Chevrolet Announces Range, Delivery Dates for Equinox EV – But Pricing Misses Original $30,000 Target

Chevrolet is rapidly ramping up its battery-electric vehicle lineup, with a mix of products soon to include the Chevy Equinox EV. With deliveries slated to begin “in coming months,” the bowtie brand just released range and other information about the all-electric compact crossover. But the Equinox EV won’t be as affordable as had originally been signaled.

After an extended wait, the new Chevrolet Equinox EV is finally set to go into production, with a spokesperson telling Headlight.News the first of the all-electric crossovers will be delivered to customers in the “coming months.”

While the Equinox EV does deliver the sort of range parent General Motors had been promising — at up to 315 miles per charge — it falls short of another critical target. More precisely, Equinox EV comes in almost 15% above the base $30,000 figure officials including GM CEO Mary Barra had been suggesting ever since plans to launch an all-electric version of the crossover were revealed.

Pricing

Like Barra, GM and Chevy officials never offered a precise figure. But they did, repeatedly, indicate Equinox EV would start at “around $30,000.” It’s likely to become a matter of debate whether the actual figure, a base price of $34,995 for the Equinox EV 1LT FWD, is close enough to qualify. That and other pricing to follow, incidentally, don’t include $1,395 in delivery fees.

That entry model won’t be available initially. Chevy initially will start out by offering four higher trim levels:

• 2LT FWD starting at $43,295
• 2RS FWD starting at $44,795
• 3LT FWD starting at $45,295
• 3RS FWD starting at $46,795

One bit of good news: “The Equinox EV is eligible in 2024 for the Clean Vehicle Federal Tax Credit of $7,500,” the automaker said in its statement. That means that pricing effectively does dip below $30,000 on the base Equinox EV — $27,495 before delivery fees, to be precise. That will make it one of the most affordable battery-electric vehicles on the U.S. market.

Mileage and delivery timing

Chevy is still being a bit vague on timing, indicating it will open up an order bank “later in the year,” but that appears likely to be in mid-2024 for all but the 1LT package. That base version, according to a statement released Monday, will follow “later in 2024.”

And a quick glimpse shows pricing only for front-wheel-drive models. What’s unclear is which trim packages will get all-wheel-drive options — and when they’ll become available.

Chevy, Equinox previously announced Equinox EV will get an EPA-rated estimate of 319 miles per charge for the FWD models. Newly announced, that dips to 285 miles on the all-wheel-drive packages to follow.

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Powertrain

The Equinox models all will get an 85-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack used in the base version of the bigger Chevrolet Blazer EV. Front-drive trims use a front-mounted permanent magnet motor delivering 212 horsepower.

The eAWD system adds a second, induction-style motor on the back axle. It boosts output to 288 hp and 346 lb-ft of tirque.

Features

All versions of the Chevrolet Equinox will share a 17.7-inch infotainment touchscreen using the Google built-in operating system. That OS is shared with Blazer EV.

For niceties such as heated seats and steering wheel, and an adjustable driver’s seat, buyers will need to upgrade to at least the 2RS package. Features like active cruise control are also available – and, in some cases, standard on upper trims. Chevrolet will also offer its handsfree Super Cruise technology.

The competition

While Equinox EV may start out – before taxes, options and federal credits – a bit higher than many had anticipated, it still fares well against a number of competitors. And even more so after factoring in those federal tax credits which may now be applied towards the downpayment. There’s no more need to wait until you pay your taxes.

The Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel-Drive package starts at $45,380 – though it is better-equipped than an Equinox EV 1LT FWD. The VW ID.4 Standard comes in at $40,290 to start, with the base Hyundai Ioniq 5 at $43,175. The soon-to-launch Volvo EX30 Single Motor Extended Range comes closest, at a base price of $36,425. But its range is just 275 miles. The Hyundai and Volvo models don’t qualify for federal tax credits. And the other entries deliver significantly shorter range than the Equinox.

One of the questions is whether GM will be able to get the new Chevrolet Equinox EV out in significant numbers. It’s struggled to meet production targets for earlier EVs based on its new Ultium technology. It’s only now getting up to speed with the Cadillac Lyriq launched in late 2022. Meanwhile, GM also has to make sure it won’t run into the technical issues earlier EVs have suffered from. Last month, the automaker announced a stop-sale on Blazer because of electrical and electronic glitches.