Chevrolet Silverado EV electric pickup unveiled

Last updated Apr 16, 2022

This is the main automotive preview of CES-2022 in Las Vegas. With the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GM will compete with the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup. However, belatedly. If Ford promises to release the lightning this spring, GM will only enter this market by the end of 2023. However, the Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup is now fully in production and many specifications have already been announced.

If Ford built its electric pickup truck around the standard F-150 model (chassis, chassis, cab, etc.), then GM went the other way. The new Silverado EV has nothing to do with the regular Silverado. In fact, this is a redesigned and simplified GMC Hummer EV pickup truck, which only entered the assembly line at the end of last year. These machines use the same Ultium platform and the same body as the Crew Cab (there will be no other options).

There is no traditional frame, the main carrier is the traction battery frame located between the axles, to which powerful front and rear frames are attached. The suspension is completely independent, for a fee – pneumatic, capable of changing the ground clearance within 100 mm. Another option is a fully controlled chassis. But Crab Walk side mode and Extreme Extract mode (with 404mm of ground clearance) will remain Hummer features: they shouldn't be in a Chevrolet pickup.

Chevrolet Silverado EV WT

Overall, while the Hummer is primarily aimed at the wealthy, the Silverado EV is primarily aimed at the corporate market. Therefore, the basic version of the WT (Work Truck) has black bumpers, steel rims and plain upholstery. But even such a pickup “in the base” is equipped with all-wheel drive with two electric motors that produce 517 hp and 834 Nm.

The most prestigious version of the RST will have 673 hp and 1057 Nm, and with the optional Wide Open Watts Mode package it will be able to sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h) in less than 4.5 seconds. An off-road modification of the Trail Boss will appear later, although there are no details about it yet and only one image has been published. But more extreme top-end three-engine versions like the Hammer will not be in this lineup.

Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss

The Ultium traction battery is expected to last 400 miles (644 km) for both versions. Although this is a preliminary figure, Ford is promising no more than 480 km for its electric pickup. The DC charger supports up to 350 kW, so it will also be in the basic “working” version. Electric pickup buyers will have access to a network of 100,000 Ultium Charge 360 charging stations across the US and Canada.

Every Chevrolet Silverado EV has a spacious eTrunk front rack with a low sill and a 1.8 m main cargo platform. And for transporting long vehicles, you can order the Multi-Flex Midgate, which is a convertible partition between the passenger compartment and the cargo compartment. Allows you to lower the rear window, open the hatch behind the back of the rear sofa (the cover is divided in the same ratio of 60:40 as the sofa itself) or the entire partition (with the glass removed) folds completely into the cab. In the latter case, the resulting length of the cargo space will be 2.7 m.

Another option is the Multi-Flex tailgate: a power tailgate with integrated kickstand. The housing can be equipped with sockets for connecting electrical appliances with a total power of up to 10.2 kW. You can also charge another Silverado EV. The pickup truck has a payload capacity of just 590 kg, but a towable weight of 4.5 tons, and later there will be a Max Tow package that allows you to transport nine-ton trailers.

All versions of the electric Silverado will have an 11-inch instrument display. The multimedia system monitor in the RST version has a diagonal of 17 inches, but the “working” WT version has a more modest display. Multimedia itself has a new Ultifi shell based on the Linux operating system. A 14-inch projection screen, glass roof (no sunroof) and Super Cruise autopilot for hands-free highway driving are available (there are 322,000 kilometers of roads approved for this system in the US and Canada to date).

The Chevrolet Silverado EV pickups will be built at the same Factory Zero plant near Detroit where the new Hummers are built. Acceptance of applications with a deposit of $100 is already open. But GM won't start accepting full orders with configuration specs until spring 2023, with the base Work Truck available first for $39,900. Ford's electric pickup is a bit more expensive, at least $39,974.

After the fall of 2023, the “coveted” RST First Edition will be available for order with a full range of options and 24-inch wheels. For such a conclusion, they will ask for 105,000 dollars. A matching GMC Hummer EV now costs between $80,000 and $110,000. And soon a third electric pickup will appear in this family – the GMC Sierra EV.