It’s Electric, Chevrolet Bolt EUV
Many speak of range apprehension concerning any time they are confronted with the possibility of a plug in electric vehicle. I had no such worries during my week with the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt. I found my test model spacious, easy to drive, and with really great torque and acceleration.
I don’t remember ever test driving a Bolt in past years so I must say my experience with this one heightened my impression of the model. I had always been in favor of hybrids, but slightly adverse toward plug in models because of my own range anxiety. The range on my test model read out to be 247 miles, and I cannot say that I found myself worried at any point during my week in spite of needing to take a few trips to Costco and around neighboring cities.
I was constantly aware of how much further I could travel, my level of power and how I was driving with a 10.2 inch diagonal full color infotainment touchscreen that provided enough knowledge that made me feel like I was always in full control of every feature.
I admit to not trying it, but my test vehicle touted that it even offered a hands-free driving feature. According to Chevrolet, this 2022 model is the first Chevrolet equipped to do so.
The vehicle can be charged either with a standard 120 volt system and can be charged at 240 as well for those who have that capability.
My test model had wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ capability, Chevy Safe-T Assist as well as Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator, Forward Collision Alert and IntelliBeam headlamps. Since my model was a Premier edition it also had Adaptive Cruise Control.
For someone who is not used to it, the one pedal driving feature is a bit confusing at first because your speed is totally controlled by your foot on the “gas” pedal so there is no need to move your foot from accelerator to brake except in an emergency (your speed is instantly significantly decreased when you lighten up on the accelerator).
I admit to being somewhat gun shy on hybrids and electric models as I wait for more time to go by before as becoming fully committed as I was back at the onset of such vehicles because of my purchase of a 2011 model Mercedes-Benz S400 which “died” at 47,000 miles and the manufacturer demanded $35,000 to repair the system – needless to say, I had not saved that much money on fuel from my purchase date until the S400 went belly up on me (I am still trying to find a way to get it repaired at a more reasonable price).
The base price of the Bolt is $33,500 (less than the repair cost of my S400). The Premier model I tested has an MSRP of $38,000.
