As time passed, more manufacturers are slowly but surely beginning to shift over to emission-free automobiles, a once novel prospect that has increasingly become mainstream in recent years. But while many manufacturers are being dragged into the future, one of them is leading the way. Chevy has been experimenting with electric vehicles (EVs) since the 1960s, and the Chevy Bolt EV has been a popular option since its release in 2017. In many ways, the Bolt EV is the quintessential choice for those looking to invest in the future of automobiles today, especially for Chevy drivers. Today, Chevy has completely reinvigorated the model’s lineup for a new generation, and as a result, we have the new 2022 Chevy Bolt EV.
Even in its early days, the Chevy Bolt EV was highly praised for its use of modern tech. However, it didn’t take long for Chevy to bump up the specs, and this resulted in an even greater range on a single charge. This year, we see the same specs in regards to its powertrain configuration, but most everything else has been improved upon in at least some way. Most notably, shoppers will immediately notice how this new Bolt EV is priced significantly lower than its predecessors were at the time of their releases. Additionally, the trim configuration has been altered slightly, and while the 2022 Bolt EV still offers two trim levels, much like older models, they’re now called 1LT and 2LT instead of LT and Premier. 1LT starts at an MSRP of just $31,995 and is one of the most impressive base models around, with a built-in safety suite and a host of tech-centric features.
A Familiar Favorite
Electric vehicles don’t rely on traditional fossil fuel powertrains and instead gain their horsepower and torque output from a battery and electric motor that work in tandem. Manufacturers typically have to rely on increasing the size of the battery for achieving better range; simply put, a larger battery will hold a greater charge. The first couple of Bolt EV model years that were released used a 60-kWh battery, and the result was an EPA-estimated range up to 238-miles on a single charge.
Models that were released later, such as the new 2022 Bolt EV, retain the same 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft torque output as the early models, but the battery is now a larger 65-kWh design. With the larger battery, the 2022 Bolt EV can now travel 259-miles on a single charge, which is an 8.8% increase over models produced before 2020. Truth be told, with the hype surrounding the redesigned Bolt EV, many Chevy fans were hoping for another upgrade to efficiency, or perhaps even improvements to power for the first time. Unfortunately, these fans haven’t had their wishes granted yet as Chevy appears to be saving its more advanced technology for its upcoming new EV models. However, the 2022 Bolt EV can very much be defined as an “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” scenario, and few drivers will be disappointed by its performance.
A Safe Example
When you purchase a 2022 Bolt EV, you won’t have to worry about shelling out any extra cash to acquire some of the latest safety features. That’s right; every 2022 Bolt EV comes with Chevy Safety Assist, six highly-popular safety features combined into one standard package. Every 2022 Bolt EV will come with features such as a Following Distance Indicator that will help you distance yourself from other drivers on the road by giving you an accurate measurement of the time between yourself and another driver.
The Bolt EV also now comes standard with Automatic Emergency Braking and Front Pedestrian Braking. These two features impress us with their ability to avoid front-end accidents automatically, and in many ways, these two safety features help a vehicle feel more futuristic. Both of these features are driver-assist technologies that are designed to help you apply your brakes in the case of an emergency. Automatic Emergency Braking will assist in protecting you from front-end collisions with another vehicle, and Front Pedestrian Braking will do the same, but for pedestrians crossing the road.
Forward Collision Alert is designed to prevent an accident from occurring, and as we’ve mentioned, Automatic Emergency Braking can assist when the driver can’t react fast enough, but Forward Collision Alert can give the driver that “heads-up” that can make all of the difference. Drivers understand that they must pay attention to the road at all times, but mistakes can happen, and features like these can help in life-saving ways. Part of being attentive to the road is adjusting your visibility to current road conditions, and fortunately, IntelliBeam Auto High Beams come included as part of Chevy Safety Assist. These headlamps will automatically lower their brightness to avoid potentially blinding an oncoming driver and then revert to high beams when the road ahead is clear.
The standard safety features are then topped off with both Lane Keep Assist and Lane Departure Warning. Lane Keep Assist can help you stay on the road if you’ve unintentionally begun drifting out of your lane, and Lane Departure Warning will activate in the same scenario but will serve as an alert system to gain the attention of the driver. While all of these features do come standard, there are a select few available safety features that won’t come standard and instead are found on the top-end 2LT trim.
Available Safety Features
The available safety features that you will enjoy should you purchase the 2022 Bolt EV 2LT include Rear Park Assist, a highly useful feature that will help you reverse into a tight parking space by giving you alerts if your vehicle is about to hit an object. Another available feature that immensely helps with parking is the HD Surround Vision camera, which gives you a full view around your vehicle by combining the feeds from an array of integrated cameras. 2LT will also add both Lane Change Alert and Side Blind Zone, both of which are tailored to make the process of switching lanes much safer by increasing your awareness of potential hazards in your blind zone.
Redesigned and Ready to Drive
We’re rather impressed with Chevy’s latest take on the Bolt EV. As we’ve mentioned earlier, some Chevy enthusiasts may not be content with the general lack of an increase to either its performance or efficiency, but this shouldn’t and won’t affect the average consumer. This is especially the case if you’ve yet to own either a Bolt EV or an electric-vehicle at all, as you will instead be shocked that such a compact and environmentally-friendly vehicle could have such remarkable performance.
Interestingly, some features that were revealed exclusively for the 2022 Bolt EUV, a larger counterpart to the 2022 Bolt EV, are absent from the smaller vehicle. This is particularly true of the new Super Cruise technology. However, with a feature such as Super Cruise being a relatively recent invention that few drivers will be able to make use of regularly, we have no hesitations solidly recommend the 2022 Bolt EV. Overall, we’re optimistic and excited for what the future holds for manufacturers such as Chevy.
