There appears to be a new kid in town, so to speak, in the electric vehicle market. GM added a sibling to the Chevrolet Bolt EV, and it’s larger and sturdier than the car. 

The Bolt EUV is coming soon and it just might garner lots of attention from electric vehicle enthusiasts looking for a Tesla alternative. MotorTrend looks at the new Chevy Bolt EUV and shares their opinions on what it has to offer.

Is the Chevy Bolt a sedan or an SUV?

We are familiar with the Chevy Bolt as an all-electric compact car, but, soon, a new Bolt will find its way to dealership showroom floors. It will get a few tweaks to the body frame to transform it into an SUV, or rather an EUV (electric utility vehicle).

With the new structure, this EUV will have more room in the vehicle’s interior. You’ll have plenty of head, leg, and elbow room for longer, more comfortable rides. You’ll also get more cargo space to stow away your groceries, luggage, or other items. 

Chevy will put more unique touches to the styling of the exterior so that it looks like a different vehicle. You’ll find sleeker lines, with a more modern design than what the EV sedan offers. The roofline curves on the top and then slopes down toward the rear spoiler of the vehicle. 

The length of the vehicle will be around 5-6 inches longer than the regular EV, and the wheelbase will extend another three inches. That’s good news for consumers wanting a bit more space for their rear passengers. 

What will the EUV have to offer consumers?

The major news about this all-electric SUV, is that Chevy plans to integrate the Super Cruise technology into it. This means the Bolt sports utility vehicle will have the ability to drive hands-free, much like Tesla’s Autopilot. Since this feature has only been available on Cadillac electric vehicles, this comes as a surprise. 

One disappointment we see with the new EUV is that since it’s built on the same BEV2 platform as the car, it won’t receive the Ultimum battery system from GM. It will have the same one as the Bolt electric car, which is still powerful, but it will take quite a bit longer to charge and won’t have the range that the upgraded batteries have. 

No price has been given yet on the EUV, but MotorTrend doesn’t expect it to come cheap. They figure it will fall somewhere within the range of the Premium trim of the original Chevy Bolt, which is close to $42,000. The base Bolt car starts at $37,000.

What about the original Chevy Bolt?

The introduction of the EUV will not replace the original Bolt design. The compact electric car will still be available, but there are a few minor changes coming for the 2021 model. 

One change we’ll see is with the range this vehicle gets. Instead of the 238 miles it currently has, Chevy plans to bump it up 259 miles. While it’s not a whole lot, every little bit counts. 

Chevy also plans to add more comfort to the interior, especially with the seats. The dashboard will contain higher-quality materials and an updated infotainment system. The gear selector switches will now be buttons instead for ease of use. Plus, Adaptive cruise control will now finally get added to the vehicle’s features. 

Chevy still plans to roll out the Bolt EUV in 2022 with sales beginning in the summer of 2021. The regular Bolt car will also come out at that time.