What started out life as a 1977 Chevy K5 Blazer has found a second life as a beautiful, electrified SUV, the K5 Blazer-E. And I love it. I want one. I want one so bad.
I love the classic Blazer. It makes me want to put on a flannel and drive around pretending I’m a grizzled divorcée living in a rural town. It’s the perfect blend of ugly but also classic, with one of those unmistakable silhouettes that just makes you feel warm inside to look at. And Chevy is offering a modernised, electric version.
The Blazer is part of Chevy’s new Electric Connect and Cruise package program, which is intended to provide an aftermarket EV swap to traditional combustion-powered cars. Chevy already showed off this tech with the eCOPO Camaro in 2018 and the E-10 in 2019, but I think the Blazer has to be the most exciting.
Chevy removed all of the ICE components on the Blazer and fitted it with an electric motor from the Chevy Bolt, which produces 149kW and 164Nm of torque. Pretty much everything else has remained intact, including the driveshaft and axles.
The Electric Connect and Cruise package displayed in the Blazer-E should be available sometime in the latter half of 2021 and will include the following:
- 60-kWh battery pack
- 149kW electric motor
- DC-to-AC power inverter to drive the electric motor
- DC-to-DC power converter to power low-voltage systems
- Wiring harnesses, controllers and water pumps for battery heating and cooling
People have been asking for ways to retrofit their ICE classics since the reveal of the E-10, Russ O’Blenes, Chevrolet director of engineering, said. This is just the marque’s way of catering to a niche but growing market.
A market that I am firmly part of. I want the electric Blazer, and I’m glad Chevy is listening to those of us who want the classics with a little modern twist.