2024 Chevy Blazer EV SS First Sighting in Fully Electric Form at Woodward Dream Cruise

The Chevy Blazer has seen a successful and long-awaited resurrection over the past few years at West Chevy of Knoxville, and customers are loving its aggressive and sporty style that perfectly blends with its daily driving practicality. The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV just made its debut last month and brings an all-electric and exciting version of the popular crossover SUV to the public eye before next year’s release. 

Offering a broad variety of trim levels and new features, many loyal customers were excited to see GM Authority’s feature this past week that showed the first legitimate photos giving us a clear idea of what to expect. These shots were taken during the Woodward Dream Cruise that took place in Metro Detroit, showing the Blazer ready for action and boasting the Radiant Red Metallic paint hue. What we believe so many diehards will love about this incoming Blazer it’s taken influence from the soul of a true sports car, making it the highest performer of the entire Chevy Blazer lineup.

The front fascia has wide horizontal lighting that traverses across the top edge of the crossover’s nose, with an organized and technical grille workup. A small red SS badge is in the corner, while angular styling lines render the Blazer a bit sportier than the average everyday crossover. There is a newly redone sculpture line that draws attention to the wheel arches, and two-tone styling nicely does up the lower panels, roof, and pillars in black. 

The charging port is situated in the driver’s side front fender, and once you approach the rear, things change drastically from what the last model offered. Here, the geometric styling pattern has several separate boxy dimensions that still blend amazingly well with the rest of things, and the taillights have a T-shaped design that wraps directly into the rear quarter panels. The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV SS is set to be available exclusively with all-wheel drive and cranks out an admirable 557 horsepower and 648 lb-ft of torque while getting on up to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. 

The 2023 Blazer was praised by the experts on staff at Car and Driver for its fierce style, satisfying driving demeanor, and rear seat and cargo space. As the 2023 Blazer resides at around 308 horsepower courtesy of its current V6, the bump to 557 horses is bound to stir excitement. This is on track to be a model that makes the most of the industry’s new juice for refined thrills during each drive! 

 

Future of Powertrains Platform: InsideEVs Reports on 150,000 Current Reservations for Silverado EV

Our team here at West Chevrolet is always excited to learn what the future holds for our beloved brand. One of the biggest pieces of news and most popular incoming models is the all-new Chevy Silverado EV. We know the classic Silverado draws sentiments and nostalgia from Americans across the country, but we can guarantee that the incoming Silverado EV will be just as trusty, hefty and incredibly efficient as the model we all know and love! 

The InsideEVs blog just reported that there were currently over 150,000 reservations for the Chevy Silverado EV, compared to the 110,000 at the beginning of 2022. That’s a very respectable number for a vehicle that is scheduled for an official market launch in Spring of 2023: by that time, it’s possible that GM may beat the number of registrations that Ford collected for its rival F-150 Lightning. 85% of reservations are from new customers, and 70% of the reservations taken were from customers on either coast. 

Part of the official plan is to overtake Tesla in sales by providing a focus on much more affordable EVs. There is no reason that we cannot follow its gas-powered relatives in racking up stellar sales numbers, and the orders already in place are an incredibly promising sign. The official reveal of the Silverado EV was in January of this year, and the work truck model is expected to arrive during early spring of 2023, with the fully loaded and upper trim RST First Edition set to be available to the public in the fall of 2023. 

Any one of these 150,000 lucky customers along with others who decide to dive fully-fledged into the electric-powered stratosphere will enjoy some 400 miles of range, and DC Fast Charging at speeds of up to 100 miles of range in just ten minutes. Dual electric motors offer up standard all-wheel drive and up to 664 horsepower, and the Silverado EV will have a towing rating of up to 10,000 pounds. Buyers of the RST model will find that it comes with the extra additives of 24-inch wheels, an adaptive air suspension, while the Trail Boss offers up all-terrain tires and locking differentials. 

Once inside the RST Model you’ll enjoy a fixed glass roof, black-and-white two-tone leather upholstery with red piping, and available passenger space about identical to a regular Silverado crew cab pickup truck. There is a column-mounted shifter instead of one situated directly on the console, which creates enough space for a useful storage bin ideal for items that can be stowed away during the drive. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are expected to be standard, with in-dash navigation, SiriusXM satellite radio, and an on-board Wi-Fi hotspot to provide the ultimate in connectivity and entertainment options.

Stay tuned for more updates from West Chevrolet about the incoming Silverado EV or contact us today to make your reservation.

Chevy Bolt EV Traction Motor Highlighted in InsideEVs Deep Dive Video

Within the realm of both hybrid and purely electrified cars, there is a lot going on behind the scenes, to say the least! Professor John Kelly of Weber State University took the liberty of dissecting the block of a Bolt EV Traction motor apart for a video presentation on the InsideEVs blog. Situated directly under the hood of the car, this component contains the actual gears, electric motor, and others needed to complete the all-important job of making the wheels turn.

As the blog admits wholeheartedly, some people would think that this is the most boring idea for a video ever, and that there are no gimmicks, car chases, or sight gags. But there is an amazing quality about discovering how technology works, and the WeberAuto YouTube channel has attracted over 100,000 viewers during its streaming days. Before starting the disassembly, Professor Kelly discusses the motor and some of its performance parameters of the Spark EV. When you get down to the actual nitty gritty of the Bolt EV motor, it produces less torque and has a lower peak amperage draw, with an ultimately higher RPM. However, it still offers more torque in the end, sporting a more efficient design.

As you can see for yourself in the video here, the professor then gives a completely guided tour of the unit's exterior, explaining every single part seen from the outer view. Once everything is labeled clearly, the deeper visual learning experience gets started. All of us here at West Chevy of Knoxville marveled at the sight of the pipe where the coolant comes in: there are six holes in the trough where fluid drips down on various parts of the trans axle, in a very complex and precise arrangement. The video provides fast-forward motion at just the right times when there are lengthy turns and screws, and really does a great job of portraying the insides and what goes on at every single instant of operation.

At about 45 minutes, you can really see the entire length of the rotor, and the task of clearing the alignment dowel begins. The drip channel for the oil to come out of the sump is pretty awesome to see close up, as well as the stator windings. Car and Driver heaped on the praise for the 2019 model, citing impressive range and immense practicality as two important reasons. We are beyond proud that that same well-read publication deemed the Bolt EV as the “best everyday electric car on the market today,” while being completely fascinated with its powertrain and spacious cabin. As the future of the automotive realm promises to change drastically, we are going to be witnessing full fleets begin to make the switch and crossover; the Bolt remains the best specimen at this moment for a sensational electric daily driver!

50 Golden Years After the Beginning, eCOPO Camaro Race Car Concept is Born

It was fifty years ago that the original COPO Camaro was introduced to the public, and all of us here at West Chevrolet are constantly in awe of this car's potential for power, ability, and raw handling on the track. The new eCOPO Camaro Concept demonstrates a vision for electric drag racing, as the future has arrived, in the sense that planet responsibility and sustainability is at the top of many automaker's list, including ours. Developed by GM and built in conjunction with the Hancock and Lane Racing drag team, this new concept car is based on the 2019 COPO Camaro.

This is an entirely electric-powered car, driven by an electric motor that offers up the equivalent of more than 700 horsepower, and 600 lb-ft of torque. Testing time for the quarter-mile is estimated now in the 9-second range, and this is one concept that has pushed the power and racing envelope to the fullest, while at the same time channels the spirit of full-throttled and high-octane racing. Hancock and Lane Racing not only have a track record of success within the drag racing realm, but also benefit from strong ties to Patrick McCue, the brains behind the record-setting “Shock and Awe” electric drag racing car, and the Seattle-based Bothell High School automotive technology program.

The original 1969 Camaro models relied on the most creative engineering in existence to make them successful in the very exciting and challenging event of Stock Eliminator drag racing. The same level of dedication is evident in the ground-breaking new motor within the eCOPO, which sports GM's first 800-volt battery. This electric motor is based on a pair of BorgWarner HVH 250-150 motor assemblies, each with the capability to generate 300 lb-ft of torque, while utterly replacing the gas engine we have all become so accustomed to. It is mated to a conventional, racing-ready “Turbo 400” automatic transmission that boosts the motor's torque to the same solid rear axle put to use in the production COPO Camaro racers.

With the new 800-volt battery pack, there is a much more efficient transfer of power to the all-electric motor, and it is able to support faster recharging. This is all-important when it comes to the rapidly paced elimination rounds in drag racing, when time is of the essence. This is very exciting new territory in the technological realm, as drag strip racing is one very demanding and pavement-pounding performance arena that gasoline has dominated since its early origins. Each of the four included 200-volt modules in the battery pack weigh around 175 pounds, and are mounted strategically for ultimate weight distribution.

A full On-board Battery Management System monitors all temperatures and constantly changing critical voltages within the pack. It is also tied into a comprehensive safety system that is always evaluating the electrical components in a vehicle, for safe operation and proper function. This electric motor as the same bell house mounting pattern and crankshaft flange as the widely-used LS-family engines in Chevy's crate engine lineup. This is what allows it to bolt up to nearly any single one of the GM transmission family's lineup.

The possibilities are amazing and will open up numerous ways to limit fuel use in the drag racing realm, a place in which fully electric power was scoffed at just a few years ago. The eCOPO Concept joined the 50^th anniversary 2019 COPO Camaro race car along with two dozen additional Chevy concepts and show vehicles, finishing its run at SEMA in Las Vegas on November 2^nd.