[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

I think they pretend that the Bolt is a crossover, and from a legal perspective I believe it is (something about a flat cargo floor or something, I think). But yeah, you'd think there would be more hybrid & EV crossovers out there given the general demand for the CUVs right now. Its not just GM either, but pretty much everyone.

Maybe the OEMs thought it would be piling on too much risk at once, 4 years ago when these decisions were being made there was still uncertainty as to how popular crossovers would be. So to dump a lot of money into a crossover, then a lot more into a powertrain other than a standard gasoline engine might have been a non-starter.

Or it could simply be an engineering issue. With the big boxes typically being heavier and less aerodynamic, you get less efficiency out of a hybrid and less range from an EV (or you need more batteries which adds extra cost).

It’s the bold part. It’s a chemistry problem wrapped inside of a physics problem with financial reality tossed in. Until battery chemistry is efficient enough to overcome the aerodynamic and mass deficiencies of utilities and deliver commercially acceptable driving range without having to package them with an ungodly amount of expensive batteries.

Probably the closest thing to a feasible electr4Ic CUV is the Kia Soul EV and also the Kia Niro. But there are more PHEV and EV CUVs coming. Jaguar i-Pace, too.