New Chevy Bolt EUV Is EV Value Power Play

Range, performance and connectivity are all buzzwords when automakers promote their electric vehicles but the entry of Chevrolet’s 2022 Bolt EUV now forces the issue on one more—value. We had our first chance to take a drive in a deep red Bolt EUV last week from suburban Detroit to the banks of the River Raisin in Monroe, Mich., boyhood home of Gen. George Custer.

The first important thing to note is the Bolt is not a luxury vehicle but is squarely aimed at giving anyone interested in moving to an electric vehicle a choice that’s attractive, comfortable, functional and stuffed with technology at a modest price for an EV.

Perhaps the most audacious tech play Chevy pulled was offering General Motors’ Super Cruise hands-free technology on the Premier level of the Bolt EUV—previously available only on much more costly Cadillac models. It”s a $2,200 option which gives you three years of Super Cruise service. After that, owners can continue service by opting into a $25 a month subscription.

Autotrader executive editor Brian Moody says offering hands-free technology in a vehicle wearing the marque of so-called value brand is a smart move by GM

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“The real story here is that GM is the leading automaker with self-driving cars available to consumers today. Much like OnStar, another ground-breaking piece of tech, GM seem OK with letting others make the big claims. But the truth is: Super Cruise works. It’s a truly capable, hands-free automated driving system consumers can purchase and use right now,” said Moody in comments emailed to Forbes.com.

Super Cruise functions on over 200,000 miles of compatible roads, mostly superhighways, in North America, so no better place to put it through its paces than on busy I-75 heading toward Toledo where it’s quite normal to be hemmed in by lumbering and swaying semi-trailers and other assorted commercial vehicles.

Pulling alongside one of those big rigs it was fun to engage Super Cruise, quickly look over at the driver in the truck cab, wait for the green light on the upper arc of the steering wheel to let me know Super Cruise was ready to take over, and let go of the wheel. Since Super Cruise detects and reacts rather convincingly if the driver isn’t paying attention to the road, I dared not look over for the truck driver’s reaction. What can be reported is that over several dozen miles of hands-free driving the Bolt EUV stayed in its lane, under control and maintained a safe distance behind the vehicle ahead thanks to Super Cruise’s coordination with the vehicle’s adaptive cruise control.

The Bolt EUV was otherwise easy to drive manually and the ride was comfortable and visibility all around was sufficient. Driving range is estimated at 259 miles. Our approximately 60 mile round trip began with the gauge on the instrument panel reading 225 miles of charge remaining and indicated 170 on our return—55 miles. A full review of the Bolt EUV can be found at on Forbes.com/Wheels.

The utility version of the Bolt is about six inches longer than the standard Bolt EV, which was redesigned for the 2022 model year. They share an architecture but no exterior sheet metal parts. Aside from offering Super Cruise on the premium Premier model, Chevy tosses in other extras that add to the Bolt EUVs overall value, especially compared to that buzzy EV built in Fremont, Calif.

Pricing for the Bolt EUV ranges from a base of $33,995 for the LT trim level to $38,495 for the higher Premier. Destination charges are included for both. Before getting into the extras, it’s important to note the comparisons with the Tesla Models Y and 3—an SUV and passenger car respectively.

The Model Y with Tesla’s Autopilot driver assist technology starts at $51,690 while an Autopilot-equipped Model 3’s starting sticker comes in at $47,690, including destination charges.

Do the math. Add that $2,200 to the Premier level Bolt EUV’s $38,495 sticker and you’re paying about $40,695, still more than 10 grand less than an Autpilot-equipped Tesla Model Y.

GM also lowered the price of the Bolt EV more than $5,000 from the previous model, bringing its based price down to $31,995 before any state, local or utility incentives.

To take the stress out of how to keep the vehicle charged, Chevy covers the standard installation of Level 2 charging capability for customers who purchase or lease a 2022 Bolt EUV or Bolt EV through its relationship with Qmerit. Bolt program engineering manager Rob Mantinan explained the offer is limited to customers whose garage or enclosure already has sufficient electrical service. “It can’t be a wooden shack in the middle of a field,” he said.

A dual level charge cord is free for Bolt EUV buyers and a $295 option for those who opt for the Bolt EV. That means an owner need only have one charging cord regardless of whether the charging station is level 1 at 120 volts or level 2 at 220 volts.

Is a Bolt to Tesla comparison fair? Autotrader’s Brian Moody says it is, explaining, “With EVs, comparisons to Tesla are valid, as Tesla is the far-and-away leader in this space. But it’s important to remember that Telsa

TSLA
is a luxury brand at the end of the day, not a value brand like Chevrolet. Because value is key to the Chevrolet formula, it’s a smart move by the brand to be including extras like a home charger. That can really help on-the-fence shoppers make the EV choice.”

J.D. Power study released last week shows there are plenty of those on-the-fence shoppers. Results of its first Electric Vehicle Consideration Study measuring responses from 9,030 consumers who said they intend to buy or lease a new vehicle in the next 12 months, indicated battery electric vehicle supply outweighs consumer interest.

“For every new-vehicle shopper seriously considering BEVs, there’s another at the opposite end of the spectrum,” said Stewart Stropp, senior director, automotive retail at J.D. Power in a release. He went on to warn automakers, “To avoid a potential ongoing inventory surplus, it behooves manufacturers and retailers to identify why shoppers in the middle ground aren’t completely sold on the technology, and how to get them over the hump into the ‘very likely’ consideration camp.”

By all indications, the combination of the price points, availability of very premium Super Cruise hands-free driver assist technology on the Bolt EUV and other extras along with a pretty attractive design package for both the EUV and EV is the sort of value play that may just be enough to get those undecided shoppers over the hump to at least consider an electric vehicle.

Both the 2022 Bolt EV and EUV are available this summer.