Last week, we got a hold of the all-new Chevy Blazer EV RS model, which heralds another step in GM’s EV cars rollout. This generation of EVs bring more refinement, more range, and much bigger MSRPs. We’ve reviewed the Blazer out in California before during the press launch, but now we had the chance to see how well the vehicle does on a Colorado benchmark test: making it up and back from Vail on I-70. The route starts at roughly 5,000 feet of elevation and climbs over two 10,000-foot high passes. And why not put the AWD Blazer up against two other AWD crossover EVs, the Tesla Model Y Performance and the Subaru Solterra to see how it compares.
Frigid temps in the mountains only add to the challenge and cold weather is a known range killer for EVs. In short, our EV range test measures efficiency on climbs, regenerative braking efficiency, and range-loss due to cold weather — data that anyone who heads to the mountains in the Rockies during the winter needs to care about. Our goal is to see which of the three can make it from Boulder, Colorado to Vail and back, a journey of roughly 250 miles.
How The EVs Compare
The Chevrolet Blazer EV comes with the biggest battery here with a 85 kWh pack. It lists its range at 279 miles at the start of our test. The EV comes with a $60,000 MRSP for the fully-loaded AWD RS trim.
Our Tesla Model Y Dual Motor Performance loan came from a friend of TFL. It has 33,000 miles on its 80 kWh battery. At the start of our run, the vehicle listed 303 miles of range. Sticker for a comparable Model Y is currently around $52,000.
Hertz rented us the brand new Subaru Solterra for the day. It packed a 72.8 kWh battery and, as you’d expect, the lowest sticker price of the bunch at around $45,000. At the start, it claimed a range of only 225 miles. The range doesn’t equal our 250-mile range target, but we decided to see how far it could go, nonetheless.
Did the Chevy Blazer EV Win?
While the Blazer and the Model Y performed well, the Solterra provided nothing but anxiety as the long, high-speed climbs up and over the passes obliterated the Subaru’s range. So much so that the team had to limp into a public charger before getting back to Boulder. Still, the trio managed to clock 195-miles of arduous alpine driving and declare a winner.
3rd Place: The Subaru managed a little better than 3.0 miles/kWh, but limped to the charger with less than 10% battery left and ~18 miles of range.
2nd Place: The Tesla produced a phenomenal 3.8 miles/kWh, but only had 50 miles of range left by the time it reached the charger. That’s well short of the 303-mile range the car promised at the start of the test.
1st Place: The Chevrolet won the day, arriving at the charger with 126 miles of range to go, enough range in fact, that the team didn’t bother charging it for the last miles to Boulder. The GM returned 3.2 miles/kWh to boot. The larger battery paid off.
To see the full video test for yourself, including the issues with charging the Solterra vs. the Tesla, click on the video below.
