DETROIT – Even as gas prices hit their lowest point in five years, the North American Auto Show opened this week with lots of buzz about electric cars. New models introduced at the show offer more than double the range of most of the current electric vehicles at price points meant to appeal to a wide range of consumers.

The big news from day one of the show was GM’s unveiling of the new Chevy Bolt EV, a plug-in electric car aimed at middle America, with a price tag around $30,000 and about a 200-mile range. While GM didn’t say when it would be available, analysts suggest likely 12 to 18 months. The Bolt is hoping to compete with the much-heralded Tesla Model 3, which is scheduled to roll out with a 2017 model in the $35,000 range. Much has been made of the Bolt, which represents a risk for GM, but also a sign that the manufacturer is taking a long view, banking on increased adoption of electric vehicles.

GM also introduced a new 2016 model of the Volt, the gas/electric hybrid that first hit the pavement in 2010, featuring an EPA-rated 50-mile range for the battery pack (compared to 36 miles for the current model). A reviewer for Scientific American magazine described the redesigned Volt as “impressively unremarkable,” suggesting that will boost its appeal for many Americans who are not impressed by some of the more “futuristic” flourishes of other electric vehicles.

At the same time, sales of the Nissan Leaf, which gets 84 miles per charge, were up 34% last year according to recent reports.