Here's an apples to apples comparison of relative value, to me. IIRR, C&D tested the Bolt and came up with a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds or thereabouts. My current car model, when tested by them, had a 0-60 time of 9.6 seconds. So let's look at the current, 6.5 second Bolt vs. a theoretical 9.5 second Bolt for the same price, but with some optional changes to see which one provides the greater value, utility, flexibility and/or convenience.
1. 6.5 second Bolt (great passing, lots of fun to drive fast).
2. 9.5 second Bolt (perfectly adequate passing, fun to drive fast) with either
- a. 300+ mile range
b. <=30 minute FC from 20-80% (2021 Bolt took me 47 minutes from 45-80%)
c. Heat Pump.
Given the choice between 1 or 2 with any of the options, I'd opt for 2a, b or c in a heartbeat. The Bolt1 is more fun to drive, but Bolt 2 provides me with more useful capability, utility, flexibility, and convenience, and would still provide faster passing at altitude than my current car owing to no power loss in thinner air. In fact, a Bolt 2 with all three options would probably be worth paying an extra $5k for me, if the Bolt met most of my major requirements (it doesn't, as it's too short and lacks both AWD and a space for spare).
There are plenty of roughly comparable ICEs that provide me with even more capability than a Bolt 2 with all options, and do so at a much lower price. They may or may not cost more long-term, but they're also far more affordable upfront and give me far more car in the process, as they will meet my needs for much longer before needing replacement. AFAIR none of the cost comparison studies mentioned above included the price of a pack replacement, and even a 300 mile BEV when new has only marginal range for me, and will need at least one and possibly two pack replacements during its life with me to regain needed range.
If that's too abstract, how about comparing the RAV4, both ICE and HEV, to an ID.4 w/AWD, as they're all compact CUVs. Actually, the ID.4 falls well short of option a, barely meets option b and I think it's also missing option c, so the upcoming Ionic 5/EV6 would be a better match as I expect them to come in within about $2k of a comparably-equipped ID.4.
RAV4 AWD base MSRP, $27,750, 35 mpg Hwy, 478.5 mile Hwy range.
Rav4 AWD Hybrid base MSRP, $28,500, 38 mpg Hwy, 551 miles Hwy range.
ID.4 AWD base MSRP, $43,675. I haven't been able to find Hwy range for it , but judging by the non-AWD range drop from 260 combined to 237 miles, I'd expect the AWD version to come in around 225 miles Hwy.
https://insideevs.com/news/533041/volkswagen-id4-awd-epa-range/
Ionic5/EV6 AWD should do a bit better on EPA range than the ID.4, with much faster FC and a heat pump so a better match for my requirements.
The Castrol study I've referenced elsewhere said that the average range wanted by U.S. car buyers before they'd consider a BEV was 517 km (321 miles) with an FC time of around 30 minutes (most people don't know that BEV charging slows way down when past 80%, and discharging too low can hurt the battery; I'm willing to bet most people in the survey meant 30 minutes from 0-100%), so I'd say the Bolt 2 requirements I stated above were if anything less rigorous than the typical U.S. car buyer's.
BTW, U.S. fleet owners wanted considerably more range - I forget the exact number but it was something like 740 km/500 miles, although they were okay with slower charging. If it were available for not too much more, I'd take it. My current car's no-worries range in non-terrible conditions is at least 400 miles. The best I can recall was 468 miles before the low-fuel light (2.4 gallons remaining) came on, and when that light comes on I assume a soft reserve of 30 miles and a hard one of 50, but I could probably manage another 60 or a bit more depending on how much of the fuel in the tank is unusable. As it is, that range allows me to do some weekend trips un-refueled, but generally I stop once on the way up and often on the way back for gas because it's significantly cheaper outside the Bay Area, in the Central Valley. Per Gasbuddy the station I typically get gas at locally is currently $4.36/gal. Reg. (the station 1.5 blocks from home is $4.60); The station I most often use on the way to/from Yosemite and the east side of the Sierra is currently $4.16.
Today's prices are something like $1.22 higher than this time last year, but for the sake of argument let's assume gas will stay at $4.50/gal. forever. For the $15,925 price difference of the RAV4 to the ID.4 I could put gas in the RAV4 AWD and drive it on the Hwy for 123,861 miles to breakeven (I'm ignoring maintenance, insurance, pack replacements etc. here).
For the $15,175 price difference of the RAV4 AWD Hybrid vs. the ID.4 AWD I could drive the former 128,144 miles before breakeven.