A bigger Chevy Bolt with hands-free driving

The Chevy Bolt EUV was revealed Sunday and it looks like a pumped-up Chevy Bolt EV. 

On the Chevy website, the new Bolt EUV electric car was unveiled during a 15-minute video, pre-recorded at Walt Disney World in Florida.

The EUV is an SUV-sized version of the smaller hatchback Chevy Bolt with more legroom in the backseat. “EUV” stands for “electric utility vehicle” which is Chevy’s play on SUV as it markets a tougher, heftier EV. The Bolt EV came out in 2017 as the first all-electric vehicle from General Motors, which now plans to produce only EVs by 2035. 

The EUV is also longer, heavier, taller, and wider with more space in the trunk. But since it’s a bigger car, the range on the battery is lower at 250 miles instead of the 259 for the smaller Bolt. 

Chevy also revealed a revamped Bolt EV, with a new grille front-end design and a fresh look inside. The 2022 Bolt EV has a lower starting price than older models: $31,995 instead of $36,500. The EUV starts at $33,995. A special launch edition of the EUV is $43,495 and comes with General Motors’ Super Cruise (a hands-free driver assistance system), special badging, and other flashy features like charging port lighting.

Chevy’s EUV will be competing with a growing list of all-electric SUVs. Tesla’s Model Y SUV starts at $41,990 with a 244-mile range, but the upgraded $49,990 version offers up to 326 miles on a single charge. The Ford Mustang Mach-E starts at $42,895 with 300-mile range. Volkswagen’s first electric SUV, the ID.4, starts at $39,995 with 250-mile range.

Because General Motors has sold so many Chevy Bolts in the past four years, new Bolt buyers no longer qualify for an EV federal tax credit. It’s the same issue for Tesla, which also hit the 200,000-EV threshold and no longer can offer the subsidy.

The Chevy Bolt EV had a battery recall last year for models between 2017 and 2019 because of fire risk. Chevy has yet to provide a permanent solution for the recall, but it’s advised owners to cap charging at 90 percent as a precaution. Newer 2020 models and the upcoming EUV and 2021 versions use a different battery supplier for the lithium-ion 65-kWh capacity batteries. 

The EUV will make its first television ad appearance during Sunday’s American Idol season premiere on ABC. The commercial features the car with some familiar Disney characters.

Both cars will be available this summer, but online reservations opened Sunday afternoon for both the new Bolt EV and bigger Bolt EUV.