New Chevy Volt Could Spark Competition With Tesla Model S

GM's 2016 Chevy Volt is all-new and will hit showrooms in 11 states across the country at the end of October and at a fraction of the cost of a Tesla Model S it will likely give electric car enthusiasts another option to consider. The new Volt will have 40 percent more driving range than its predecessor. GM's Chief Executive Engineer in charge of electric vehicles said, 'The car is all new. I think the thing people will be happiest about is when they look at that range number.' The 2016 Volt can now go 53 miles on one charge. While the first generation Volt looked more like an 'electric car,' GM took great pains to make sure the second generation car was sportier and had a wider appeal. Fletcher said, 'People told us they wanted a beautiful, intuitive interior. They didn’t want something that was too much of a science fair. Very intuitive. Simple to use.' Fletcher points to the center display which is about the size of an iPad and has large, easy to navigate icons, which look very close to what drivers might find on their smartphones. In addition to the easy to read displays which were based on customer feedback, GM's design team also added knobs for features that drivers use frequently.' For electric car makers, one of the biggest challenges is working with a sophisticated battery system. For the latest generation Volt, the battery is lighter and packs more power.