2LT 4dr All-Wheel Drive
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

DEL MAR, Calif. — A man named Everett Rogers came up with something called the Diffusion of Innovations theory in 1962. Don’t worry, I’ll keep this short. It outlined five stages that innovative new products typically move through, and when it comes to electric vehicles, we’re still in the second stage: Early Adopters. Generally speaking, electric cars for them have needed to stand out in terms of design and branding. Different is a must, weird is OK. For EV adoption to move into the next, “Early Majority” stage, risks have to be minimized, familiarity is important and practicality made paramount. The 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV is basically intended to spark that Early Majority. It’s boldly styled, sure, but not in a way that’s foreign or overly futuristic. It mostly looks like the next generation of the existing, gas-powered Chevy Blazer (and clearly related to the similarly gas-only Chevy Trax). The interior may be rocking a gigantic screen, but there are still buttons and a tall center console with bins aplenty. The core of the lineup comes standard with front-wheel drive and offers all-wheel drive as an option for poor-weather traction – just like the existing Blazer and most other crossovers. Heck, even using the name Blazer speaks to the goal of familiarity. Importantly, it’s not dull. It looks great inside and out, and while it may not be as sporty to drive as some might infer by those looks, its suspension, steering and throttle response are tuned consistently with Chevrolet’s dynamic renaissance that’s attempted to make its core products consistent in character with its halo ones, the Corvette and Camaro. It’s no different than Mazda SUVs feeling related to the Miata or four-door Porsches to the 911. To “drive like a Chevrolet” means something now, and it’s very much a positive. That the Blazer EV achieves that dynamic cohesion despite its electric platform is commendable. The hurdles regarding charging and cost are still there – home charging will remain impossible for some, public fast charging will remain a crap shoot for all, and the Blazer EV costs considerably more than the surviving (for now) gas-powered Blazer. Groups four and five in the innovation adoption theory, “Late Majority” and “Laggards,” still aren’t signing up. Yet, it’s much easier to see the Blazer EV piquing the interest of those who have thus far found EVs too alien. To dive deeper into the Blazer EV story, it’s important to start with its Ultium EV platform. Blazer is the first mainstream Ultium product, following the Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq, with the Chevy Equinox EV to follow in the short term (along with the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, long story). Think of Ultium as the Lego-ification of car building. Battery modules that are roughly the size of a fat briefcase can be added or subtracted based on range, performance and packaging requirements. Motor units of differing output and type can also be mixed and matched to satisfy differing goals. That attribute is fully …
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