Now add a second motor
Engineers mingled around to discuss the Equinox, and one explained the all-wheel-drive variant's second motor as more of a helper. The permanent-magnet, bar-wound front motor provides most of the motivation, while the rear induction motor with no magnet can either contribute to traction and acceleration or disconnect to maximize range.
The description reminded me of the all-wheel-drive Prius and Rav4 drivetrain, but in reality, with far more juice available—288 hp (215 kW) and 333 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque—the AWD Equinox EV wakes up noticeably. Range drops a fair amount, to just 285 miles (458 km), but for me, the difference in off-the-line shove and overtaking speeds makes for a worthy trade-off.
The Equinox EV shares only a name with its ICE sibling, and the exterior styling sets the electric apart in a big way. Strikingly less bulbous and bland than the gas-powered version, the new design adds a hint of sleekness to the model line without trending too aggressively toward a futuristic aesthetic that hesitant EV buyers might avoid. The interior, on the other hand, felt very familiar thanks to a 17.7-inch infotainment system shared with the Traverse and Silverado, plus switchgear and buttons borrowed from plenty of other GM models.
The Equinox EV never pretends to be a premium car, and that's fine, though I cannot agree with the decision to skip a physical start button (at the very least) in favor of a widget on the touchscreen that turns the car off.
One small glitch
Speaking of screens and turning off, I did experience one concerning moment when both the infotainment and gauge cluster displays went entirely black.
After maybe 20 seconds, a warning text appeared on the infotainment screen indicating that it was booting back up, which took about another minute by my estimate. I lost all nav functions during this time but luckily knew my general route and kept glued to the other cars in our convoy ahead. The gauge cluster was a bit more concerning to see switched off, but it flickered back to life maybe 20 seconds before the infotainment screen.
To be clear, nothing similar happened for the rest of the day in the Equinox, nor the next day with the Silverado EV. And I never heard from any other of the scores of journalists who visited Detroit over the week of test drives that anyone else experienced either screen turning off. One explanation for the fault suggested that Android Automotive OS might be the root cause, entirely isolated from the rest of the car's software.
Obviously, flashbacks to the whole Blazer EV fiasco danced through my mind, but in a follow-up later, GM told me: "Software systems can sometimes freeze or become overwhelmed by too many quick inputs. In the rare occurrence where this happens, we've engineered our infotainment system to automatically restart, a process that generally takes around less than a minute. The screen provides important information, and we don't want to make a customer wonder whether they need to pull over or restart the vehicle for minor and normal software behaviors."
Still a great deal
Hopefully, Google and GM can sort out the issue, because when deliveries of the base model begin at the end of the year, the Equinox EV may cost as little as $27,495 for customers eligible for rebates and incentives. (The trims available at launch are significantly more expensive, starting at $43,295.) If so, this little electric crossover makes a solid case as being the best possible use case of the Ultium platform: Give me range, as little weight to haul around as possible, (ahem, Silverado and Hummer EVs), and a bargain price point. Roomy in the front seats, the back row, and cargo area, the Equinox EV pairs utility with range just about perfectly for a daily commuter EV.
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