The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV shows GM can make a car for the masses
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I guess it is adequate, if your standards don't include ApplePlay/AA. From my perspective it doesn't check the basic functionality of what I want to see in an EV. Hopefully next year's model isn't as deliberately crippled by GM.
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Yes, because 'growing your own solution' is so much better than using well tested and stable platforms like Car Play or Android auto.
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"Our infotainment system locks up often enough that we need a watchdog setup to restart it periodically."
How's that no-AA/CarPlay thing going for you now, not-a-software-but-a-car-company? Almost like you should, I dunno, stay in your lane?
How's that no-AA/CarPlay thing going for you now, not-a-software-but-a-car-company? Almost like you should, I dunno, stay in your lane?
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Ok, incredulity aside, I think it really cannot be overstated that this is kind of a make or break for Ultium, for GM, and the US EV market in general. It's got Model Y range and undercuts it on price, it's the volume form factor in the US, and it's got everything an EV needs to appeal to entry-level EV buyers. The question is, are there enough of those buyers right now, at the current state of charging infrastructure, at current interest rates, at this stage of the adoption curve. If it succeeds, that means we're coming out on the other side of the early market chasm and there remains strong demand for well-priced EVs. If it fails or underperforms, GM and other manufacturers pivoting to EVs have arrived at the dance before the band, and that will mean problems.
The software occasionally BSODing and restarting and the lack of CarPlay deeply worries me in that case, because those are dealbreakers for many and I regard both as critical flaws for a commuter appliance. I use CarPlay more often that any other feature of my car. It is a non-negotiable requirement. GM does not need to be giving any more reasons for people to be avoiding this car in the shaky market we're in right now.
The software occasionally BSODing and restarting and the lack of CarPlay deeply worries me in that case, because those are dealbreakers for many and I regard both as critical flaws for a commuter appliance. I use CarPlay more often that any other feature of my car. It is a non-negotiable requirement. GM does not need to be giving any more reasons for people to be avoiding this car in the shaky market we're in right now.
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The MSRP is great but I have real doubts that it is the actual price. Dealers are notorious for adding thousands in markup to any hot new car, making the street price significantly more than MSRP.
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As someone who has been extended "test driving" a Blazer EV (it's actually a loaner from my Dealer while my Bolt is in for service), you aren't meant to use that option. Typically the car turns on and off automatically by entering and pressing the brake pedal and conversely turning off when you put it in park, take your foot off the brake and take off your seatbelt.
Is it great and works seamlessly? Not exactly. 95% of the time it works as it is supposed to. The times it doesn't are confusing and annoying, typically leading to me restarting the sequence of "getting out of the car now" steps and then finally using the on-screen button to power it off.
Oh, and F*$# GM for getting rid of CarPlay. I don't want my car to be a damn tablet with apps that I have to download, sign into, keep updated and whatnot so they can sell my data. Just let me use my phone apps. Plus, the worst thing is when someone else is using the car or wants "aux". With CarPlay it's just there. GM walled garden? Not so much.
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I assume this is supposed to be Android Automotive. Since as many of the other commenters have mentioned the vehicle doesn't have android auto.
Also Android Auto and Android Automotive being two different things is an infuriating naming convention.
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Maybe two years ago. Dealer markups have almost disappeared now.
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AmanoJyaku
Ars Praefectus
$35K isn't $20K, but it's not $50K, either. At these prices, one might think GM is serious about making EVs for the masses...
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Really goes to show you how out of touch these manufacturers are by removing car play/android auto integration.
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Total deal breaker GM.
It is one thing for infotainment to reboot but instrument panel as well, F - no way in hell. How did this pass any approval process at all. A lot of thing can go wrong in the time to reboot with no information.
Who is designing these things?
It is one thing for infotainment to reboot but instrument panel as well, F - no way in hell. How did this pass any approval process at all. A lot of thing can go wrong in the time to reboot with no information.
Who is designing these things?
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Memory leaks, race conditions, deadlock… hard stuff. How about we just reboot periodically?
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That's $3k more expensive than the cheapest Rav4 hybrid, $8600 cheaper than the Rav4 Prime, and right about on par with a midrange trim level CR-V, (ICE) Equinox, or Escape. Whatever might sink this thing it isn't the pricing.
And that $35k doesn't count state incentives either.
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AmanoJyaku
Ars Praefectus
Re: Android Auto and CarPlay, GM announced it's replacing them with Android Automotive. Anyone have experience with it?
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Something not mentioned in the article: after 3 years, you would have to pay $25/month to use Super Cruise. Dealbreaker, IMO. I know many are still dubious about the utility, but if it has the hardware a subscription should not exist, PERIOD.
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As stated above, it's essentially a standalone Android tablet in your car. You have to log into everything and run everything separately from your phone.
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Most current EVs don't require you to press a start button. Just press the brake pedal and put the car in drive, and it's on. My car has a start button, but I never use it because I don't have to. If it had been removed, I would not have missed it one bit.
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Now if only my state (MI) could get the damn IRA electrification rebates going a lot more people could afford to upgrade their electrical systems and install home charging. If everything goes right it might happen late fall. Are any of the other states out there doing better? Are those programs open anywhere yet?
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I think it's rather difficult to blame Android Automotive for GM's software problems when numerous other manufacturers use it without such massive widespread issues.
I've had zero issues with the infotainment on my Honda, for example, and it's Android Automotive-based.
I've had zero issues with the infotainment on my Honda, for example, and it's Android Automotive-based.
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Did they put the headlight controls on the touchscreen in this? I heard they did that on some other model and that's just incredibly, perilously fucking stupid and whoever approves that on any vehicle should be immediately fired. Anyone who suggests it should be on a PIP at the minimum.
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I've never heard any good software developer say a forced restart of the whole system is "minor and normal software behaviors." Pretty soon you'd have no customers, if you put out a shoddy product like that.
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How are the seats for individuals not built out of pipe cleaners?
I tried a Bolt EUV, and the seat was uncomfortable enough for me that the software dumbassery never became relevant.
I tried a Bolt EUV, and the seat was uncomfortable enough for me that the software dumbassery never became relevant.
$25/yr would actually be reasonable to me, since it will need updating. Twelve times that is ridiculous.
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Here's a blast from the past: Just Say No.
Seriously, unless there's a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong line of people buying this, the dealer markups are a thing of the past. I got one waived over a year ago when I bought my PHEV. The fact is dealers want to sell cars, not have them hanging around on the lots.
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Isn't that what Polestar uses? I had it in a rental for a week. The maps/nav are good, plays music through Bluetooth. The rest is meh but I rather use the touchscreen as little as possible so it doesn't really matter.
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FWIW, I've had screen blanks like that in my Olde Bolt - not often but they have happened. Though the operating systems for infotainment are completely different so there should be no direct comparison.
And performance? The basic FWD version sounds like it has all of about 10 more hp than a Bolt. Couple that with a bigger car and battery (and weight) and I'm surprised it's got any pep at all. Still, by modern standards (e.g. around 300 miles range as table stakes these days in the US), 80ish kwh is not a really large battery.
What kind of miles/kwh were displayed (if you could get the infotainment to reveal that) in freeway-with-a/c driving? My Olde Bolt gets around 3.5 for that kind of driving (around 70 mph); the 2022-23 refresh did slightly better in EPA rating.
Mentioning the Bolt mainly because it's the most recent prior Chevy EV, I have one, and lots of them are still around. So it's a good comparison point. If Chevy can come up with efficiency that's close to the Bolt in this bigger vehicle, with adequate performance, it might be competitive.
Except of course for missing AA/CP. A deal-breaker for me even if the rest looks good.
And performance? The basic FWD version sounds like it has all of about 10 more hp than a Bolt. Couple that with a bigger car and battery (and weight) and I'm surprised it's got any pep at all. Still, by modern standards (e.g. around 300 miles range as table stakes these days in the US), 80ish kwh is not a really large battery.
What kind of miles/kwh were displayed (if you could get the infotainment to reveal that) in freeway-with-a/c driving? My Olde Bolt gets around 3.5 for that kind of driving (around 70 mph); the 2022-23 refresh did slightly better in EPA rating.
Mentioning the Bolt mainly because it's the most recent prior Chevy EV, I have one, and lots of them are still around. So it's a good comparison point. If Chevy can come up with efficiency that's close to the Bolt in this bigger vehicle, with adequate performance, it might be competitive.
Except of course for missing AA/CP. A deal-breaker for me even if the rest looks good.
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Android Automotive is like the base OS. Honda and Volvo use it for example, but none of those implementations will look much like each other. AA/CarPlay absolutely can run on top of Android Automotive, but GM not implementing it is their fault.
Brought to you by having two cars in the shop this week, having two loaners (not kidding) and my AA following me seamlessly and flawlessly.
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Will dealers actually stock the base model (and not choose fully loaded models instead)?
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The car looks good, glad they went with more modern styling, but the lack of Android Auto, or CarPlay kinda negates the demographic that would buy this vehicle.
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That would be the Colorado:
The 2023 Chevy Colorado's Headlight Switch Is In The Infotainment Screen. What Do You Think About That? - The Autopian
I just drove the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado, The Bowtie’s fresh new midsize truck aiming to take on the Toyota Tacoma, and while I’ll publish a full review soon, for now we need to talk about the headlight switch. The vast majority of cars have their headlight switch in one of two locations: The...
www.theautopian.com
Why GM can't standardize on stalk lighting controls like the Japanese and Koreans I don't understand. Every Japanese and Korean car has the same lighting and wiper controls. GM can't even decide what to do amongst its own brands - my Volt had a dashboard knob, but my grandmother's Cadillac ATS had a stalk.
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Those fucking dickheads. Off to the unemployment office with them.
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