Friday, March 29

First Look at the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV | Digital Trends Spanish


The Chevrolet Equinox EV 2024 is not the brand’s first electric model General Motors, but it could be the most important. Chevy has plenty of experience with electric vehicles, but with the Equinox EV, which is scheduled to go on sale in the fall of 2023, it’s prioritizing mass-market appeal.

The third electric vehicle presented by Chevrolet this year, after the Silverado EV and Blazer EV, the Equinox EV is aiming for greater affordability with a starting price target of around $30,000. Its compact crossover SUV form factor is also more tailored to American tastes than the current Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV.

In fact, the current gas-powered Chevy Equinox is the brand’s second most popular model, after the Silverado pickup. So the Equinox EV brings electric power to a type of vehicle that many people are already buying. And based on what we saw in an online preview of the Equinox EV, it should be an improvement on the gas version in many ways.

Design

While it shares a name with the gas-powered Equinox, the Equinox EV is a clean-sheet design that makes use of GM’s Ultium modular battery architecture. That allowed designers to give the Equinox EV better proportions than its gas-powered sibling.

Dimensions were largely determined by the battery pack, which sits between the wheels and required a 9.0-inch wheelbase stretch over the gas-powered Equinox. That should benefit passenger space (Chevy isn’t quoting numbers yet) and, at least in photos, helps give the Equinox EV a sleeker look than the somewhat stubby gas model. The look, which Chevy designer Sam Bell calls “Americana Cool,” also incorporates some aerodynamic features like flush door handles.

The EV is about 7 inches longer, 1 inch lower and 3 inches wider than the gas-powered Equinox. When it comes to automotive styling, the longer, lower and wider the better. However, the Equinox EV is still recognizably an SUV, so the styling might suit buyers’ tastes better than the hard-to-categorize Volkswagen ID.4 or hyundai Ioniq 5.

Chevy plans to offer 1LT, 2LT, 3LT, 2RS and 3RS trim levels, with RS models getting sportier styling elements. Two-tone exteriors will be available, with a black roof on RS models and a retro-look white roof for LT models. Fairly large 19-inch wheels are standard, with 20-inch and 21-inch wheels also available.

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV interior.

Technology

The Equinox EV has larger screens than the current gas version. The standard infotainment system includes an 11.0-inch touchscreen and 11.0-inch digital instrument cluster, while higher trim levels get a 17.7-inch touchscreen. A head-up display and rearview mirror will also be available as options.

Chevy hasn’t specified whether the Equinox EV will have wired or wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but since wireless versions are already available on the gas-powered Equinox, we’d expect that to be the case here as well.

Unlike the gas version, the Equinox EV is also available with GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance system, but not as standard equipment. Still, it should offer more capability and a greater margin of safety than driver-assistance technology in competing electric vehicles. Previously seen in GM models ranging from the Bolt EUV to the Cadillac Lyriq, Super Cruise can steer, accelerate and brake on designated stretches of pre-mapped road, but also monitors the driver to guard against misuse.

Chevy also includes the expected array of standard driver aids, such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive cruise control and a surround-view camera system are options.

Close-up of the steering wheel of the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV.

specs

The Equinox EV comes standard with front-wheel drive and a single motor that produces 210 horsepower and 242 pound-feet of torque. An optional dual-motor all-wheel drive drivetrain boosts output to 290 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque. Both versions are more powerful than the Equinox gasoline.

Chevy will offer two battery pack options of undisclosed capacity. The smaller standard package produces an estimated range of 250 miles and is only available on the base front-wheel drive 1LT model. A larger second pack will be good for 300 miles of range on front-wheel drive models and 280 miles on all-wheel drive models, according to Chevy.

A standard 11.5-kilowatt onboard AC charger will add 34 miles of range per charging hour, according to Chevy. A more powerful 19.2-kW charger available on all-wheel-drive 3RS models bumps that up to 51 miles per charging hour. All models also get standard 150 kW DC fast charging, which can add 70 miles in an estimated 10 minutes. Chevy is also planning a number of features, including a built-in charging station finder and in-car and mobile route planning, to make public charging easier.

SUVs should also have a decent amount of cargo space. Chevy quotes a maximum of 57.0 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, which is less than the gas-powered Equinox and the similarly sized VW ID.4 EV. In fact, it’s exactly the same as the smaller Chevy Bolt EV. The Equinox at least gets a dual-level cargo floor to make the most of the available space.

Three-quarter rear view of the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV.

Availability

Chevy won’t release full pricing until closer to the Equinox EV’s launch in fall 2023, but it’s worth noting that the base price of around $30,000 only applies to the base 1LT model with front-wheel drive and the touchscreen-battery pack. More smalls. This version will also not be available immediately. Chevy plans to start production with a limited edition based on the 2RS model, followed by other trim levels, with the entry-level 1LT arriving toward the end of the model year.

Another question relates to the federal tax credit for electric vehicles. As a 2024 model year, the Equinox EV will need to meet the North American content requirements set forth in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The Equinox EV will be assembled in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, and while Chevy won’t say where its battery cells will be sourced, GM has several US battery plants in the works under a joint venture with LG that should meet IRA requirements. . But Chevy isn’t ready to confirm anything.

“There’s still a little bit of clarification that hasn’t been discovered yet,” Chevy Global Vice President Scott Bell told Digital Trends and other outlets during the Equinox EV online preview. Still, depending on how the price shakes out of the full range of trim levels, Chevy could introduce a more affordable alternative to current electric SUVs like the VW ID.4, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Kia EV6. , and an SUV with more power, style and technology than its gasoline counterpart.

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