2020 Chevy Bolt EV’s 259 miles of range is impressive, but the cost of electric cars is still too damn high

With continuing developments like Chevrolet’s recent announcement of a 259-mile range for the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV, the practical viability of owning and operating an electric vehicle is increasing apace.  

A 259 mile range is impressive. Plenty of gas cars on the road right now don’t exceed that. Also impressive is 200 horsepower in a subcompact car, which the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV also boasts. That’s more than enough to be respectable in the types of driving situations your average consumer is likely to encounter.

From my perspective, electric cars don’t really have much more to prove. Demonstration of their performance capabilities has been more than adequate given accomplishments like last year’s record-breaking performance of the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

And if you’re someone who’s really, really into the idea of owning an EV instead of an internal combustion car, then maybe the financial math of comparing how much car you get for your money between the two categories doesn’t matter all that much.

But for me, as someone who still prefers internal combustion, with an “I could take it or leave it” attitude toward the idea of actually owning an electric car, that math does matter. It matters a lot.

In addition to the 259 mile range, Chevrolet’s press release on the 2020 Bolt EV announced a starting MSRP of $37,495.

Wait, what?

Yet that’s a quite typical price for EVs in a similar class.

The problem, for someone like me, is that for your money all your getting is a subcompact hatchback. And if I’m not someone who’s simply enamored with the idea of an electric car, why in the world would I pay that kind of money for a subcompact hatchback?

Here’s just one example. For an MSRP of $23,600, I could get a 2019 Mazda 3 hatchback. And the Mazda 3 is a class higher—a compact, not a subcompact. With an internal combustion powertrain, it’s of course lighter than the Chevy Bolt EV. But the Mazda 3 is also a bigger car in terms of its other physical dimensions like wheelbase, overall length, and overall width.

And, from where I stand, the Mazda 3 is a much better looking, more tastefully designed, and more appealing vehicle overall. Quite simply, by most measures, you’re getting a lot more car for your money if you choose a Mazda 3 internal combustion hatchback over a Chevy Bolt EV hatchback.    

You could accuse me of making an apples and orange comparison, but if you’re more or less indifferent to the idea of owning an EV instead of an internal combustion car, you’re just comparing two cars, and the price difference becomes an insurmountable barrier to the attractiveness of the EV.

So there you have it. The cost of electric cars is simply too damn high, and it has to come down to get EVs to the next level of acceptance in the marketplace.