Hot out of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2022 is Chevrolet’s new Equinox EV, the car that takes the fight to Tesla and shows us all why the industry desperately needs affordable EV’s.
Market leaders, Tesla, are most certainly starting to feel the pressure as competition within the lower EV segments with the race for viable, desirable, and efficient EV’s well underway.
Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and KIA’s EV6 are both priced cheaper in the USA than the cheapest Tesla, the Model Y, and Equinox falls in below all the above with Chevrolet estimating an MSRP of around $30 000, around $14 000 cheaper than the Model Y.
This isn’t to say that a cheaper Tesla isn’t on the cards, Elon Musk has confirmed that the EV giant is working on a $25 000 vehicle. He has also said that it’ll be ready by 2023, but judging by the delays we’ve witnessed with the Tesla Cybertruck, it’s probably best not to hold one’s breath on this one…
As for Equinox, it’s based on General Motors’ modular Ultium Platform, essentially an American version of Volkswagen’s MEB architecture. While no performance or range figures have been offered yet, the Chevrolet Bolt offered a 400 km range and that’s based on GM’s previous-generation EV platform, so we can likely expect something similar, but more than likely a little better.
Given the fact that Chevrolet no longer has a presence in South Africa, its not likely that we’ll ever see the Equinox at the tip of Africa, but stranger things have happened and as EV’s become more affordable in an increasingly competitive market, we’ve certainly learnt to never say never.