Why Is the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Important?
General Motors has announced aspirations to offer an all-electric vehicle lineup by 2035. That journey began decades ago with the EV1 and continues in 2022 with the Bolt EUV. The next few years will bring even more models, including the 2022 GMC Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq.
Overall, electric car sales in the U.S. currently account for around 2% of total vehicles sold. Tesla accounts for the vast majority of those sales. However, like sleeping giants, the world’s automakers have now awoken to their electric futures. Nearly every major manufacturer has battery-electric vehicles set to arrive in the next few years. Some, including Jaguar, have announced all-electric lineups.
The market has reached a point where just having an electric car in their lineup isn’t enough. Instead of offerings that meet the expectations of early EV adopters, they’ll be trying to fulfill the needs of the broader car-buying public. That’s where GM has an edge with the new Bolt EUV. They’ve taken what they’ve learned from first-generation Bolt EV customers and applied the lessons to the new, larger Chevy Bolt EUV.
The Bolt EUV and EV will likely be the last Chevrolet electric cars built on the original Bolt EV’s architecture. GM is moving all of its future electric offerings to the scalable Ultium EV platform.
Exterior Styling
The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV is a compact hatchback with an SUV-like profile and a look that announces it’s an electric vehicle. Despite many common features, the Bolt EUV doesn’t share a single body panel with its smaller Bolt EV sibling.
Up front, you’ll find an aerodynamic closed-off front fascia common to electric cars, which don’t need large openings to pull air into an internal combustion engine compartment. Its rounded front end is accented with geometric shapes holding LED running lights that double as sequential turn signals and standard LED headlights.
Down the side, there’s a sharp crease that gives the EUV a more muscular look and a roofline that slowly descends toward the rear hatch. Its SUV-like styling cues include standard roof rails and a blacked-out rear window pillar. It’s just over 6 inches longer than the redesigned 2022 Bolt EV, with a wheelbase that’s about 3 inches longer.
Powertrain
The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV is propelled by a single electric motor that produces 200 horsepower and a healthy 266 pound-feet of torque. If those numbers sound familiar, it’s because the drivetrain is lifted from the current 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Surprisingly, given the car’s SUV aspirations, the Bolt EUV is not available with all-wheel-drive. All Bolt EUVs are outfitted with front-wheel drive.
Power comes from a 65-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that's protected by an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty. The car features a steering wheel-mounted "Regen on Demand" paddle that allows you to convert motion into energy flowing back into its battery pack.
A one-pedal driving mode allows you to control acceleration and deceleration with just the accelerator pedal. You can still use the brake pedal for rapid deceleration, but in normal driving, you probably won’t have to.
Electric vehicles deliver power differently than cars with internal combustion engines. Instead of taking time for power to build, electric cars produce their peak power and torque immediately. Given the same amount of horsepower torque, an electric car like the Bolt EUV will provide a more lively feeling of acceleration from a stop.
Range and Charging
The range of the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV is a Chevy-estimated 250 miles on a single charge. Of course, the range you achieve can vary greatly based on how you drive, where you drive, and the weather. The EUV's maximum range is 9 miles less than the smaller 2022 Bolt EV.
The Bolt EUV’s battery pack is designed to be recharged in several ways. The included dual-level charging cord allows you to plug into either a standard 120-volt household wall outlet or a 240-volt wall outlet. You can also use a 240-volt home, workplace, or public charging station. Since a standard 120-volt wall outlet will only get you about 4 miles of range in an hour, most Bolt EUV drivers will want to opt for the faster Level 2 option.
All Bolt EUVs support DC fast-charging using CCS-compatible public charging stations. Depending on the capability of the charger, the current level of charge in your battery, and other environmental conditions, a DC fast-charger can supply the Bolt EUV with up to 95 miles of range in 30 minutes.
Chevrolet and its partners will provide Bolt EUV purchase and lease customers with the basic installation of a home charging station. They have not yet released details about what services will be covered or the limit of how far they will go to get a charger installed. Some older houses require costly upgrades to support EV home charging stations.
Interior Design
The 2022 Bolt EUV’s interior features a design and materials that are more refined and upscale than Chevy’s previous electric car. Its dash features a 10.2-inch infotainment touch screen and an 8-inch customizable digital instrument panel. A compact electronic push-button shifter is located on the center console.
It appears that Chevrolet listened to first-generation Bolt EV drivers when they designed the interior of the Bolt EUV. It features new seats and material upgrades from the economy-car-like materials found before. A panoramic sunroof is available.
The Bolt EUV’s newly designed steering wheel features a flat bottom, a regen paddle, plus controls for the audio system, cruise control, and available Super Cruise partially-automated driving system.
Cloth seats with geometric patterns come standard. Leather upholstery is fitted to Premier and Launch Edition models.
Interior Room
The primary reason the 2022 Bolt EUV exists is to be a bigger version of the last-generation Bolt EV. It’s something Bolt EV drivers asked for. Much of this extra space is found in the back row, where there are 3.1 inches of additional legroom.
Most other dimensions, including headroom, are almost identical to the new Bolt EV. There’s seating for five in the EUV’s two rows.
The Bolt EUV’s interior dimensions are mostly better than the interior space in two of the car’s primary competitors: The 2021 Hyundai Kona EV and the 2020 Kia Niro EV.
Interior Features
We know that heated rear outboard seats and heated-and-ventilated front seats will be available on the new Bolt EUV. Beyond that, Chevy hasn’t said much about what interior features will be included and which will be optional.
Looking at the last generation Bolt EV’s feature list, we can make a good guess that the Bolt EUV will include push-button start and automatic climate control. A rear-view camera mirror is included on the Premier trim level.
Infotainment System
All 2022 Chevy Bolt EUVs will come equipped with a 10.2-inch touch-screen infotainment system. It features available wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. You can download apps such as Amazon Alexa, the Weather Channel, and Spotify. A wireless charging pad is available.
An available onboard 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot allows the car to stream data to portable devices. The car can receive over-the-air updates to its infotainment system. For other updates, including those to critical vehicle propulsion systems, you’ll have to visit your dealer.
Ride and Handling
We can’t say much about the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV’s ride and handling, as no independent journalists have had the chance to drive and evaluate the car. We can make a few educated guesses based on the fact it rides on the same platform as the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Because the car’s battery is placed in the car’s floor and under its rear seat, the car has a very low center of gravity. That makes for a smooth ride and a nicely planted feel as you sweep through corners.
The Bolt EUV allows one-pedal driving, meaning the driver can accelerate, decelerate, and even stop using just the accelerator pedal. With a little practice, one-pedal driving is quite fun. It also allows you to put significant amounts of charge back into the battery by trading your car’s momentum for electrical energy.
Cargo Space
The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV has 16.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear row, and 56.9 cubic feet of room for your stuff when the rear seats are folded forward. Strangely, that’s slightly less cargo capacity than the smaller 2022 Bolt EV.
Compared to the 2020 Kia Niro EV, the Bolt EUV has about 2 cubic feet less cargo room with the rear seats up, but nearly 7 cubic feet more when its rear seats are folded. The differences are even greater when comparing the Bolt EUV to the 2021 Hyundai Kona EV, which only has 45.8 cubic feet of cargo room when the seats are folded. The Kona has almost 3 cubic feet more space than the Chevy when the rear seats are upright.
Safety Features
Every 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV comes equipped with several advanced safety and driver assistance technologies. The list includes lane keep assist, a following distance indicator, automatic high-beam headlights, a high-definition rearview camera, and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection.
Chevy's Teen Driver system, which comes standard, allows parents to limit certain vehicle functions and provides them with a report card on their teen's time behind the wheel. The Bolt EUV's included rear-seat reminder cues the driver to check the back seat before walking away from the car.
Available safety and driver assistance tech upgrades include adaptive cruise control, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, and a surround-view camera system.
Partially-Automated Driving Technology
The all-new 2022 Chevy Bolt EUV will be the first Chevrolet model and GM's first EV to include its Super Cruise partially-automated driving system as an available feature. In the Bolt EUV, the system will manage acceleration, braking, and steering on more than 200,000 miles of American and Canadian roads.
While the system offers hands-off operation, it does require the driver to remain engaged with what's happening on the road ahead. A camera watches the driver and alerts them if their attention is drifting away from driving. Unlike some Super Cruise-equipped GM vehicles, the Bolt EUV cannot make automated lane changes.
Like all other "semiautonomous" driving systems available on cars today, the Bolt EUV's Super Cruise is not a full self-driving system. The driver must be able to regain command of the car at a second's notice.
Price and Trims
Chevy has priced the 2022 Bolt EUV from $33,995, including destination. That's a $2,000 bump above the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV, but it's more than $3,000 less than the outgoing 2021 Chevy Bolt EV.
The Bolt EUV will be available in $33,995 LT (base), $38,495 Premier, and $43,495 Launch Edition trims. Chevy will only build a limited number of Launch Editions, which feature Super Cruise, a panoramic sunroof, an illuminated charging port, and trim-exclusive wheels.
It's important to remember that both General Motors and Tesla have exhausted their Federal Electric Vehicle Tax Credit allowance. While the buyers of most non-Tesla or GM EVs will get a $7,500 tax credit, you won't if you buy a Bolt EUV.
Availability and Production
Both the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV and Bolt EV are expected to arrive in dealerships this summer. They are built in Lake Orion, Michigan, at GM's Orion Assembly Facility. Its battery and electric drive unit come from South Korea.
You can save a spot in line for a new Bolt EUV Launch Edition by reserving one on Chevy's website and paying a $100 deposit. You can order a Bolt EUV LT or Premier through your local dealer.
Note that all product launch schedules may be delayed by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on auto production and global supply chains.
Competition
Given the Bolt EUV's SUV aspirations, it will compete directly with the 2020 Kia Niro and 2021 Hyundai Kona EV. Though it's priced well below the base 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E's price, the Ford's available tax credit brings the price of the cars much closer.
The 2021 Tesla Model Y is priced much higher than the Bolt EUV. While comparisons may be made, the two vehicles are really designed for different customers.
Given its un-SUV-like size and lack of all-wheel drive, the Bolt EUV will also face competition from the 2021 Mini Electric Hardtop, 2021 Nissan Leaf, and the 2021 Hyundai Ioniq.
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The Chevrolet Bolt EUV Arrives for 2022
Chevrolet’s revamping their electric car lineup with a redesigned 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and the launch of the all-new 2022 Bolt EUV. The Bolt EUV is significantly larger than the Bolt EV, is available with more technology, and has a Chevrolet-estimated range of 250 miles on a single charge.
Chevy’s taken what they’ve learned from the first-generation Bolt EV and applied it to both new cars. They’ve upped the tech while adding premium features and materials to their cabins. Chevrolet also announced they will cover the installation of a Level 2 home charging station for most customers purchasing or leasing a Bolt EUV.
On the following pages, we’ll take an in-depth look into the new 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV. Note that the specifications and features discussed are preliminary and may change prior to the car’s arrival in dealer showrooms.