Our week with EVs: Recapping the diverse collection of electric cars we tested

It may be hard to actually get them due to supply chain shortages and hefty price markups, but there’s a steady stream of new and updated electric cars and SUVs being introduced these days. It seems like there’s something notable introduced each week, while one of our editors is inevitably plugging one into their homes at night. 

This week we got extensive time in three EVs, and reviewed two cars that can be electrified (the Subaru Crosstrek and Range Rover). Here’s a brief taste of what we found.

Mercedes-Benz EQB First Drive Review: Next electric Benz is a little different

“Mercedes-Benz is taking two starkly different approaches to electrifying its lineup. Some of its EQ-branded electric cars are standalone models without a gasoline-burning counterpart, like the EQS and the EQE. They’re positioned as electric alternatives to the S-Class and the E-Class, respectively, and they look nothing like their gasoline-powered alter-egos. Others are electric variants of the gas-powered cars themselves; the new GLB-based Mercedes-Benz EQB falls into this category, with the EQC sold in some global markets being another. Only a handful of styling cues inside and out, and of course the powertrain, differentiate these EVs from their gasoline-burning counterparts.”

2022 Chevy Bolt EV Road Test Review: Time to play EV, gas or airplane

“Although massively updated for ’22 with surprisingly cool styling (versus embarrassingly dorky), a more conventional and sufficiently nice interior (versus one that looked constructed of surplus hot tub plastic, shown above right), and a battery that will no longer burn down your garage, the Bolt continues to boast an above-average amount of all-electric range at 258 EPA-estimated miles. As the math implies, that should be more than enough to travel 178 miles up Interstate 5 from Portland to Seattle, but charging would be necessary at least once along the way. And although an exponentially lighter lift than Portland to Los Angeles, the same crapshoot charging dynamics would represent a brief appetizer of the full meal my sister-in-law was setting herself up for.”