Automakers went straight to appealing to the one-percenters with electric vehicles. The Tesla Roadster, which was one of the first EVs on sale, came out with a hefty price tag of roughly $110,000 back in 2008. While Tesla has introduced more affordable electric vehicles, none have lived up to the bold promises that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made to have a sub-$30,000 EV. Musk and Tesla can talk about an affordable EV all they want, but while they continue to talk, Chevrolet has actually introduced an electric SUV with a price tag of $30,000.
Chevrolet recently announced the 2024 Equinox EV that will officially go on sale in the fall of 2023 and wear a price tag that the automaker claims will “start around $30,000.” If true, that would make the Equinox EV one of the more affordable all-electric options on sale, even below the budget-friendly Chevy Bolt EV, as the average price of a new EV in September reached $65,291, according to Kelley Blue Book.
The starting price tag will be for the SUV’s entry-level 1LT trim, which won’t come with the most thrills and frills, but it’s all about that starting price tag. Based on the information that Chevy has put out on the Equinox EV, the base model will come with front-wheel drive, a single electric motor that produces 210 horsepower, and an estimated range of 250 miles. While Chevrolet isn’t ready to talk about battery sizes, the Equinox EV will come with DC fast-charging capability to get nearly 70 miles of range in 10 minutes.
The base 1LT trim will also come with an 11-inch digital instrument cluster and an 11-inch central touchscreen that will be integrated into a single until. To keep things as affordable as possible, the base trim has manually adjustable front seats and doesn’t have a front trunk for extra cargo.
For consumers that aren’t interested in a $30,000 electric SUV, the range-topping 3RS trim comes with a larger 17.7-inch touchscreen, 21-inch wheels, up to 300 miles of range, heated and ventilated front seats, and power-adjustable front seats. The 3RS is also available with General Motors’ hands-free Super Cruise system.
On paper, it looks like the 2024 Equinox EV makes some concessions to get the SUV to the $30,000 price tag. Regardless of how Chevy managed to get the Equinox EV’s price down, the automaker should be given the benefit of the doubt, as Tesla’s most affordable vehicle is the Model 3 which costs $46,990, while the similarly sized Model Y starts at $65,990. With the rear-wheel-drive Model 3, you’re getting 272 miles of range, a 15-inch touchscreen, and a host of advanced safety features that include the poorly named Autopilot suite.
With the Equinox EV, Chevrolet is looking to have a “game-changer” on its hands. Based on pricing alone, we’re inclined to say that Chevy’s right, as other automakers like Hyundai, Kia, Ford, and Volkswagen – certainly not Tesla with Musk’s focus now being on Twitter – will have to follow up with a competitor.
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