotainment deck.
Hackers control connected cars using text messages
It's not only Chrysler drivers that have to worry about hackers taking control of their cars from afar. UC San Diego researchers have found that you can control features on cars of many makes by exploiting vulnerabilities in cellular-capable dongles that are sometimes plugged into the vehicles' OBD-II ports, such as insurance trackers and driving efficiency tools. In the example you see above, the security team compromised a Corvette touting a Mobile Devices dongle (one of the most common varieties) through everyday text messages -- they could turn on the wipers or even cut the brakes. That same device is also set to allow remote tunneling using a universal 'private' key, making it easy for an intruder to get complete control over the adapter and its unfortunate host car.
Chevy's 2016 cars can keep charging phones from overheating
Early summer on the East Coast hasn't been its usual level of brutal this year, but it's only a matter of time before smartphones start wigging out in the heat. Things only get trickier when you're charging up in your sweltering car, so Chevy cooked up an "active phone cooling" system to keep gadgets from overheating in their 2016 range of vehicles. Don't get too carried away, though: That's just a high-falutin' name for an air vent that points at a warm phone while it's wirelessly charging.
GM powers data center with used Chevy Volt batteries
General Motors believes old Chevy Volt (and eventually, Bolt) batteries have a future as backup power sources for houses and buildings that use renewable energy. In fact, the company has repurposed five old Volt batteries to help power its data center in Milford, Michigan. They store energy generated by the center's 74-kilowatt solar array and wind turbines, and then feed the surplus back to the Milford campus grid. GM senior manager Pablo Valencia said that's possible, because the batteries retain 80 percent of their storage capacity, even after they're no longer ideal for cars.
Chevrolet's 2016 models support both CarPlay and Android Auto
Apple's and Google's in-car efforts aren't mainstream just yet, but manufacturers have given us a glimpse at how these features will work going forward. Soon enough, most automakers are expected to support CarPlay or Android Auto, even though others like Toyota won't be playing along anytime soon. Chevrolet, meanwhile, announced today that 14 of its 2016 models, including cars, trucks and crossovers, will be compatible with CarPlay and Android Auto, making it easy for people to enjoy either platform based on which smartphone they own. What this means is that buyers don't have to worry about choosing one over the other; instead, Chevy's MyLink infotainment system is compatible with both simultaneously.
