Sure, most police cars no longer have V8 engines, but that doesn’t mean cops have given up chasing people — which is unfortunate, because high-speed chases are dangerous for everyone. The difference is simply that current police interceptors are now available with alternative forms of motivation. The 498-horsepower Chevrolet Blazer EV police pursuit vehicle is a good example: The second-fastest PPV in this year’s Michigan State Police testing (PDF) – behind the Mustang Mach-E GT eAWD – the Blazer is powered by a pair of electric motors. And now that Chevrolet has been selling them to police departments for a few years, some are starting to appear on the used market. They’re also practically a bargain, with examples listed for under $30,000 on sites like CarGurus, so you’re getting a lot of horsepower for not a lot of money.
Among new cars, getting to 500 horsepower will cost you at least about $25,000 more, regardless of powertrain. A gas-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack, for example, offers 550 horsepower with an MSRP of $56,990 with destination. A Tesla Model 3 Performance, with 528 ponies, is listed at $56,630. Looking at the numbers based on price, the few new vehicles available for less than $30,000, like the base model Honda Accord and Nissan Leaf, boast 192 and 214 horsepower, respectively. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the supply of used Chevrolet Blazer EV police cars is relatively limited. Only five were available nationwide on Carfax as of this writing, with prices ranging from $29,405 to $35,995.
What is the difference between the police Blazer EV and the civilian one?
The main distinction between the two lies in the tuning of their powertrains. The EV PPV is based on the high-performance Blazer SS sold to retail customers. It’s a machine we call a normal family crossover with the speed of a supercar, thanks to its 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, which may be why the cops can’t exploit all that production. Police-specific tuning limits the Blazer EV PPV to 498 horsepower and 571 lb-ft. Still, the PPV is no slouch when it comes to acceleration and speed. According to testing by the Michigan State Police, it can reach 60 mph in just 5.14 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph.
And while that’s a pretty big gap between used Police Blazers and high-end civilian models, the latter also cost about double the price. Chevrolet wants $62,495 for a 2027 Blazer SS EV with all-wheel drive after destination. The cheapest brand-new Blazer EV costs $46,795 after destination.
Another important difference between the police car and the regular Blazer is that the former has a specially designed electrical architecture with a 400 to 12 volt power module reducer and a universal vehicle module. These components help the Blazer PPV provide enough power to power installation equipment and allow it to handle unique operating modes such as shutdown inhibit or fast idle. Also featured are Brembo front brakes, heavy-duty suspension and steel skid plates. And while some used examples are still equipped with bull bars, the red and blue flashing lights are not.
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