{"id":32797,"date":"2024-05-31T10:23:33","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T14:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32797"},"modified":"2024-05-31T10:23:33","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T14:23:33","slug":"payne-behind-the-wheel-of-chevys-tesla-fighter-the-equinox-ev","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/payne-behind-the-wheel-of-chevys-tesla-fighter-the-equinox-ev","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Behind the wheel of Chevy’s Tesla fighter, the Equinox EV"},"content":{"rendered":"

The days of lab experiments are over. General Motors Co. is taking aim at the meat of the American electric vehicle market with one of its most respected SUV badges. My 2024 Equinox EV tester is not only a statement that the General\u2019s historic transition away from internal combustion engines by 2035 has begun, but that Tesla Inc. is the target.<\/p>\n

Where its EV predecessors (especially the Bolt hatchback, which went head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3’s launch in 2017) all sought to blaze the EV trail, Equinox EV acknowledges Tesla as the OG.<\/p>\n

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As governments force EV adoption, the 2024 Chevy Equinox EV will become the brand’s volume product. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Now Chevy aims to beat it with a formidable entry. The harder task? Beating the formidable, internal combustion engine-powered Equinox across the showroom.<\/p>\n

Tesla put the smartphone on wheels, and Chevy signals its high-tech ambitions with a sci-fi design right out of the movie \u201cTron.\u201d An LED running light wraps Equinox EV\u2019s upper fascia \u2014 wee headlights barely discernible below. Light Cycle meet Equinox.<\/p>\n

Cruising downtown Detroit, my two-tone, blue-and-white 2LT test mule was easy on the eyes \u2014 just like Tesla\u2019s Model Y, which has aged nicely since its 2020 debut. Merging with authority onto I-75 North, the Equinox EV responded to my lead foot with liquid-smooth power.<\/p>\n

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The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV is the brand’s entry-level SUV with 319 miles of range (FWD) and 285 (AWD). Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But like other GM models I\u2019ve tested based on the Ultium battery platform, Equinox EV was porky. The AWD version lags Model Y to 60 mph by a second, and I could feel its girth in the curvy bits.<\/p>\n

Equinox EV tips the scales at 1,000 pounds more than the 4,400-pound Model Y. All that weight comes even as the EV eschews a frunk (front trunk), a clever piece of engineering that Chevrolet adopted for the Silverado EV \u2014 and that the Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E have used for added cargo room where the engine used to be.<\/p>\n

Equinox\u2019s Tesla learnings grow stronger inside.<\/p>\n

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The interior of the 2024 Chevy Equinox EV features a big, dual dash screen like other brand products. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cHey, Google, navigate to Charlevoix,\u201d I barked, and the native Google Maps system methodically traced a route from Detroit northward (starting with 50% charge of 167 miles) with two charging stops in Detroit and West Branch.<\/p>\n

Google Built-In is Tesla\u2019s navigation equivalent in planning a trip with charging stops.<\/p>\n

This system is embedded in a big dual dash screen now common across the Chevy EV\/ICE lineup from Silverado on down. I\u2019m a fan. Its horizontal dash layout kept my eyes on the road compared to vertical, single-tablet interiors like those found in Tesla, Mustang Mach-E, Polestar 2, Rivian, etc.<\/p>\n

Paired with a digital instrument display, the infotainment screen offers superb ergonomics (a GM hallmark) with helpful knobs, buttons and movable icons. Notably, Chevy does not offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and there will be blowback.<\/p>\n