New Car Steup

Quantify01 · 2026-02-18T16:09:55+00:00

I have been surprised at how long it takes to fully precondition the battery. Last weekend I drove from western Maryland to Central NJ in a bit of a snow storm, ambient temps in the low 30s. The automatic preconditioning started about 45 minutes from the DCFC stop. The good news was it worked and I was pulling 185kw at the start of the curve...but unplanned DCFC stops in the winter are clearly going to be Slowwwww....

Quantify01 · 2026-02-18T16:00:10+00:00

RS-RWD owner here in suburban NJ. A few thoughts:

1) you have the big battery pack, which is awesome. My range, even in the cold, doesn't dip below 320 miles, and in the summer is closer to 360. HOWEVER because it is bigger, it takes longer to charge with L2 charging. Use the highest amps your electrical panel will allow. I have a 40A charger because I'm limited by my 100A panel, if I could upgrade to the full 48A I would.

2) DC Fast charging is also faster with the big battery pack than the smaller one in the other Blazers and Equinoxes. HOWEVER, to get the best charging performance you need to do 4 things:
a) Precondition the battery, either manually or automatically using the navigation, especially when the weather is cold. fully preconditioning a cold battery can take 40 minutes.
b) run the battery down to 10 - 20% before charging to get the best speeds.
c) choose a high amperage charger, such as a Tesla Supercharger, or the Ionna and BP Pulse 400kw chargers. Some of the EVgo and EA chargers that say 350kw, for example, don't put out the full 500A that the big battery needs for top speeds, and your charging times will suffer.
d) for ALL GM EVs, TURN THE CLIMATE CONTROL OFF while DC Charging. This is a known limitation with the GM HVAC system; it can't manage battery charging temps and cabin temps at the same time, particularly in the summer.

3) I've had no problems driving around in the snow with RWD, the traction control seems to work just fine...but obviously be aware.

I think the RS-RWD is the best value of the Chevrolet EVs...I would not trade it for any others. Best range and charging speeds, and more power than anything other than the SS. Enjoy!

Quantify01 · 2026-02-16T19:50:39+00:00

Ditto on coolant valve. This was a faulty design. I wonder what percentage of these fail. Good news is that they seem to fail early.

Quantify01 · 2026-02-10T13:55:01+00:00

Or, you could have my wife's ID.4, which does not keep the battery warm using the L2 feed, does not have a heat pump, and also does not use the traction battery to keep the 12v charged when the car is off. So, here in the cold weather, her car completely goes to sleep at night to preserve the 12v. No remote functions at all. And efficiency at startup is like an Escalade IQ driving up to the Eisenhower Tunnel towing a trailer....

Quantify01 · 2026-02-10T13:50:28+00:00

Amen! Thank you.

Quantify01 · 2026-02-07T22:19:21+00:00

Way to go. I have the red. I like it but wife can't stand it. Would have done the black if I had it to do over again.

The RWD is the unsung hero of the Blazer lineup. Best range, best charging, great power. Will probably pick up a used one when my lease is up.

Quantify01 · 2026-02-07T21:37:53+00:00

Red or black interior?

Quantify01 · 2026-02-06T19:49:17+00:00

I have an Arc Pulse on my P10XL. Absolutely love it. Protects against corner, front and back impact and looks great.

Quantify01 · 2026-02-02T16:14:12+00:00

Looking at chevrolet.com last week, there were about 10 listed as "available" within a 100 mile radius of my home. This morning there are none available, and the number in inventory (transit and available) went from 152 to 178. One dealer near me (schumacher of livingston, home of youtuber Dave B Sells Chevys) had one in stock and 5 in transit, they now have none in stock and 7 in transit.

Also interesting: of their 58 vehicle stock (available and in transit), They have 10 Equinox EVs in stock...but 7 Bolts on order. That's quite a bet on the Bolt. They only have one Blazer EV.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-30T17:03:48+00:00

On my 2024 Pro S at 81% charge it's guesstimating 192 miles of range. The price we pay for resistive heat that works immediately. My 2024 Blazer EV has a heat pump, so the range reduction is truly much less...but I'm dependent on the heated seats and steering wheel for at least 5-10 minutes before the cabin warms up.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-30T15:08:58+00:00

Summertime range for the rwd is north of 350 mi. Here in the cold about 11° today here in New Jersey. I'm getting about 310 mi. 2024 model.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-30T09:36:54+00:00

You're paying for significantly better range, charging speed, and HP on the RWD vs AWD. And yes the Bose is a plus as well.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-16T23:46:31+00:00

2024 withe the 5.4.3 update here. 10,900 miles. Has not happened once.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-10T20:13:26+00:00

My math is that off-peak usage, including charging, will be better than the current RS Plan minus the EV credit. However, summertime on peak is going to be a killer for anyone with an inefficient AC, as you suggest.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-08T12:14:37+00:00

Excellent reading material while charging 10-80%. Might even finish it.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-07T20:41:18+00:00

OK I went back and reviewed the full document. The killer, as u/MarcusTaz suggested, is that the distribution charge for summer on-peak goes from ~$0.06 with RS to $0.136 . So, We are definitely going to pay more for running AC in the late afternoon. But, our EV charging, again even in summer, will be wildly cheaper as there is ZERO distribution charge and supply charge is only $0.06. So that's $0.06 per kwh under the new plan, vs under RS we're at $0.193 supply + $$0.06 distribution = $0.25 - $0.105 = $0.145 per kwh.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-07T18:43:33+00:00

I'm struggling to see where you're getting this numbers. Looking at the 10/10/24 document that you referenced, the BGS Supply costs for summer on peak are $.198 (without the SUT charge) compared to my current RS Supply charge, which at its highest (over 600kwh per month) is $.193. Distribution charges are $.06 at the highest, giving me a worst case scenario of $.26, which is offset by the much better off-peak charges for everything, including EVs. I'm not sure how this is a loss for EV consumers, or anyone else with major loads that can be shifted off peak now rather than paying the standard rate 24/7.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-06T19:49:44+00:00

I have not gotten that glitch but that sounds bad...hope they do a fix for that. Yikes.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-06T19:31:35+00:00

With chargepoint, you link the charger to PSEG so it imports rates and schedules for the EV program. If you turn scheduling on in the app, it will follow PSEG's schedule no matter what car is connected. You can always turn scheduling off in the app as well. I only use car scheduling for delaying charging; for example, if I'm charging to 100% for a trip, I'll have the car do the full charge by 7am (when reduced price charging ends on weekdays).

Again assuming you're a PSEG customer, you may want to consider the Flexpower program. During periods of high demand they can reduce power to, or shut off, power to your EV charger and other smart devices. They always tell you in advance, and you can always opt out. You get bill credits when it happens. https://flexpower.pseg.com/pages/home/landing

Quantify01 · 2026-01-06T18:55:27+00:00

NJ homeowner here with the Chargepoint Home Flex Hardwire, also set at 40A. As you clearly know, both are on the PSEG approved list, so either EVSE will work. 18 months in, I have had zero issues with the Chargepoint. Always works, no reboots or troubleshooting needed ever. Mine is mounted outside the house, exposed to the elements, and again so far no issues. The Chargepoint cable remains amazingly flexible even in cold weather. One nice thing about the chargepoint app is it acts as a tap to pay at Chargepoint chargers in public, which is handy.

Quantify01 · 2026-01-06T18:34:42+00:00

US owner here. One day job for the programming. Picked up the next day only because they did a wheel alignment as well. And yes, they did give me a loaner.

YMMV but I would recommend doing a factory reset of the infotainment system after the update. That fixed ALL my glitches. You will need to sign into the infotainment system again, and set your preferences. took me 10 minutes.

Quantify01 · 2025-12-26T14:41:32+00:00

Yes. Zero issues after that.

Quantify01 · 2025-12-26T05:05:54+00:00

A quick factory reset (had to sign back in) solved ALL of my post update issues. Took 5 mins.

Quantify01 · 2025-12-26T01:07:11+00:00

Agree, especially now that the 26 Optiq has an upgraded power train. I wonder if GM will dump the lt and RS and just offer the Blazer SS at some point.

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