[timoshev]

If Equinox were fitted with a Volt or Bolt EV drivetrain what sort of range reduction could we expect? Well, some gas mileage figures from the latest Chevy 'New Roads' magazine might offer a clue: The Cruize Diesel is rated at 52 mpg. The same engine in the new Equinox is rated at 40 mpg, a 23% reduction. This is a pretty good number to use -the difference based on vehicle weight and drag- because in the EPA test all else IS equal. So an EquiVolt might achieve about 42 miles range and an EquiBolt, about 183 mi. Loaded to the roof with kids and vacation gear the range might not be so good, but nevertheless, would you buy one?

 

[marcusm]

Would depend on folks' range needs. 42 yes I would go for that myself, that is 2 days' worth of commuting for me. I'm very glad to have the 53 avg miles of range in the Volt but it is more than I really need.


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[jegund]

I wish GM would make 4 models of the Equinox all at the same MSRP.
Equinox ICE
Equinox Hybrid
Equinox plugin
Equinox EV
They would not have to worry about stealing sales from the ICE. Let the consumer choose.

 

[sosmerc]

That would be a great idea and I think this may happen sooner than later. (or at least they SHOULD do this)

 

[BAZINGA]

While I hope GM would electrify a CUV like the GMC Acadia I just bought, I can see why GM is reluctant. Why, I bought a $41K 2017 Volt and then a $49K 2017 GMC Acadia in the last 10 months. Why because I can't live with just one of these vehicles to meet my families needs. I need BOTH.

If I could have purchased a 6 seat FWD GMC Acadia Denali with a Voltec power train with say a 40'ish AER for about $50'ish I would only need ONE vehicle.

Oh well maybe GM will surprise us.

 

[rmay635703]

If Equinox were fitted with a Volt or Bolt EV drivetrain what sort of range reduction could we expect? Well, some gas mileage figures from the latest Chevy 'New Roads' magazine might offer a clue: The Cruize Diesel is rated at 52 mpg. The same engine in the new Equinox is rated at 40 mpg, a 23% reduction. This is a pretty good number to use -the difference based on vehicle weight and drag- because in the EPA test all else IS equal. So an EquiVolt might achieve about 42 miles range and an EquiBolt, about 183 mi. Loaded to the roof with kids and vacation gear the range might not be so good, but nevertheless, would you buy one?

It's more complex than that,
I would expect a 40% reduction in range compared to a Volt

The city rating might "outperform " but the highway rating would disappoint

I wouldn't sneeze at a naturally aspirated Voltec diesel though.

 

[canehdian]

I wish GM would make 4 models of the Equinox all at the same MSRP.
Equinox ICE
Equinox Hybrid
Equinox plugin
Equinox EV
They would not have to worry about stealing sales from the ICE. Let the consumer choose.

We've been saying this for years, for all models. In fact, go one step further and eliminate the traditional manual/automatic transmission altogether - all vehicles have voltec as their transmission. Just vary the size of the engine, battery, and plug/no plug to give all the possibilities the consumer would desire.
Economies of scale make that transmission cost less than a traditional auto, and far less complex and more efficient in the process. All of which sell cars (reliable and efficient, without being gutless and slow). As traditional autos get to 8, 10, 12 speed, they become quite costly for little gain. Voltec in comparison is cheap, simple, and reliable.

 

[Bacardi]

I believe the better question is, what could GM do to get to a MSRP of $29,995? I personally believe a $29995 EquiVolt with 25 miles of range would double the sales of one with a range of 50 miles and MSRP of $39995...

 

[Sean-a-Tron]

A bigger vehicle can fit a bigger battery. So a crossover Volt could very well get more range (If not the same) than the compact Volt. The Pacifica Hybrid has the same size of battery as the early Gen 1 Volt's and it gets 32 miles. So let's say a Cross-Volt gets a 20kWh battery, which is slightly larger than the Gen 2 Volt. It could very well get 60+ EV miles (Mixed hwy/city).

I would love to have a crossover Volt. Hopefully by the time my wife's 2011 CR-V is ready for replacement, one will be available.

 

[canehdian]

The Pacifica Hybrid has the same size of battery as the early Gen 1 Volt's and it gets 32 miles.

With some (not so slight) differences.
a 16.5kWh volt used 65% of the battery, or 10.7kWH
a 16.5kWh pacifica uses ~75% of the battery, or 12.4 kWh
That's 15% more energy.
So apples to apples, a volt using 12.4kWh should get about 44mi rating.
So the massive pacifica is actually a significant hit over the smaller volt, with same size battery. (~30% less)

Unless the cross-volt is only slightly larger/heavier than a gen2 volt, I wouldn't expect it to come close to match, nevermind exceeding the 53 with only a 1.6kWh bump (~10% more usable energy, assuming all 1.6kWh are usable and none added to reserve).

 

[gaulfinger]

A key consideration of an electrified Equinox is that it's based on the same platform as the Malibu and Volt. So I wouldn't expect a bigger battery in it ... But if if had 42 mi electric, my wife would be first in line for one.

 

[Slotracer577]

If we assume a volt sized pack of 14.1 kW usable and an Equinox gets say 31 mpg hwy. 31/32 kW per gallon of gas equals about 1 mile per kW of energy in ic mode. Assuming ev is 90% vs 30% for ic you get a usage of about 3 miles per kW. So range would be about 42-45 miles on a good day not driving at 75 mph. In the cold and at 75 mph, maybe 30 miles.

 

[jegund]

That would be a great idea and I think this may happen sooner than later. (or at least they SHOULD do this)

That would be a great idea and I think this may happen sooner than later. (or at least they SHOULD do this)

I've read a lot of comments on many blogs on how GM is only in EV game for compliance and experience. I'm thinking the next 12 months will tell us the truth. With Volt, ELR, Spark EV, Bolt EV and CT6 plugin I think they have gained experience. Now the next step is to broaden their reach. Either new higher demand models, like Equinox, or price cuts on Volt and Bolt to push sales to the next level or both. If they are content with the current sales level then I might agree they are not in the game to lead.

I'm guessing they are in the game. We have seen too much investment in batteries, power train, and autonomy only to position themselves for compliance and minimal sales.