Electric vehicles are becoming much less of a mystery to the average driver. On a typical commute to work, you’re practically guaranteed to see a few when, just a few years ago, you might have only seen one once a week.
It’s not surprising – the International Energy Agency reported that electric cars accounted for 18% of all cars sold in 2023, up from just 2% in 2018. Chevrolet is at the forefront of the EV revolution and is constantly refining its lineup of EVs, which currently includes the Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado. Longer ranges, faster and more accessible charging, and a bevy of other quality-of-life features have convinced many families to give electric a chance, including Team Chevrolet of Valparaiso Sales Manager Zac DeRolf and his wife, Trisha DeRolf.
“We’ve leased an EV Blazer, and there’s so much versatility with it,” he said. “I highly recommend that people come in and try driving one. I’m someone who never thought that I’d buy one, but the special was so good that we figured it’d be worth a shot. We’re super satisfied.”
The 2024 Blazer features an EPA-estimated range of 324 miles and is built from the ground up to take advantage of Chevrolet’s flexible Ultium battery platform. It allows for a variety of charging speeds and methods, including One-Pedal Driving and Regen On Demand, two features that convert energy from the Blazer’s movement and use it to recharge the battery. These tools, combined with its included Level 1 Charger, make the Blazer EV a perfect daily driver for Trisha DeRolf.
“She only drives about 10 to 12 miles a day, so we’re able to replace that energy overnight with no problem,” Zac DeRolf said. “It means that we always have a full charge available if we need it.”
The Level 1 Charger is a simple plug and play tool that fits into the average wall outlet. It adds about one to four miles of range per hour, which makes it a perfect fit for the DeRolf family. For drivers that need more, Level 2 Chargers are available that can restore up to 58 miles of range per hour.
Chevrolet EVs also have Google built-in and use it to direct drivers to open public charging stations – or even to map out routes featuring charging stations for longer road trips. Range and charging anxiety are rapidly becoming things of the past with more than 231,800 public chargers available across North America.
“That’s one of my favorite things about the car,” DeRolf said. “It plans out your trips with charging in mind. If you ever get down into the 10 to 15% battery range, it’ll find you the closest charging stations available. You don’t have to do any research or figure anything out. It can even let you know if a station is full or not.”
If you are looking to plan your trip ahead of time away from the car, Chevy also offers the myChevrolet app, which can help you plan out routes and find available public chargers from your phone.
“We’ve gone out to Indianapolis and Chicago a couple of times with the Blazer EV, and finding charging has been so easy that it’s basically a non-factor,” Zac DeRolf said. “You just pick a parking garage that has chargers available, and not only do you get to recharge, you also get a better parking space!”
Beyond all of the features and performance, the biggest draw for the DeRolf family were the available savings. No gas costs and less maintenance are the obvious places EV drivers save, but drivers can save big thanks to tax credits available on EVs.
“The lease specials are incredible on these cars; you can get a tax credit that goes in as a residual boost that lowers your payment quite a bit,” Zac DeRolf said. “The Blazer EV is usually in the $50,000 range, and we were able to lease it for half that price.”
Zac DeRolf and the EV specialists at Team Chevy are happy to share their knowledge and experiences with customers. To learn more or to schedule a test drive, visit chevyon30.com.
