By General Motors of Canada, Toronto - The Chevrolet Bolt was named Overall Winner of the 2018 Canadian Green Car Award.  The Chevrolet Bolt was also named Overall Winner in 2017, marking the first time in the Award's six-year history that a vehicle has won back to back.  The Chevrolet Volt took home the award in 2016, making this the third consecutive win for the brand.

The Bolt EV, winner of this year's Zero Emission category, was selected by a panel of top Canadian automotive journalists from among six category winners as the vehicle that best combines environmental benefits and mass-market appeal.

The Canadian Green Car Awards recognizes vehicles, widely available in Canada, that combine impressive environmental attributes with strong mass-market appeal.  The assessments included criteria, such as fuel consumption, emissions and price, as well as the judges' evaluations of performance, driving experience, value, features and "green" qualities.

QUOTING:

"Chevrolet is honoured to accept the Canadian Green Car Award for the third consecutive year", said Ester Bucci, brand, product and technology communications manager at Chevrolet Canada.  "This award reinforces Chevrolet's commitment to offering an affordable, world-changing vehicle that delivers on the promise of an electric car for the masses.  Chevrolet is dedicated to continued innovation in electrification, that will bring the thrill of driving an electric vehicle to many more Canadians."

2018 BOLT EV BACKGROUND:

Chevrolet is proud to lead the market and sell more plug-in electric vehicles in Canada than any other brand.  The Chevrolet Bolt EV sets the range benchmark for an affordable EV capable of going the distance by delivering up to 383 kilometres on a full charge.  Bolt EV starts at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $44,300 (plus $1,795 freight charge and $100 air conditioning tax).  In Ontario, pricing can be as low as $31,911 after the eligible Ontario provincial incentive of $12,389.

About the Canadian Green Car Award

The Canadian Green Car Award is Canada's premier award recognizing vehicles with the greatest potential for environmental benefits.  The Award is an independent program developed by automotive journalists Eric Novak, Michael Bettencourt and Peter Gorrie, who comprise its steering committee.  The Award recognizes vehicles, widely available in Canada, that offer both impressive environmental attributes and strong mass-market appeal, since any product can have a significant impact only if it sells in large numbers.

By Andrew McCredit, Driving.ca - GM better add some more shelves to its trophy case.

The Chevrolet Bolt is the winner of the 2017 Canadian Green Car Award, presented at the Green Living Show in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

A panel of 13 top Canadian automotive journalists selected the Bolt, a groundbreaking electric vehicle with a 383-kilometre range, from among six category winners as the vehicle that best combines environmental benefits and mass-market appeal.

The other category winners include the Chevrolet Volt (Plug-in Hybrid), the Hyundai Ioniq (Conventional Hybrid), the Honda Civic (Efficient Internal Combustion), Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid (Efficient Three-Row Family Vehicle) and the Jaguar XE 2.0D (Fun Car).

Andrew Horsman, executive director of Ontario Tire Stewardship, which recycles 95 per cent of Ontario's tires into a variety of useful and valuable products, presented the trophy to Matthew Stokes, assistant brand manager for Chevrolet Canada.

"It's a true honour for Chevrolet to be recognized with the Canadian Green Car Award for the second year in a row, with Volt in 2016, and now the game-changing Bolt EV in 2017," Stokes said.  "Chevrolet is committed to innovation and electrification and we are proud to sell more plug-in electric vehicles in Canada than any other brand.

According to Eric Novak of EnviroDad.com, the Award's Co-Creator and member of the Steering Committee, the Bolt EV was the clear choice of the judging panel, receiving 11 of 13 first-place votes from among the six category winners.

"Our list of category winners this year was exceptional, however in the end our judges felt that the Chevrolet Bolt EV, with its game-changing range and competitive price point, was most deserving of being named overall winner," Novak said, adding the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid was the only other vehicle to garner first-place votes.

Ford's Fusion Hybrid won the inaugural 2013 Canadian Green Car Award, followed in 2014 by the Honda Accord Hybrid, the Kia Soul EV in 2015 and, last year, the Chevrolet Volt.

Drivers can push range boundaries with selectable one-pedal driving modes

By General Motors Canada, Oshawa - The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will offer drivers a customizable one-pedal driving experience that allows for maximum total vehicle range.

One-pedal driving combines the highest available level of regenerative braking, which captures otherwise lost energy from deceleration and sends it back to the Bolt EV battery pack for the greatest total vehicle range.  Along with additional software controls, regen braking allows the driver to stop the vehicle without using the brake pedal in certain driving conditions.

"Bolt EV customers who want an engaging driving experience will love the thrill of one-pedal driving," said Bolt EV Chief Engineer Josh Tavel.  "They will be able to tailor the vehicle to their preferred driving style and maximize their range."

Progressively stronger levels of regen braking are employed in all Bolt EV driving through a series of four driver-selectable modes.

1. Operating in Drive and easing off the accelerator
2. Operating in Drive and using the Regen on Demand paddle on the back of the steering wheel
3. Operating in Low and easing off the accelerator
4. Operating in Low and using the Regen on Demand paddle in tandem

Number 1 provides the lowest level of regen braking and requires the use of the brake pedal to bring the vehicle to a complete stop.  Numbers 2-4 are progressively stronger one-pedal driving modes that in certain driving situations allow a driver to stop the vehicle without using the brake pedal.  (One-pedal modes do not eliminate the need to use the brake pedal altogether, especially in emergency situations.)

Using a vehicle simulation model, engineers compared regen performance on a testing cycle that simulated heavy stop-and-go traffic in Drive and another using one-pedal driving while in Low and also the Regen on Demand paddle.  The engineers found that the one-pedal driving can add up to 5 percent of range to the Bolt EV.

During interviews with Chevrolet, EV enthusiasts expressed their desire for one-pedal driving capability.  Bolt EV owners, much like Chevrolet's enthusiastic Volt customers, will enjoy using regen braking to maximize every charge of the vehicle's 60 kWh battery pack.  The Bolt EV is GM-estimated to provide up to 320 kilometres of EV range.