The brand-new Chevrolet Blazer EV is an eye-catching zero-emission machine. It also helps that it's a crossover because most people nowadays look for such a vehicle instead of considering wagons or sedans. So, it should be a winner for GM. But let's see just how powerful it can be.
Earlier this year, GM CEO Mary Barra said the company she leads would surpass Tesla and sell more all-electric vehicles than the Texas-based brand by the end of 2025.
More recently, the executive announced that GM would hit the brakes on its EV goals. It won't manufacture the promised 400,000 units by mid-2024. Still, the Detroit Three group member said it would reach the target set for 2025: making one million EVs in North America.
Those numbers are important because Hertz announced last month that it would buy 175,000 EVs from General Motors. Unless the automaker decides to extend deliveries to the rental company through 2025, that deal should keep its factories busy for at least one quarter of next year.
Sadly, things don't look good for General Motors. Its robotaxi division, Cruise, was forced to halt operations in the US, Honda gave up on making new EVs with it in Mexico (apart from the Prologue and Acura's ZDX), and there's an ongoing UAW strike that's affecting its business. When writing, there's no tentative agreement between the company and its employees.
All those developments might have affected GM's capacity to properly measure the output of its dapper-looking dual-motor Blazer EV RS with a CCS Combo 1 charging port. In a response to Car and Driver, the auto behemoth said the crossover SUV would pump out 288 hp and 333 lb-ft of torque.
Photo: TFLEV on YouTube
The crew behind the TFLEV YouTube channel took that to heart, got their hands on an all-wheel-drive Blazer RS, and verified those numbers. It seems like GM is pulling a page out of BMW's playbook. It underestimated its own EV!
The driver used the vehicle's own measurement system when doing a pull from zero to 60 mph and saw that the maximum output was 225 kW. That amounts to 302 hp – 14 more than GM said.
Weighing over 5,600 lb (estimated, official data not yet available), the all-wheel-drive Blazer RS went from zero to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds with acceleration set to Sport Mode.
As some EV owners might know, horsepower figures aren't that important for an EV. They fluctuate depending on the state of charge and the battery's condition. For example, the vehicle won't allow the motors to work at full capacity if the battery is too cold. Still, knowing the kW or the hp figure matters because it gives prospective buyers an idea about the vehicle's capabilities.
The frunkless unit you're about to see in the video below has an MSRP of $60,700 with the destination charge included.
Considering that the current MSRP is $60,215 sans freight, $60,700 is a good pre-tax price! It has a range of 279 miles, according to GM. If you can find one for sale, keep in mind that it qualifies for the full $7,500 EV tax credit.
Finally, don't forget that a Tesla Model Y Long Range costs less ($48,990), goes farther (330 mi of EPA-rated range), and is faster (zero to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds). It's also eligible for the federal EV tax credit. But Chevy is planning on releasing the Blazer SS into the wild. When it finally happens, Tesla might have something to think about. Until then, it might very well continue its reign.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News