First Drive: 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV

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For the 2022 model year, Chevrolet’s all-electric Bolt is all-new, and it gets a second body style, the Bolt EUV. The Bolt is easily confused with Chevrolet’s plug-in hybrid, the Volt. Naming two similar cars one letter apart was an interesting decision.

In Canada, the Bolt starts at $38,198. It’s worth noting that sizeable tax credits are available for purchasing an EV in Canada, but they depend on your province of residence. Move up $2,000 to $40,198, and you will find the Bolt EUV.

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Chevrolet keeps up the tradition of silly names by calling it the “Electric Utility Vehicle” but the EUV should be called the “LWB.” Despite what the name and plastic cladding implies, the Bolt EUV is not any taller than the standard Bolt. It is, however, 6.3 inches longer than the Bolt due to a 2.9-inch longer wheelbase and longer overhangs front and back.

The added length does several things to the Bolt EUV, all of them good. It lessens the “science project” proportions of the standard Bolt and makes it look a little more normal; it gains three inches of rear legroom (front legroom is unaffected); and it gains 0.3 cu-ft of cargo space, going from 16.3 to 16.6. All in all, I would consider that a good trade, even if the range drops from 417 km to 397 km when you tick the “EUV” box on the option list.

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Our tester was a fully-loaded Premier model, which starts at $43,698. Stepping up to the Premier trim gets you adaptive cruise control, heated and ventilated seats, 360-degree camera, and the ability to option SuperCruise. SuperCruise has been offered in Cadillacs since 2018, but this is the first Chevy model to have it, as part of a $2,500 package. SuperCruise works on a huge system of pre-mapped highways across North America, and can generally be engaged on most divided highways. It doesn’t do surface streets, and we’ve seen enough YouTube videos of Tesla Autopilot bugs to see why that’s a good thing.

SuperCruise allows you to travel down a highway without your hands on the wheel or feet on the pedals, but you do have to keep your eyes on the road. The Bolt (and all other SuperCruise-equipped GMs) make sure that you do so via a small camera at the base of the steering column that monitors where you are looking. Stare at that scenic red barn out your passenger window for too long and it will beep at you until you return to being a safe, conscientious driver with your eyes on the road.

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Despite the Bolt EUV’s odd science-project looks, the Bolt is pretty normal to drive. The steering feel is surprisingly good, the car is well-insulated from road and wind noise, and the HVAC controls are clear and easy to use. There are some peculiarities arising from its electric nature, but most of them are good. For example, unlike a gas car with its tall engine, the Bolt EUV and most electrics keep their heavy battery (In this case, 945 pounds!) mounted very low under the floor. So despite having a side profile reminiscent of a London phone booth, the Bolt EUV doesn’t roll drastically in corners, and lateral stability is excellent. The other upside of this layout is that because the weight is so low in the chassis, milder anti-roll measures can be used without sacrificing vertical suspension travel. Basically: The Bolt EUV rides much smoother over bumps, and rolls less than other tall hatches.

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It’s also zippy! Chevy quotes a zero-to-96-km/h time of 7.0 seconds. I think it would be safe to call its zero-to-100-km/h time in the low sevens. Even when passing cars from highway speeds, the Bolt EUV never lacked for punch, and it would even squeal the tires from a stoplight. Peppy!

But all that exuberant driving will cost you. Not a lot in money, per se , but in time. Per my math, based on recent Ontario electric rates, charging the Bolt up from empty during peak time would cost about $14.50. Doing the same charge overnight during off-peak hours would drop that amount to just over $11. Travelling along in the Bolt EUV above 110 km/h noticeably decreases the vehicle’s projected range. Handily, the Bolt EUV provides three range figures on the dashboard: a best case, a worst case, and an average between the two. If you are travelling above 115 km/h, you will be getting the “worst-case” range for sure. So higher speeds will technically get you to your destination faster, but will also cost you time charging up.

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The question people asked me the most: 'Is it worth it?' People never seem to ask that about a diesel 2500 pickup truck

Charging with a conventional 110V house plug takes over 24 hours, but you can gain about 35 km of range via an overnight charge of this method. The next rung up is a 220V “home charger” or “welding socket.” This will fully charge the Bolt in about eight hours — perfect for an overnight charge.

The top tier of charging is Level 3 charging, which can ram 350V down the throat of the Bolt EUV for a measured amount of time. You can’t fast-charge an EV from one per cent to 100 per cent, but you can fast-charge it from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in 40 minutes with this method. The Level 3 fast chargers I used were exclusively from Petro Canada. Unlike many other charger networks, the Petro Canada units don’t require a phone app or pre-payment to function. They function almost exactly like a gas pump, except that you are charged for your time at the “pump” ($0.33 per minute), not the amount of electricity your receive. I don’t have any kind of a promotional connection with Petro Canada, but it’s great to see a Canadian company taking the lead not only on building a large charger network, but also in making the chargers themselves easy to use for consumers coming from gas vehicles.

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And now the never-ending question for any EV, the one that people asked me the most: “Is it worth it?” Y’know, it’s funny because people never seem to ask that to people with a diesel 2500 pickup truck or a luxury SUV. And yet it’s always leveled at EVs. The answer is, depending on your use case, yes, it could be. But for others, certainly not. The Bolt EUV is cheap for an EV, but not cheap for a car of its size. Comparable vehicles could be had with gasoline power for easily $15,000 less.

If you think purely in terms of economics, it would take a very long time to amortize $15,000 of gasoline fill-ups, even at a thrifty $11 charge rate. Being able to waft to work in silence, hands-free on the highway, is a true convenience, and not one you’re likely to find anywhere else for less money. If you have a charger at your workplace, your commute could even be free to you! But in the end, I think people will buy the Chevy Bolt EUV not because it’s a very clever car full of smart engineering (which it is) but because it appeals to the right side of their brain. It’s silent, it’s electric, it’s cheap to operate, and it offers a driving sensation unlike that of a gas car. The Bolt is good — the Bolt EUV is better.