This is probably how long it takes to charge your electric Chevrolet Blazer with a regular wall outlet.
Although Chevrolet only teased the upcoming Blazer EV, since its battery and charging hardware is based on other GM EVs already for sale and in the pipeline, we can make educated guesses how long it will take to charge.
If you don’t already know and the electric Blazer and Blazer SS will be your first foray into electric vehicles, you don’t need to install any special chargers or extra hardware to charge up and can, in fact, use a regular 120-volt outlet to do it.
Here’s probably how long it will take to charge your Chevrolet Blazer EV using a regular wall socket.
What we know
GM will use Ultium Batteries and propulsion systems. Ultium batteries range in size from 50 to 200 kWh. For example, the Cadillac Lyriq EV and Hummer EV have 100 and 200 kWh Ultium battery packs, respectively.
We can also safely assume Chevrolet is benchmarking Ford’s Mustang Mach-E against the Blazer.
The Mach E has a 70 and 90 kWh battery pack.
Until we have more information, I’m assuming the Blazer EV will come standard with a 70 kWh battery and optional 100 kWh battery pack, just like the Cadillac Lyriq.
It’s worth noting, although the Bolt and Bolt EUV have 65 kWh battery packs, they are Samsung batteries and not Ultium-based.
Estimated ranges with battery sizes and drivetrain
Just like the Mustang Mach E, the Blazer will probably offer RWD and AWD options.
Blazer SS will probably be the dual-motor AWD Blazer with the larger battery pack.
Here are the estimated ranges based on what battery size and drivetrain you choose.
- 70 kWh standard range RWD- 250 miles
- 70 kWh standard range AWD- 225 miles
- 100 kWh extended range RWD- 310 miles
- 100 kWh extended range AWD- 280 miles
How long it will take to charge a Blazer EV using a regular wall socket aka Level 1 charging?
Regular 120 volt outlets deliver up to 15 amps but, for hours long charging sessions, step down to 12-amps.
12 amps
12 amps x 120 volts = 1,440 watts
Assuming we account for efficiency losses of about 70 percent.
1440 watts x .7 = 1,008 watts or 1.008 kWh
Dividing by the battery size and we get,
70 kw/1.008 kw= 70 hours for a full charge
100 kw/1.008 kw= 99 hours for a full charge
For the standard Blazer EV with RWD and an estimated 250 miles of range, that’s roughly 3.5 miles of range per hour.
Charging a standard Blazer EV overnight (an 8-hour charge) yields about 28 miles of range.
8-amps
Just like the Hummer EV, Blazer EV’s charging cord may limit you to just 8 amps, the lowest charge level available to ensure safe charging. You may see an 8-amp limit if you’re not charging at home, or if conditions warrant a lower charging level..
Using the same math above, if you’re limited to 8 amps,
8 amps x 120 volts = 960 watts
960 watts x .7 efficiency loss= 672 watts or .672 kWh
70 kw/.672 kw= 104 hours for a full charge
100 kw/.672 kw= 148 hours for a full charge
Charging a standard Blazer EV overnight (an 8-hour charge) with the 8-amp limit yields about 2.4 miles of range an hour, or about 20 miles of range.
Conclusion
The above estimates should give you a rough idea how liveable your Blazer EV will be, charging off a regular plug.
It’s doable and complete possible, but, if you drive a lot and hope to use your Blazer EV as a daily, probably not practical.
Blazer EV owners will likely get some kind of Level 2 charging at home that will have similar charging times as the Cadillac Lyriq.
If you install Chevrolet’s 19.2 kW charging module, you can expect 52 miles of range per hour, a significant jump compared to a regular socket.
Even if you use your home’s 30-amp 240 volt dryer plug, stepped down to 24 amps, you can expect 14 miles of ranger per hour (assuming you have the RWD Blazer with standard 70 kWh battery pack.)
But, if you don’t plan to use Level 2 charging, charging off a regular wall outlet is definitely possible.
As mentioned, as official info comes out, I’ll update this blog post accordingly.
