Electric vehicles continue to charge into the market, the latest news coming from General Motors and Jeep.
A $30,000 GM SUV
General Motors revealed a new electric SUV Thursday that the automaker expects will be the cheapest compact electric SUV on the market when it goes into product in about a year. The Chevrolet Equinox EV will have a starting price around $30,000 which, at any rate, will make it among the cheapest electric vehicles of any sort.
The average electric vehicle available today has a base sticker price of about $47,500, according to Edmunds.com. The $30,000 price for the Equinox EV would be, of course, for the simplest version with no optional features. That price does not include tax credits but GM is not currently eligible for any electric vehicle tax credits, anyway, and it’s uncertain if any GM vehicles will be eligible under new rules, either.
Among 2022 model year mass-market EVs, only the Nissan Leaf, with its base price $28,500, costs less and it also currently qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit. There are a few other models in the low- to mid-$30,000 price range, too. Among them are Chevrolet’s own Bolt EV and the SUV-ish Bolt EUV.
Despite having the same name, the Equinox EV shares very little with the gasoline-powered small SUV that is Chevrolet’s second-best-selling model after the Silverado pickup. GM took the same approach with the Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup and the Chevrolet Blazer EV SUV, both of which were unveiled earlier this year. They share only their names and their basic size and form with gas models. All three, along wth GM’s GMC Hummer EV truck and Cadillac’s Lyriq SUV are designed around the same electric vehicle battery pack design and structure.
The Equinox EV is almost three inches wider than the gas model and slightly shorter, as measured from the roof to the ground. Unlike some electric vehicles, it has no front trunk. Instead the area under the hood holds electronics equipment and the front electric motor. GM designers and engineers decided to save the cost and complexity of trying to create a space under the hood and spend vehicle development time and money, instead, on creating a better experience inside the cabin, said Scott Bell, GM’s vice president for Chevrolet.
The Equinox EV will be available with two-tone paint jobs, something that’s been an industry trend for several years. Customers getting the sportier-looking RT models will be able to get a black roof with a differently colored body while those getting the standard LT models will be able to choose a contrasting white roof.
The cheapest version will be the so-called Blazer 1LT with a single 210 horsepower engine powering only the front wheels. It will have total driving range on a full charge of about 250 miles. Equinox EV 1LT SUVs will also be available with more driving range — up to 300 miles — and with all-wheel-drive and a driving range up to an estimated 280 miles, but those versions will, presumably, cost more. All-wheel-drive versions will be able to get as much as 290 horsepower from two electric motors.
Better-equipped versions, the 2LT and sportier-looking RS, will have either the 300-mile range or all-wheel-drive with up to 280 miles of range. Unlike the more expensive Blazer EV, the Equinox EV will be available only with all- or front-wheel-drive. There will not be a rear-wheel-drive option.
The EV Jeeps
Jeep will bring out three new all-electric SUVs over the next few years as it moves toward selling only electric vehicles in Europe by 2030 and having half its sales in the US be all-electric by then, too.
Executives for the off-road SUV brand also indicated that more fully electric SUVs will be revealed in the near future. Jeep currently offers two plug-in hybrid models in the US, the Wrangler 4xe and the Grand Cherokee 4xe. The Wrangler 4xe is, by far, the best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle in America. In Europe, Jeep also has available plug-in hybrid versions of the Jeep Wrangler and Compass small SUVs.
With a history dating back to World War II, the SUV-only Jeep brand is now part of Stellantis, along with brands like Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat and Citroën. It has long been identified with off-road capability and outdoor recreation,and accordingly, that’s a big part of what it’s targeting with its first electric offerings.
In North America, Jeep will offer the Recon, a Jeep Wrangler-like off-road vehicle, and much like the traditional Jeep Wrangler, it’ll come complete with removable doors and a large cloth sunroof that allows nearly the entire roof to be opened. The Recon will only be available as an electric vehicle, according to Jeep. It will have a storage area under the hood where the engine would ordinarily be in a gas-powered SUV. Full details on the vehicle will be provided sometime next year and it’s planned to go into production in 2024.
While it’s similar to the Wrangler, the Recon will not immediately replace that vehicle, said Christian Meunier, global head of the Jeep brand.
“The Wrangler stays the Wrangler,” he said, calling it“the icon of the brand.”
The new Jeep electric vehicles all have some version of Jeep’s famous “seven slot grille” even though electric vehicles don’t really need grilles. The design element points up the delicate balance between Jeep’s long heritage as a rugged off-road brand and the future demands for environmental sensitivity.
Jeep will also offer a new larger electric SUV the brand has code-namedthe Wagoneer S. This vehicle will have a “unique, sleek aerodynamic design and 4×4 capability as standard,” Jeep announced. The 600 horsepower SUV will be able to travel 400 miles on a charge and will able to go from zero to 60 miles an hour in 3.5 seconds, according to Jeep. It’s design incorporates a large rear wing over a sloping backend.
In Europe, Jeep will offer the Avenger, a compact electric SUV smaller than the current Jeep Renegade, the smallest model Jeep offers in the US. Jeep expects the Avenger to be able to drive as far as 400 kilometers, or nearly 249 miles, before needing to recharge. Jeep also promises impressive off-road maneuverability for a vehicle of its size. The Avenger will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October, according to Jeep.
Jeep also plans to install 80 solar-powered electric vehicle chargers on off-road trails around the United States, Meunier said. So far, four have been installed but the company intends to increase the pace of installations, he said.