It took far too lengthy to get right here, however it could have been well worth the wait. The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, GM’s smallest and least costly battery-electric car, is lastly rolling into dealerships throughout the nation. Now we’ve pushed it, and it’s good.
You may view the electrical Equinox because the anti-Tesla. The place the Silicon Valley startup’s Mannequin Y is aggressively tech-forward, with few controls exterior its central touchscreen, the Chevy is soothingly predictable, with knobs for local weather management, a stalk for the flip alerts and wipers, and one other for the gear selector. It even has a drive selector on the column, identical to a sixties Chevy with a column-shift computerized—which opens up the console to make room for 2 giant drinks and even a slot for pens (although, oddly, the Equinox EV doesn’t supply wi-fi charging in any trim).
The place the Tesla’s Mannequin Y is aggressively tech-forward, with few controls exterior its central touchscreen, the Chevy is soothingly predictable.
Not visibly electrical
The comparatively smooth crossover form says “small SUV” with out telegraphing the electrical powertrain, and the inside bears a transparent household resemblance to different Chevy fashions—together with the big horizontal touchscreen and digital instrument cluster.
Images Courtesy of Chevrolet
Carry one house for a check drive, and your neighbors may by no means know you’re driving an EV—besides, after all, for its buzzing sound under 22 mph and its easy, silent acceleration. Chevy caters to mainstream US automotive customers, and the Equinox EV nearly appears designed to reassure them: “See, look, EVs aren’t bizarre or unusual. They’re identical to, y’know, common vehicles.”
Crucially, with EVs nonetheless priced above the market common and rates of interest excessive, the Equinox EV is GM’s most reasonably priced plug-in mannequin. The launch variations begin at $43,295 for the 2LT trim (which wraps within the required $1,395 price for supply). The high-end 3RS trim begins at $46,795. All-wheel drive provides $3,400. The RS trim is an look package deal for $1,500. Each Equinox EV is eligible for the federal $7,500 buy rebate, which brings the entire price under the essential $40,000 degree.
Even higher, Chevy guarantees an entry-level trim beginning at $34,995 “later this yr.” If this proves to be actual, that’s a value beneath $30,000 after the point-of-sale rebate—assuming the entry-level mannequin is broadly out there, and never only a single loss-leader car to lure in customers. It additionally assumes the dealership performs ball and doesn’t maintain some or the entire rebate for itself (it has occurred).
Massive battery, massive miles
Constructed on the Ultium platform that may spawn near a dozen totally different crossover utility autos and full-size vans and SUVs, the Equinox EV competes straight throughout with the Tesla Mannequin Y—together with on EPA-rated vary. On the time of writing, an Equinox EV with front-wheel drive (319 miles, $43,295) barely undercuts the Tesla Mannequin Y Lengthy Vary RWD on value (320 miles, $44,990) with equal vary. Each model of every car qualifies for the $7,500 federal point-of-sale buy rebate. Nonetheless, notice that Tesla adjustments costs and specs so usually that this data could already be outdated. Verify the ranges and costs for your self.
Each model of the Equinox EV provided in spring 2024 is powered by an 85 kWh battery that makes use of NMCA cells fabricated at one of many two joint-venture GM-LG Ultium cell vegetation in Ohio or Tennessee.
Chevy can present greater than 300 miles of EPA vary as a result of it makes use of a bigger battery pack than most rivals. Past the Tesla Mannequin Y, these embrace the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Nissan Ariya and Volkswagen ID.4. Each model of the Equinox EV provided in spring 2024 is powered by an 85 kWh battery that makes use of NMCA cells fabricated at one of many two joint-venture GM-LG Ultium cell vegetation—in Lordstown, Ohio or Spring Hill, Tennessee. (A 3rd cell plant in Lansing, Michigan is now beneath building.)
That battery sends present to a 213 hp motor powering the entrance wheels. All-wheel-drive variations add a second motor on the rear, giving a complete mixed energy ranking of 288 hp—at the price of a decrease vary ranking. EPA ranges are 319 miles for FWD, however 285 miles for AWD.
Spacious, predictable, not bizarre
Chevrolet calls the 2024 Equinox EV a “compact” crossover, but it surely has the scale of a mid-size SUV from 20 years in the past. It’s additionally longer, wider and heavier than the gasoline Equinox. The phenomenon of automotive bracket creep is actual, and pervasive, however the electrical Equinox is on the very outer fringe of what you may fairly think about “compact.” That mentioned, the additional dimension goes towards wonderful inside quantity—not each compact crossover lets 6-foot passengers sit behind each other. The flat flooring forward of rear-seat riders provides to the sense of spaciousness.
Behind the wheel, the Equinox EV lacks the explosive acceleration supplied by a few of its electrical rivals. Acceleration is completely appropriate (0-60 mph in 8.0 seconds for the FWD mannequin, Chevy says, and 6.0 seconds for AWD), however the pedal really feel is progressive, that means the motive force should particularly ask for energy to get it—and full-bore acceleration requires flooring the pedal. Similar to a gasoline automotive, maybe?
Each Equinox EV carries an onboard AC charger rated at 11.5 kW. DC quick charging at as much as 150 kW comes by way of a CCS port.
On the highway, the dealing with and roadholding induces confidence with out being significantly memorable. Our check drive happened in and round Detroit, a monotonously flat area laid out largely with straight and rectilinear roads—that means we had zero likelihood to toss it by hilly curves to see the way it does exterior a typical suburban driving situation.
We additionally didn’t get an opportunity to check the charging functionality. Each Equinox EV carries an onboard AC charger rated at 11.5 kW, which interprets to as a lot as 36 miles of vary added for every hour of charging. DC quick charging at as much as 150 kW comes by way of a CCS port. Chevrolet quotes “roughly 77 miles of vary in 10 minutes,” although it notes that may range based mostly on the battery’s state of cost, the ambient temperature, the ability functionality of the charging station, and additional elements. Chevy instructed reporters bidirectional charging for V2H electrical backup can be supplied by an over-the-air replace in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later.
Images Courtesy of Chevrolet
Images By John Voelcker
The Ultium abyss
We might have had the Equinox EV earlier—and its massive brother, the Blazer EV, a lot earlier—if GM hadn’t run into prolonged and embarrassing issues in getting the equipment that assembles the Ultium battery modules to run at something approaching high-volume charges. That drawback first arose in 2022, and took 12 to 18 months to deal with correctly.
It brought about GM to again away from guarantees of particular EV gross sales volumes it had made. In February 2022, the corporate mentioned it anticipated to promote 400,000 EVs by the tip of 2023. In October of that yr, simply eight months later, it rolled the date again to mid-2024—after which gave up altogether on the 400,000 quantity. Precise 2023 gross sales of Ultium EVs had been simply 13,838, principally Cadillac Lyriqs.
These issues now look like historical past, and Chevrolet is beginning to ship Silverado EVs, Blazer EVs and Equinox EVs to its EV-certified dealerships. The corporate’s Q1 gross sales weren’t something to write down house about—solely the Lyriq posted significant numbers—and Q2 will possible be higher, however not a blowout. Watch the gross sales outcomes for Q3 and This fall to see whether or not GM delivers six figures’ value of EVs in calendar 2024. Add that to a predicted 40,000 Honda Prologues and 20,000 Acura ZDXes—constructed on the identical underpinnings, in the identical vegetation because the Cadillac and Chevy utility autos—and we’ll see whether or not that is the yr GM lastly begins to promote EVs in quantity after killing off the Bolt EV and EUV late final yr.
As all the time, the large problem is the sellers by whom any automotive shopper is required by regulation to purchase any new car. GM CEO Mary Barra routinely refers back to the firm’s community of independently owned and operated third-party franchised sellers as “valued companions,” however that standing acknowledges the bounds on what GM can and may’t get them to do.
A current article in E&E Information queried auto sellers who’re Congressional representatives about EVs and their prospects. “The EV market is phony. It’s not actual,” mentioned Rep. Roger Williams (R-TN). He chairs the Home Small Enterprise Committee, and owns a Texas dealership promoting Stellantis manufacturers. His dealership refuses to promote EVs.
The most important query is whether or not the corporate’s sellers will take the time to know these new merchandise intimately and be prepared to clarify them to cautious however EV-curious prospects.
Williams will not be typical, however the greatest query hanging over Chevrolet and GM isn’t whether or not it could actually construct the EVs. It’s whether or not the corporate’s sellers will take the time to know these new merchandise intimately, be prepared to clarify them to cautious however EV-curious prospects, and promote them as aggressively as they do the combustion-engine Equinox. So far, most sellers haven’t finished so—and much too many have misrepresented their EV merchandise or outright lied about their capabilities, how charging is completed, and the remaining.
Even when a lot of it was purported to occur final yr, this many EV fashions from GM hitting the market throughout 2024 is certain to have an effect. Watch to see how sellers deal with the deluge of latest merchandise. You might even take a stroll all the way down to your close by Chevrolet supplier and see for your self.
Chevrolet supplied airfare, lodging and meals to allow Charged to carry you this first-person drive report. Photograph By John Voelcker
This text first appeared in Concern 68: April-June 2024 – Subscribe now.
