Cheaper electric vehicles coming despite high battery costs

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

WARREN, Mich. (AP) — Auto companies are rolling out more affordable electric vehicles that should widen their appeal to a larger group of buyers. That’s despite rising battery costs. The latest EV came Thursday from General Motors, a Chevrolet Equinox small SUV. It has a starting price around $30,000 and a range-per-charge of 250 miles, or 400 kilometers. You can get range of 300 miles, or 500 kilometers, if you pay more. GM won’t release the exact price of the Equinox EV until closer to the date it goes on sale, about this time next year. But the SUV is at the low end of Edmunds.com’s list of prices for electric vehicles sold in the U.S. The average cost of an EV is now around $65,000.