LOS ANGELES — General Motors is making good on its promise to phase out gas-powered cars by 2035.
On Monday night, the automaker pulled off the wraps on an all-electric version of its Chevy Blazer SUV. A 2024 model, it will be available next spring in four versions ranging in price from about $44,995 for the base model to $65,995 for the SS performance trim.
With a muscular and sporty body style designed to attract new EV buyers with one of Chevy’s bestselling nameplates, the Blazer EV will be available with three different battery sizes capable of traveling 270, 290 or 320 miles per charge.
Powered with GM’s new Ultium batteries that are spread at the base of the car, the Blazer EV can add 78 miles of range in about 10 minutes with a 190 kilowatt fast charger.
The front end of the car is outfitted with animated string lights that indicate how much charge the car has when it’s plugged in. The lights speed up as the battery charge increases.
Available in front-, rear- and all-wheel drive versions, the Blazer EV is the first Chevy EV to be available as an SS performance model. Making up to 500 horsepower and 645 pound feet of torque, it will be able to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds using all-wheel drive and a mode the company is calling “WOW,” for Wide Open Watts.
Like so many other EVs, the dashboard has a large horizontally oriented touch screen in the center console that curves toward the driver. But unlike many EVs that are operated almost entirely through a screen, the Blazer EV has hard controls for volume and air temperature. To help convey a sense of speed and sport, the air vents have a turbine design.
As an electric, the Blazer incorporates many of the easy-to-use aspects of other EVs on the market. It syncs with a smartphone, enabling the car to unlock and turn on when the driver approaches. An optional automatic liftgate operates similarly and is hands free. The rear cargo area is the only storage for the vehicle. Despite being an EV, the Blazer does not have a front trunk, or “frunk.”
The Blazer EV is the first of three all-electric versions of popular Chevy makes that are coming on the market next year. The Equinox EV will be available next summer, followed by the Silverado EV pickup next fall.