Chevrolet has just pulled the silks from the new Blazer EV. The new BEV crossover is very much seen as Chevrolet’s answer to the likes of the Ford Mach-E and KIA EV6 in the expanding, mid-sized electric crossover segment. Early examples of the new battery-electric crossover will go on sale in Canada next summer from $56,598 upwards.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
“The 2024 Blazer EV sets a new tone for electric SUVs, with options and intuitive technologies that help position Chevrolet for leadership in one of the fastest-growing EV segments,” Chevrolet Canada VP Scott Bell explains. “Along with the all-new Silverado EV and Equinox EV coming next year, we are making great strides in offering more choices for zero tailpipe-emissions vehicles — choices that make switching to an EV easier than ever.”
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Sitting atop General Motors’ EV-dedicated Ultium Platform, three drive systems will be available on the new Blazer EV. The entry level ‘1LT’, the ‘2LT’ and the ‘RS’ come as standard with front-wheel drive, though all-wheel drive options can be optioned on the latter two. Three battery sizes will be available, though full technical details have yet to be announced.
Chevrolet has confirmed, however, that the ‘Super Sport’ trim will be the bowtie’s first all-electric model to don the SS badge. Equipped with Chevrolet’s ‘Wide Open Watts’ sport driving mode – also available on the Silverado EV RST and, as ‘Watts to Freedom’ (WTF) on the GMC Hummer EV – the Blazer EV SS will send up to 557 hp and up to 648 lb ft of torque to all four wheels, enough for an estimated sprint time of “less than four seconds.”
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
So swift is this power delivery, Chevrolet has announced that a Police Pursuit Vehicle (PPV) example could be introduced to North American police fleets as early as next summer.
The most efficient model, meanwhile, will be the RS model, which, thanks to its rear-wheel drive configuration – yep, three drive options on the RS – could boast an estimated range of 515 km. Level 2 (AC, 11.5 kW) and DC fast-charging (190 kW) options will be available, and, though Chevrolet has included the requisite asterisks to this claim, the RS RWD could be topped up with 125 km of additional range in as little as 10 minutes on fast-charge.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
Alongside impressive grunt and Mach-E rivalling range, the Blazer EV’s Ultium Platform is also said to have “enabled” the muscular yet taut exterior design. Bizarrely then, though the new EV “elevates” the “heralded design” that arrived with the ICE Blazer in 2018, the battery-electric crossover shares nothing bar its name with its internal combustion counterpart.
Though the coke bottle-esque designs sweeps down the flank, each trim boasts its own unique front fascia. The entry level 1LT and 2LT for example display a blanked-off, faux grille in body colour, and roll on standard 19-inch wheels. The RS meanwhile, which features a black grille and accenting, sits on 21-inch examples. The SS similarly features a more aggressive look with a unique grille and black two-tone colours, plus the range’s largest wheels – 22 inches – as standard.
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV
In a neat touch, a “sequential orchestration” across the front headlamps changes both speed and intensity when the vehicle is plugged in, indicating the battery’s level of charge.
Both the RS and the SS boast bespoke “performance heritage” inspired design cues on the inside too, including contrast stitching, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and turbine-sculpted vents (extractor vents on the front fender, akin to the Corvette C6 IMSA sports car and Camaro NASCAR, are a similar nod to Chevrolet’s “motorsport legacy”). While heated front seats and steering wheels will be available on all trims, heated rear seats and ventilated front seats will also be available on the RS and SS. All trims will feature a 17.7-inch central touchscreen that controls the infotainment system, twinned with an 11-inch display for the driver.
