The electric Silverado has some excellent numbers on paper and looks the part; is it enough to veer the traditional truckers from the gas variants, though?
GM has been steadily moving towards the all-electric future with a full-blown return of the mighty GMC Hummer EV with a fully electric powertrain. It was not any ordinary set-up, though. Riddled with a truckload of features and equipment and a total of 1000 hp, the Hummer EV can a 0-60 mph sprint in just 3.0 secs in its top-tier driving mode. Months later, it announced a sneak peek of the electric Denali, although we just might have a much better idea of it with the Chevy Silverado EV!
“We had no constraints when it came to designing the Silverado EV with dramatic style and flexible utility because we didn’t need to work around a traditional propulsion system,” said Phil Zak, executive director of Chevrolet Design.
Pitted against its arch-nemesis, the Ford F-150 Lightning, the electric Silverado looks to one-up on it in almost every metric possible.
Kicking things off with the design overview, the truck looks much more modern and sleeker than its ICE counterpart. Like most EVs nowadays, Chevy replaced the intake grille with a solid plastic panel with a horizontal LED strip and an illuminated logo. However, the rugged front bumper with vent openings to cool off the battery pack does give the electric truck some much-needed muscle.
Meanwhile, the Silverado EV makes quite a statement with a short overhang, flattened wheel arches, and 24-inch alloys on the sides. It features similar proportions to its ICE cousin at the rear with a Multi-Flex tailgate (RST), side-mounted tail lights, and a rugged bumper with tow hooks to top off the design.
Overall, the electric Silverado looks very refreshing; it might not be as sci-fi as the Tesla Cybertruck, but it looks more forward-looking than the F-150 Lightning. We’ll wait and see it in person to decide whether it’s the most appealing from the bunch, but from the images, it’s quite the looker.
What’s under the electric Silverado is even cooler, though. The truck sits on the advanced Ultium EV platform and has an e4WD system with front and rear electric motors on both variants. The 29-module Ultium battery sends juice to a 510 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque on the entry-level WT, already competitive against the gas versions.
However, the RST in its Wide Open Watt mode warps out an eye-catching 664 hp and 780 lb-ft of torque; that does not only rival gas Silverados but is also competitive in a market filled with the Rivian R1T, F150 Lightning, and the Tesla Cybertruck. Moreover, the Silverado EV also supports 350 kW of DC charging, meaning 100 miles of range in less than 10 mins!
Chevy is initially launching the truck in the top-tier RST First Edition and WT variants, each coming with its comprehensive suite of features. The RST is jam-packed with equipment, such as adaptive air suspension (2 inches of up/down adjustment), four-wheel steering, Multi-Flex tailgate, and the advanced Super Cruise covering up to 200,000 miles of highways across the US and Canada. It also features a massive 17-inch free-floating infotainment screen with Ultifi, an 11-inch driver’s display, and a 14-inch HUD, adding convenience to the overall package.
The electric Silverado will be manufactured at the Factory Zero plant in Detroit alongside its siblings from GMC and Cadillac. GM priced the fully equipped 400-mile RST at $106,695 with other variants between $50k – $80k. However, the starting trim could fetch you back about $41,595!
Let the competition begin!
Gallery: Chevrolet Silverado EV
