2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV is official - starts under $45,000

The long awaited Chevrolet Blazer EV is finally here. Well, it’s official at least, if not really with us - what we are looking at is the 2024 model that we will be able to buy in 2023. In 2022 we get to look at its photos and watch the videos and dream about owning it. Taking a huge step towards ending the torture, GM is now accepting the orders for it.

Blazer is a name that GM takes seriously, it’s a breadwinner for the company and there is no room for mistakes or stumbling off the blocks. The car is being launched at a time when a myriad of new EVs are starting to arrive on the market and competition is getting tough. But GM has an ace up its sleeve - the Ultium architecture.

Chevrolet Blazer EV will share the Ultium with Cadillac Lyriq. The flexibility of the platform is only just being appreciated, Blazer EV will be the first car to fully take advantage of it. The car will be available with three different battery sizes and three different drivetrains - front or rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.

First thing we notice looking at the car is its wheelbase - at 3,094 mm it is 130 mm longer than Tesla Model X’s and yet the overall length is 60 mm shorter. Blazer EV will have plenty of room inside and additional benefit is room for a larger battery.

Chevrolet Blazer EV SS

Chevrolet hasn’t given all the details yet about the Blazer EV but we have enough to explore. The entry level trim is the 1LT which will start at $44,995 and will be available in Winter 2024. This will be the FWD model with smaller battery and range of 247 miles - unfortunately that figure is estimated by GM and will most likely change once the car gets the official EPA rating.

The next level up is the 2LT - this model is a bit more complicated. It will be available with FWD as standard and a medium sized battery pack will be optional. With that pack the car’s range is estimated at 293 miles.

A dual motor setup will be optional on this trim level as well as the GM’s Super Cruise which isn’t available for the 1LT. The prices start at $47,595 and this trim will be available in the Summer 2023 - much earlier than the 1LT trim.

Next is the RS and this will be the trim with the highest range. The standard setup will be the FWD with the smallest motor from 1LT but paired with the medium battery pack. The next options get a bit complicated - you can add a larger battery pack (but not the largest) and that option will come with the RWD setup with a more powerful motor.

There will be an option of dual motor AWD just like on the 2LT. With the large battery and RWD the estimated range is 320 miles making this trim possibly the most popular. It will start at $51,995 and just like the 2LT, it will be available in Summer 2023.

The cherry on the cake is the top of the range Blazer EV SS - Super Sport badge comes with a lot of legacy and GM hasn’t failed here. The car will share the drivetrain with Cadillac Lyriq AWD but will have more power - 557 hp and 648 lb-ft of torque with less than 4 seconds sprint time from 0 to 60 mph. The car will come with 22” wheels as standard and with the largest battery - most likely with 100kW capacity - it will deliver an estimated 290 miles of driving range.

The SS will have Brembo brakes and the suspension will be track tuned apparently - in plain English it’ll be a bit stiff. Performance apart the biggest nugget is the price - the SS will start at $65,995 and will be available in Fall of 2023.

All the trims will get two huge screens inside - the main screen has a 17.7-inch diagonal and the driver’s screen is 11 inches across. Wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are on board as well as GM’s own EV route planning technology.

One pedal driving is available on all trims and the charging port cover is automated as well. The rear view camera is standard but HUD will be optional. Smallest wheels are 19” and are available on 1LT, the RS gets optional 21” rims and 22” wheels are standard on the SS.

The interior of Chevrolet Blazer EV SS

The safety suite is complete as well - all trims come with Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Alert, Following Distance Indicator and IntelliBeam auto high beam lights. The 2LT and RS trims can tow up to 1,500 pounds with the optional “comfort and convenience” package.

Charging comes with peak power of 190kW DC and can add up to 78 miles in just 10 minutes, it’s not a record breaking performance but as we explained recently - not all numbers are equal. GM is playing safe here and betting on longevity of the battery pack. Home charging can be taken care of by Level 1 (110V) or Level 2 (240V) with the latter giving 11.5 kW and charging the largest battery pack in less than 9 hours.

There is no question - the Blazer EV is a handsome and spacious car, it is priced very competitively when you compare it to Tesla Model Y and it will cost about the same as Ford Mach-E. The interior is amazing, the design details brighten up the space and make it so much less boring than some other cars out there. The competition is hotting up and we, the customers, are finally getting a good choice.

Chevrolet already has a bunch of helpful videos about the new Blazer EV on its YouTube channel:

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